uncompromise
Adventurer
[thanks for all of the responses; we’re taking delivery of a 2004 Mitsubishi Pajero 3.2 DiD next week]
Hi all,
This is a pretty lengthy post, so thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to read and feed back. What we're looking for is some solid advice on vehicles readily available in France that meet our requirements (of which the most common and most affordable appears to be the Mitsubishi Pajero).
My wife and I relocated to the south of France from the USA last year, and are now in the market for a 4x4. Given that we're still dealing with COVID-19, and our grasp of French is conversational, but not up to the task of interrogating either a private seller or dealer, we're deep in research to find a vehicle that meets our requirements. Most importantly, we are buying in France, and not from any of the better served and more affordable markets such as Germany due to travel restrictions.
We're looking for a stock 4x4 that we can lightly modify as required, although most of our investment would be on fitting out the truck for long trips on and off road with our dog. Having grown up in Australia and owned and driven stock 4x4 for over twenty years (Land Cruiser, Hilux, Patrol and Navara), my experience is that a well designed 4x4 will get you where you want to go without excessive mods. We'd also prefer to spend our money traveling, not on rebuilding what should be a perfectly capable vehicle.
Our intention is to use our base in Siran to travel throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and eventually WANA (West Asia & North Africa).
BUDGET: €8000 (total including all on-road costs)
REQUIREMENTS:
MUST
Given the need for an automatic, there are essentially no pick-ups or vans available, which leaves us with the only option being a full size SUV. Based upon extensive research of the vehicles available in France, and our available budget, it seems like these are our best options
Thanks again for taking the time to read this far. If you have any feedback or advice on both the type of vehicle, and where to search (Leboncoin.fr seems to have the most options; hardly anybody listing in France uses AutoScout or Mobile.de), it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi all,
This is a pretty lengthy post, so thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to read and feed back. What we're looking for is some solid advice on vehicles readily available in France that meet our requirements (of which the most common and most affordable appears to be the Mitsubishi Pajero).
My wife and I relocated to the south of France from the USA last year, and are now in the market for a 4x4. Given that we're still dealing with COVID-19, and our grasp of French is conversational, but not up to the task of interrogating either a private seller or dealer, we're deep in research to find a vehicle that meets our requirements. Most importantly, we are buying in France, and not from any of the better served and more affordable markets such as Germany due to travel restrictions.
We're looking for a stock 4x4 that we can lightly modify as required, although most of our investment would be on fitting out the truck for long trips on and off road with our dog. Having grown up in Australia and owned and driven stock 4x4 for over twenty years (Land Cruiser, Hilux, Patrol and Navara), my experience is that a well designed 4x4 will get you where you want to go without excessive mods. We'd also prefer to spend our money traveling, not on rebuilding what should be a perfectly capable vehicle.
Our intention is to use our base in Siran to travel throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and eventually WANA (West Asia & North Africa).
BUDGET: €8000 (total including all on-road costs)
REQUIREMENTS:
MUST
- True four wheel drive
- Locking front and rear differential (electric or air); OR
- Limited slip differential
- Automatic transmission (my wife is still learning to drive manual, and we’re not prepared to either wait for her to be comfortable to buy a truck, or have me doing 100% of the driving)
- Strong service infrastructure
- High GVWR
- Be of maximum dimensions (for fitting in a shipping container)
- Width (mirror to mirror) 2.2 m
- Height (ground to roof) 2.0 m (to fit in standard undercover parking)
- Length (bumper to hitch) 5.9 m
- Have at least three seats
- Have Carte Grise and CT
- Have at least 215 mm of ground clearance
- Have at least 450 litres of cargo capacity
- Have driver and passenger airbags
- Be able to fit on narrow European roads
- be able to fit all of our gear inside
- Have consistent maintenance records
- Be long enough to sleep inside (with or without modification)
- Have at least five seats
- Have removable rear seats
- Be diesel
- Have a minimum towing capacity of 750 kg (unbraked; 1,500kg braked)
- Not have carpet
- Be able to be fitted with third party 4x4 options, including
- Front and rear bumper
- Spare wheel hitch
- Underbody skid and rock protection plates
- All terrain tires
- Long range fuel tank
- Off road suspension (if necessary)
- Tow hitch
- Have at least 300mm of ground clearance
- Have solid fuel economy
- Have auxiliary (shore) power
- Have Webasto diesel heater
- Have heated seats
- Have a long range tank
- Be an exotic car marque with limited service and parts availability
- Have been excessively modified
- Have been driven hard (extensively off road)
Given the need for an automatic, there are essentially no pick-ups or vans available, which leaves us with the only option being a full size SUV. Based upon extensive research of the vehicles available in France, and our available budget, it seems like these are our best options
- Toyota Landcruiser
- if we can find one within our price range
- Mitsubishi Pajero
- although the departure angle leaves much to be desired
- Nissan Patrol
- finding one that doesn't have over 300,000 km on the clock is nigh on impossible
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- if we can find one with a Mercedes engine
- Land Rover Defender 110
- it will take a miracle to find one in our price range
Thanks again for taking the time to read this far. If you have any feedback or advice on both the type of vehicle, and where to search (Leboncoin.fr seems to have the most options; hardly anybody listing in France uses AutoScout or Mobile.de), it would be greatly appreciated.
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