Moving to rural Wales and need a new vehicle...

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Hi

I'm moving to rural Wales soon and will be looking to buy a new vehicle. I'm looking for something that:

- Can handle bad weather (mainly snow and ice); especially with regard to hills
- Has good road clearance for when driving poorly maintained country roads (or the odd forestry track etc)
- Can get out of the way of other cars easily (i.e. when having to get onto the side of the road, where again good clearance will help)
- Is still ok for long distances. I have family in Norfolk/Suffolk and so will be making the trip home 3 - 4 times a year.
- Is reasonably economical to run.
- Will cost around the £7-8k mark.

I've already done a bit of reading about, and probably the most important thing I've learnt so far is that a set of winter tyres will serve you much better in poor weather than a 4x4 with normal tyres. But will be interested to hear what anyone thinks about that.

I'll show my hand... I do like the Dacia Duster. Gets pretty good reviews on the whole, and is an amazing price. The clearance seems really good and seems to beat other vehicles of the type. I also like the size.

But now it's over to you guys... What do you think would be a good choice and are there other things I have overlooked.

Cheers
 
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Definitely a 4x4, doesn't need to be a tank.....Skoda Yeti Outdoor 4x4 could be a good choice.
These are front wheel drive by default and a Haldex coupling engages 4x4 when needed.
I have to admit to a certain bias as I own one!
John :mrgreen::)
 
Apart from the poor reliability the Nissan Xtrail was one of my favs, I think they've fixed the issues since the days of them going pop at 50k needing new turbo, fuel pump and intercooler.
 
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Thanks for all the replies and input – much appreciated!

I’ve posted the same on some other forums and it is interesting to hear such varied responses, ranging from those who seem to recommended 4x4 Hilux’s and the like, to those who say a car with decent (and/or winter) tyres will suffice; often based on experience of many years of driving in places like Wales.

As with so many things in life, I find the middle ground is often the place to be. And putting all the responses together I think a 2WD Duster with suitable tyres in winter hits that spot. I also like the no thrills aspect of the Dacia. The simpler and more basic the better for me. I’d still be interested to hear any more views though...

Regarding the Duster, what would also be helpful to know is:

- Petrol vs Diesel. I’d prefer the former due to the environmental (and longevity) concerns of the latter, but I’m still open at this stage.
- mpg. I currently drive an Skoda Fabia Estate 2003, 1.2, petrol). How would a newish Duster compare?
- Are there any particular models, eras, etc to go for or avoid?


Huge thanks
 
I guess it's difficult to find exactly what fits your requirements but here's my two pennorth again......
I live at 900' in rural Northumberland and have done for 35 years so I've seen all sorts of winters. Hills aren't excessive around here but there are several reasonable slopes.
My Yeti 4x4 with standard Michelins did amazing service during the blast from the East, despite the tyres being pretty wide.
The missus' Nissan Note with Cross Climate tyres did very well too but I wouldn't put it through a snow drift - at times it was bottoming out and no one goes anywhere when that happens.
My Bipper van with normal new radials wouldn't come out of my gently sloping drive. Traction is amazingly poor but it may get Cross Climates when they are due.
Genuine mud/snow winter tyres are the best for snow use. Cross Climates are very good too but are expensive and wasted in the summer. M/S tyres are noisy on tarmac and don't last too long.
If you have to venture out (I had to be able to reach my 96 yr old father, now deceased) then it has to be a 4x4 - but not low slung cars. Their tyres are just too wide to be of much use.
So long as I live here I will definitely have a 4x4 high ground clearance vehicle.
The Dacia is a somewhat out of date Renault but as the ad says, they make sense. If this is your choice go for one, but also have M/S tyres on separate rims for a quick change over. Steels will be fine. They aren't a class leading vehicle by any means but they are nice enough to drive.
Expect maybe 8 MPG less than your Skoda. Go for petrol unless you are doing a fair mileage with no short runs. Buy a vehicle either new or with low mileage plus a good warranty...expect high depreciation though.
John :)
 
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We've lived in rural Cumbria for nearly 20 years now. You can spot the "incomers" - they're the ones with the shiny new 4x4s! Most of the locals just have ordinary cars. Farmers have Landrovers or (increasingly) Nissan / Toyota / Mitsubishi pickups.

Mrs. Avocet has an X-Trail and yes, we've been disappointed by how much work it has needed, but on the other hand, she's had it 8 years, it's 12 years old, and has never "failed to proceed". On your budget, you'd get one of the last T31 models (which, unlike hers, have Renault mechanicals). In all other respects, it is an excellent compromise - about 35 to the gallon on a motorway run ( diesel) and an excellent compromise between practically and luxury. Superb on snow and ice, but lacks the ground clearance of a "proper" 4x4 for serious offroading. Good wade depth (floods a more frequent problem than snow here).

Have you considered a 4WD estate car like a Subaru Forester or an Octavia Scout? Subaru's famed for reliability and durability but thirsty. Unless you want to do serious offroading, you won't need the ground clearance. We never have!
 
Hi

I'm moving to rural Wales soon and will be looking to buy a new vehicle. I'm looking for something that:

- Can handle bad weather (mainly snow and ice); especially with regard to hills
- Has good road clearance for when driving poorly maintained country roads (or the odd forestry track etc)
- Can get out of the way of other cars easily (i.e. when having to get onto the side of the road, where again good clearance will help)
- Is still ok for long distances. I have family in Norfolk/Suffolk and so will be making the trip home 3 - 4 times a year.
- Is reasonably economical to run.
- Will cost around the £7-8k mark.

I've already done a bit of reading about, and probably the most important thing I've learnt so far is that a set of winter tyres will serve you much better in poor weather than a 4x4 with normal tyres. But will be interested to hear what anyone thinks about that.

I'll show my hand... I do like the Dacia Duster. Gets pretty good reviews on the whole, and is an amazing price. The clearance seems really good and seems to beat other vehicles of the type. I also like the size.

But now it's over to you guys... What do you think would be a good choice and are there other things I have overlooked.

Cheers
 
You are quite right to favour 2WD & winter tyres over 4WD without them but it's not all about maintaining progress in snow, the ability to control the vehicle is important too & with that in mind all four wheels driving is safer than two. Also consider greater ground clearance means a higher centre of gravity, making it easier to roll the vehicle should the worst happen. If it were me I'd go for a AWD saloon/estate with a spare set of rims fitted with winter tyres for the bad weather months.
 
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In some better organised countries, tyre fitting places (i.e. their equivalents of Kwik Fit etc) store customers' summer wheels & tyres in the winter, and vice-versa.
 
there's not much call for it in a country that doesn't have a dependable x months per year of cold, snow and ice.

Where I live now there is only snow about one year in 5. I have a set of wheels for snow tyres and have never needed to fit them on my summer car.

This winter most days here have been 5C to 10C

Scandinavians who come to England and laugh at the locals' nervousness in snow change their minds when they discover that most of the time the temperature is just above or just below freezing, and you might be on dry roads, black ice, hard snow, soft snow, frozen slush or, worst of all, melting ice at any moment.
 
In some better organised countries, tyre fitting places (i.e. their equivalents of Kwik Fit etc) store customers' summer wheels & tyres in the winter, and vice-versa.

I disagree with the high-lighted comment. It is only in the last seven or eight years that winter-tyres have really become a possibility for British drivers, so there was never the need for the storage of winter-wheels to be considered, and consequently it would not have been offered. Now that it is becoming more common, I'm sure some companies will be offering it, but think that most won't have the space.

Can anyone tell me if i is being offered and what is being charged for the service ? I'm just asking out of curiosity.
 
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