Ask an expert

I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand 4x4 that's capable of towing a 1800kg boat / trailer and being more than capable of the odd river crossing for fishing and hunting trips.

I'm looking to spend about $10,000 and have heard that Discovery's and Range Rover's are not too reliable.

Is this true?

Dan

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 24 September 2009

Both the Discovery and Range Rover were built to cope with the terrain you are heading into but their running costs can be huge. We talk to mechanical warranty insurance underwriters on a regular basis and have heard of some massive repair costs for these vehicles.

I suggest you at least look at a Toyota Prado or a Nissan Pathfinder (Diesel) but you may have to spend a little more than $10,000 to get something in reasonable condition and with average km's.

Remember a lot of these types of vehicles can be exposed to a tough life so you need to be careful and have them checked out as best you can before committing to buy. This is where the Japanese brands have the advantage as their reliability records are so much better.

Don't assume that every one of them is bullet proof however.

Sighting proven past service records would be high on my priority list if I was in this market.