What 4X4 for towing a horse box.....

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gti power

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Firstly sorry if wrong section.

So my partner has a 16 hand horse that she competes occasionally on weekends but would like to make it more regular.
At the moment she borrows her friends 2000 plate LandRover Discovery TD5 or her sisters Grand cherokee to tow him in her 1000kg ifor williams trailer.

We are looking to purchase a 4X4 for her as a second car but unsure as what to get, i like the Volvo xc90 personally but we have a £5000 budget and i feel this will only alough for poor example xc90's. Would love a Defender 90 however im not sure we would get much for ot budget?

We are considering a discovery (probably a td5 although i was lead to belive the 200/300tdi's were a good engine?) , misubishi shogun SWB or a shogun sport.

Can anyone reccomend anything or even give me opinions with certain models ? I looked at the tax side of things and there is only £60 difference a year between a TD5 before march 2001 (cc based) and one after march 2001 (emmission based).
Also the insurance seems pretty similar on the vevhicles we are intrested in.

Also just to mention im a mechanic by trade so working on vehice's isnt a problem however i dont want to spend 5k on something im constantly fixing, i used to have a 4.0 P38 and often wonder if we got a 2.5 P38 and did a coil spring conversion if that would be a good option?

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
gti power said:
Firstly sorry if wrong section.

So my partner has a 16 hand horse that she competes occasionally on weekends but would like to make it more regular.
At the moment she borrows her friends 2000 plate LandRover Discovery TD5 or her sisters Grand cherokee to tow him in her 1000kg ifor williams trailer.

We are looking to purchase a 4X4 for her as a second car but unsure as what to get, i like the Volvo xc90 personally but we have a £5000 budget and i feel this will only alough for poor example xc90's. Would love a Defender 90 however im not sure we would get much for ot budget?

We are considering a discovery (probably a td5 although i was lead to belive the 200/300tdi's were a good engine?) , misubishi shogun SWB or a shogun sport.

Can anyone reccomend anything or even give me opinions with certain models ? I looked at the tax side of things and there is only £60 difference a year between a TD5 before march 2001 (cc based) and one after march 2001 (emmission based).
Also the insurance seems pretty similar on the vevhicles we are intrested in.

Also just to mention im a mechanic by trade so working on vehice's isnt a problem however i dont want to spend 5k on something im constantly fixing, i used to have a 4.0 P38 and often wonder if we got a 2.5 P38 and did a coil spring conversion if that would be a good option?

Thanks in advance.
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Volvo, shogun etc tow like crap, don't even mention the jeep.

If you aint doing huge mileages, why not get a V8 disco, they are cheap as chips, plenty of power, my V8 auto tows my cattle box lovely. Auto box is best for towing whatever you get.
 
Turboman said:
Volvo, shogun etc tow like crap, don't even mention the jeep.

If you aint doing huge mileages, why not get a V8 disco, they are cheap as chips, plenty of power, my V8 auto tows my cattle box lovely. Auto box is best for towing whatever you get.
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I agree a auto would be great but my P38 had a autobox fail and was a nightmare, couldnt tow it home either.
 
Any tdi disco would do, but their getting bad now, still alot of good ones to be found though in your price range,

Defenders would be ideal, easy to do anything with it,
 
Jonnyb1990 said:
Any tdi disco would do, but their getting bad now, still alot of good ones to be found though in your price range,

Defenders would be ideal, easy to do anything with it,
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Defenders do seem to hold there money even a old 1990 can be around 5k....would we find one in budget with a TD5 engine or better looking for a 200/300 TDI?

Also forgot to mention she sometimes takes her retired parents with her so we would be looking to fit forward facing rear seats ive seen a few available is this an expensive job?
 
Older TD5's are getting a bit funny with electrical faults, should be good if its got a decent service history, I'm more preferable to a 300tdi but a 200tdi is just as good but still getting on,

The problem with Defenders is that because even the earliest have alot in common with the new ones, bits can be bolted on or off hence why they hold their value,

Late 300tdi disco might suit your needs, just look out for rot
 
Jonnyb1990 said:
Older TD5's are getting a bit funny with electrical faults, should be good if its got a decent service history, I'm more preferable to a 300tdi but a 200tdi is just as good but still getting on,

The problem with Defenders is that because even the earliest have alot in common with the new ones, bits can be bolted on or off hence why they hold their value,

Late 300tdi disco might suit your needs, just look out for rot
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are they ? i seem to find them ok
 
would i be right in saying Defenders just bolt together....as in all the body pannels can be removed with ease?

Im guessing been as no one has mentioned a Freelander they are not worth looking at?
 
I would go Disco too. Great towing vehicle. Smoother, quieter and more comfortable on the road. Better for passengers. If you get stuck pulling the horse box out of the show field, get someone with a Defender to pull you out :D
 
Pikey said:
Any disco defender or rangerover will happily and legally tow upto 3.5tonnes. Forget shoguns they're crap on fields/grass etc. and expensive to repair.
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Shogun/Pajero is a good tow vehicle but the OP will not get a good one for his budget.
Go for a P38 diesel, comfort and economy, not quite as unreliable as some on here would have you believe, auto box is cheap to replace and with regular oil changes is reliable. Unlike the Disco, they are also pretty rust free. £5K will buy a good example.:)
 
you'll get a nice well cared for disco td5 for that money! I have a td5 110 and my mate has a td5 disco whoch he's done 40k in 2.5 years in and its been spot on! dont be scared off by horror stories just be wise when your buying!
 
gti power said:
I agree a auto would be great but my P38 had a autobox fail and was a nightmare, couldnt tow it home either.
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Clutches and gearboxes fail too, especially when suddenly subjected to towing loads on a 100k plus vehicle. Autotrans should be quite strong if fluid is changed occasionally.

Older discos, especially v8s, are so cheap it might not be worth taking home if there is a major failure, just take it to the scrappy and get another. 1500 quid or thereabouts should secure a very reasonable example, mine was less than that with a years ticket.

A defender, on the other hand, will cost you good money, and then it will sit there rusting apart from the few occasions when your missus wants to tow her hoss.
 
For a 5k budget you ought to be able to get a decent TD5 Disco .. A most excellent towing vehicle whether manual or auto. Having never driven an auto Disco I won't comment, but it would seem to be a great idea and preferable for your stated needs than a manual. Mileage doesn't matter too much so long as it's in good condition and has had regular oil changes and good services using oem spec parts.

Similar spec Shoguns and Nissans feel gutless in comparison to the Disco ..
 
Datatek said:
Shogun/Pajero is a good tow vehicle but the OP will not get a good one for his budget.
Go for a P38 diesel, comfort and economy, not quite as unreliable as some on here would have you believe, auto box is cheap to replace and with regular oil changes is reliable. Unlike the Disco, they are also pretty rust free. £5K will buy a good example.:)
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+1 on the pajero. We have one and to be fair its very good as a tow vehicle. Towed everything we have ever asked (including 5 tonne out of a field)

We have the older 2.8 td and its never gone wrong once in 6 months of constant use. Its also not got a spot of rust on the bodywork despite being 20 years old , try that with a disco or defender.

To be fair I do prefer the P38 that we acquired the other week but sheesh we pay the price for it in fuel.

Our defender is also another good tow vehicle but it can be tiring to drive it along way when compared to something like a disco or shogun or rangerover. You mentioned taking the parents out too... in the back of a defender? you trying to kill em off quick for the inheritance?
 
What I have, a TD5 auto disco2

Autos are better for towing, TD5 is a good performer, they are reasonably new, and they look good.

Discoverys are better if you are taking a few people out, but they do tend to rust on the chassis if you are not careful.

Cheap RR is also a good idea luckily L322s are too expensive for you (and the cheap ones are not reliable), classic or P38
 
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