Ten k car recommendations?

[Broch]

The Freelander 2 is a very capable 4x4 and its offroad capability surprises many people. Be aware that LR produced a 2 wd version (I think from 2011) which is more economical on the road but won't get you across that wet grass field.

In the offroad training we used to deliver, we were fortunate to drive a lot off different makes of 4x4 and many, that people would probably consider to be 'soft' off-roaders, were very capable - usually just limited on ground clearance.

 

[MikeLA]

Definitely 100% don’t get a Peugeot they use wet belts instead of dry timing belts nothing but trouble I’ve had with mine, it’s the same with Vauxhall.
Any fords dam difficult to get parts for them these days. Even the fords parts garage near me, said none of them would drive a ford anymore.
Mechanic friend said to me to avoid 1.0 litre engines so under powered having to rely on turbo’s , engines don’t last.
Limited eh !

 

[JB101]

Avoid wet belt engines ,I've head no end of problems with the belts degrading in the oil ,especially if not maintained properly.Have a look at car editon ltd videos on Facebook or youtube ,even some VW's have a wet belt, driven oil pump.
I have a Honda CRV (2006) diesel with 120k miles and its been very reliable,if I had to relace it I would be looking at Toyota RAV4,Dacia Duster or another Honda & petrol .

 

[Paul_B]

We've decided to avoid the large cars with 1 litre engine. Supposedly highly stressed I read somewhere. So that seems to rule out all fords and pretty much every Dacia out there as the 1.6 litre ones are rare.

What I do not understand is why most brands are dropping engine size. 2 litres to 1.6, 1.3 or 1.2 litres even one litre. However the odd one are still at 2 or even 2.2 litres! Mazda, Honda I think. However most seem to be 1.6 litres or less these days.

I saw one with a two litre with high 60s mpg combined WLTM iirc which was better than the smaller supposedly more efficient engineered cars.

 

[Broch]

I wouldn't believe 'hearsay' - these engines are just using the same amount of air & fuel as a naturally aspirated 2L+ it's just that it's pumped in via a variable turbo. They are typically high revving, but even that is not increased stress as the smaller components are much lighter.

The Ford EcoBoost is quite an impressive little engine TBH. Tuning companies get incredible power out of them for competition use.

Quoting one car review company:
<
The 1.5 EcoBoost is a pretty reliable engine and does not cause a lot of trouble. To date, significant or common problems in the mechanical part are not reported by consumers.
>

 

[GreyCat]

Its aso surprising what the Ford EcoBlue 1.5L engine (that is the turbo Diesel engine- uses AdBlu to meet Euro 6 standards) does. Comfortably gets 70mpg cruising on the M-way, sometimes more (I have had 80mpg out of it, albeit lightly loaded with a tailwind) and if I ever get less that 60mpg then I must be hauling a big load with a head wind, AND driving daft/in traffic jams (this in the 1.5L EcoBlue Focus Estate). The 1.5 Diesel EcoBlue has a dry belt, and it's not a slouch.

Ford does have a history of turning out some tidy engines- back in the day the 1.6L petrol VTEC was also very well regarded.

GC

 

[Paul_B]

I wouldn't believe 'hearsay' - these engines are just using the same amount of air & fuel as a naturally aspirated 2L+ it's just that it's pumped in via a variable turbo. They are typically high revving, but even that is not increased stress as the smaller components are much lighter.

The Ford EcoBoost is quite an impressive little engine TBH. Tuning companies get incredible power out of them for competition use.

Quoting one car review company:
<
The 1.5 EcoBoost is a pretty reliable engine and does not cause a lot of trouble. To date, significant or common problems in the mechanical part are not reported by consumers.
>

Most ford ecoboost engines are 1.0 litres and have a reputation for failing. Nickname is ecobang I once heard.

BTW when they first came out a Ford main dealer salesman once told to avoid it. I guess I've kind of been put off them not least because of that comment.

 

[Buckshot]

What about a Subaru?
I have an 2011 Outback from new.
Very reliable.
17 inch wheels means ground clearance is reasonable although wont compete with a lifted LR of course.
I think some 4x4 options aren't designed to go off road. If you look underneath to see what is hanging down/ sticking out etc. it can be obvious if the designer thought about off road or if 'off road' is a fashion statement.

 

[Furbles]

I’m tempted by a Freelander 2.

Honda CRV also gets highly praised as a reliable second hand 4x4.

Both can be bought well within the 10k budget. Some alright examples even sub £5k.

I recently bought a Freelander 2. Best car I've ever owned, I think. You do have to be careful but if you find a good one, they are fantastic do-anything 4x4s and amazingly comfortable too.

 

[MikeLA]

I wouldn't believe 'hearsay' - these engines are just using the same amount of air & fuel as a naturally aspirated 2L+ it's just that it's pumped in via a variable turbo. They are typically high revving, but even that is not increased stress as the smaller components are much lighter.

The Ford EcoBoost is quite an impressive little engine TBH. Tuning companies get incredible power out of them for competition use.

Quoting one car review company:
<
The 1.5 EcoBoost is a pretty reliable engine and does not cause a lot of trouble. To date, significant or common problems in the mechanical part are not reported by consumers.
>

I was advised to avoid the turbo and especially the eco boost, engines don’t last by 2 mechanics who I’ve known for 20 years