haha, no.
It has to be minibadger compatible, and probably new. I'm looking Honda CRV or Kia Sportage, fact fans. IMAGINE.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 11:56, 1 reply, 13 years ago)

I can't bring myself to buy a people carrier
so I'm sticking with an estate in the hope that this will stop me becoming some sort of terrible boring dad.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 11:58, Reply)

This is basically why I'm buying a faux-SUV
one of the few things out there that can fit an adult between two child seats in the back. That, and Mrs B is keen to move back "to the country" in a couple of years and the last village I lived in up here used to average about a week every year cut off by snow.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:00, Reply)

I also can't really afford one of them.
But I appear to be able to get a 4 year old focus estate with about 60K on the clock for about 8K.

I'm hoping more will become available when the number plates change and all the fleet vehicles get traded in.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:02, Reply)

Yeah, they ain't cheap.
but I really want something new so I don't have to worry about shit breaking and unexpected costs. Although, in that respect we've also been somewhat aided by Mrs B getting a £16K pay rise just before she told them she was pregant. Maternity leave score.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:05, Reply)

Watch out then, badge
a fair few of those faux-SUV things are two wheel drive, I'm given to understand.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:05, Reply)

Yep, ta, I'd noticed that.
The CRV is only 2WD on the low spec. As long as you buy the right model of the Kia, it's 4WD on demand, so it's FWD until the grip runs out, which means the fuel consumption stays low. You can lock it in 4WD if you need to if you stay under 25mph. Same system on the Hyundia iX35.

Problem with a "proper" 4WD is that the fuel costs are arse-raping for something you need for about 5 days a year, even up here.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:09, Reply)

Ah cool beans.

( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:12, Reply)

The majority are front wheel drive
and the one's that are "4wd" the rear drive only kicks in if the front wheels spin.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:09, Reply)

that's what I want.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:10, Reply)

Warning about Kias
expensive parts, and only available from Kia dealers in some cases, according to mate in the trade and another one who has the big MPV they make.
Of the fake SUVs I like the Qasqai, though not a huge amount of passenger room considering the size of it.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:15, Reply)

The one time I have properly broken down
the AA guy towing me had to stop and get one of those Kia people carriers. The thing was two years old and had blown the head gasket.

Could be a freak accident, but sounds like shitty parts.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:16, Reply)

Or a Friday car
not filled up with coolant/leaking, or lead-footed driver.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:20, Reply)

You'd have to go some to do a gasket
after two years pottering about no matter how roughly you treated it. Manufacturing defect, I'd have thought. Dodgy part or dodgy practice. Not a great sign, either way.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:23, Reply)

Bollocks off, you're drawing your conclusions based on 1 incident.

(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:24, Reply)

And you're attempting to argue with me
based off no knowledge whatsoever.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:32, Reply)

I'm not attempting, I'm pointing out, quite correctly, that you've based your dislike of a car based on one incident
I'm not saying they aren't shit, but unless you have multiple bits of evidence you're just spouting bollocks.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:38, Reply)

Well, I'm saying that it'd be tough to break a head gasket
in a two year old car however it was treated. Which is true. The fact that it did go is indicative that something else wasn't up to scratch.

I don't have an opinion on the car.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:43, Reply)

Yes you do, you ahve clearely indicated that because one possibly defective head gasket made it onto a vehicle
that all Kia head gaskets are shit quality.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:47, Reply)

OK, yes, I did. Fair enough.
You don't seem to understand that breaking a two year head gasket is hard.

However I will, if it'll make it any better, say again as I did in the first post, that it "could have been a freak accident".
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:50, Reply)

True
any slight coolant leak and someone in the habit of clogging up the motorway at 100 or so every day could probably blow any car though.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:26, Reply)

My first car was a four year old Peugot 106 and it turned out to have a leaky head gasket

(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:23, Reply)

I had a Rover 214 do the head gasket twice
Never touch anything with a 1.4 K-series engine, they're shit.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:30, Reply)

you can dump the 1.4 part
It's the K series that's the problem. Iron block/ally head, and a head gasket made of metal. What's that you say? no flexibility in the gasket at all, and two metals that expand at different rates? Why, I can't see any issue there whatsover.

You can set your watch by 1.8 K series head gaskets going at 40,000 miles.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:36, Reply)

And the design
Like a motorbike engine, a sandwich with the head bolts all the way to the sump, so amy mistake in the tightening is a potential time bomb.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:39, Reply)

true.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:44, Reply)

That seems pretty bizarre.
One mistake by the apprentice on the torque wrench and you've got a potential cracked block.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:46, Reply)

Yup, that page in the Haynes manual was proper scary
iirc there were 16 bolts to tighten to a certain setting in a particular sequence, then you had to tighten them a further quarter turn precisely in another sequence, or something like that, it was definitely two different stages. Immense potential for fuckup.
(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:53, Reply)

Somebody designed that engine and the procedure for it.
Once they were done they stood back and thought "yeah, that's reasonable, can't see any end user fucking that up".
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 13:15, Reply)

Far be it from me to criticise French manufacturing.
Four years of neglect would be understandable, though. Was it owned by somebody that hardly drove it? They need some oil around them to stop them drying out.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:37, Reply)

Yeah, that's exactly what it was I think
One lady owner, and only did about 18K in four years.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:38, Reply)

Far be it for me to question you on matters relating to cars.
But it was more likely to have been manufactured in Coventry.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:41, Reply)

Haha, fair point.
God knows, Coventry is *right* up there in manufacturing quality.
( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:42, Reply)

I've seen some of these people out in the city centre on a Saturday night.
Quality does not seem to be a primary concern.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:45, Reply)

It's that cunt Captain Placid isn't it
Even before I knew him he was trying to be a cunt to me.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:42, Reply)

I know, my ex used to run one.
It's the biggest problem with them. But I'm buying new and the fuckers have a 7 year warranty so I don't intend to still own it once I need to pay for parts. Ditto Hyundai, same parts issue.

My problem with the Qashqai is that it's skullfucking expensive for something no bigger than a focus with almost no kit on it, almost none of them are 4WD, and almost literally every cunt out there has one.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:34, Reply)

With a warranty like that you're laughing.

( Kroney, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:35, Reply)

yeah, what's even more scary
is if you buy an approved used one they put the same 7 year warranty on it from the date you buy it. That's some fucking faith in their manufacturing.

There is a fair bit of small print mind you, but it's pretty easy to make sure you stick to it if you are at least a little bit careful.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:38, Reply)

Do they still have the Merc. 2.9l engine in them

( hartley hare Just some prick who thinks it doesn't apply to him, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:35, Reply)

which one? The Kia has its own unit I think

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:38, Reply)

The MPV Kia Sedona (I think it's called)
Used to use the Merc 2.9l Plant
( hartley hare Just some prick who thinks it doesn't apply to him, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:39, Reply)

yeah, my dad's got that one as WAV for my mum.
Seems OK. Fucking terrible fuel consumption though and a rancid auto box, but then it wasn't built for driving fun.

The new Kias have their own engine or a joint Kia/Hyundai job I think.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Fri 4 Jan 2013, 12:43, Reply)