Shooting transport...

alan123

I just read one of the posters profiles and it was avertising a jeep for sale. I am probably not dissimilar to most of ye... I like to go out shooting but I also act as a regular human being the rest of the time. So, if I am changing my car in the new year I will probably get a regular sort of hatch or saloon and end up bulling through a few fields. The question is... whats good out there? I would love a defender but lets face it, its just a tractor and you cant put your kids in something with no airbags or ABS! So you say " Whats wrong with a Landcruiser?" A: €60k! thats what! Once again the commercial is reasonable but you cant drp the kids to the creche n that. Any views??? At the moment Im a big fan of the Scoda Octavia Scout but still pricey at €36k.

J.R.

I've a Honda CRV - good all rounder & plenty of room for dogs & gear ....doubles as a family car when not shooting. It has 4X4 that cuts in only when on slippery soil / surface and has always got me out of fields, slippery field entrances etc. Not a true out & out 4X4 but perfect for the use I put it to. If I had an out & out 4X4 I wouldn't use it to trave through wet, muddy fields as it would probably plough the place up.

Shooting partner has an X-Trail ....great car with 4X4 and great on diesel!

I don't think you really need 4X4 for shooting if parking on country lanes etc. but you would need something with good ground clearance - had a Mazda 626 and it was too low to the ground to get anywhere ....ended up walking down most country lanes.

If I was changing I would consider a Nisan Quasquai , good ground clearance, 1.5L diesel does 53 m.p.g. , € 250 road tax, cheap insurance and can easily double as a family car.

alan123

Yeah, I looked at it and I like it (more importantly... she likes it!) its a pity the 4 wheel drive option is a couple of grand in the difference!

John Griffin

The perfect machine for deer hunting is the Suzuki Jimny, its basically a Quad with a roof and doubles as a back up family car. The wife will love it. You can get a tray that attaches to the tow bar and will carry up to 3 fallow. I used to have one and i could follow a defender anywhere, left most 4x4's sitting in sh1t.
Cheap as chips. They're very popular with the German hunters too.


I was at the races one day in it and the parking area turned into a mud pit. There were cars and 4x4's stuck everywhere. I came up behind a Range Rover that was stuck, I drove around it pulled up and with a cheeky grin asked the posh horse trainer if he wanted a pull, he declined the offer but it would have pulled him out all the same:).

Or get a Subaru forester if you want a car with 4x4 and loads of comfort.

harly1516

ha ha the shame of it all

jwshooter

harly1516 wrote: »

ha ha the shame of it all

landrover defender ,love them had two of them , one cost me a fortune .also has two disco s they never missed a stroke and a lovely snug ride . had 17 hinds n calf in a defender one day and a dog and a fat friend .stick BF goodridge AT on a mini and they will cover ground. but ground clearance is every thing

tiny-nioclas

Thats gas john because last year when i had a suzuki escudo :cool: i pulled my friend in his big navara out of the end of a very wet muddy field at three in the mornin while out foxing,and he was arches deep in mud, the escudo was half the size and a 1.6 petrol! i changed it for a landrover freelander, more clearance under her but shes rubbish off road compared to the escudo.

E. Fudd

I brought a 1992 defender 90 in from England for the sole purpose of being a shooting vehicle. That was in July..... it's still in my mates garage being made ready for a d.o.e. test, a good few things wrong with it, but I'm hoping that once it's ready it'll last me a long time and will do everything required of it.

John Griffin

E. Fudd wrote: »

I brought a 1992 defender 90 in from England for the sole purpose of being a shooting vehicle. That was in July..... it's still in my mates garage being made ready for a d.o.e. test, a good few things wrong with it, but I'm hoping that once it's ready it'll last me a long time and will do everything required of it.

Great machines when thay are working but christ do they give trouble, I drove them at work and they broke my heart, just glad i wasn't paying the garage, they were costing an average of 3000euro a year at the time just to keep them on the road.
I now have a Hilux Crewcab and never had a problem in the last 6 years with it, great machine!!

Vegeta

Hey folks if you've looked at the 4x4 section you'l see I am in the market for one

Buying a house now and as soon as thats done I am getting a shooting wagon.

The most impressive thing i've been in is a mid ninties Suzuki Vitara. We drove up a really dodgey section one night. Defender got stuck and Vitara went through absoluetly no bother (lighter, had a wider wheels)

If those Suzukis had a diff lock, lift kit and proper shoes on it would go anywhere.

Would love a jimny but they are slightly too expensive for a second vehicle

Some very cheap vehicles to be had on www.donedeal.ie

E. Fudd

John Griffin wrote: »

Great machines when thay are working but christ do they give trouble, I drove them at work and they broke my heart, just glad i wasn't paying the garage, they were costing an average of 3000euro a year at the time just to keep them on the road.
I now have a Hilux Crewcab and never had a problem in the last 6 years with it, great machine!!

Tell me about it! I had mine the some total of 10 miles and the back diff went on it! Had to limp it all the way back from the dundalk toll bridge to Greenes 4x4 in Wicklow town and then give them 500 squids to supply and fit a second hand diff.
Rust is also a serious issue with the defenders.

John Griffin

Vegeta wrote: »

Would love a jimny but they are slightly too expensive for a second vehicle

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Expensive??? Look at this.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Suzuki/Jimny/1.3/1215605/

shaft666

Here's my allround vehicle. Great on or off road. Seats 5. Take's 5 minutes to take the hard top off for foxing. Got some mud terrain tyres for it now and thats one of the things that lets most 4x4's down, people think they can get away with going anywhere just because it's 4 wheel drive but most of them have road tyres on which clog up with mud in seconds and are next to useless off road.
Paul

Vegeta

John Griffin wrote: »

Expensive??? Look at this.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Suzuki/Jimny/1.3/1215605/

Yup expensive. I don't know John maybe the NPWS wages are better than ye let on

look at this

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/825423

Now that's more my money range

If I could get a Jimny which is running perfect for half that then I would. As I said 3 grand for a vehicle which will not be driven every day is too rich for my blood.

Hell my current car didn't cost 3000

alan123

Im not a serious petrol head so I use Car Buyers Guide to review vehicles...
It slates the Jimny??...http://www.cbg.ie/NewCars/Suzuki/Jimny.aspx

shaft666

I'm not sure about the suzuki jimny but years ago I had the SJ410 and although tedious to drive on tarmac it would go anywhere off road and even had to pull a couple of landrovers out of thick mud! If I was looking for something cheap to make a shooting vehicle from I'd give it serious consideration.

Paul

kerryman12

Well

I currently have a Hyundi tuscon 2 wheel drive from the cmpany - heap of crap off road, most of the time on the road as well :rolleyes:
Had the santa fe before that 4x and that was ok.

Shaft666 is right tyres are key, a set of intermidiate being a good compromise. so keep that in mind when purchasing anything.

Took a L200 for a drive recently looks pretty good in terms of mpg and the review are ok. In terms of the Vitara, the new model is geeting good reviews, had one for a test drive and lived it the diff lock is great addation. But it is full time 4xW so thempg's are not as good as they could be. Even though the new engine is speced well it is a peugot - so reliability may be a issue. I think the older model would be a better bet.

whitser

ford fiesta. work horse, never lets me down.

cavan shooter

Mitsubishi Pajero SWB 08 automatic, most annoying aspect of it is the seat belt alarm. Have a dog box that fits snuggly into the back although after a days shooting it pongs a bit. Excellent off road

shaft666

cavan shooter wrote: »

Mitsubishi Pajero SWB 08 automatic, most annoying aspect of it is the seat belt alarm. Have a dog box that fits snuggly into the back although after a days shooting it pongs a bit. Excellent off road

Seat belt alarm is only on a sensor so should be easy enough to disconnect it
Paul

ianoo

have a sangyong kyron myself ,
plenty of space in the boot and loads of ground clearance but that is as good as it gets ,
brutal off road ,in 4x4 very tight lock and lacks power , i use it to beach launch a 16 ft boat and it struggles on the retreive .had a vitara before that and it was much better .. one thing to watch for though is the price of tyres for the vitara {only car in ireland with that particular size i am told }

ian

alan123

shaft666 wrote: »

Seat belt alarm is only on a sensor so should be easy enough to disconnect it
Paul

You can also deactivate it by putting your seatbelt on!!!!!!

cavan shooter

alan123 wrote: »

You can also deactivate it by putting your seatbelt on!!!!!!

I suppose I asked for that

ShowAndGo

That's crazy talk Alan123...

Fasten your seatbelt and then sit in your car seat.

Vegeta

cavan shooter wrote: »

I suppose I asked for that

Ah don't worry cavan shooter I get what you're saying

When you're on private land, with 4 wheel low engaged and doing 5 mph, stopping regularly, getting in an out, sometimes there is just no need for a belt and the beeping would wreck your head. (unless going up some sloping terrain, roll overs scare the sh1te out of me)

On the public road though you'd want your head examined if you're not wearing it. Just not worth it. My dad is in the fire brigade and some of the stories you hear of guys who would have been fine if they had just bloody belted up

Deer Hunter DL

we currrently use a small van for hunting you`d pile 3-4 red deer into it no bother but a little low if your on a bad road with high center, but i bought a 94 toyota hilux last year for about 1500euro and have it stripped in the shed doing some repairs going to paint it a nice dark green and raise it about 4inches and put nice off road tyres on it great old reliable truck and good for lamping foxes on country lanes with high hedges

Rovi

shaft666 wrote: »

Seat belt alarm is only on a sensor so should be easy enough to disconnect it
Paul

As others have already stated, the seatbelt alarm will wreck your head when performing low speed off-road manoeuvres.
One way of temporarily removing the annoyance is to latch the belt on the empty seat, and then sit into it.
Another method is to source a spare buckle from a breakers yard and clip that into the receptacle for the duration.

Obviously, revert to proper belt use when going back on the road or if 'spirited' off-roading becomes necessary.

meathstevie

kerryman12 wrote: »

Well

I currently have a Hyundi tuscon 2 wheel drive from the cmpany - heap of crap off road, most of the time on the road as well :rolleyes:
Had the santa fe before that 4x and that was ok.

Shaft666 is right tyres are key, a set of intermidiate being a good compromise. so keep that in mind when purchasing anything.

Took a L200 for a drive recently looks pretty good in terms of mpg and the review are ok. In terms of the Vitara, the new model is geeting good reviews, had one for a test drive and lived it the diff lock is great addation. But it is full time 4xW so thempg's are not as good as they could be. Even though the new engine is speced well it is a peugot - so reliability may be a issue. I think the older model would be a better bet.

I wouldn't worry about a PSA engine. Quite often the engines are brilliant and it's the rest of the car that leaves a bit to be desired.

Vegeta

meathstevie wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about a PSA engine. Quite often the engines are brilliant and it's the rest of the car that leaves a bit to be desired.

I agree

kerryman12

time will tell guys - you may well be right

kerryman12

Guys

How will the new rules on motor tax affect this? It will make it a hell of a lot more expensive it appears!!
Is it possible to use a commercial vehical and only pay commercial rates for a private individual?

Regards

moose112

I used a corolla van for years never sunk it and never had a problem on any lane with clearence.
Have my eye on a 92 hilux at the moment friend buying new one in jan.

Thru my work i use 4x4's a lot and have done a few different off road courses what i see its not the jeep that sinks but more the person driving it.

E. Fudd

Suppose you couldn't go wrong with a Daihatsu Terios, judging by the abuse clarkson gives it here!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZYmsSSx2Y

Grizzly 45

Driving at the moment a 4litre Jeep Cherokee.Cost 1,500 euros.Put a 3in lift kit,and new tires in it.Redid the steering bushings and shocks [heavy duty] over the winter and resprayed it.With tax and ins first year,cost me 4k.Parts are all from the USA,so dirt cheap parts.Take appx 14 days to arrive.It's fast,drinks about 40 quid a week,faffing around town and will do Dublin and back on a tank of fuel[85 Euros from gunnell full to red light].Thats 240 miles from here.Next to go in it a winch that can be moved from front to rear,and tinting for privacy in carrying stuff.
Off road,I am amazed by what it will traverse,where Land Rovers,Range Rovers and G wagon have got stuck in.You can add lockable diffs,etc all from the US. For 5k,I was dubious if it was going to be anything worthwhile.Best 5K I ve invested in.Only thing puzzles me..How do they fit 2 300lb Yanks into the back???It is pretty tight.:eek:

alan123

I use the well known off road vehicle... the Ford Focus. I only needed to be pulled out of a field once tonight, we dug ourselves out the rest of the time!!!!

Downwind

Transport. Hunting. Family. First 4x4 I ever owned was a series 3 swb Land Rover that taught me all i know about motor mechanics, spent more time under it than in it. In the mean time I drove every other make until I got a 1994 2.4 Hilux pick up I traded in a Jeep Cherokee 2.4 TD 1996 AND GAVE THE GUY 4 Grand with the Cherokee.
My take on it is this I have to do land surveys for a living , and I do a fair bit of perco testing as well and if I cant get to the location i dont get paid and lads you'd be amazed at some of the stuff Ive been asked to do in the last 5 years. Not once have I had to turn back with the hilux . old or new they are the business

Vegeta

alan123 wrote: »

I use the well known off road vehicle... the Ford Focus. I only needed to be pulled out of a field once tonight, we dug ourselves out the rest of the time!!!!

classic

freddieot

Had a few 4x4s over the years. Started with a Santa Fe and it never let me down. Good boot size, plenty of room, good on road, average off road and safe, airbags, ABS etc..A bit slow though but the new one is much better.

Changed to a Suzuki Grand Viitara (new version). Drives well but felt too light and twitchy sometimes. Did not feel as safe on road as the Santa Fe. Also, much smaller for normal use. However, low ratios meant that it was better off-road.

Now have a Kia Sorento. New type with the new turbocharger setup which makes it very nippy. Changed it from a reasonably good vehicle into a really good one. Low ratios, Loads of room, extremely safe, excellent off-road (pulled a friend of mines disco out of the mud) . Very well speced for the money, Okay on juice, I average about +30m to the gallon. She learned to drive in it and now I'll never get permission to change for anything else. Stcik an Audi or Land Rover badge on one of these and loads of people would want one but thats true of so many good quality vehicles in this price.

O yes, no real mechancial problems with any of these, compared to my previous car which was a new Volvo and broke my hear with small niggly things like electrics and lights etc..

macnas

freddieot wrote: »

excellent off-road (pulled a friend of mines disco out of the mud)

A Land Rover Discovery stuck in mud! Impossible!:D:D:D

freddieot

It does seem impossible - Probably down to the driver, although he did okay in Norwayland, but then again I think that was a Kia !

pullandbang

Here's my transport.

With these I can go anywhere.........deep mud, no problem. Rivers? Hills? Valleys? Drains? Hedgerows? Forest? .....takes them all in their stride!

Do about 15 miles to the pint!

Service bills are negligible.

Can replace complete set of rubbers for about €70.

Downwind

pullandbang wrote: »

Here's my transport.

With these I can go anywhere.........deep mud, no problem. Rivers? Hills? Valleys? Drains? Hedgerows? Forest? .....takes them all in their stride!

Do about 15 miles to the pint!

Service bills are negligible.

Can replace complete set of rubbers for about €70.

Started off with a set of these , Dunlop s field masters , devils when you get a blow out.

thelurcher

Can't beat the double cabs - I have a mk4 hilux - cheap - tough - goes anywhere with the BFG MT tyres - loads of room for the dogs.
Only downside is the diesel - very thirsty - I have a 3.2L car that's more economical to run.

Have a look at Devon4X4
Would be well tempted to drive over and get the hilux properly kitted out.

Don't like the look of any of the newer pickups - except for the ford ranger - seems to be well thought of too.

kerryman12

The ford range has to be one of the main reasons for the invasion of Iraq - its thirsty!!!

alan123

http://6x6world.com/

pullandbang

thelurcher wrote: »

I have a 3.2L car that's more economical to run.

Who the f##k drives a 3.2L car?

For f##ks sake lurcher you're burning up the planet...:D:D

There will be nothing left to hunt if you keep that up............:p

greenpeter

Get a john deere hpx, it'l go anywhere

E mc kiernan

hello,i'm kinda in the same boat I was thinking of changing my van for a crewcab because i do a bit of lamping aswell as the bit of shooting but cant make my mind up because i'd need the van for work!!price of diesel is another issue,well for some who can run two yokes ha?

thelurcher

My way of getting back at the greens

Spending the best part of €140 a week on diesel and petrol so I think it's time for a Prius :rolleyes:

pullandbang wrote: »

Who the f##k drives a 3.2L car?

For f##ks sake lurcher you're burning up the planet...:D:D

There will be nothing left to hunt if you keep that up............:p

meathstevie

Get something with a 1.9 TDI or 1.6/2.0 HDI or D4D man. I wouldn't want to be seen dead in the same yoke as Green Party ministers are shunted around in

alan123

This is a fairly ecconomic 4x4:http://www.cbg.ie/NewCars/Fiat/Panda/Hatch_4X4/Climbing_1.2_4x4.aspx