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

 

[Paul_B]

Well we are picking up an Octavia TDI in about 2 weeks sub 10k just when we'd been looking at equivalent aged SUVs from Kia, Hyundai and Honda costing £13k or more. You pay for the SUV body shape but the estate shaped cars are cheaper and IMHO would suit people better

So at some point in the future we'll get towbar fitted for bike rack and roof bars for watersports. However we'll enjoy the Skoda reliability and practical design.

 

[Macaroon]

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.

I've been driving a Subaru Outback, 2016, bought used with 5000 miles 4 years ago, and it's been great; best car I've ever had, but 30 mpg however I drive it. There's 60,000 miles on it now and all I've ever done is servicing and consumables, still drives like new and really will go anywhere a landy will, and quick enough to loose your licence if you like ' spirited ' driving. I regularly tow 1.6 tonne loads and you don't even know it's there. Very highly recommended

 

[Barney Rubble]

Well we are picking up an Octavia TDI in about 2 weeks sub 10k just when we'd been looking at equivalent aged SUVs from Kia, Hyundai and Honda costing £13k or more. You pay for the SUV body shape but the estate shaped cars are cheaper and IMHO would suit people better

So at some point in the future we'll get towbar fitted for bike rack and roof bars for watersports. However we'll enjoy the Skoda reliability and practical design.

Good on you, hope you enjoy the Octavia. You're quite right about the estate cars, I think it's a crying shame that people choose SUVs over estates. I've had my mk3 Octavia 1.0 estate for five years now and it has been very impressive indeed.

When it comes to the tiny engine sizes, I had similar views to the folks that commented earlier in this thread about it being over stressed. But, I think that might only be a concern when putting small engines in the big/heavy SUVs (i.e. the 2ltr diesel in the Discovery 5 has definitely been troublesome) and the whole wet belt saga with certain engines (mainly ford ecoboost) probably also hasn't helped with folks perceptions. Suffice to say that the 1 litre engine in my Octavia has been fantastic. Technology really has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10+ years. In standard trim, the VAG 1.0 engine puts out the same performance as the 1.8 zetec engine in my old Ford Focus, but with much greater fuel efficiency. It also cruises at motorway speeds at a very sensible rpm. 40,000 miles in, it's gets serviced every year, it has proven to be very reliable and given my wife, dog and I the means to enjoy many a camping adventure.

If I had to replace the car tomorrow, I'd happily get another!

 

[Paul_B]

Good on you, hope you enjoy the Octavia. You're quite right about the estate cars, I think it's a crying shame that people choose SUVs over estates. I've had my mk3 Octavia 1.0 estate for five years now and it has been very impressive indeed.

When it comes to the tiny engine sizes, I had similar views to the folks that commented earlier in this thread about it being over stressed. But, I think that might only be a concern when putting small engines in the big/heavy SUVs (i.e. the 2ltr diesel in the Discovery 5 has definitely been troublesome) and the whole wet belt saga with certain engines (mainly ford ecoboost) probably also hasn't helped with folks perceptions. Suffice to say that the 1 litre engine in my Octavia has been fantastic. Technology really has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10+ years. In standard trim, the VAG 1.0 engine puts out the same performance as the 1.8 zetec engine in my old Ford Focus, but with much greater fuel efficiency. It also cruises at motorway speeds at a very sensible rpm. 40,000 miles in, it's gets serviced every year, it has proven to be very reliable and given my wife, dog and I the means to enjoy many a camping adventure.

If I had to replace the car tomorrow, I'd happily get another!

Got to call the garage we bought it from to tell them there's an issue with it. Just over a week during which we've barely used it and today it started making a loud, juddering noise as soon as it gets to about 30-40mph. We've got 3 months warranty so we're using it. They'll sort out a local garage to look into it and did any issues identified.

Seriously, we were very happy with it until then. Except for the things e find out didn't have. A bit of a basic car. We need to get parking sensors fitted and possibly a few other things not completely happy with it right now.

 

[Stew]

Hoping it is a warranty item!

I had a Jazz that had a dodgy input shaft bearing that they decided wasn’t covered and would have been an expensive fix. Thankfully only an issue when sat at idle in the end and it got scrapped before it fully failed but irritating non the less.

I think juddering is one of those annoying faults that could be a multitude of options for the cause. Good luck!