car buying advice

Paddy1985

Hi guys,

Yes I know, not really advice for bikes etc, but rather for the good old 4-wheel friend. I'm currently in the lucky position to be able to start thinking about the perfect road-bike-car. In short I"m looking for the ultimate car for out-door activities. Think long drives and camping for events (tri and road) but also for surfing etc etc etc.

I'm new to this whole car world and was wondering what you guys are driving or what you guys would suggest? Currently I'm thinking about ether a Landrover Defender or a VW transporter van (with personal interior etc). Both have their pro and cons. At this point the "gadget-boy" in me is keen on the landy, however the "sensible-guy" is screaming something more modern.

Any thoughts? Budget is not important atm, however a Maybach is out of the question!

Grill

Vee-Dub! Love those things and you can have a full workshop in the back.

getprg

Honda Jazz - my mate swears by its bike carrying capacity but it's no tart cart.

Paddy1985

Honda Jazz? Really? I had driving lessons in those and I swore to myself never to go back to that dark (I got lessons in a Pink version!!!!!!) side!

V-dub does sound very attractive, but still looking for other alternatives

snoopsmydogg

Paddy1985 wrote:

Hi guys,

Yes I know, not really advice for bikes etc, but rather for the good old 4-wheel friend. I'm currently in the lucky position to be able to start thinking about the perfect road-bike-car. In short I"m looking for the ultimate car for out-door activities. Think long drives and camping for events (tri and road) but also for surfing etc etc etc.

I'm new to this whole car world and was wondering what you guys are driving or what you guys would suggest? Currently I'm thinking about ether a Landrover Defender or a VW transporter van (with personal interior etc). Both have their pro and cons. At this point the "gadget-boy" in me is keen on the landy, however the "sensible-guy" is screaming something more modern.

Any thoughts? Budget is not important atm, however a Maybach is out of the question!

Gadget boy is keen on the landy? Have you ever been in a defender they are basic, slow, thirsty and noisy. They lack any gadget (although later models got ew and ac) personally i love them but would only recommend one to someone handy with spanners.

For what you want the vw is better. Roomier, faster, better mpg, comfort and room in the back to work.

simona75

getprg wrote:

Honda Jazz - my mate swears by its bike carrying capacity but it's no tart cart.

+1 on this. I recently was donated one. Dead cheap to run, bullet proof and you can carry your bike in the back (with seats down) without removing anything and never any danger of dings or scratches. However if credibility amongst your peers is important stay away

Wheelspinner

RS6 Avant. Thule racks. Sorted.

metronome

Paddy1985 wrote:

Honda Jazz? Really?

Yes sure! But only when you're 70+ years of age.

gsk82

my current drean vehicle is a mercedes vito van. 5 seats and get it specked up. stick a rack in the back and away you go.

dee4life2005

With the seats folded down, I can get my road bike in the back of my Focus ST without having to remove any wheels.

amaferanga

If this is for carrying bikes around then it's got to be a van. Sure, a car is fine - I can get my bike in a Fiat 500 with the seats down, but that doesn't make it an ideal bike carrying car. I'd have a VW Transporter. Landrovers are slow and pretty unpleasant on the road. Great for driving round the world, but not for driving around the UK.

StillGoing

I'm hopefully changing soon. Was going for an M class Merc but now going for a T3 VW Toureg. As SUVs go it's cheap on the VEL and has good mpg returns. Not too tall to be able to fit bikes on the roof but with the seats down they'll fit standing up sans the front wheel approx four across. True off road ability so will easily cope with muddy field car parks and enough torque to see off many a hot hatch with embarrassing ease.

northpole

If you like the Land Rover thing, you really need to have a reality check on noise levels and ability to cover ground at reasonable speed. When you are test driving one, be sure to jump into a discovery - I know a couple of folks who owned land rovers and who are now v happy discovery owners. Quite a chunk of money but loads of room in the back and a link of sorts back to LR.

Peter

Paddy1985

northpole wrote:

If you like the Land Rover thing, you really need to have a reality check on noise levels and ability to cover ground at reasonable speed

I think you're absolutely right! I did a sprint tri today and a landy came towards me, but yes the noise level is horrible! I'm almost converted to go with the Vee-dub, especially looking at how much they would cost with conversion etc; money well spend I'd say

StillGoing

Disco 4 3.0Tdi has to have the whole body lifted off the chassis if the turbos fail. Big design fault and expensive, no very very expensive for the customer. See the review on Honest John.