Get your FREE CASE of beers here! www.beer52.com/AUTOALEX

Spent 3k on my Jimny 5 years ago as a winter car. 5 years later, it's my DAILY. I do live in the countryside, but the thing is bulletproof and will embarass people driving supposedly more capable offroaders in the winter. Not had to spend much on it either, threw a belt once, and had to replace a back box on a 18 year old car, I repeat, It's bulletproof.

Not technically 4x4 but a capable AWD...Volvo XC70 (P2 platform). Got some AT tyres on my 2002 and gets in and out of fields / does green laning just fine, loosing less than 1mp average on roads. (Later models have a better AWD system). Also tow's, is comfy, great on the motorway, and can sleep in the back of it with a big mattress. 5 cyl engine which (I think) is the same used in one of the Audi's of the same era. Has a great after market scene emerging with lots of upgrades for suspension, engine mounts, and cooling system etc. Bought mine for 2k, spent 1k on parts to make sure everything's reliable and new. No good for filming but as a budget AWD for this this price it's stella! ^^

I would also add the Isuzu trooper in it. Had one with the 3.1 conversion, 7 seats, diff locks, low range and can pull easily 3.5T

I run a Range Rover L322 V8 3.6 2008. She now has 262,000 miles and I run it as my work car. Tools in the back. Last two years I have had two front air bags go on me. £20 each scrap yard (had to take them off myself with two cars on top....great fun jacking it up lol) if you can work on these yourself and get the parts cheap then great cars. Towing 100%. Last year I pull a lorry up hill in the snow.;Put it in low range and away she went, lorry help was'nt just me pulling it.....

What about a Panda 4x4? Would have £1500 left for a lift, knobby tyres, recovery tracks, CarPlay radio and speakers and a roof rack.

I know they're not the MOST budget option if you run into engine issues, but Subarus are pretty darn great in the snow. Not a 4x4, but the AWD system in the snow is very capable and an absolute blast! A solid option if you don't want a big SUV (consider an Impreza or MAYBE an old WRX at this price point). I'd love a Suzuki Jimny, but they aren't all that popular in Canada 😢

Mk3 Toyota Rav-4, locking differentials, go for the petrol engine, brilliant cars and ULEZ.

Jimny on top! the bang for your buck you get with them is unreal. cheap insurance, cheap to repair, lightweight so feels like you have all the torque in the world when green laning and mods are REALLY cheap as everything is all small and cute.

what about a Škoda Yeti 4x4? even though it’s a haldex 4 system it performs decently well off the road

My very first car, a 1988 Subaru GL 2 door hatchback with 4wd and a 4 speed manual. It was way too capable off-road and was relatively reliable, short off shot falling off of it semi regularly.

The Hyundai Terracan is a very underrated vehicle at this price point. Awesome in snow and a solid green laner.

What about the Nissan XTrail? Taylor's one was cool, you can lock them in 4wd so won't get stuck in the snow, one is ULEZ compliant and very civilised on road as well.

Alex saying he's doing 80 m/s in the Jimny when that's 180mph 😂

I have a Freelander td4 2002, Only cost me £900. So far I have installed 18-inch wheels, bypassed the cat, deleted the EGR valve and chiptune boxed it, plus running on veg/kerosene mix and love it.... Starts 1st time and it does still have a prop shaft so it still 4 wheel drive :)

Darksides touaregs do pretty well off-road, Ive driven a few on road and go well and comfortable early ones are cheap!

Alex and Taylor are such a vibe, does anybody else wanna just shout shut up when Rory starts waffling? 😂 Homies car knowledge seems brochure/Google deep 😂

Spent 2.5k on a disco 2 in December 22 - 83k genuine miles on the clock. Had abit of welding done toward rear of chassis and complete underseal job and its easily one of the best cars I've ever had. Between that and my audi I drive the disco more.

Best budget 4x4 I would say is a mid 2000s kia sorento, cheap reliable but juicy on fuel.

12:06 seated heats xD

12:04 Taylor “seated heats” 🤣🤣🤣

Personally I would get a Toyota Hilux Surf there basically a Hilux with a bit of the back but they are very rare. But it has 3.0 v6 which is bullet proof

Can’t believe there’s no shouts for a L322 Range Rove. I bought a 2009 3.6 for £3000 earlier this year. Never had a more love hate car in my life. 🤣 Turbo actuator started sticking at 83%, still managed to drive it across Europe whilst doing 33MPG on a dodgy turbo.

I had an OG discovery TD5.Was alright other than the central locking/immobiliser not working when i was parked outside my house (turned out the router i was using was limiting some interference! Took me ages to work that one out but i had to turn router off to start the car lol or i could enter the code with key turns in door and waiting 5mins) The other issue i had with it was half the chassis went missing within a year or so. Never knew rust could take hold so fast lol the prior owner must have been backing it into the sea or something it was proper bad. (i learnt later water sits in a part of rear chassis and its common for them to go there.) Was a fun car though enjoyable drive, not the worst on fuel and so much room.

seated heats are a great feature mate :D

i would have a Volvo XC70 D5 awesome car

Just bought a dodge 1500 pick up for $1500. 4x4 and manual, so far I’ve spent 40 bucks to get it running. it needs brakes, tires and suspension bits, but I got about 2000 bucks left in my budget to get it up to snuff. I’d say I did well for a budget off roader

Discovery 2, with optional CDL 👌 If you look after them, they're brilliant... As with any 20 year old car. 5k is top end of what you should be paying. No reason why you cant get an average one for 3k

Disco 3 is definitely the best. My family put 100k miles on one, including very rough abuse, off-roading days, family hauling, loading it up to the brim with wood and furniture, driving through blizzard storms, and much more. The only thing I remember going bad was a vacuum leak that caused a fluctuating idle, other than that it was perfectly reliable. We ended up getting a disco 4, and it has been pretty much equally as good, but we haven’t put enough miles on it yet to make a fair comparison.

80 metres per second - Alex was officially doing 178.9mph in his Jimmy lol!

I'd argue a VW touareg. Can get a low ish mileage one for 3k and arguably It is essentially a cayenne under the skin. The V6 diesel is ultra reliable and with some all terrains will pull a tractor out a ditch no problem.

Missed a trick there , Fiat Panda 4x4 . Immense fun off road

I used a Dihastsu fourtrack for two years all around Europe, an amazing vehicle, bit thirsty but never ever let me down…

grand vitara 2.0 hdi would be my choice. goes anywhere. dad had the xl7 one which was bone stock, pulled my brother's out which has a 2 inch lift kit on it.

80 M/s is almost 180mph lmao 6:44

Bought my Disco 3 a year ago, for £1300. Spent just under £1000 fixing it, and has never let me down.

Jimny by a country mile! I've lavished attention on mine... such power, very VVT.

RAV-4 is the obvious answer. It won't break. Also if it's only used for winter, it'll still start after being laid up for the summer. Also, unlike most small off roaders, it'll also go off road.

I think that a better option would be some old subaru or mitsubishi awd tbh

This is the Taylor we like, he was well off in the last video, glad he's back 😅

A Freelander 1 with good AT tyres is a good shout

The Jimney doing 80m/s is 180mph, as 80x20= 1 mile per 20 secs, 3 miles per min, timesed by 60 is 180 miles per hour, thats jimney is running on hopes and prayers

Tbh, id be going range rover, people are selling them dirt cheap, as insurance prices have gone through the roof, iv been getting quotes for a 4.2 sc sport for over £15k 37 years old 15ncb, outer brum post code

I'd throw the Volvo XC90 or XC70 into the ring. Also a Skoda yeti could be worth a shout, I have no idea how capable off road they are but they do have a 4x4 option.

Loved my Jimny. Fantastic on byways and green lanes. Surprised a few off road bikers at times by even getting a 4x4 through narrower bits than all the “lardy” Discos etc just wedge to a stop at.

Landcruiser Colorado deserved a mention

I grew up in Rochester, NY, US where we would get 120in of snow a year in the 80s and 90s and I NEVER drove a 4x4. Only drove front wheel drive cars and preferably antilock brakes. Heck one of those cars was a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that was HUGE and never had issues in the snow. The first vehicle I got with 4x4 was a truck to pull a horse trailer. Yes I also now own a Subaru Outback but I love the station wagon like design.

Honda CR-V pre 2007...

80 meters per second is 179 MPH. That’s one hell of a jimny!

Did off reading years ago to a place called Tixover which I think you did a video there before. Anyway all you'd see going round were RR and LR's Disco's. Granted the RR mostly were the guy who own the as he taught off roading. Now baring in mind most of the people have spent loads on modding their trucks. The there's me in my very very cheap standard Jeep Cherokee just following the others round. Including through the little lake with no snorkel and water over the bonnet. It could everywhere there except the clay pit as you need raised suspension. There was another guy who had a Suzuki Rhino bobtail. He was doing just as good. To me you cannot beat Jeep. If I could afford one I'd have a Wrangler every time. Just not the new ones coz they have electricronic 4wd. Why do you think Range Rovers are soo bad

Every time Rory smiles he closes his eyes 🤣🐹

I bought my series 2 Land Rover years ago for €600, mother had a freelander 1 when I was growing up, both are worthy options, however if you get a Freelander make sure it’s been looked after otherwise they just start having issues 24/7

Skoda Yeti's are available for under three, as are late Rav-4's which both are excellent soft roaders. if your lucky you might find a 1989 FIAT Sisley Panda 4x4, which is the car the Jimny has always wanted to be. I have owned all three and none of them ever got stuck, but only one was sent to places you would expect it to get stuck and it refused with typical Italian arrogance. It was lacking creature comforts like safe road holding over 50mph through its thirsty 1ltr thumper and a 4wd selector lever that would require a smack with a lump hammer to get it out again, but it also had bull bars front and rear, a small lift and 12" steelies with knobbly tyres and a whippy arial brandishing a (fake) fox tail. It will always be one of my three favourite cars i have ever owned and i would give your right arm and centre leg to get it back again.

I think a disco 2 is a great shout, although the budget would have to raise to £5K. Aside from this, the other suggestions are awful. Jimny fair, but I'm 6'5, I'd never be comfortable in one. Hyundai Terracan, Disco 2, Isuzu Troopers are good shouts

Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ either 2.7 Mercedes diesel or 4.0 petrol, or Gen 3 Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero/Montero would be good options for what you're describing. Comfortable, low range, enough grunt and can actually tow more than a shopping trolley 🛒 out of a ditch, unlike the Jimny, however fun it might be.

What about the Vauxhall Frontera?

Unrelated to the £3000 thing... but how reliable are the l663 defenders? I really like the way it looks and I'm thinking about getting one but I just don't know how realiable they are and if it's worth the hassle

Slightly off topic but for a winter 4x4, what about a truck!? Eg navara, amarok, l200, ranger? Or even a stand alone serise for best truck for under 5k (3ks stretching it for a truck)

Enjoyed the episode but good grief shut up and let other people talk Rory lol stop cutting everyone off 🤣🤣

My family owned a Disco 3 from new and kept it for 70k miles over 13 years and nothing ever went wrong on it. Great reliable car.

Best budget 4x4 Land rover freelander pre facelift Mk1 TD4 👍👍 Had one for 3 winters still going strong

Best 4x4 for three grand would have to be a 1994 Mitsubishi pajero mk2 2.8 intercooler turbo they are awesome motors I have one and can’t fault it solid engineering built to last providing you look after it.

Ignis or Grand Vitara could perhaps also in the mix. Alternative frontera or Subaru 4x4

X type jag , all wheel drive excellent in the snow and you'll get a belter for 3k

Just because this is a topic close to my heart (and because you three always get stuck on the same 3 manufacturers), I'd like to raise the Kia Sorento. I've had one for 2 years now and did around 40k km so far. Had to replace the fuel tank, that's something to look out for that I wasn't aware of. But apart from that it's been splendid. Did a balkan off-roading holiday (also a suggestion of mine for a cheap car challenge!) in it and I'm in the mud every other day because of my job. In my job I also drive other 4x4s and I'm genuinely shocked every time I drive them back to back just with how capable the Sorento is. It comes in different versions. The earlier ones come not only with low range and a center locking diff, they also have a really good LSD at the back (similar to a G80 in actuation). The LSD is also good fun in 2wd and snow. If you go for a ropey one you can get them for around 1000-1500 € (Germany). And there are quite a few options for modifying, seems like it was/is a very popular car in eastern europe and Russia. Some Chinese company still builds them to this day (Ssangyong?) and parts are abundant if you cross-reference. The interiors are a bit shit though to be fair, even if comfortable. The 140 and 170 hp diesel engines are quite economical as well (if you're not in a city). Depending on which version you get it tows 3.2 to 3.5 t.

seated Heats, never gets old😂

Skoda yeti 😂

wasnt big pete sold at one point as scrap? for a scrap valued car hes been amazing

Bought a mint disko 1 from Spain for 3000€ it’s absolutely superb. Beast off-roading and way more comfy than the early defenders. Also more luxury and stylish than the jimny. I would also add a pajero 2 generation to the list

I own a freelander 2, great car, one of the most reliable land rovers, good engine and great off road

beer 52 is a subscription, be aware Congrats alex

Mitsubishi shogun 3 or 5 door the old shogun sport not sure for 3k maybe rust bucket but capable 4x4s

Freelander 2 a good shout 👍not as unreliable as the fl1 cheap to to put fuel in quick enough with a stage 1 map and enough space to through life in the back of it without being too big, being a LR it’s amazingly capable off-road for a soft-roader

3:50 idk what 3000 pounds of patrol would get you in the uk but they are a really good off roaders

Terios, forester, pinin, wj grand cherokee, 1st gen ml etc

Can't believe how much the 4x4's from the 90's are so much money now

Alex and Rory 🥊 in this episode

Montero Gen 2.5 TDI 4x4 should make this

Skoda Octavia Scout!! Awesome Winter hack.

I bought a rav 4 for 75 quid yes £75 quid I part worn tyre and oil and filter change after 3 years that’s my winter HACK love it

A suggestion and some advice please. At the end of January when I get paid I have a £1000 budget to get a high mileage hero . As we know if it's done mega miles chances are it's been looked after. I need it to be able to make the nearly 600 mile round trip every few weeks to go to Kent and see the most important person in my life. I live at work so it doesn't need to be a commuter It just needs to be comfortable, frugal and able to cover big distance. Is it possible with how used car prices are all over the place currently?

I’m surprised the e53 x5 didn’t come up on this list. Land Rover without the issues drivetrain wise

First time I haven’t heard a bmw brought up. Hahah I was fully expecting Rory to mention not only a disco, I was fully expecting him to mention an x5

Can't deny that beer52 offer!

At the moment I'm running 2011 ML350. WOW this thing has gone over and beyond it's duties! You are really missing out.

Had to be the JTCC Corolla Levin's for me, and I've still got my Tamiya RC one from way back. Another iconic livery would be the Panasonic F1 team.

Diahatsu fourtrak independent 2.8tdi Is by far the best 4x4 Other than the rust they are absolutely awesome

I'd add the great wall steed. Only in the UK a short time and early models (2012ish) go for around 2 grand. Parts are same as a Isuzu rodeo

I'd go Forester or Impreza lifted. Or gamble of a Toyota land cruiser 120

Taylor : Seated Heats :) 12:06

That couch looks well pissed. 😅

I'll eventually be looking at getting a cheap 4x4 when I move to England, I was thinking about something midrange in the market like a Rav4 or a CRV more the older models, even a forester wouldn't be a bad bet.

"Seated heats" at 12:05 😂

What about the Lexus RX series? You seem to ignore obvious reliable solutions sometimes 😄😄

I know it’s not a 4x4 per say but you can get some cheap Subaru foresters or outbacks for that much and probably under. Subaru I think gets sleep on sometimes. Maybe not 100% reliable but I bet could see you through a few winters and probably a tow bar with AWD

Mk1 Toyota Rav 4, great off road, permanent 4wd with diff lock. Nippy enough 2.0 petrol too. Get one for less than a jimny

Alex today I saw a red and black motorbike with a autoalex sticker on it so I can't remember if it has previously been on the channel

Shoguns are also a viable option, just need to ensure its got good history and regular servicing

First gen Touareg …. Have one for towing the trailer …270k on it now ….have it since 120k ….just normal maintainince…had a disco 3 4.4v8 for a while ….well …the bills add up quickly…

I own a Disco 3 (LR3 here in the US) and it is definitely my favorite of all vehicle that I've driven. That said it can be on the less reliable side but I do all the fixes myself. XC70 is a great choice too and any early 2000s Nissan for 3K.