newbie, please advise me.

[jeffro]

hi all.

hope im posting in the correct section.

please can you help me, during the winter, i lock away my classic mini, i would really like a 4x4 for the winter months, say nov to april.

i would really like a vehicle that will get me to work and back (about 10 miles a day) through any weather.

as im a bus driver , i should really take the bus, but there never on time and dont run when im going to and from work.

i was at 1st looking at a little vitara , but would like somthing a bit bigger, so im think of a frontera sport, i have about £1600 to spend, so should get a 1999 plate for that.

would that be the B series? newer shape, as im using only for a few months a year , would the 2.0 or 2.2 petrol be the best choice. ive read some scary things on here about 2.2, but i guess with any forum , most people who post, will have some sort of problem, which makes things look all bad. i think anything bigger would be overkill for my needs.

could you set my mind straight, as to which one i should go for, also is the B series easy to raise , if i wanna put a bigger set of winter road going tyres on.

thanks in advance.

[Drift]

Hi and welcome, I drove buses for 18 years and feel your pain now got a cosy desk job in the head office
I would go for a 2.2dti diesel for that money, the same principles to lift a B series as an A series.
Some minor tweaking should be able to get 31" tyres under the car (bit bigger than a mini's )

I guarantee if you get involved with the wrong crowd on here you might be using the Frontera a bit more than you imagined

Remember the majority of the forum is technical so people only post their problems and over the last 6 or 7 years there have been over 6000 members (Trimmed recently to show more realistically the true current membership) at around 3000 members, so you will see a fare few problems, but happily most of the stuff can be worked around at home and fixed, after all some cars are unloved before our members get their hands on them and we endeavour to make them into loved cars again

(Then there are problems caused by the owners going off road that need fixing )

Enjoy FOG

[jmc]

Hi and welcome to fog.I havent got a sport so am not to be trusted for advice but there are lots of guys on here with sports.You've already had someone sensible(drift) and I'm sure that you'll get some more.For that budget you should be able to get a nice one.
What you might find helpful is to have a look in the members ride section on here to have a look at some reports,and in the engine sections to see about the common issues that certain models have.
Iv'e just gone from a 2.3 lwb(long wheel base) to a 2.5lwb and have learnt more about them from reading through the posts.
One of our members is called roo who has a particularly nice looking sport but I cant remember the spec.
Good luck.

[fogman]

hi mate, a 1999 would be the b series or new shape,the earliest b would come on a 98 s plate, with the b series swb the choice of engines is 2.2 petrol or diesel or the occasional 3.2 v6, the 2.0l is in the a series, ive not owned a swb yet but im working on it so the only advice i can give is stay away from the 2.2 petrol lwb if your looking for good mpg , theyre not too bad considering theyre size & weight but there are more frugal models to be had but i do think you will find the ride & handling a pleasant surprise

roos is an a series

[bobbinsjob]

2.2dti SWB all the way

nice to drive, 35-38 mpg, easyish to mod and look soooooooooooooooo good

[SPEEDBIRD 202]

As above its the way to go , for problems and cures check out the 2.2 Diesel Section

its a place to learn lots ...

[jeffro]

thanks for all your input so far guys, ive never owned a diesal before , would not know if one sounded ruff or good

so you say the 2.2 diesal over the petrol 2.2 swb,is that just because cheaper to run, or just more grunt? what if i went for a lwb, saw one today on the road, did look very nice. whats the best engine for those?

maybe a should reign myself back in and stick with a swb the mrs already thinks the front drive and road is gonna P the nieghbours off, what with us having a merc v280, bmw mini, classic mini, soon a frontera and my little moped. think i better sell that , to keep her sweet and pay for a years tax on me frontera. she will be happy

thank again.

[fogman]

having a 2.2 petrol myself i would definetly go for a diesel if i had to choose between the two engines, more economical & i think on the whole the diesel is a stronger engine, although the fuel pump can be a weak point !
swb or lwb its got to be diesel

[jeffro]

just looked through autotrader, the 2.2 are nearly all petrol, is the diesal quite hard to get.

got to admit , i do like the arden blue.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1999-VAUXHALL-FRO ... 20ae6ac1e6

think im already starting to think, lets go off road, as it looks a little to clean

does the B series come with abs as standard?

[Stuart69]

Am I crazy or something to like my 2.2 petrol SWB?

I find it a nice smooth engine, revs and runs well, plenty of power for what I want to do with it and I don't find the fuel bad for a big truck. Saying that I had an E36 BMW M3 and an Audi S3 before it so maybe I'm used to it

Mine doesn't have ABS, it was an optional extra.

[bigdazz]

i to find my 2.2 16v lwb fine on the jungle juice and i sit at 80 no problem with plenty power my golf and bmw drink the jungle juice

yes the 2.2 it not the greatest of the range but has not missed a beat with me . but i do like swb looks better i think, but i do love my lwb

[Huwwalford]

Hi Mate and Welcome!!

Autotrader has 50 diesels nationwide.

Just a quick brouse from me and this one jumps out....http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_popup.jsp?did=127465&pageid=1&originalid=&gid=nogroup&tid=34&start=4&distance=0&adcategory=cars&channel=DEALERPAGE&id=200950348330308

God luck!
Huw.

[fogman]

[Stuart69]

[quote=]that one huwwalford found is cheap whats wrong with it ???[/quote]

did you miss this bit.... "NON RUNNER TIMING CHAIN SNAPPED."

[jeffro]

think ill leave that one i meant not many swb B-series diesels. well there not coming up when i search.

thanks for your help and advice so far guys.

[Nottingham]

Hi m8

All models have their pro's & con's. You should first decide if you'd prefer a LWB or a SWB . LWB offer a lot of space and ride quite comfortable, whilst the SWB feels a bit more lively.

When choosing a LWB, I'd go for a Diesel on a SWB it depends how much mileage you’re intending to do. I have both a 2.2dti LWB & a 2.2i SWB. The Diesel is a bit more economic than the Petrol but also a bit more to look after, as she has a few more gadgets. The SWB is good fun to drive and simple.

So the choice is yours

[fogman]

[bigdazz]

[Stuart69]

does that mean I win a prize for spotting your cunning trap?

[Sir-Doris]

Hi and Welcome to FOG!