Reply With QuoteI seem to recall they had issues with poor electrics and leaking. For the money I'd be looking at a Subaru forester built like a tank and goes forever no diesel version on old models though.
For some unknow reason I have a hankering for a cheap 4x4.
Living in Staffordshire there's plenty of places to go included some guided wildlife tours on Cannock Chase.
Thing is I don't want to spend a fortune. My Dad had a Frontera about 10 years ago and it seemed quite capable.
Looking on Autotrader I could get one for under £1k. They have a proper box with low and hi ratio. Guessing the Isuzu diesel is the one to go for instead of the petrol.
Am I mad or should I look at something else?
Thanks
I seem to recall they had issues with poor electrics and leaking. For the money I'd be looking at a Subaru forester built like a tank and goes forever no diesel version on old models though.
Can't help on the specifics but whenever I'm tempted by this kind of purchase I always listen to a song called 'Thousand dollar car' by the Bottle Rockets. It always puts me off....
I've just got hold of a Fourtrak.
Bit of rust but two owners since 1995 tells me it must have been fairly reliable.
I owned one, and for me it was the worse vehicle i ever purchased....
I had trouble with the engine, then the electrics and also the braking system all of which cost me a small fortune........couldnt wait to get rid
I then purchased a land rover discovery 300 series diesel. Had it serviced and never had to put a spanner to it...
I then traded that in for a discovery TD5 top of the range and had nothing but trouble with the sun roofs leaking.....went back in around 5 times never fixed it .......
so i think when it comes to these sort of motors you either have trouble free motoring or costly motoring
Frontera ? NO !!
Buy a Vitara.
"A man of little significance"
^
Only if you have a cast iron, or at least well sprung, spine.
I seem to remember that the Vauxhall Frontera was voted worst car of the year at one point on Top Gear.
I thought that this thread was a joke at first, the Frontera is a hateful car.
Chris
Not usually!Originally Posted by Chris W
If you want cheap, reliable and with some true off road ability then a Toyota Surf or Daihatsu Fourtrak are well worth a look.
Have a look for a Toyota Surf (3.0 diesel is the better engine).
Does all the things the Frontera *should* do.
Get one after 1997 if you can.
I had one for a few years in the UK and did the day-to-day commute fine, and also Sailsbury Plain and Bordon tank tracks.
I had one, a short wheelbase diesel. It was great for what it was. Fixing it was cheap and easy and there is a really active forum community. Plenty of them around unlike fourtraks which command strong money and are like hens teeth to find.
I ran my frontera for a year then sold it for the same as I paid. I quite liked it and was pretty handy on farm lanes.
My neighbour had a Frontera - the most unreliable vehicle he ever owned and he was glad to be rid of it. Then he bought a VW Passat which has not missed a beat in over 8 years of ownership.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
No, no and NO!
Nothing but trouble - one of the worst cars inflicted upon us. How Vauxhall could take an Isuzu MU and make it worse it beyond me.
It's just a matter of time...
A friend had one for 6 months and it was only on the road for 4 of those. Another had one for two years and not a single problem... So like any car luck of the draw, IMHO. Although I always seam to hear bad things, think there are a couple of models to avoid early ones and auto boxes especially and smaller engines.
Shit on wheels, and not very capable at all off road (no diff lock)
Get a fourtrak and enjoy (but keep it for off road fun, not for your daily driver as it is not the most comfortable car around)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I have an unmade track leading to the rear of my house, in winter I need a 4x4, a proper one, not a pansy push button pretend one. MPG was a not an issue for me because I'd only do 2-3k miles a year using it as a "utility" vehicle. I set a budget of £1000 and wanted a Discovery, I then did a lot of research and decided against a Discovery, I bought a 1998 Jeep Cherokee, the 4L petrol one. The diesel has issues, the 2.5L is slow.
I paid less than £1k, I have had it 3 years and suffered just a coolant hose leak, £10 fix. They are super reliable up to about 140-150k, mine only has 92k on it. It will tow anything, not get stuck anywhere and yet does 0-60 in 9 seconds and has electric everything, 15 years old and every accessory/option still works. It is a very useful "extra" vehicle and is surprisingly small, it's dwarfed by most "new" SUV's. I love it.
Thanks guys.
Didn't realise the Frontera was actually that bad.
Will have a look at some of the other options - like the look of the Toyota Surf.
It will only be a weekend car, so don't mind a high miler as long as it's a decent one - chassis & mechanical.
Thanks again.
I like that - is it manual or auto?
Auto Chris, and it's been very useful the past few days. Look for the new(er) 1998 model, it has a galvanised chassis. They are extremely simple to maintain and parts are very cheap, the only problem of course, is fuel consumption. I like "utility" vehicles & have no idea what I can replace this with when it eventually dies.
BTW my neighbour wrote off her Pug 106 by scraping the corner of my front Jeep, it went through her car like it was the Titanic, from front to rear wing. I have a hardly noticeable 2" circular mark on the metal bumper!
Last edited by MarkF; 26th March 2013 at 16:38.
Thanks for that!
Is it a 4.0 or 3.7 - looking around there seems to be both listed.
You want the 4 litre straight 6. The 3.7 v6 was used most commonly in the later model Cherokee but you want the pre-2001 XJ model. The 4 litre lump is legendary for its reliability.
Yep, 4.0L straight six, no pansy push button diesel "Jeeps" for me.
Thanks again for the info.
Hoping to look at a couple over the next week or so.
As, like yours it'll be s econd car with limited mileage do you have any recommendations for insurance?
Thanks again.
Posting Permissions