Our trusty Mitsubishi Delica L400 is pretty shot and we are looking at replacing it with a 9 seater 4×4..

Looking at the first gen of g wagens w461 chassis upto 1990 (w463 too expensive) or a 110 defender station wagon.

Reliability needs to be good, but we do have a handy old school mechanic next door

Also needs to be good at pulling 9 people with bikes and trailer offroad up a mountain road up to an hour in length. heard that the g wagen 5 pot 3 litre is a bit underpowered

Budget is no more than 10k preferably less

What does the STW collective think..

The Landie will be cheaper to repair, I bet G Wagon parts cost a small fortune!

[video]https://youtu.be/hDhI-K0aAk8[/video]
There’s only one winner in any defender battle 8)

Have you looked at a fresh import delica if the one you have does the job and is just tatty ?

I’m a landy fan – I’m not sure id recommend it for what you want unless your looking after it you self esp if your playing with 10k

I wouldn’t touch a g wagen at that age/price for anything other a than a toy.

What about a pajero ?

Basically anything without a cult status as the scene tax means your not getting the pick of vehicles for your 10k.

I think he wants a 9 seater

Theres a Dodge thing like that in our village… its a simple machine for converting diesel fuel to noise….

Ah yes I’m thinking of 7 seaters.

Look at insurance implications. I trust your not in the UK but in the UK it’s difficult to get them insured as 9 seaters.

T4 Syncro?

Finale Freeride use 110 Defenders. Get the job done with regards to dragging a trailer with bikes up rough tracks, but **** me is it uncomfortable in the back on the side bench and cramped on the 2nd row, especially with people’s riding gear on their laps.

Cheapest 9 seater option.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609197910552

Don’t worry, you can’t see it from the inside 😀

The Santana is a pretty good option!

i had a g300d 1989 g wagen, was ace, but very slow, parts are a fortune, you have to gamble on not needing any

now I’ve got defenders, and parts will be cheaper – but at the price you are looking at, you will prob be replacing a few parts

I also have a MINT 1996 delicia,,,

I would buy one, but are they all 7 seaters max?

think I would go for a transit tourneo myself , fit all terrain tyres on it it you need them – I fitted a set to a rwd transit and it was great

ps, id buy that santana – as long as you are not a car brand snob, the iveco engine was quite well suited to it if I remember correctly

http://www.brabus.com/cars4sale/car_273.html

A mate of mine had a G230 vs my 110 and another mates 90. At pure off road the Defenders were generally better as the G has less axle articulation and ended up teeter tottering a few times despite having axle diff locks. Also heavier so sank easier in mud.

Well built (hand built by Puch Steyr) but still prone to rust on the back corners over the lights. Easy to work on. Same as a Defender onroad. Defenders and G’s are cramped in the back as stated above.

G specific parts were pretty pricy but joining (£) the UK G forum gave parts cross compatibility to common Merc models. Don’t be seduced by cheap LR parts prices – most places deal in britpart which are cheap but utter gash. You HAVE to find OEM sourced parts or reliability will suffer.

However its all irrelevant as £10k buys nothing UK G wagon wise, and doesn’t go far Defender wise.

The other options are an ex utilities Sprinter 4×4 – which can be had for around the £9k mark but would need extra seating fitting, looking in Germany via mobile.de where G’s are cheaper or a LWB transit.

I run a MK7 Transit and ride quite a bit at BPW and AnturStiniog so end up nattering to the lifties about Tranny reliability as BPW especially absolutely hammer their vans up rough fireroads constantly although they do have short service intervals. Apparently they get through a lot of side door handles, rear leaf spring bushes and front TRE’s, one of BPW’s had a gearbox but are generally good.

what about an ex police riot van!
http://www.forcevans.co.uk/used-vans/mercedes-benz-sprinter-didcot-201610198918877

7 rear seats plus 2 passenger seats upfront, shelving for gear, tools, drinks etc.

They sometimes have the equivalent Transits for similar money

Thanks for the advice guys

That Santana looks good, Is the under carriage and running gear the same as a Landrover or are they different?

I currently have a T5 and a Fiat Ducato for general shuttle and transfer duties, just need a slightly bigger 4×4 for the epic ride days so will not be used every day…

Maybe a beefed up T4 or syncro may be the way to go as the offroad is only rough fire roads, no mud or ruts

No idea but I want a life where this question is important.

Bit better than my recent car testing experience which consisted of putting a double buggy in various cars to see which it would fit in. 🙁

Is it going to be purely a work vehicle pulling bikes n trailers up this mountain? Or will it double as your leisure car too?
Only asking as I’ve seen ex army unimogs, MAN, Leyland Daf personnel trucks that would fit the bill.

Ex Utilities Mercedes Sprinter 4×4 panel van.

Put a few windows in it, bung a few seats in it and you have a vehicle which will swallow up your 8-9 people, their gear and have space to spare. Excellent 4×4 capabilities (Not quite Landrover but its a proper 4×4 system). £10k should get you a nice example but they are quite hard to find.

^ theres quite a few on Ebay and Autotrader at the moment as one of the utility companies has cast their fleet of them.

Sanatana’s are more inline with older Series style Landrovers in that they have leaf spring suspension (albeit nice flexy parabolic springs). The engines were Ivecos.
Iveco bought Santana (IIRC) and carried on with it for awhile but they are now longer made if my memory is correct?
Parts availability may be a problem.

As per other replies, £10k won’t get you much of a Defender, and nothing of a G Wagen. T4 Syncro Caravelles (ideally LWB) exist but don’t come up very often, and seem to be going up in value. Even Syncro Transporters are pretty pricey if they’re not a total shed.

An unfashionable 4×4 van sounds like it fits the bill for this budget. Forcevans often have 4×4 Sprinters, I keep looking and dreaming !

http://www.iveco.com/uk/products/pages/new-daily-4×4-range.aspx

if only this came in van version. woulda been a nice camper conversion.

anyway i digress

did the santana not go on to become the iveco massiff after a bit ?

iveco still make a nice 2.8 variable vained turbo based on or very similar to the international TGV dont they – but only for ROW spec not european markets 🙁

G Wagon Otto

The Iveco Daily’s, Sprinters are too big as I will be using it to access some trails for repair etc.. and some of the roads are very narrow.

Well spoke to my mechanic next door (he owns a defender) and he said if I don’t buy that santana in autotrader in the above post then I’m an idiot!!

Our friends use the ex carabinieri iveco daily 4×4 riot vans, they come up at 7/8k Euro but they are huge, they have pajero’s for general 4×4 duties.. The Delica is mine..

They’re rare but I’d look for a 4wd hiace based Granvia.
Otherwise I’d make do with a land cruiser or shogun.
It’s a pity our choice of cars for right hand drive vehicles is limited, I saw a 4matic Merc Vito bus while in France earlier this year.

Any van will do on forest tracks, especially if you can get the load inside rather than towed. Just add some All Terrain tyres as they will be a bit tougher. The guys I know driving the forestry have a mix of vans and old 4x4s, normally the cheapest thing is fastest. My old hiace saw a lot of mid-Wales forest tracks without issue.

just seen this on my landy forum

http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic50656.html