Vehicle of choice

[Mark Anderson]

Hi men ,

Hence my comment early on about doing research normally only shows up unhappy owners . There generally no bad cars these days , most are reliable in the quantity that have been produced , I'd sit in it and if it looks like what you want then Id buy it . Liked the Tiguan , but easily could have gone for the Skoda , my Hyundai was a fantastic car , and nearly went for the newer version

Hatter

 

[Damian Kimmins]

I wonder if it might have had the run flat tyres Joe?
You can generally discover the issues that certain cars have these days.
1 long term whingebag, 2 long term whingebags, 3 long term whingebags? Short term loaner whingebags? Hmmm, but not a problem! They all mention the same issues, I think I'll leave that motor!

 

[Derek Funcks]

TX4 Hackney Cab, Immense rear cabin space, 12ft rods not an issue, superb turbo engine, lots of torque, very good MPG, but shit in muddy/icy conditions, as its only 2 wheel rear drive, 4 wheel drive would be the ultimate fishing vehicle. But sadly, they don't make one.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I wonder if it might have had the run flat tyres Joe?
You can generally discover the issues that certain cars have these days.
1 long term whingebag, 2 long term whingebags, 3 long term whingebags? Short term loaner whingebags? Hmmm, but not a problem! They all mention the same issues, I think I'll leave that motor!

Not run flats, although I had those on a 120D. Never again!!

 

[Jon Elliott]

There's a great YouTube channel called 'The Doctor's garage' where the doc laments JLR for the problems with his Discovery 5. Granted he bought the one with a 2.0 litre engine, but the dealer experience is shocking. Having said that if you bought a 3.0 litre diesel and had an independent specialist near you, it could well be a great motor. Ironically, I have a colleague with the same 2.0 litre disco as the doc and he has similar mechanical issues.

 

[Tony Byrne]

my car of choice is a Dacia Duster 4x4 had it since 2017 from new its very basic but as a fishing wagon i love it loads of room and great off road

 

[Damian Kimmins]

Have a look at Marek Drives. Very honest reviews.

 

[Damian Kimmins]

Not run flats, although I had those on a 120D. Never again!!

I remember when I first drove on them and I was like what the hell! I did get used to them but always prefered the comfort of the winter tyres for having a taller sidewall on an 18inch wheel.

 

[Mike Hodgkiss]

Just a note with regard to timing chains which are designed to last the life of the car , great selling point BUT this only holds true IF the vehicle has been regularly/ properly serviced , regular oil changes plus all the filters is a must , service history is everything . Also with vehicles with cam belts , look carefully at the service intervals particularly on low mileage but fairly old vehicles , many are cam belt change at 100K but dont be fooled, ,some are 100k OR 6 years you have been warned . This is advice from a cheapskate motorist who has been bitten many moons a go and am now very shy/wary .....

 

[Phil Nixon]

Mine is a new BMW X5 M50i which gets me to the swim quickly but also has a luggage compartment cover that disappears into the boot floor at the press of a button - really handy.

 

[Cliff Turner]

Mine is a new BMW X5 M50i which gets me to the swim quickly but also has a luggage compartment cover that disappears into the boot floor at the press of a button - really handy.

Mike, good advice but if you’re spending max £2k on a car you’re getting the cheapest motoring possible so you can’t bemoan the odd expensive bill ! People buying high end new cars are dropping anything up to £10k a year depreciation, as I said before you pay your money and take your pick !

 

[Phil Nixon]

Mike, good advice but if you’re spending max £2k on a car you’re getting the cheapest motoring possible so you can’t bemoan the odd expensive bill ! People buying high end new cars are dropping anything up to £10k a year depreciation, as I said before you pay your money and take your pick !

Thanks for letting me know about the depreciation Cliff odd that you quoted my post but addressed your reply to Mike.

Cars are my guilty pleasure and there are far worse things to spend your money on, each to their own .

 

[Stephen Crowhurst]

We had the Volvo XC40 until summer. It was spacious but nothing extraordinary, and I have to say I found the build quality a little poor. We had an issue with the electrical tailgate which they took months to fix, admittedly under warranty. My wife liked it, I did not. We test drove a few things, the 330e takes some beating as an all rounder. Ended up with the 2 as lead time was too long.

As far as fishing vehicles, it’s vans for me. I changed to a Vito from the Caddy and it’s infinitely better. It’s ULEZ compliant, does 50mpg and has eaten the 50k miles I’ve done in it since February. I haven’t seen a river bank since September though…

 

[Cliff Turner]

Thanks for letting me know about the depreciation Cliff odd that you quoted my post but addressed your reply to Mike.

Cars are my guilty pleasure and there are far worse things to spend your money on, each to their own .

Sorry Phil, my error ! Yes I like my cars and like you I’m prepared to take the hit !!

 

[Neil Smart]

Must say I prefer vans too not worrying about getting mucky, I have hade three Combo's as a work tool used occasionally.

But last one did blow up on a meadow on the River Arrow ...it did somewhat spoil the session though, luckily a mate was fishing there and ended OK.

They have a grip of a wind blown crisp bag...and was a bit short of leg room when overnighting on the Teme. But never worried about a scrote keying the thing.

Remember when you could nick a bargain? I found an ex Scenes of crime Combo with 13k on the clock 8 years old and serviced to the hilt for £900.

 

[Dave Quinn]

Another thing to check whilst choosing is insurance prices …on some 4x4,s the premiums have gone up 40%

Inflation figures today showed that premiums increased 40% on average across all cars over the last year. Expensive car parts, more expensive repairs because of the increased complexity of cars and garage bills apparently.

 

[Dave Quinn]

Is anyone driving a hybrid? Not sure a full electric could work for me, but like the idea of a hybrid.

I bought a VW Passat estate hybrid GTE this year. The boot is a bit smaller than a non hybrid’s because of the battery, it’s fine if you don’t have lots of gear to take, with the seats down there’s loads of room.

It’s a lovely car to drive, very quiet and comfortable and high spec interior, the petrol engine is great on motorways. The range isn’t great in electric only mode though, and much worse in cold weather.

Good reliability, pricey for used and high insurance and I haven’t had it serviced yet

I don’t drive off-road, and theres no 4x4 option though so it’s probably not an ideal fishing wagon

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I bought a VW Passat estate hybrid GTE this year. The boot is a bit smaller than a non hybrid’s because of the battery, it’s fine if you don’t have lots of gear to take, with the seats down there’s loads of room.

It’s a lovely car to drive, very quiet and comfortable and high spec interior, the petrol engine is great on motorways. The range isn’t great in electric only mode though, and much worse in cold weather.

Good reliability, pricey for used and high insurance and I haven’t had it serviced yet

I don’t drive off-road, and theres no 4x4 option though so it’s probably not an ideal fishing wagon

Shame they don't do the Passat Alltrack anymore as that would definitely be on my shortlist.

 

[Steve Sorrell]

Never spent more that 2k on a car so have had all sorts of heaps in the past but most have been reliable and could accommodate fishing gear with the back seats down . I have a van [ Toyota Hiace SWB] ultra reliable but useless for fishing as rear wheel drive and gets stuck on a wet dock leaf ! My current car / fishing vehicle is an ancient MK2 Honda CRV diesel ,[£500 quid off e bay, needed new clutch and timing chain so just came in under 2k spending limit ] .Honda has part time 4wd which kicks in when the front wheels slip / spin , works a treat , never got stuck yet , indeed last winter I pulled out a chap in a proper 4x4 who had got stuck in his very butch Ford Ranger. I fitted the Honda with all terrain tyres, bit noisy on the road but great on muddy tracks 40mpg if you dont boot it , very reliable , even comes with a picnic table as standard !

I've got one of these too.....best car I've ever had. 12 years of very happy motoring.
Looking to change though as really looking for something with a much better fuel consumption (off to Scotland in May )
Budget around 10k so hopefully should find something roomy, robust and comfortable to drive.
Good thread this

Steve

 

[Adam Wylie]

Ford Ranger wildtrack ! Just sold it !
great vehicle, but Service,fuel and tax to expensive.