[Uprasenjit]

So many things have happened over the past few years, so many things have changed. We were frequent road trippers, we had a large group of friends who loved to travel in Kolkata. And every alternate month Sikkim was our place to go. Covid changed everything. It made us stay at home and cancel most of our plans. Most of us are affected by Covid in some manner, directly or indirectly. But not all that happened was bad. We also became parents last year, blessed with a beautiful baby boy. And while I am writing this article after 2 years our little toddler is playing beside me with toy cars. The last piece I was writing was on our Bhutan road trip. It is still in draft and I don't think I will ever finish it. Memories have started to fade and small details I can't remember anymore. Of course, there are pictures and videos of Bhutan but now there are more important things to do and remember. (P.S - Bhutan road trip was fantastic, sharing a photo here)



I moved to England in 2019. My wife followed me shortly. This wasn't our first time in the UK, but this was the first time we thought of getting a car. Blackpearl was somewhat responsible for it, always inspiring us to do something different. We have always rented cars for holidays. And for daily commute public transport is good enough. However having a car has its advantage, and this time we knew we were going to stay here for a few years.

Car 1 - BMW 118i 2005 manual - 115K miles

Requirements-
1. A small car
2. A cheap car
3. Low maintenance and reliable (who doesn't want this? Stupid !!)

The requirement was pretty clear that we need a small cheap car which could be used for daily commute and occasional road trips. Having very little knowledge of cars and the used car market we didn't want to spend a lot. The used car market in the UK is pretty good, and because car ages slowly here you can get a decent 10-12 year old car at a good price. There are ways to check the condition of a car through the MOT site. MOT is the mandatory yearly safety test and all test results are uploaded in a government portal. MOT site is very useful if you are getting an old car because the records will tell you what has failed over the years and what has been fixed. Of course this doesn't give you the latest condition but only when it was last MOT tested. The first car we bought was a 2005 BMW 118 manual petrol for £850 from Gumtree. Before this, I have never driven a BMW so when the guy showed me the car I didn't know what to look for. I drove the car for 10 mins. The car started on the first crank, the body was without any major dents, the tires were good, engine bay looked clean. of course, I took guidance from the experts in Kolkata, and they helped me as much as possible over the phone and WhatsApp. The 118i was quick, easy to handle, good fuel consumption, what else could I ask from an £850 car? Although I was paying £1200 insurance (hilarious I know, I was on Indian license) and £100 road tax. During the 5 months I owned it I serviced it once, changed and topped up the oil few times. Most of the E87 has engine oil leak issues and mine wasn't any exception. So frequent engine oil top up was required. We took it on a few long trips and everything was fantastic. A cheap BMW hatchback was the perfect car for the 2 of us until it broke down after 5 months :(.















Just before the day I was traveling to India on holiday the car broke down in front of my office. The engine seized and I had to scrap the car for a few hundred pounds. I kept it in a garage while I was in India and sold it once I came back. The car was great to drive but apparently was not in very good condition. I never knew what caused the seizure, it was probably less engine oil but I am not sure. Lesson learned hard way that you shouldn't buy cars without looking at them properly.

Car 2 - BMW 118d Manual 2009 - 138K miles

Requirements-

1. A BMW
2. Diesel because fuel prices were going high
3. Small car, definitely a hatchback
4. Post 2008 model
5. Not particular about any car feature. Because all BMW post 2008 models had pretty good features.

We came back here in January. Stepped into the small town I live and I felt the need for another car. Once you get used to your own vehicle it's very difficult to go back to busses and cabs. Again back to car hunting on gumtree and Facebook marketplace but this time I was 5 months experienced and carried a little more knowledge on BMWs. By this time, I was a big fan of BMWs and decided to remain with them. BMWs can be addictive, I would say they are the proper driver's car. The requirement was similar to last time but a little more fuel consumption won't hurt, so started looking for a diesel 1 series. Quickly found and bought my second car in the UK - a 2009 black BMW 118d 2 door for £1850. Only with 2 previous owners the car had no complaints and drove like a dream. Even with 138K miles on the car, there was little show of aging. I guess car ages slowly in this country due to good roads, regular maintenance, and weather. The fuel consumption was better than my Ford EcoSport. The road tax was only £30. We kept the car throughout the Covid period. I got my UK license during this time and it helped me to bring down the insurance cost a little. Drove the car to Lake district and a few other places during this time. BMW handles like a dream. It was so exciting to drive that once I drove a friend's Volkswagon polo and it felt dull. The car was perfect in every sense and offered everything we wanted until it didn't.















In July 2021 we had our first baby and everything changed. The world started moving around the baby and for the uncertain future all road trips were postponed. Weekend drive to the nearby supermarket was the only drive we were having apart from the occasional drive to soothe the baby. The good thing was the baby was enjoying those small drives. The 1 series had just enough boot space for our stroller. The problem started with putting the baby in and out of the car. Because we had the 2 door version it was getting difficult with the car seat. When the baby was 4 months we were doing frequent long drives (2-4 hours) but not long enough. There are plenty of things we took everywhere. His car seat, his stroller, his bag full of nappies and cloths, sterilizer etc. Car seat by law is mandatory here (it is also very safe, comfortable and practical) It started getting a little difficult with that weekly shopping because there was no space left in the boot. Was it time to get a bigger hatchback or a sedan? I posted an ad to sell the 118D on Facebook and it was sold the next day. After driving it for nearly 1 and a half years sold the car for the same price I bought it. The car never gave us any problem, sad it had to go.

Car 3 - BMW 520d Auto 2011 - 155K miles

Requirements-
1. A BMW sedan or estate
2. Either a 3 or 5 series
4. As cheap as possible.

Till Nov 2021 we were only doing a few hours on the road with the baby. Long road trips required much more planning (I can write another article on that) and we were still not there yet. There were things we had to carry, places we had to stop, food, the weather, and the house/hotels everything requires planning. It was apparent that we needed a car with 4 doors and a bit more space. But at this point I was still not convinced we needed an SUV. UK roads are pretty good, it also doesn't snow much like in Canada and I don't go offroad. So all these were signs for me to look for a sedan or an estate/touring. There is a say that you all need is a 3 series touring for cross country road trips with family. 3 series touring is the perfect car with just enough space, power, and stability, and was very fun to drive. The rear of an estate car makes the boot bigger in size. Initially, I was looking for a 3 series and then someone put ideas (Dip27in) in my head that the 5 series is the best money could buy. And who doesn't want to be pampered? Luckily there are plenty of 3 and 5 series on the used car market. This time I bought a 2011 BMW 520d auto from a Romanian guy via the Facebook marketplace for £4800. The road tax increased to £115. I switched to auto because of the superb 8-speed gearbox that comes with it. Even though I wasn't a fan of auto transmission but the 8 speed blew me away. I used to think the 1 series was fast until I drove the 5 series. The boot had enough space to carry a stroller, a few bags, a travel cot etc.

The 520d is a luxury sedan. The 2011 model had more features than my 2015 EcoSport. The rear seats were so comfortable that my wife instantly loved the car. It came with a BMW navigation which I updated to the latest version. The fuel consumption wasn't bad either. F10 ran on a 2 ltr diesel engine and I was constantly getting 36-40 mpg. The suspension was just the right setup. A pleasant car to drive on the motorways, and very quick when required. With my friends from Leeds this time we went to Cotswold and the surroundings for a Christmas road trip. Even though the boot space was enough for 3 of us, I had to fit a roof box for our Christmas Road trip. With the 520d we did a few more long trips up north in '22.

















Everything was going well and there was no need to replace the 520d. Then there are those Instagram reels that come up every other second which show how people are having fun in their SUVs. How they are doing road trips with family and a dog, camping in jungles or in the middle of a valley, going off the road when required, and seeing the first sunlight straight from the car or roof tent. Those Instagram reels spoil you. The advertisement algorithm senses your deepest desire (much like Lucifer's) and shows you your dream. They make you spend money on things you don't need but want. And the desire of many like me is to own a Landrover.

Car 4 - Freelander 2 XS TD Manual 2009 - 128K miles

Requirement -
1. A Landrover

Selling a BMW 520d isn't a problem in the UK but getting a decent Landrover at a decent price is. The Landrovers have a very bad image of being unreliable. Still, you will see a Landrover every other minute. Landrovers may be unreliable, but they are worth the drama . So the next task was to convince the wife to sell off the BMW and find a good Landrover.

I always wanted an RR Evoque but there was none under £10K. My budget was £5k and I won't get any good RR in that budget. So after doing some research I found out that Freelander 2 (I will be calling it FL2 for the rest of the article) is relatively cheap. FL2 production was stopped and the Evoque replaced it with RR badge. It was also relatively less unreliable, doesn't have those air shockers, and comes with fewer gizmos. But finding a good reliable seller was a challenge. Since I don't know much about cars, and if I have to fix small things at a garage every time I would not have a penny to drive the car. So this time instead of buying from a dodgy Romanian seller on Facebook I started looking at decent dealers. Dealers charges you more but they do provide some warranty. It took a while to find a good FL2. Sold the 520D for £4500 and bought the FL2 for £5500. It came with a 12-month warranty. The tax was £350 py. My insurance cost was coming down every year.















Switching back to manual wasn't challenging. The gearbox is 6-speed and smooth. This was my first real SUV (I know people make fun of EcoSport) and every time I looked at the terrain response dial it would make me smile. Even though I haven't really taken it anywhere challenging it is still a good choice for daily usage. This brings me to the point that I don't think all people buy Landrovers to go offroad, they are also very pleasant to drive on the motorways and in cities. Of course, it isn't as fast as the BMWs (which I miss sorely) but it is also fun to drive. But (yes there's always a BUT) Megh (our child's nickname) didn't seem to like the car. Every time we took him for a ride he vomits. During our entire road trip to Cornwall and Dorset he didn't feel good. At first, I thought it was due to the ride height and body roll. Opposite to the BMWs the body roll was significant while cornering. So I drove slowly on the corners and even changed the link rods. But the vomiting wasn't improving. The other reasons could be manual gear shift and braking I think. Automatics have very good engine braking so braking is always smooth on automatic cars. So while we were enjoying our first SUV the baby wasn't. 2 road trips and the baby hated the car even more.

[Uprasenjit]

Car 5- Landrover Discovery TDV6 HSE 3 Ltr Auto - 138K miles

Requirement-
1. A SUV with less body roll
2. Back to auto transmission
3. A bigger SUV - 7 seater
4. 4 wheel drive

Only 3 months and the wife keeps telling me FL2 was a bad decision. The baby hates the car, I don't go offroad and she misses the BMW 520d. All these made me think that was it really a bad decision. My In-laws and friends are visiting us during Christmas. We will be on a road trip to London, Manchester, Edinburgh and a few other places for 2 weeks. I was looking at rental and for a people carrier for 2 weeks rent will be more than £3K. Public transport isn't an option for us, it would be too hard to travel with the baby to so many places on trains and busses for 14 days. And the cost would go significantly high. Another option was to buy a used 7-seater, drive it during Christmas and sell it afterward. This is a popular option this year because when the flights restarted after covid the fares were sky high and there was a huge queue at the airports. People started to avoid flights and take more road trips. They started buying cars, drove to Europe, spend a nice time with the family, and come back and sell it. In this option way I would save all the money and still enjoy a long drive with the family.

I started looking at multiple options. My first choice was a BMW X5. It handled better than any other SUVs which was a major point for me. The body roll must be minimal or controlled. The other options were Ford Galaxy or S-MAX, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Discovery 3/4.
-The X5's third row isn't usable at all, probably meant only for children.
-Even though the old XC90 is very sturdy and reliable it was very outdated. It is not exciting to drive (I was driving old models 2009-11). Otherwise it was a pretty good family car with lots of space and safety. The AWD was all-time and there were no terrain modes.
-Ford MVPs were not exciting to drive and didn't have any AWD options. Scotland in December would have snow in certain places hence the AWD.
-Q7 was okay. Has a good engine has enough space and is comfortable. I drove a few of them and actually liked the car. But I wasn't getting any decent Q7 within my budget.


BMW X5 third row

That left me with the D3/4s. And man I was glad I didn't choose any other. D4 came with the new 3 Ltr engine which was way better than the 2.7 in D3. The first time I took the test drive of a 2011 D4 I was blown away. The car is like an elephant, it was huge and bulky but it felt just right to be in that driver's seat. At first I was scared that the brakes won't be able to handle the cars and won't stop. This was my first time driving such a big car. I started liking it. The 3 ltr engine has got enough power to pull 7 people onboard and more (read about the towing capacity). The interiors of the 2010 model was best of the lot. 6 Speed auto wasn't better than BMW's 8 speed but it worked well. Third row seats are usable for adults. The middle row can easily accommodate 2 people and a child seat.

I found a few good 2009-11 D4 in the market and finally found the one that fits the bill. If you are buying a car from an individual it is important that you do a thorough background check. There are several websites that gives all information such as theft, insurance, damage, mileage, ownership etc for a little money. One of the cars I like very much was written off, but the owner chose not to tell me. The one I finally bought is a 3ltr Auto from 2010 with 138K miles on board. When I bought the car, it had an almost dead battery. I bought it for £8.5K. The road tax went up to £650 :(

We are slowly going back to our previous life when we used to take frequent road trips. Covid made us stay at home for most of 2020. We had big plans of visiting Europe and Iceland that year. Even the North Coast 500 seemed a distant dream. We have big plans starting from Christmas and the D4 now seems to be the perfect companion. I always want to take the wife and boy camping. If I put down the 2nd and 3rd row there's enough place for 3 of us to sleep. We have already done a few hundred miles now in the D4 and the baby seems to like it. Looking at those Overlanding vehicles we always wanted one of those and now we have a chance. So now D4 will be our primary vehicle for long trips. The next task is to save money to customize the car, starting with getting a roof rack and engine guard. I also have some work to do on the underbody rusts if I want to keep this car for long. The air suspensions are fantastic and I tested them during a quice green laning session near to home. I am going to take the car to more green lanes this month hoping to get some autumn colors. Even though the initial plan was to sell the car after Christmas but I guess we are now keeping it for good.






Fl2 and D4 side by side


Highest suspension setting

Now we have 2 Landrovers and an empty bank account. When I bought my first car in 2019 I never thought I would land up with a Landrover in 3 years, but each car I bought had served its purpose for that specific time. 3 years and 5 cars later we found the perfect one. People ask why do we need so much space, you are only a family of 2.5. Honestly, the baby and his things take up most of the space. And keeping him comfortable and safe is the primary motive along with having fun. So there goes our journey from a hatchback to one of the best SUVs. During this time I have become a BMW fanboy but the Landrover stole our hearts. Unless there's a major drama with the Discovery 4 its going to stay with us and I am going to make it better

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Altocumulus]

5 cars in 3 years and you all dare to make fun of me

Jokes apart, fantastic and a very fun to read thread. It’s time to let go of the FL2 and get back a BMW 5 series. Best of both worlds. Will make the wifey even happier am sure.

[vjbox]

This is why I love the used car market in those countries. Not only do you have so much options to choose from, you also get it for mouthwatering Prices. A comparable 5 series from 2011/12 will at least set you back 13-15 lacs here in India and will still come with questionable reliability. 4800 quid is a steal for the 520D. Its great you enjoyed such a variety of cars and get to drive them on amazing motorways! Enjoy many more miles!

[sgmuser]

We are slowly going back to our previous life when we used to take frequent road trips. Covid made us stay at home for most of 2020. We had big plans of visiting Europe and Iceland that year. Even the North Coast 500 seemed a distant dream. We have big plans starting from Christmas and the D4 now seems to be the perfect companion. I always want to take the wife and boy camping. If I put down the 2nd and 3rd row there's enough place for 3 of us to sleep. We have already done a few hundred miles now in the D4 and the baby seems to like it. Looking at those Overlanding vehicles we always wanted one of those and now we have a chance. So now D4 will be our primary vehicle for long trips. The next task is to save money to customize the car, starting with getting a roof rack and engine guard. I also have some work to do on the underbody rusts if I want to keep this car for long. The air suspensions are fantastic and I tested them during a quice green laning session near to home. I am going to take the car to more green lanes this month hoping to get some autumn colors. Even thoug
Now we have 2 Landrovers and an empty bank account. When I bought my first car in 2019 I never thought I would land up with a Landrover in 3 years

LR4 is a great option with it's all-rounder capanilities. The only thing actually two you have to survive with are the cost of maintenance and the reliability. Otw nothing can beat them on the road presence, space, off roading and performance.

[puntOOs]

Originally Posted by Uprasenjit

3 years and 5 cars later we found the perfect one. People ask why do we need so much space, you are only a family of 2.5. Honestly, the baby and his things take up most of the space.

Great stuff! My eyes are tearing up looking at these fabulous prices and hassle-free buying and selling! Reminds me of how life can be if Govt doesn't get in the way!

[mixxer]

What's really wrong with a toyota?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Uprasenjit

Automatics have very good engine braking so braking is always smooth on automatic cars.

Isn't it the opposite? Atleast the automatics I drove (A-Star TC 4-speed & Baleno CVT) had almost nil engine braking.

Actually, I think to compensate for the poor engine braking, the brakes of ATs are designed with more bite than MTs. Which must be why you felt they are smoother.

[Uprasenjit]

Originally Posted by mixxer

What's really wrong with a toyota?

Which one ?

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Isn't it the opposite? Atleast the automatics I drove (A-Star TC 4-speed & Baleno CVT) had almost nil engine braking.

Actually, I think to compensate for the poor engine braking, the brakes of ATs are designed with more bite than MTs. Which must be why you felt they are smoother.

My experience is different. Starting from the Hondra Navi, VW Ameo, BMW and LRs I have seen engine braking is much better in auto transmissions.

Originally Posted by sgmuser

LR4 is a great option with it's all-rounder capanilities. The only thing actually two you have to survive with are the cost of maintenance and the reliability. Otw nothing can beat them on the road presence, space, off roading and performance.

Unfortunately yes on the maintenance. 2 months and it came up with a suspension error. The corner heights are also different it seems. I am running few tests this weekend to find out the actual fault, otherwise need a visit to the garage.

[Uprasenjit]

We are just back from a 10 days roadtrip. We covered 2200km with 7 people onboard including our 1.5 yr child. This was our itinerary –
3 Days in London
1 Day Manchester
2 Days in Edinburgh
3 Days in Inverness
1 Day in York

I met Bhpian Blackpearl when I went to pick up my In-laws and friends from the airport.


My D4 and Blackpearls RRS


Blackpearl's munchkin

Even though the D4 can gulp 6-7 large bags in the boot I had to install a roof box to carry luggage for 7 passengers. Roof bars and roof boxes are available for rent here. It cost me £139 to hire both the roof bar and roof box for 2 weeks. Installation hardly takes 10 mins for professionals. I got the largest roof box available on the market - Thule XT XXL which can hold 610l. We put 3 large bags, 1 box of groceries, numerous small packets and jackets. These roof boxes are made of ABS plastic so I was nervous about carrying 50+ kg throughout the road trip.

The D4 performed extremely well throughout. I had it serviced before the trip. All oil changed and fluids topped up. I also had to change the suspension pump. It was old and full of moisture and wasn’t working well. I didn’t want to talk chance with the suspension with 7 people on board.
Anyways, the trip went well, we even found snow and I got to drive on the snow. I got an average of 25 mpg which isnt very good but it was a loaded car. Here are some pictures-

[Dry Ice]

Awesome pictures! Putting the car to good use, both capability wise and capacity wise

2200 kms @ 25mpg with the current fuel prices would still be quite less compared to the total trip cost with 7 ppl.

Did you have any problems with parking as many places have a height restriction too of 2m? D4 with the roofbox would have topped that I guess?

[Uprasenjit]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Awesome pictures! Putting the car to good use, both capability wise and capacity wise

2200 kms @ 25mpg with the current fuel prices would still be quite less compared to the total trip cost with 7 ppl.

Did you have any problems with parking as many places have a height restriction too of 2m? D4 with the roofbox would have topped that I guess?

Thanks. You are right and something I forgot to mention. Most of the closed car parks have 2-2.1m height limit. Stock D4 is 1.97. I use the accessibility mode which lowers the car whenever I am not sure.

With the roofbox the height went upto 2.4m. Considering the height I had to plan carefully and not choose any hotels/parking with height restrictions. See this how close the top bar is -

[Uprasenjit]

After 1 year and 9000 miles later I can happily say that the Discovery 4 is the best choice we made. Of course, there are some pain areas but the D4 took us to places without any headaches. I know people complain about the quality of Landrovers but what I think is these cars have sentiments and heart, and if you take care of them they will take care of you.

First the pains
Maintenance is high. So far had to change –
Suspension pump (£600)
rear discs(£289)
rear brake pads(£200)
rear brake caliper (£187),
bonnet lock (£111)
tailgate lock (£150)
DPF clogging reset (£200).

Had to service twice, before our big wedding road trip to Italy I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, so I serviced everything. The previous yearly service was done back in November ’22 and is due next week. A major yearly service costs around £250. The best thing was MOT passed without any faults and only 2 minors. This means the car is ready to go for another 1 year at least. Its currently returns a mileage of around 6-7miles per ltr diesel. The fuel consumption isn’t good but isn’t bad either considering the size of the car.
The car is huge, and finding a parking spot in a busy city like London or Paris is a problem. The car doesn’t fit in most of the parking on streets. The height is another problem. Most indoor parking has a height limit of 1.9 meter. While the D4 stands exactly at 1.9m it means we can never carry anything on top (like a roofbox, or a kayak or a Christmas tree) if we want to park in the city.
Emission is another problem, and going to be a greater problem in the future. This model has the highest emission ratings which means I already pay the highest tax in the UK, I also need to pay several other charges to go into green cities like London or Brussels, or even Paris. UK government is adding more tax each year and at some point it will be difficult to drive these cars financially.
On top of that due to a high number of thefts of Landrover the insurance is also going up every year. So yes financially getting a Ford truck or a Toyota SUV makes more sense.

Now the good part – it is amazing, never had I driven a car so capable, comfortable, relaxed, and easy to drive. I haven’t done a lot of off-roading except a few times on the snow but I have the feeling that the D4 can conquer all. Long distance doesn’t matter anymore due to the air suspensions which feels like riding on clouds. The baby still pukes sometimes but I think that is due to my braking or accelerating style, not the body roll anymore.

This car demands to drive. On a casual weekday, I only drive it 3 to 10 miles and I don’t think it likes it. And I will tell you why – A few days back before winter came it suddenly white smoke started coming out. I was worried and took it to Halfords (service and repair company, UK wide chain) and they told me it was the turbo. Halfords couldn’t look at the turbo or replace it because the way it's designed, the body has to be taken apart and Halfords didn’t have the tools to do it. I spoke to many people (Experienced people) and was advised not to drive it much, because if it was the turbo then driving it further could potentially damage the engine. I got an appointment with our nearest Landrover specialist after 1 month. So for a month I kept the car at home and drove around a friend's Punto. After a month when the LR specialist looked at my car, they said it wasn’t the turbo, maybe the DPF. They also mentioned the 2nd turbo wasn’t being used at all So maybe there was some oil that was making those white smokes. The 2nd turbo I think kicks in around 2.8K rpm. They cleared and reset the DPF and the smoke was gone. And asked me to drive the car more! The car wasn’t driven enough, may be on higher rpms. I drove it around on manual gears above the normal 2K rpm for some time. The white smoke is gone but even now when I accelerate very hard very quickly a burst of smoke comes out. Anyway, the turbo episode is now closed, the Punto is back to its owner, I am driving the Landrover daily without any fuss (until the new EV comes).

I don’t speak enough about the interior. Because I think it's fantastic, and suits perfectly to my height. Starting from the window buttons, to gear know and handbrake everything is in the exact position as it should be. There are 2 cup holders which hold most of the coffee cups or small bottles. The display is 12 years old and not fancy but the infotainment works well. There was no Bluetooth so I bought a Bluetooth aux receiver, which I hardly use. The USB slot holds my pendrive for most of the songs for long journeys.

The map is outdated and I am told it cannot be updated so I am using an external tomtom navigation. We are out again during Christmas and hopefully will be back with good memories. I will add some pictures after the car is back from its yearly service.