Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)
  • Nissan Navara – use as an everyday family car?
  • pstokes99
    Free Member

    I currently lease a car (on quite favourable terms) but am very limited in what I can have – only one manufacturer.

    Had a couple of entry level estate cars, but find it difficult with kids and bikes to keep the car tidy (lease requires that they go back in near showroom condition).

    I really like the idea of a Navara or similar (L200, Ford Ranger etc), but not sure how genuinely practical they are as an every day family (2 kids aged 4 and 2) vehicle doing the school run etc.

    Comments, suggstions? (SWMBO has already said I can't have a van or any variation thereof)

    Ewan
    Free Member

    Is the trip to school off road then?

    clubber
    Free Member

    Comments?

    Well, I'd suggest that the advertising slogan they use ("it gets respect") says it all about the majority of people they expect to buy one….

    http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080309085436AAoJZOu

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    pstokes99
    Free Member

    Is the trip to school off road then?

    No, why?

    flatfish
    Free Member

    love mine but i'm bloody sick of it going back to the dealer under warranty.
    nothing major, just lots of small niggly stuff like central locking, sunroof, 4×4 switch, airbag reprogramming, AC fan, parking sensors etc.

    back in on tuesday, again. it was only in two weeks ago.

    DaveVanderspek
    Free Member

    Have you tried taking one off road?…….useless.

    Liftman
    Full Member

    Got one, great size for carting the family about, excellent bike carrying capacity + its classed as a van so no company car tax.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Eco-vandal!

    Edit: 3 star euro NCAP? You're avin a laugh! I wouldn't put my family in a three star car.

    falkirk-mark
    Full Member

    So if its classed as a van then you need to adjust your speed accordingly (slower)

    thatscold
    Free Member

    [RANT]Generally driven by white van man on his day off. i.e. used to bully other road users.

    Often found parked in the disable spot at the supermarket as the driver is an arrogant tosser. [/RANT]

    NB. flatfish I'm sure you are the exception to the rule.

    hora
    Free Member

    Couple of questions.

    Where do you live OP?
    What sort of driver are you? I.e. is a car a means to an end or do you like a journey?
    This is also a lease car? It will have similar T&Cs?

    Personally if you rough up cars why not buy one privately and pocket the difference every month.

    I've driven a few working vehicles. Awful for everyday use privately/family.

    Great to itch that manly scratch and shit for everything else unless you work in remote areas or in Scotland etc.

    Sorry.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Is the Navara one of theose over-sized pick-ups that you see more and more of nowadays? Some of them seem to have arrestingly masculine names; Warrior, Ninja, that sort of thing…

    What are they for, exactly? I mean, if you need a pick up, there are better ones, and if you need a van, well there are vans for that…

    hora
    Free Member

    I don't mind them- I actually WOULD have one however driving one was a shock. It was bloody awful on tarmac- urban etc. Maybe you adapt but its a big compromise.

    Personally OP I'd buy a secondhand, one owner Forester. Same mpg, bette4r space etc and alot better- it was scarily fun for the two years I owned one 😀

    Plus they are known to take scratches, knocks etc so you'll be fine for resale.

    olie
    Free Member

    Having owned various pickups the Navarra is by far the best in terms of driving and practicallity and my D23 model never went wrong ever and I did lots of miles in it for both work and pleasure. I bought it mainly to make the journey to London more pleasurable then in my Hilux or Landy and it did just that.

    Also used it as a family car untill the family got too big.

    It hauled work stuff, people and bikes with no issues. If I had fewer children I'd still have it.

    By the way the D40 (new shape) is well know for being less than reliable/capable but it is even more car like.

    pstokes99
    Free Member

    Would be looking to purchase a used vehicle privately. All milage will be urban, with occasional motorway journey etc.

    The 'macho' names sort of put me off – they appear marketed for 9 year old boys, however I am drawn to the idea of a 'cab' for 4/5 passengers seperated from where bikes etc will be.

    TBH the lease arrangement I have is a quite a good deal so there is unlikely to be any financial saving.

    I wanted a Navara, but with budget set at around £12k, I couldn't find anything newer than a '55/'06 with much less than 40k on the clock (I was limited to a light colour though for purposes of work on the roads.

    Found an '07 Ranger Thunder for £11k with only 2.5k on the clock. It's not as refined, nor does it have the toys of the Navara, but still it gets leather, air con, MP3/6 disc in dash changer, parking sensors. Personally I love driving it and I'm currently averaging 30mpg.

    The Navara's pre late '56 had Euro IV engines and a manual would return low 30's (auto take 5 off), however the newer Euro V's are lucky to get high 20's for a manual and low 20's for an auto. Earlier models had a rear half shaft problem too. The pending model is reportedly going to have 190bhp and mpg in the 40's.

    Oh, to the naysayers – it's my only car for family & work.

    And to anyone who want's one, even if you can't justify it, so what – if you want one, have one.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Forrester = better mpg than a Navara, and petrol to boot.

    By the way the D40 (new shape) is well know for being less than reliable/capable but it is even more car like

    You may have been lucky, but the D22's are prone to engine failure.

    Forrester – I'd hate to get the back of one of them in the same state as I get the back of my truck – which I swill out with a bucket of water and yard brush btw.

    Oh, btw I have to take both wheels off my Spesh Enduro to get it in the back, but it does have a long wheelbase, restrictive (to turning the bars) double crown forks – and it goes in on top of tools.

    The Navara is supposed to have the biggest loadbay of all the pick-ups though.

    Nainosliw
    Free Member

    I;ve got an old shape L200 4 cab, used primarily for hauling a horse and doing things like moving gravel and logs. For this it is fantastic, and it is also tough as old boots.

    As a 'car' it is horrible. Tail-happy if not loaded, slow, bouncy, thirsty, asthmatic heater/aircon. The load-bed of the piockup area is too short to take a bike unless you take a wheel off, and because of the wheel arches, will only really take 2 even then.

    Now, I'm sure that newer models/other manufacturers versions might be better, but take care to be aware that the marketing hype is often exactly that.

    NWAlpsJeyerakaBoz
    Free Member

    'Thunder'………..LOL. Does it come with a free red neckerchief and holster on the dash for your handgun? 😉

    flatfish
    Free Member

    i'm getting 38mpg at the moment unless the wife drives it and she get about 34/35mpg yet i'm the one who had points on my licence?????

    'Thunder'………..LOL. Does it come with a free red neckerchief and holster on the dash for your handgun?

    It is a spectacularly shit name, emblazoned down the side in spectacularly shit graphics I have to agree.

    Candodavid
    Free Member

    Had my L200 3 years now, just ordered a new one after lots of looking about, even looked at going back to estate, T5 or other Pick-ups.
    Yes they are a bit cumbersome in town but for shuffling sh1t3 to the dump, transporting dogs, bikes, kids and all other general crap I just couldn't want for anything else.
    Currently get 32 mpg

    Ewan
    Free Member

    My point was, that if your commute isn't off road, why buy an off road truck. Get a car.

    But I suspect you know that.

    br
    Free Member

    Main trouble is that they've little space thats 'covered' inside the cab – basically they have no 'boot'.

    pstokes99
    Free Member

    My point was, that if your commute isn't off road, why buy an off road truck. Get a car.

    But I suspect you know that.

    Very much as you knew when you asked the question 😉

    Have a car – just wondering if these were more practical when transporting bikes etc

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    Had one for a year – but I gave up after that as it had 3 engines, 1 4×4 system, 1 4×4 select control and a gearbox IIRC. I got shot of it when the engine lost compression as it spent more time in the garage than with me.

    When I did have it – great to drive. It was an early one so the efficiency wasn't that bad (though I suspect that the computer was being a little on the gernerous side). It was pants at tight spots though (turning circle… similar to a super tanker).

    Mine got used off road a fair bit, carried large amounts of weight around (often also off road) so was getting worked. Otherwise it would have been pointless, especially given the reduced speed limits that you have to adhere to (50mph in NSL single carriageways). I changed it for a Suzuki Grand Vitara and a tow bar. Less good in the rough, can't carry as much as easilly and less feeling of solidity – but I have stuck a lot of miles on it in the last 2 years without breaking down even once, so that makes up for a lot of it's short comings.

    For what it's worth – I would only buy a 4×4 if I was using it as intended on a reasonably regular basis otherwise they are just way too much of a compromise. The pickups are even more so.

    Though I would quite like a Hilux… maybe next time… though sense may prevail 😉

    molgrips
    Free Member

    so what – if you want one, have one.

    Screw the consequences!

    i'm getting 38mpg at the moment unless the wife drives it and she get about 34/35mpg yet i'm the one who had points on my licence?????

    What an odd thing to say.. getting good mpg has nothing to do with getting points. You can be inefficent as well as slow.

    chorlton
    Free Member

    They're shite. Despite their size they have bog all load space. I know a few tradesmen who have used pickups for a few months and then swapping them back for a van because of the lack of room for equipment.
    You'd be better off with an mpv.

    hora
    Free Member

    Heres what stopped me buying one:
    – I live in a urban area
    – I'd never be able to 'just' fit into a normal parrallel parking space (or at least have a spotter)
    – Where would I put my shopping bags?
    – A load cover? A few people told me those cry out for someone to prize them open to see what presents are inside.
    – I'd never be able to leave my bike in there unattended. Its basically the same as leaving your bike chained to a lampost in town. So Services, toilet-break, cafe etc etc. You'd always wonder if its ok and not being tampered with.
    – For a diesel its got piss-poor mpg and most of them dont have mountains of torque either (considering thats one of the main reasons you buy a diesel).

    Subaru Forester. Better in soo many many ways and they are bloody good fun to drive 😀

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    We got our Navarra new 3.5 years ago – now done 52k miles. Bought it because
    1) we live in highland Scotland up a track
    2) Mrs M works the dogs, uses it offroad about 50 days a year, and its much better not having 3 or more wet muddy labradors inside the car steaming it up.

    Observations:
    * Streets ahead of the other options like the L200. We tested 5 back to back in a week
    * Performance and handling significantly better than our MkII disco
    * Interior comfort and trim similar to basic level hatchback, but of course bigger
    * Its about half the cost of a new Disco, but much more van like
    * Only sensible option for the back is a truck top. As hora said, they are not that secure being fibreglass, but not really less secure than leaving anything in some kind of estate car or 4×4
    * Vast amounts of space, but very long – you stick out of a standard parking space at the supermarket, and "interesting" in tight multi storey car parks
    * Reliability has been OK. A couple of niggles including the seals on the transfer box replaced twice under warranty. I understand the problem is now fixed as they've done a redesign on the seals

    Overall I would say an excellent piece of kit and very good value for what we want, but wouldn't consider one if we lived in a town and/or didn't have a pack of wet dogs to move around and/or did not need to use it offroad

Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)

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