Cyprus 4X4

[bluevortex]

Hi All,

Not been on here for a while, been busy getting my arm twisted by the Mrs!!! So, I have booked a family holiday to Cyprus in July and I have been looking at car hire options. Having been to Cyprus before I know North of Paphos has very rocky mountain roads. So the options for car hire are a Suzuki Jimmy (hard top or soft top), Suzuki Vitara, Daihatsu Terios or Rav4. obviously leaning toward the Rav4 but its the most expensive of them all 10 days would cost me around £300 (hiring from paphos town rental). What's your thoughts, safety is important as my 2 year old will be with me!

Hopefully not too off topic

Cheers

Blue

[three5]

Hi All,

Not been on here for a while, been busy getting my arm twisted by the Mrs!!! So, I have booked a family holiday to Cyprus in July and I have been looking at car hire options. Having been to Cyprus before I know North of Paphos has very rocky mountain roads. So the options for car hire are a Suzuki Jimmy (hard top or soft top), Suzuki Vitara, Daihatsu Terios or Rav4. obviously leaning toward the Rav4 but its the most expensive of them all 10 days would cost me around £300 (hiring from paphos town rental). What's your thoughts, safety is important as my 2 year old will be with me!

Hopefully not too off topic

Cheers

Blue

Hi Blue,

we hired a Vitara in a similar situation on Fuerte Ventura and were delighted with it. Good ground clearance and the low box was a distinct advantage when wanting to travel slowly to cushion the terrain a bit. Youngster was in her element.

[Big Kev]

Blue....indeed thou art resurrectified...!!!

I seem to remember that ex driver of Ravs from the Derbyshire Mountains telling me that the Terios shared a lot of commonalities with the Rav 4.2 (chassis/suspenders/etc...)But ye know me...could be wrong.

Any financial skimperising on the safety of ma mate Toby will not be tolerated...AS IF YE WOULD !!!!

Big Kev

[bothwell_buyer]

The time I was in Cyprus, about 20 years ago, the options were limited - hire a jeep (Suzuki) open top or closed top or hire a car. We eventually settled with an open top - only because it was the only car whose brakes worked !!!!

I'd expect things to have improved slightly since then - with the young family I had, the open top was fun. If you take a hard top, you need to make sure the air-conditioning works once the brakes have been tried out. I doubt you'll do many miles - so putting up with a little discomfort aint too bad.

Have fun.

By the way, I'm sure there is someone on the forum that has a RAV on Cyprus and posted in the last few months but can't remember their name...maybe a moderator can access the addresss details????

[bluevortex]

Actually, there is a Daihatsu Terios sat outside my office window today! Looks pretty smart I reckon and would be happy with that!I quite fancy an open top Suzuki Jeep or Jimmy but with wee fella in the back and AC might be a good thing (if it works) in hot July summaer months!

Yeah sorry not be on much lately, been kept busy with various things, Rav4 hobby has suffered

Blue

[Davrav]

Actually, there is a Daihatsu Terios sat outside my office window today! Looks pretty smart I reckon and would be happy with that!I quite fancy an open top Suzuki Jeep or Jimmy but with wee fella in the back and AC might be a good thing (if it works) in hot July summaer months!

Yeah sorry not be on much lately, been kept busy with various things, Rav4 hobby has suffered

Blue

Hi Blue,

Keep well clear of the Jimminy - thery're tiny, quite unstable, offer little protection and awful ride - the littl'un would be puking up all the time having to sit right over the rear wheels.

I would deffinitely recommend something with air-con and a hard top is better protection from those opportunist ratbags that tend to lurk in tourist spots.

Most hire companies seem to remove hubcaps but it's worth checking to see if the radio aerial is removeable - if so, just unscrew it and leave in the car when you park up [sorry if this is teaching egg sucking ]

And remember........................the only car that will truly go anywhere is a hire car

[bothwell_buyer]

From memory, we used the jeep to go off road - many of the roads were pretty rough. I remember driving up one to be faced with gun-toting soldiers - we'd reached the border!!! It may have been a Vitara we had - in fact it may have been a Pajero... rings a bell.. I remember being told it was cheaper to hire when you get to the island and so it was - but your faced with older less well looked after cars. I think we changed cars at least once if not twice before we were happy with driving a safe car.

Of course in that climate, cars last for decades - no rust, so its just the mechanical side of things. Cyprus is a lot busier now than when I was there so I guess simple things like not leaving yer wallet in sight etc - same as anywhere now.

[greenwidow]

What car to drive in Cyprus? In June, July and August in the Med NOT a soft top with kids in the back, they, and you, can get very badly sunburnt without knowing it and you spend the rest of your holiday with the roof up and no aircon. Best get a car with aircon and open the windows.

The claim that a Jimny is unstable isn’t true, this myth applies to the Suzuki Samurai and isn't true of this car either. See this:-

The Jimny is bouncy by design and neccesity for its off-road ability and can make some a little seasick. I drive a Jimny as well as two RAVs because it can go places a RAV could never consider, just doesn’t have low range… it’s horses for courses. The Jimny isn't a motorway cruiser, it's a giant killer and goes through some quite rough stuff, watch the videos.

[greenwidow]

And Just for fun watch this Suzuki SJ doing what you would never consider:-

[bothwell_buyer]

Haha -Wales provides most of the terrain for off-roaders ! Cos from my experience its always raining !!

True what you say about the Jimny - amazingly agile climbing Welsh hills !

Us Scots would go for an open-top ....how else would anyone know we'd been on holiday??

[bluevortex]

Ha ha yeah your right, open top is a bad idea in July and knowing my fair skin does not fair overly well in the first few days of being abroad (more suited to the Scottish climate!). I think the Daihatsu or the Suzuki would suit our needs but as you say may consider waiting until we get there to arrange a hire and try and bag a better deal!

[baz1631]

can u get snorkel exhaust pipes for a rav?

[Big Kev]

can u get snorkel exhaust pipes for a rav?

Naw Baz...ye just take the turbo you've removed and mount it at the back as a combined propeller and bilge pump..!!!

Big Kev

[greenwidow]

The Terios looks familiar because it is, it's based on the RAV4.2 platform and is sold as the Toyota Rush in Japan [and as a Perodua somewhere else but we don't want to talk about that]

[gilia]

I think you are talking about me.

The roads at Paphos Mountain are just fine.

Before a month ago I had a tour in Paphos Mountains and I did not found any rocky roads because they put asphalt in all main roads. If I am ride the only roads that do not have asphalt are the roads for the fire protection zone.

To understand how smooth the roads are the car of the other couple we were with on the tour was a Mercedes B-class.

The most important think that you must have in mind is air-conditioning. DO NOT rent a car without air-conditioning because temperatures rise up to 45-50 OC in summer.

Try Toyota Rush which is smaller than RAV4 and it might be cheaper.

[Davrav]

Try Toyota Rush which is smaller than RAV4 and it might be cheaper.

That'll be the up-dated Terios by another name................

[baz1631]

can u get snorkel exhaust pipes for a rav?

Naw Baz...ye just take the turbo you've removed and mount it at the back as a combined propeller and bilge pump..!!!

Big Kev

u couldn't even use it as a bilge pump!BTW what dose the garage do to the engine wen the turbo goes.ie: would it need cleaned inside or anything major done? (sorry for crashn' in on this thread)Cheers Kev

[Big Kev]

Try Toyota Rush which is smaller than RAV4 and it might be cheaper.

That'll be the up-dated Terios by another name................

Can anyone confirm or contracept shcm's recent posting that the Terios will no longer be imported into Europe due to "yen fluctuations...?" Is this wee Rush thing also available in "normal Europe?"

Big Kev

[shcm]

Kev, Just check the website.

http://daihatsu.co.uk/

[Big Kev]

Kev, Just check the website.

http://daihatsu.co.uk/

doooh..."check the website" eh....? that old chestnut....?

Oops....

[bothwell_buyer]

can u get snorkel exhaust pipes for a rav?

Naw Baz...ye just take the turbo you've removed and mount it at the back as a combined propeller and bilge pump..!!!

Big Kev

u couldn't even use it as a bilge pump!BTW what dose the garage do to the engine wen the turbo goes.ie: would it need cleaned inside or anything major done? (sorry for crashn' in on this thread)Cheers Kev

If a turbo goes.... then nothing else needed than a swap..unless its exploded in which case theres probably more damage. You might get rattling in the exhaust from the debris.

and as for the RAV Rush, I intend to take Toyota to court for breaching trade description laws.

[baz1631]

can u get snorkel exhaust pipes for a rav?

Naw Baz...ye just take the turbo you've removed and mount it at the back as a combined propeller and bilge pump..!!!

Big Kev

u couldn't even use it as a bilge pump!BTW what dose the garage do to the engine wen the turbo goes.ie: would it need cleaned inside or anything major done? (sorry for crashn' in on this thread)Cheers Kev

If a turbo goes.... then nothing else needed than a swap..unless its exploded in which case theres probably more damage. You might get rattling in the exhaust from the debris.

and as for the RAV Rush, I intend to take Toyota to court for breaching trade description laws.

Thanx Bothy, Thats a bit of weight off the mind! (not that there's much mind left afteer 5 mths. on the dole). Idont think its exploded, but ah dont want them to try an con me out of what little cash i have set aside for this job( its not a toyota dalership, just a wee local garage thats tryin to make a killing.sorry .living! Cheers for the advice anyway........maybe ah should have got a petrol one after all!