New Car Suggestions for a Buddy - 7 Seat 4x4 to replace a Shogun.

MWF

Now needs wood
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Our regular FedEx driver always stops for a chat, not because he is lazy but because he has about half an hour to kill because one of our neighbours is never ready for him on time.

He is about to get rid of a 25 year old Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun) LWB diesel which is on its last legs and asked me what I thought about the Volvo XC90 as a possible replacement. I had to plead ignorance since this isn't a market sector I know a great deal about so I thought I would open it up to the FG Hive Mind.

He's considered and rejected the LR Discovery (reliability) and the Toyota Land Cruiser (too expensive to buy and run. Other than the Lolvo or another Shogun what 7 seat, capable 4x4 would you suggest? Budget of up to ?10K in Ukania and diseasel, obviously.
 
Way out of the price range.

I've been looking at available options using AutoTrader.

Discounted for various reasons:

Chevy Captiva, Dodge Journey, Citroen C-Crosser, Peugeot 4007, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sedona, Volvo XC90, Merc R Class, Subaru Tribeca

This leaves the Discovery 3 (4s only available with galactic mileage for the price), another Shogun or a Jeep Commander. I am familiar with the Disco as my boss used to have one. It's OK but feels very agricultural (I found Matt2000's Discovery 2 nicer to drive). He was unsure but he may as well test drive one if the shortlist is only three options long.

I have been advised that buying an extended warranty to cover the powertrain for the Jeep would be imperative (it's MB derived and therefore expensive to repair) but that other than that it's not a bad piece of kit. Ditto for the Disco.

I suspect he may end up with another Shogun although he did say he fancies a change.
 
The ML-class is probably horrendous to keep. Was the BMW X5 ever offered as a seven-seater?
 
Not as far as I know. He was quite taken with the idea of the Jeep though.
 
Hadn't considered Nissan. I'll mention that to him on Monday.
 
How about newer Pajero? They have a third row option too.
 
That's the Shogun here. Already on the list.
 
Ah. Weird naming <_<
 
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Those early '90s Shoguns are incredible, it still isn't rare to see good ones around. Likewise the Hilux Surf.

A good D3 should definitely be in the price range and yes a warranty would be advised. Late D2s are better than mine but need protection bars on the headlight clusters to stop thieving shits from nicking them.

Defender 110 station wagons can be found for that price but will likely have side-facing rear seats and they are stolen far too often.

I dunno about anything else.
 
Another vote here for the '05-'12 Nissan R51-Series Pathfinder. Should be quite sturdy and reliable and parts should be easy to come by as it shares many with the Navara/Frontier pickup of the same years. My XTerra is also part of the same family and I liked my '06 so much I bought a new one a little over a year ago. The main engine over here was the VQ40DE 4.0L petrol V6 which is a nice strong engine. The Pathfinder could also be had with the VK56DE 5.6L petrol V8 in North America and the YD25DDTi 2.5L I4 and (2010 and newer) V9X 3.0L V6 Diesels outside the North American market. Transmissions are a 5sp Auto (7 with the V9X) or 6sp manual. As Craig mentioned, the biggest issue with the automatic transmission models from '05 to '09 has come to be known as SMOD (Strawberry Milkshake Of Death) in which a design fault in the rad allowed coolant to leak into the transmission causing severe damage. '10 and later models fixed the issue and units with a manual transmission never had it at all. Other than that major issue they're generally good reliable trucks.

2006_nissan_pathfinder_ext_1.jpg
 
S-Max comes in an AWD version, right?

I'll see myself out.
 
Another vote for the Gen3 Pathfinder. It's affordable, reliable, has three rows, plus it is on a real ladder frame but has 4 wheel independent suspension so it rides well. You can also get it in the Off Road package which includes hill descent control (automatics) and clutch start cancel (manuals) and a locking rear diff. You can also get it in the 4.0L V6 or the 5.6L V8 - I'm sure that everywhere outside the US also has diesel options we don't see here.

As for the SMOD issues, if he gets a 2010-2012 he should not have any problems. Nissan got new radiators and new timing chain tensioners in for 2010+ so there are no known issues that I'm aware of on the 4.0L for those years.
 
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Something that new would be way out of budget.
 
How much do Ford Excursions and Chevrolet Suburbans go for in the UK ? I am about half serious as I am not familiar with the UK legislation but here one can register one of these beasts as a "light truck" meaning massive savings on road tax. Even with the rather high gas mileage, with low enough yearly mileage you will save quite a lot. If he drives for UPS I would assume driving something that size wouldn't pose a problem for him. Unless he is in down town London. That might be an issue.
 
Something that new would be way out of budget.

Well, I guess the budget is really tight... I know, UKanian cars are often cheaper than on the continental side of Europe, but 13k ? wouldn't get you much in terms of SUV and the ability of having seven seats ... :/
 
They don't. We didn't get either, not officially anyway. The market for 7 seat SUVs isn't huge here, at least not ones with proper off road ability. What I listed is everything with AWD or 4WD and seven seats, and most of them are soft roaders.
 
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