my winter transport

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:30 pm

This is my car for when I don't use the PCX. I have have it for nearly 6 years and it has been bulletproof so far. it has just clocked over the 100,000 miles last week and is still going strong. The picture is a bit blurry as i took it through the window of the local chippy one night as i was waiting for my fish supper.

Woolley · Post by **Woolley** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:15 pm

I like the alloys alot.

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:22 pm

245/40x17's on the back and 225/45x17 on the front. Not good in snow though.

Woolley · Post by **Woolley** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 6:43 pm

Is it rear wheel drive? I've never experienced rear wheel drive in snow but this is my first winter with an automatic, hopefully I don't get stuck.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:05 pm

All Merc saloons and estates are rear wheel drive.
AFAIK the only front wheel drive Merc is the A class.

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:16 pm

RWD in snow = drifting fun

maddiedog · Post by **maddiedog** » Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:05 pm

Nice, I like the green.

Mercs are good cars, my father has a C-class and it has been completely bulletproof... Not a single issue, over 100k miles.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:53 am

Up here in Aberdeenshire you know it's winter because the ditches start to fill up with BMWs and Mercs.
A RWD with the correct tyres may be fun in the hands of the skilled, but with normal tyres and the average motorist, completely useless.
Vive la traction avant mes amis!

edscoot · Post by **edscoot** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:00 pm

Last winter we had a long very cold spell, -10ish, and quite a bit of snow, though not deep it wouldn't thaw. I drive a 1998 BMW 5 series automatic with about 134,000 on it now. That car is SHIT in snow or ice

. Truly terrifying! It'll break traction without warning at slow speed, driving in a straight line, not touching the brakes or anything.

I keep looking on ebay for an old shape Fiat Panda 4x4. They're good in the snow and mud but most of them have long since rusted away. Failing that I might get an old series Landy and sell it in the spring. Then again it might not be a bad winter - so far it's better than the last two or three.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:01 pm

I can recommend a TD4 Freelander, they're absolutely brilliant in the snow and can do 40mpg.

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 5:33 pm

I have a vw polo my wife drives with winter tyres on it at the moment so we will be using that If it get very bad. The winter tyres do make a difference. I was surprised how good even the budget ones are compared to normal summer tyres.

Woolley · Post by **Woolley** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:10 pm

Alibally wrote:I have a vw polo my wife drives with winter tyres on it at the moment so we will be using that If it get very bad. The winter tyres do make a difference. I was surprised how good even the budget ones are compared to normal summer tyres.

My first car was a 1997 polo nearly 3 years ago and i found it pretty good in the snow. I felt like my astra was better in the snow, but its probably because i had had another years driving experience by then.

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:06 am

I learned to drive in the winter so snow, Icy roads etc don't really bother me too much. It's a bit like riding a bike, look well ahead on the road and be smooth and sensible. You won't go far wrong..

edscoot · Post by **edscoot** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 5:46 pm

Alibally wrote:I learned to drive in the winter so snow, Icy roads etc don't really bother me too much. It's a bit like riding a bike, look well ahead on the road and be smooth and sensible. You won't go far wrong..

I'll lend you my BMW. You might find it a bit surprising

I'm sure it's just the wider tyres it has compared to everything else I've driven in the snow (mostly rear wheel drive as well). We had a Volvo 265 GLE Estate Auto for a while, as long as you had studded winter tyres it was fine in snow. I do wonder about traction control though. You get no warning before the Beemer wags its tail.

gn2 wrote:I can recommend a TD4 Freelander, they're absolutely brilliant in the snow and can do 40mpg.

I had a look on ebay at these following your recommendation. The prices seem right for my budget - roughly the same as the beemer's worth, but there's not many of them on, and non local unfortunately.

I've always been a bit nervous of the Freelander - as a 4x4 it makes sense, but I worry about reliability. All those posh things like hill descent, air con, and all the other stuff make for expensive repairs. Am I worrying for no reason? If they're good reliable cars I might well get one after Christmas.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 6:44 pm

Depends what spec you get how much there is is to break
Parts are widely available and not too expensive unless you buy Landrover branded ones, even then they're mostly not too expensive.
The LandyZone forum has a wealth of info.
If you're reasonably handy with the spanners it's fab, if you're not, get a Toyota or a Honda.
Ours has had minor snags but has never broken down or failed to start.
Absolutely DO NOT buy a petrol one no matter how cheap it is, they have truly awful reliability and poor fuel economy.

maddiedog · Post by **maddiedog** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:40 am

I second avoiding the petrol ones. All the ones here in the USA are on standard gas, and have reputations of being unreliable pieces of shit. You can't get the diesel models over here, so if someone even mentions a Land Rover to someone in the USA, they immediately think of the worthless Landys we have. It's the same way with small pickups -- You can't get a Toyota Hilux here. The smallest truck we have that is a diesel is a Ford F250, which is absolutely enormous.

I really wish we had more diesel cars and trucks over here, they are much better vehicles.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:13 am

Ah the diesel HiLux, the car TopGear couldn't kill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfZDtC9kjVk

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:06 pm

gn2 wrote:Ah the diesel HiLux, the car TopGear couldn't kill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfZDtC9kjVk

maddiedog · Post by **maddiedog** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:25 pm

gn2 wrote:Ah the diesel HiLux, the car TopGear couldn't kill.

I love Top Gear, and that episode is one of my favorites. That episode was the first video that made me want a Hilux, and I've been trying to get my hands on one since... It's REALLY hard to get one here in the USA.

To get a Hilux in the states, you gotta buy one in South America, but North of Panama (there is an area of Panama that is still impassable by normal vehicles) -- Guatemala is easiest, then get it titled legally there, drive it across the border into Mexico, which driving it through both countries will probably involve bribes or at the very least applying for driving permits in advanced, then drive it into the USA. At the border, I would have to prove its mine, customs would examine it THOROUGHLY for drugs and such, then I'd have to pay a 25% import duty of it's approximated worth, or probably $2000-$5000. They also have to make sure it's street legal to US standards, which costs more. Finally, I'd have a title, tag it in my state, and bring it home. All in all, the driving would take around 5000 miles (roughly 8000km) round trip. The car would cost roughly $15k new, or $10k for a mildly used one, before all taxes and gas.

I've researched this a lot, I really want a Hilux. The damn Tacoma has a SUV frame and gas engine, which would more than suit my needs.... But, I really really want the indestructible ladder frame and diesel engine that the Hilux gets.

gn2 · Post by **gn2** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:42 pm

You could ship a Hilux from Europe or Canada.
It would be a p.i.t.a. but it is possible.
What about a Landcruiser, they're the business.

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