My brother has just got a new motor and is selling his Jeep Grand Cheorkee - He is willing to sell it me for £800 (as he owes me a number of favours).

 

I was thinking of getting it and using it for 4x4 off roading.  Does anyone participate in off roading on here?  Has anyone got a Grand Cherokee - he say's it's brilliant to drive.

 

It's interior is immaculate, a dent on one wing which will need drilling and filing, but I'm not buying it for it's looks - it's going to spend 90% of it's time covered in mud

 

It's a Jeep Cherokee SE Limited 3956cc Automatic.

 

Any advice as I've never done anything like this before, after a recent spell in hospital I'm thinking I need to start living and not just working and sleeping.

 

It's road worthy, although I'm not really bothered about driving it too and from events - the alternative is to get  towbar installed on the Octavia Mk3 vRS (petrol manual) and a trailer and tow it

 

The only other issue I have is I only have a double drive and no garage - so the Jeep, Octavia or SWMBO's Monte Carlo will have to sleep at the roadside. 

 

Any idea's thoughts on insurance, etc.

 

I will dig  out the pics and attach them.

4 litre jeep on a trailer on back of a mk3 octavia, that could be interesting

 

I know the older 2.5 diesels were a complete heap of junk but think the petrols are better just abit thursty,

 

they sort of remind me of the defender in how there built, very agriculural

Here are the pics.

 

It's done 104,000 and is a Petrol / LPG conversion.

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214709.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214713.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214720.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214737.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214732.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/212341/download_20140408_214737.jpg

4 litre jeep on a trailer on back of a mk3 octavia, that could be interesting

 

I know the older 2.5 diesels were a complete heap of junk but think the petrols are better just abit thursty,

 

they sort of remind me of the defender in how there built, very agriculural

 

I was thinking of getting a landrover defender - but they are so bloody expensive - built like tanks and zero comfort if I'm driving too and from off road days.

And before any asks - nope - Churchill does not come with the car. :(

 

Insurance is fine - SwiftCover will do it for £45 per month - Fully comp.

If you are going Greenlaning and to Pay & Play you might be as well to get cover from a Specialist Broker,

& maybe a 4x4 Policy, 

Greenlanes are Public Highways,  but you might get a good deal here.

 

http://premiumchoice.co.uk

Or plenty other Brokers around.

 

??

Do you have a Local 4x4 Club?

Maybe worth going along, getting a go, see if TYRO's or the likes appeal to you before Splashing any Cash.

 

The JGC auto on LPG will be fine if all is well with it.

(maybe need to get that towball/towbar changed if going offroad, but you need recovery points,

so maybe just alter it, to stop it being a plough.)

I am not seeing what tyres are on it, 

but i take it you will be spending a few quid on some decent Mud Tyres for it, if they are needed.

NOOOO dont buy it. It willl gobble up all your money. A friend had one great 4x4 bar the engine. Had a load of trouble with injectors and fuel rails. Local Jeep garage were stumped so passed it onto Mercedes who spent lots of money on various parts but never ran well again. In the end he sold it at a loss and got a C-Max

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk

The Ford C-Max is not well know for being OK for an under £1000 offroader, for fun in the mud.

auto or manual?

 

many off road nuts swear by autos - always thought this odd but there must be some logic in it

auto or manual?

 

many off road nuts swear by autos - always thought this odd but there must be some logic in it

It's an Auto with standard road tyres - yes I'll be spending some more money on some nice mud friendly tyres.

 

When trying www.premiumchoice.co.uk I get

 

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition has blocked a page!

 

Malware detected! 
Access to this page has been blocked. I understand the risks, take me there anyway

 

It's only £800 - and it's on the road now - I don't need to mess about with it.

 

All the places I've seen locally require you to have your own 4x4 - not found anywhere that you can pay and take theirs out for a spin

 

Would love to get into it though - somehow I don't think the Oct vRS will cope too well in the mud ;o)

HotRod,

 sorry, but the 'Premium Choice' link is OK,  & talking to them is a good idea,

I have used them for a long time now for Off Roaders or Modified 4x4's, Since they were 'Roadsure'.

 

My suggestion was not to go Hire a 4x4 or take an Offroad Experience, of which there are plenty,

 

But with your Brother & the Jeep, or just before getting a 4x4, go along to a local 4x4 event,

maybe an open day, or a Tyro (non damaging Trials) or the likes,

often a Club Member or qualified instructor might take you around a route,

Just to see if it is for you.

(contact them before you go, and see where you can park if they are at a location where a non 4x4 might not get in, someone usually comes meets and greets and will welcome you to the fold.

Well at the clubs i frequented, we did.)

 

http://staffs4x4.co.uk

 

george

Goerge, will you stop changing your name please. I am easily confused and you are not helping!!!

OK!

 

A Tyro.

auto or manual?

 

many off road nuts swear by autos - always thought this odd but there must be some logic in it

 

The reason they admit to is it saves clutch wear engine braking on descents.

 

The reason they don't admit to is, autos make it easier not to get stuck if you can't have your diff locks in. Cover the brake and a wheel that's going to spin will lock up and the power will go elsewhere. Similar trick to what you do in a RWD van that's stuck in the snow. Softly right foot brake, 2nd gear, no power on and ease the clutch up. 

Auto is usually preferable as the gear change is so smooth and quick that you can change gear when in sticky conditions.

Trying the same in a manual often results in too much lost forward momentum.

 

Offroading, happy memories.

 

 

Warning:  it'll probably cost more than you expect!

 

I doubt towing is an option, so expect a huge fuel bill.

My diesel Defender only used to average 25mpg on the road once on big grippy mud tyres.

My experiences were with a Suzuki Jimny, and it was IMMENSE fun.

Trouble I found with green laning was with the richard heads I had to do it with.

Generally big headed bar stewards that think they know best, and drive like loon pots. Usually ended up breaking something or getting stuck.

 

I was always being 'got at' for driving too slowly and being cautious.

Funny though, as I never actually broke anything, and usually caught up with these know it alls trying to extract their LR's Toyotas etc out of situations they wouldn't have got into if they'd used a bit of forward planning and caution.

 

I'd say to you, at that price, GO FOR IT, stick some decent tyres on it, bit of a suspension raise if you want, sump and diff guards and have IMMENSE fun until it coughs its clogs. :sun:

 

Keep the radiator honeycomb clean, especially after wading is the  only 'must word' of caution that is often overlooked.

 

I miss off roading immensely btw.

Absolutely fantastic fun.

Edited 13 April, 201412 yr by Mr Ree

Stay local....ish, and drive it to venues.

I really wouldn't be attempting to drag that big boy behind your Octy tbh.

Probably cost more in fuel towing  than if you'd driven it to wherever you were going in the first place!

Jimmy/SJ will out "off road" the biggerr boys in all but the most extreme circumstances

Indeed. And if you can find a survivng Mk1 Fiat Panda 4x4, you'll **** them all off even more. We had one for a bit and used to run rings round people in "real" 4x4's with it.

Edited 15 April, 201412 yr by StevesTruck

Jimmy/SJ will out "off road" the biggerr boys in all but the most extreme circumstances

I did a outdoor country leisure activities show down in Bournemouth in 2008 (iirc), when I ran a kids off road driving experience ......(DON'T ask me what happened to the highly successful business , or you'll hear a grown man cry ).....and let both kids and adults drive my dual controlled Jimny on a course set up by the LR owners club down there.

 

It was exceedingly muddy and swampy...awesome in fact!

They all laughed and scorned me initially in my little 'Tonka Toy' as they called it.

 

One of the LR owners asked would I let him have a go, much to the laughter and mocking of his mates.

 

They had their smiles knocked off their faces when he came back with a massive grin and thumbs up sign.

 

Oh the joy :moon:

Unfortunately there is too much one-upmanship in offroading with the bigger heavier vehicles that have more ground clearance thinking they are at the top.

Fact is, as Mr Ree says, different vehicles work better in different conditions.

 

Admittedly I only really used Defenders and Range Rovers, but my brother ran a Suzuki SJ.

Both are a lot of fun and the smaller vehicles only tend to suffer when the mud gets churned up and starts to catch on the underside and slow them down, or in deep water due to small engines with little torque and a lot of mass to push.

Over a lot of terrain there are advantages to being light and nimble.  Not to mention it's similar fun for less £££.

Unfortunately there is too much one-upmanship in offroading with the bigger heavier vehicles that have more ground clearance thinking they are at the top.

Fact is, as Mr Ree says, different vehicles work better in different conditions.

 

Admittedly I only really used Defenders and Range Rovers, but my brother ran a Suzuki SJ.

Both are a lot of fun and the smaller vehicles only tend to suffer when the mud gets churned up and starts to catch on the underside and slow them down, or in deep water due to small engines with little torque and a lot of mass to push.

Over a lot of terrain there are advantages to being light and nimble.  Not to mention it's similar fun for less £££.

Used to REALLY grind me down that, but you cannot and MUST not EVER go green laning on your own, so i had to put up, grit my teeth, and get on with enjoying myself through some of the most amazing places in N.Wales.

 

I got the most fearful of *******ings of the 'leader of the pack' once, for not going through a fairly fast flowing river until the car in front had exited.

I told him it was the wrong thing to do and potentially very dangerous, but he just stood there bellowing at me, claiming that I was a know it all just because I'd done a LANTRA course. :think:

 

COMMON SENSE richard 'ed .

Edited 15 April, 201412 yr by Mr Ree

Thanks for all the positive comments - Does anyone still do 4x4ing here? Seems to be an awful lot of people with "good memories".  Can I ask why you stopped?

 

I'm not too worried about the one upmanship - So what, your tyres are bigger than mine - Good for you..

 

George (Excellent name BTW - my son's called George) - thanks for that - tons of info, Staffs 4x4 site seems a little scant, so joined the Facebook page (I detest Facebook, but no choice really).

 

Is TYRO only for Rover? Seems all of those in the video are Land . Range Rovers - I wouldn't want to turn up and be the only bloody Jeep :(

 

Can't really drive it anywhere at the moment - it's SORN'd and no insurance as my brother has a new motor (never said what he got) and some friendly little chav threw a house brick at the windscreen - so that needs fixing before I take possession.  No insurance on it (as it's in a compound) so he will have to pay for it out of pocket.

 

As the little one is getting older now - I thought I'd also take it on camping holiday's, and hiking probably easier in a field than the Octy  As we have 2 dogs, not many hotels will allow them on holiday with you.

 

My brother has said he will help me with any modifications - he has access to a full garage, so thats one good thing. 

Project alert! ^^^^   :love:

 

If you lived a bit closer, I'd possibly go 'arfs with you, as I'd love to get back into it again.

 

JUST DO IT MAN!!

Even if it's just for this summer. You won't regret it....the missus and the bank account i couldn't possibly comment on though. :think:

It's a MUST HAVE life experience, or would you rather be tethered to a B&Q trolley ona  Sunday morning?

 

 

footnote, the nipper will love you even more if you do. Non stop laughter, guaranteed.

Edited 16 April, 201412 yr by Mr Ree