ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 07:32 AM |
|
|
Looking for a cheap of road car
Hi all,
I am looking for an of road car, van or whatever. The engine has got to be 1l or less. Ideally it will be competent of road i.e. have good ground
clearance and 4wd. So far I have been considering the following vehicles
1. Suzuki sj 410
2. Haflinger http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/ecars/Steyr/Haflinger.html
3. Bedford rascal
If you have any other subjections I would be interested in hearing them.
|
|
|
|
|
JoelP
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 07:43 AM |
|
|
not sure if its any good, but i believe there is a sub 1 litre panda with 4wd.
Or a subaru justy etc? I think there is an even smaller subaru.
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 07:52 AM |
|
|
Thanks for the suggestions a mate had a justy at uni I don’t think they ever made a 1l version though I think his was a 1.2 or 1.3, it had a 3 cyl
engine witch I swapped with him so I suppose I also have experience with them.
my main concern with pandas and justys is the ground Clearance though.
|
|
|
AdamR
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 07:57 AM |
|
|
Only one choice: Lada Niva! Seriously...
I currently use one as my daily drive & off road toy. With a decent set of tyres they can equal a Landy off road - with a 2" suspension lift
(very cheap) they are almost unbeatable.
What really surprised me was the on road characteristics - it handles & brakes surprisingly well (was the first unibody SUV with independent
suspension). Can cruise at 95mph on the motorway and I get about 31mpg which is pretty good for a 4wd.
Mechanically it is a very simple car to work on and designed for maintenance rather than replacement. The 1.7i engines have bombproof Bosch/GM
throttle body injection and electronic ignition and tend to be very reliable. Parts are cheap and easy to get hold of from eBay or Alan Bird
(www.lada.co.uk).
If you get bored of the performace you can drop in a 2 litre Fiat twincam - everything fits easily, from the gearbox to the engine mounts.
Niva's go on eBay every week. Whilst many have been neglected good ones do come up.
And personally I love the retro looks!
Let me know if you need more convincing.... 
|
|
|
AdamR
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:03 AM |
|
|
Oh bugger. Just saw the "1 litre or less" requirement. Niva is out then... 
This is for the rally to mongolia thing? (can't remember what it's called.... just the 1 litre limit).
I second the Panda 4x4 - they are allegedly amazing off road with some chunky tyres.
[Edited on 15/9/06 by AdamR]
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:05 AM |
|
|
Hi,
The Lada Niva looks good however as far as I can see they did not make a 1L version the car must have a 1l or less engine. Or be a relatively easy
swap to 1l
edeted to add
Yep its for the mongo rally
www.mongoliaarewethereyet.com
[Edited on 15/9/06 by ceebmoj]
|
|
|
AdamR
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:10 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by ceebmoj
The Lada Niva looks good however as far as I can see they did not make a 1L version the car must have a 1l or less engine. Or be a relatively easy
swap to 1l
Lada Niva.... with a bike engine?! 
|
|
|
AdamR
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:15 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by AdamR
I second the Panda 4x4 - they are allegedly amazing off road with some chunky tyres.
Panda Evidence
Quite fancy one myself now.
|
|
|
DaveFJ
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:17 AM |
|
|
Panda 4x4 is an excellent car with more ground clearance than you would think... can tackle a steeper incline than a landrover!!!
Dave
"In Support of Help the Heroes" - Always
|
|
|
procomp
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:18 AM |
|
|
Hi except for the 1ltr thing the lada rocks i built one for compsafari and trialing. Enterd 4 events and 3 wins. Pics in my archive of it.
cheers matt
|
|
|
thunderace
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:21 AM |
|
|
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CLAN-CRUSADER-AND-HILLMAN-IMP-IDEAL-WINTER-PROJECT_W0QQitemZ300026974496QQihZ020QQcategoryZ100929QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVi
ewItem
or the panda 4x4
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:22 AM |
|
|
Better take plenty of food and water if you're considering a Haflinger... it'll be a looong journey.
They are great for their intended job - going up and down Alps. On the one road they're noisy and VERY slow!
David
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 08:34 AM |
|
|
I hear what you are saying about the top speed of the halflinger I have herd thay will cruse at 40 odd (witch is apparently a bit scary) witch is slow
and for stage one will be giving away a lot of time.
However the problem as I see it is that my journey is essentially made up of three separate stages
1. London to Turkey predominantly roads in reasonable condition all though they detereat as you go east. Most cars are capable of this part of the
trip.
2. Turkey to Kazakhstan predominantly off road driving.
3. Kazakhstan to Mongolia including the western entrance to Mongolia i.e. mountains deserts and other big obstacles.
Any car I can think of that is suits to 1 is compromised for 2,3 and vise veser.
Halflinger + bike engine ? or some form of overdrive / large road wheals to get a bit more speed?
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 09:01 AM |
|
|
look at it another way what is the best 1ltr engine and what car could you sensibly fit it into?!
fiat fire engine (as in uno's/panda's)
engine out of a smart car
any decent 1ltr jap (non bike!) engines
bike engine wouldn't be a good choice imho
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 09:23 AM |
|
|
Best engine also means what can be repaired in the middle of nowhere by the local mechanics. So nothing hi tech.
Always seem to be plenty of Toyota's out that end of the world - not sure if many use sub 1 litre engines.
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 09:32 AM |
|
|
I had been assuming that a good engine would be something simple as in no ECU possibly air cooled maybe the fiat engine or possibly a bug engine.
So what the top of the pops 1l or less engines? Bering in mined reliability and fix ability rather than out right power is what I’m looking for hear.
I was also going to steer away from turbos.
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 10:01 AM |
|
|
People have taken Citroen 2CVs to ridiculous places - Sahara, etc - they have good ground clearance, very simple to maintain (if extremely odd) and
can take a lot of knocks.
|
|
|
iank
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 10:18 AM |
|
|
2CV is a good plan, air cooled, excellent suspension for bad roads, proper chassis, and you can put a spare engine on the back seat
[Edited on 15/9/06 by iank]
|
|
|
AdamR
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 01:00 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by iank
2CV is a good plan, air cooled, excellent suspension for bad roads, proper chassis, and you can put a spare engine on the back seat
Plus you can convert them to 4x4: http://www.2cv4x4.com/
|
|
|
MikeRJ
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 01:14 PM |
|
|
The SJ's are tough little machines, but tend to suffer from rust, so finding a decent one for little money may take some searching.
Not sure how the Bedford Rascal got onto the original list, hateful machines with all the stability of the current Labour party.
|
|
|
Donners90
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 02:12 PM |
|
|
Anything wrong with the good ol Mini??? 998cc, competed in many a rally / round the world trips etc. Simple to maintain
|
|
|
Donners90
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 02:16 PM |
|
|
...and take a portable winch with you
[Edited on 15-9-2006 by Donners90]
|
|
|
DIY Si
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 02:56 PM |
|
|
I was about to suggest that. Simple little car with simple points and a single su. Naff all to go wrong.
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
|
|
|
ceebmoj
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 03:28 PM |
|
|
mini pepol do take them, I had also thourgh about a mini marcos as thay seam to have more load space. than a normal mini
I have been looking at vans and the like with the idear of using the back for beds. I also like things that a roof tent can be mounted on as less time
putting up tent or making camp means more time driving or sleeping. also more space for spaire parts and other stuff.
blake
[Edited on 15/9/06 by ceebmoj]
[Edited on 15/9/06 by ceebmoj]
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 15/9/06 at 03:36 PM |
|
|
Have you ever seen a 2CV with the back seats taken out (an easy task)?
A very good amount of space - high too.
David
|
|
|
