shand1 Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I drove a jimny a few years ago on a moderately windy day, absolutely terrifying ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Reliability is all down to one thing - care by the previous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I bought my Toyota 99 model Rav 4 all wheel drive new, and it's the best car I've ever owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocki Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Can ya keep winter tyres on all year? Not got anywhere to keep 4 tyres if I choose to change them 2 x per year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Can ya keep winter tyres on all year? Not got anywhere to keep 4 tyres if I choose to change them 2 x per year I've run them in warm weather, they'll just run down quicker. That said, if memory serves certain tyre places will store them for you. Keener minds than mine will confirm though. Or buy 4 season tyres - I've never used them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The OP could get this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-Grand-Vitara-1-6-16v-Barbie-Pink-Convertible-/331905960045?hash=item4d4723086d:g:hXEAAOSwv9FXg7PR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabelle Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 My partner's last car had the Audi Quattro 4 wheel drive system in it, and it was brilliant in snow, he said you couldn't even tell there was snow on the road, and he never used winter tyres. Could be worth considering if driving in winter is a necessity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eater Sundae Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) Can ya keep winter tyres on all year? Not got anywhere to keep 4 tyres if I choose to change them 2 x per year As others have said, you can. I think its well worth reading some reviews/tests, online. From memory, Auto Express and Auto Bild have tests most years. They often compare summer, winter and 4 season tyres. They tend to show that in winter conditions the 4 season tyres are just a little bit worse than the full winter tyres. However, the summer tyres are much, much worse, and can become undrivable well before the winter and 4season tyres do. Conversely in summer conditions the winter and 4 season tyres are only marginally behind the summer ones. When I was researching which tyres to buy, a few years ago, it was clear that top of the range 4 season tyres were better than cheap winter ones. Also, at the time, one of the manufacturers (Continental, I think) said on their website that if you only have one set of tyres for year round use, then that should be a winter set. (I presume they didn't do a 4 season one at that time). In the end, I went for Goodyear 4 season tyres. At the time, the test winners were Vredstein, Hankook and Goodyear, all pretty similar performance. I had varied reasons to go for 4 season tyres over winter ones: 1. I had to replace the existing (summer) tyres anyway, due to wear, so I had no money tied up in them. 2. I do limited mileage, and at the time knew I would be retiring in a few years, so might not get full wear out of both sets of tyres if I went for a set of summer and a set of winter tyres. They may become too old before they ever wear out. 3. The inconvenience of swapping tyres twice per year. 4. Cost (of buying more tyres and swapping/storing the two sets). A minor point which you may wish to consider if going for 4 season tyres - there are two basic types. Some are directional (such as the Goodyears I have), where the tread is in a V pattern. Once this is fitted to the wheel it can only be used on one side of the car. If you ever need to put the wheel on the other side of the car, then you will need a tyre fitter to reverse the tyre on the wheel rim. The others have an assymetric tread, where the inside of the tread is of a different design to the outside. So once this tyre is fitted to the rim, all 4 wheels are interchangeable. Edit: this may have an impact if you choose to keep a full size 4 season tyre as a spare wheel. In my case, I have a spacesaver tyre so I could fit it in place of any of the 4 wheels. If the spare were directional, it might finish up having to be used in the wrong direction. I don't know how critical that would be until you could reach a garage. Edited July 19, 2016 by Eater Sundae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm06 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 If it's off road capabilities you want, a friend of mine has owned a Land Rover Discovery 2 for... touching 3 years now, it's been used on green lanes as a tow vehicle in the snow for work, and it's currently being used in and around his farm and it's never ever failed. Unbelievable offroad ability and it's actually been very reliable. He paid 2k for his some years ago, if you wanted to spend the full 5k you could find an immaculate one for that. He also owned a later Discover, the Discovery 3 and this wasn't half as reliable or as capable off road. If it's simply 4wd you need for IF the conditions get tough I'd suggest anything with the Quattro or even 4motion (VW) system as I head they're very good. But I only hear this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocki Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 The OP could get this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-Grand-Vitara-1-6-16v-Barbie-Pink-Convertible-/331905960045?hash=item4d4723086d:g:hXEAAOSwv9FXg7PR That would be perfect. Just right size for me, probably not pink barbie though! Typical, find my perfect car and colour is erghhh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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