Jeep Cherokee - cheap 4x4?

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LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#383871 24-Sep-2010 02:50

c71931f:
I bought a Toyota Altezza(known as the Lexus IS200 in the uk ..i think) recently & it's.. awesome

They generally sell for 6-8k on TradeMe, but you'll probably be wanting a cheaper vehicle

6-8k is doable for a car which would hold most of its value.
Depreciation over 4 months shouldn't be massive.
Lexus has a good reputation in the UK as well.

However just looked and they seem to be $8-10k in Caterbury at the moment.

Cheers

LGC

wmoore

510 posts

Ultimate Geek

#383875 24-Sep-2010 05:41

LittleGreyCat: Hi,

P.S. Subaru Legacy and similar are also very cheap - they are a premium brand in the UK and much used by farmers. Are they also unpopular in NZ?

Dave

What part of the UK are you from ? Over here in the West country most farmers living around us use
Nissan or Mitsubishi. I thought real farmers used Discoveries. :-)

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

wmoore

510 posts

Ultimate Geek

#383877 24-Sep-2010 05:46

c71931f:
xpd:
LittleGreyCat:

P.S. Subaru Legacy and similar are also very cheap - they are a premium brand in the UK and much used by farmers. Are they also unpopular in NZ?

Great cars, I had a 96 Legacy GT wagon, loved it to bits but had to sell to fund house. Just be wary, a LOT of turbo (if you look at the Legacy GT series) vehicles in NZ have been thrashed around.

General running costs (petrol) was pretty average (wasnt on the turbos all the time) but maintenance was high - cost me $900 for a split exhaust joint to be replaced - would have been cheaper but they couldnt source 2nd hand parts for it so had to buy Subaru new. Treat them right (regular servicing) and theyll go for years - but could be said about any car.

My advice to car buyers these days is goto your library/spend $20 and get The Dog and Lemon Guide - great source of info on a huge range of car makes and models with the ins and outs - the guys are brutally honest in their reviews.

Dog & Lemon Guide = mostly unreliable/unhelpful info..

I bought a Toyota Altezza(known as the Lexus IS200 in the uk ..i think) recently & it's.. awesome

They generally sell for 6-8k on TradeMe, but you'll probably be wanting a cheaper vehicle

The Dog and Lemon guide should be thrown into the fires of hell. The only car they seem to recommend is the Toyota Corolla. European cars are a four letter word to them.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

Paulthagerous

698 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#383938 24-Sep-2010 09:59

LittleGreyCat:
Paulthagerous:

Aussie built cars tend to be relatively cheap to maintain in my experience. Though they aren't the most sophisticated of vehicles.

So what are you actually after in a car? Then we can suggest ones that are cheap in NZ that may be quite expensive in the UK :)

We are travelling for 4 months and so far it looks as though buying a car and caravan is going to be cheaper than buying a camper van or staying in motels.

So:

(1) Cheap to buy and run, easy to sell on. Poor gas consumption could be O.K. if the rest of the package is good.
(2) Big enough to tow a caravan.
(3) Reliable
(4) Secure - we will be carrying our world around with us so we need to be able to lock stuff up out of sight.
(5) Big enough to carry a couple of large suitcases without being too obvious about it, plus camping gear.

Most of this suggests a wagon, apart from the security bit where a saloon is probably more secure.

As far as I know we don't need 4WD unless there are a lot of awesome places on S.Island you can only get to using a 4x4.

Cheers

LGC

Ok then, so we seem to be on the right track. Personally if I am towing something, the bigger engine the better to avoid strain. I would say one of these:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Honda/Accord/auction-319760806.htm

Sounds about the right price, not that old. Might not hold as much as you wanted though? Also not as good a towing car as a 4x4.

Regardless, I too would recommend a japanese vehicle. Here in NZ parts etc are much cheaper/easier to get a hold of, and the jap cars just seem better suited to a hard life on NZ's relatively poor roads. I would probably go Nissan Terrano or a Mitsi Pajero/Challenger:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Nissan/Terrano/auction-319903756.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Mitsubishi/Challenger/auction-311547883.htm

But any 4x4 is likely to have been used harder and probably less reliable.

Hope this helps!

graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#383951 24-Sep-2010 10:16

I'd go for something with a reasonably big engine for towing. Something like a Maxima, Commodore, Falcon or the 3 litre Outback.

The 3l Subaru engine is almost bullet proof, not sure about the others but if the price is right...

Handsomedan

7294 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#383985 24-Sep-2010 11:24

I agree with GraemeH.

For towing a van, you'll need at least a 2.5tdi or a 3.0l petrol to do it with comfort.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#384048 24-Sep-2010 13:48

Oh and don't forget to check that it has a tow bar and wiring for the trailer lights before you buy it or that'll probably cost you another $1k.

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oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#384112 24-Sep-2010 16:56

You want to tow a caravan around.... Lotsa folks here are as friendly to 'vanners' here as they are in the UK. :)

But seriously.... depending upon where you plan to go, a lot of camping grounds have Cabins you can rent... cheaper than motels and you still get the use of all the facilities without having to worry about the box thats following you everywhere. Also means one thing less to dispose of at the end of the trip. (Just a thought).

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#384113 24-Sep-2010 17:01

wmoore: The Dog and Lemon guide should be thrown into the fires of hell. The only car they seem to recommend is the Toyota Corolla. European cars are a four letter word to them.

Because in New Zealand this makes sense.
Have lived in the UK and Europe.... and there I'd buy a Euro vehicle if I was buying used for a short term stay. But down south an asian brand is the better beast if you want value and reliability for your temporary touring dollar.

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#384176 24-Sep-2010 21:24

oxnsox: You want to tow a caravan around.... Lotsa folks here are as friendly to 'vanners' here as they are in the UK. :)

But seriously.... depending upon where you plan to go, a lot of camping grounds have Cabins you can rent... cheaper than motels and you still get the use of all the facilities without having to worry about the box thats following you everywhere. Also means one thing less to dispose of at the end of the trip. (Just a thought).

Firstly, a quick pricing exercise:

From http://www.nzcamping.co.nz/camp.php?id=265
"96 Standard Cabins, sleep 2-4, $25 per adult, $11 children (aged 2-16). "
"Tent sites cost $15, powered sites $14 per person."

So on this site, two in a cabin is $50, two in a caravan is $28, two in a tent is $15.

If we save on average $22 a night by using a caravan, and stop for 20 nights a month over 4 months then we save $1,760.

If we save on average $35 a night by using a tent we save $2,800.

Much the same if we assume two weeks to get set up before we start and two weeks to dispose of everything at the end. That leaves us 3 months or 90 days which makes the saving a bit larger but not massively so.

We have to have a car of some sort anyway to be able to travel freely.

So possibly something like
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Caravans-motorhomes/Caravans/13-16-ft/auction-319356506.htm
which is a pop top - easy towing and low cost of $1895, could lose 50% on resale and still be OK.

The figures suggeast that we would be better off buying a tent - I assume we could get a nice big tent with all the camping bits for less than $1500 so we could almost give this away at the end of the trip.

The savings on a cabin don't look that good compared to a caravan; decent vans look expensive and as you say there is the hassle of selling them afterwards.

With a tent we could save $1,500 or more over the time of the trip but on the other hand there is all the hassle of putting it up and taking it down in the rain, etc.

On this basis a cabin looks quite attractive.

Another option is a large van or wagon where we can sleep in the back and cook in the campsite kitchen - this keeps our outlay down but it does involve quite a bit of discomfort if the weather turns bad.

Perhaps an option for fine weather and use cabins when it is wet or cold?

Nothing is easy, is it?

Something like this might be ideal:

"http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Mazda/626/auction-319628599.htm"

"Couple of minor dents. Last WOF changed front tyres and wiper blades, mechanic said everything else in great condition. Full service history from previous owner and myself. Great car for travelling in NZ, sleeps 2 persons. Includes maps, gas cooker and cooking equipment, duvet, air bed, sleeping bag and tent..... and 2 frisbee's! "

Of course, this is the only advert like this I've found so far so who knows what will be around in 6 weeks time.

So in summary, yes a cabin might be a sensible alternative to a caravan.
Thanks for prompting me to go through the figures again.

Cheers

LGC

** One edit already because of my dodgy maths! **

wmoore

510 posts

Ultimate Geek

#384204 25-Sep-2010 00:24

Have you had a look at http://www.spaceshipsrentals.co.nz/

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#384207 25-Sep-2010 01:59

wmoore: Have you had a look at http://www.spaceshipsrentals.co.nz/

"New Total: NZ $9,328.00 (Includes GST)"

That is, of course, without camp site fees.

So this is the loss we could make on any transaction without being worse off.

If we spend less than this in total to get set up then we are ahead of this particular game.

Nice looking campers, though.

Cheeers

LGC

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