SUV buyer advice needed
Discussion
jep said:
Ok, I'm going to throw my tuppence worth into this conversation...
Firstly, and this is pretty bloody obvious, but buy what you really want to drive, not what some random stranger on the net says to buy. If your heart says Range Rover, sod what other people say and just go out and get one. Personally, I wish I'd have followed my heart 3yrs ago and bought a FFRR or a D3 instead of my X5, but I didn't.
If you're asking about running costs, well, as has been pointed out, a couple of mpg on not very many miles a year is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, and if you're baulking at that, what about when something goes wrong. Which it will, no matter what car you end up with.
I've had a couple of cars that are on your list, as I recently (Jun) traded in an 04 X5 3.0i Sport which I had for 3yrs. I now have an 07 D3 SE. According to the PH garage calculator (which I try not to read that often!) over the 67k miles I had it, I spent over £9k a year running it. That doesn't include servicing or repairs/tyres etc. It was a nice car, very comfy, and, despite its size, not bad in the handling department. It wasn't as reliable as I thought it would be, I have to confess. There were little bits of trim that broke or scratched easily (interior door handles were marked), the buttons for the air recirc/rear demister fell off, I had a transmission error notice pop up that nobody could work out what was wrong, my air suspension needed a new compressor... but even though that petrol straight 6 sounded great, it just wasn't enough.
I now have an 07 D3 SE, and I have to say it is great. It's just as comfy, the quality of the interior isn't plasticky and just as nice as the BM. It is *significantly* bigger inside, yet because it has all the aerodynamic efficiency of a brick sat on top of a breezeblock, it's easier to park and place yourself on the road/ dirt track. It is definitely not as good at going round corners as the BM, but it's still nice to drive and far better off-road. It's cheaper to insure than the X5, it's consistently 6-7mpg better economy wise, so I'm getting another 50+ miles for £15-£20 less every tank. Road fund licence is £200 more though. I've just put new discs and pads on, a full set of Michelin Alpins has set me back £700 and I will need to spend c £600 on the big 105k/7yr service next year. I paid £9k and the X5, and it's got loads of toys, full leather, heated front seats, nav, phone, and the Harmon Kardon system. Cheap? No, but then I've put 8k on it since Jun, so whatever I'd be driving, it's going to cost me.
Do I regret buying the X5? Not really, but it did lose its shine faster than other cars I've owned. Would I have another? No, but I'd be up for giving the E70 a go as I think there was a shift in the quality of the later BM's. Are SUV's good fun? Yup, it was a hoot in the snow and pretty unstoppable. Am I loving the D3? Yup. Does it do what the BM did? Kinda, not as good at spirited drives, but for every other box it's either equal or better than it. Is it a better car than the E53 X5? In my opinion, yes.
Thanks for the really helpful post! Firstly, and this is pretty bloody obvious, but buy what you really want to drive, not what some random stranger on the net says to buy. If your heart says Range Rover, sod what other people say and just go out and get one. Personally, I wish I'd have followed my heart 3yrs ago and bought a FFRR or a D3 instead of my X5, but I didn't.
If you're asking about running costs, well, as has been pointed out, a couple of mpg on not very many miles a year is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, and if you're baulking at that, what about when something goes wrong. Which it will, no matter what car you end up with.
I've had a couple of cars that are on your list, as I recently (Jun) traded in an 04 X5 3.0i Sport which I had for 3yrs. I now have an 07 D3 SE. According to the PH garage calculator (which I try not to read that often!) over the 67k miles I had it, I spent over £9k a year running it. That doesn't include servicing or repairs/tyres etc. It was a nice car, very comfy, and, despite its size, not bad in the handling department. It wasn't as reliable as I thought it would be, I have to confess. There were little bits of trim that broke or scratched easily (interior door handles were marked), the buttons for the air recirc/rear demister fell off, I had a transmission error notice pop up that nobody could work out what was wrong, my air suspension needed a new compressor... but even though that petrol straight 6 sounded great, it just wasn't enough.
I now have an 07 D3 SE, and I have to say it is great. It's just as comfy, the quality of the interior isn't plasticky and just as nice as the BM. It is *significantly* bigger inside, yet because it has all the aerodynamic efficiency of a brick sat on top of a breezeblock, it's easier to park and place yourself on the road/ dirt track. It is definitely not as good at going round corners as the BM, but it's still nice to drive and far better off-road. It's cheaper to insure than the X5, it's consistently 6-7mpg better economy wise, so I'm getting another 50+ miles for £15-£20 less every tank. Road fund licence is £200 more though. I've just put new discs and pads on, a full set of Michelin Alpins has set me back £700 and I will need to spend c £600 on the big 105k/7yr service next year. I paid £9k and the X5, and it's got loads of toys, full leather, heated front seats, nav, phone, and the Harmon Kardon system. Cheap? No, but then I've put 8k on it since Jun, so whatever I'd be driving, it's going to cost me.
Do I regret buying the X5? Not really, but it did lose its shine faster than other cars I've owned. Would I have another? No, but I'd be up for giving the E70 a go as I think there was a shift in the quality of the later BM's. Are SUV's good fun? Yup, it was a hoot in the snow and pretty unstoppable. Am I loving the D3? Yup. Does it do what the BM did? Kinda, not as good at spirited drives, but for every other box it's either equal or better than it. Is it a better car than the E53 X5? In my opinion, yes.
I've always liked the E53 but it's getting on abit now; a few months ago when I had a lower budget I went to view one with a view to getting it, my first impressions weren't great as like you said the trim doesn't seem to hold up particularly well. One bad example isn't a reason to discount a model I know but the only reason it found it's way back onto this list was because it is significantly cheaper to buy (at least with high miles). £9k a year sounds scary but I guess a lot of that would have been fuel...even so my insurance would be about £1.3k and diesel is probably going to bring it up to £3k easily (without servicing/repairs like you say), I know I can't expect much less with any of these cars but still.
At the moment I'm feeling that a Range Rover Sport, FFRR and Merc ML are the forerunners, but as I havn't sat in a Sport or indeed taken any for a test drive I think I need to man up and go experience the drive...
No worries. Go drive them all, it's the only way you'll know what's right for you.
Yes, the big bulk for me was the petrol cost as my daily commute is a 100+ mile round trip over the Peak District, so every week needed at least 1 full tank, if not 2. On top of the fuel/depreciation, I also had costs associated with 4 services, 6 tyres (not inc the full set of winters on separate alloys I've still got in the garage), 1 set of discs and 2 sets of pads all round, on top of the air compressor and other investigations...
Re the ML, a mate recently picked up an 08 ML320 Sport. Really nice looking in black, but the inside let it down for me. It really didn't feel like a quality interior, very cheap, flimsy materials and the inside space felt compromised for the size of vehicle.
Insurance wise, the Disco is pretty cheap as it's only group 35. FFRR start at 38 I believe, as do both the RRS and ML. My X5 was group 44, so I've dropped down significantly in that area.
Yes, the big bulk for me was the petrol cost as my daily commute is a 100+ mile round trip over the Peak District, so every week needed at least 1 full tank, if not 2. On top of the fuel/depreciation, I also had costs associated with 4 services, 6 tyres (not inc the full set of winters on separate alloys I've still got in the garage), 1 set of discs and 2 sets of pads all round, on top of the air compressor and other investigations...
Re the ML, a mate recently picked up an 08 ML320 Sport. Really nice looking in black, but the inside let it down for me. It really didn't feel like a quality interior, very cheap, flimsy materials and the inside space felt compromised for the size of vehicle.
Insurance wise, the Disco is pretty cheap as it's only group 35. FFRR start at 38 I believe, as do both the RRS and ML. My X5 was group 44, so I've dropped down significantly in that area.
If you really want a RRS, get the TDV8 engine.
The best of the bunch for noise, power, speed and still giving good mpg.
Change the oil as filter every 7.5k or so as the turbos don't like dirty oils.
Proper Castrol and a good quality filter will do.
Any of the cars you want will cost to maintain properly. From the tyres to brakes and servicing, you'll need to factor that and any common mileage wear and tear items that will need to get changed as they age.
Pick a car, do your homework and find the common faults and ask any seller about them.
The best of the bunch for noise, power, speed and still giving good mpg.
Change the oil as filter every 7.5k or so as the turbos don't like dirty oils.
Proper Castrol and a good quality filter will do.
Any of the cars you want will cost to maintain properly. From the tyres to brakes and servicing, you'll need to factor that and any common mileage wear and tear items that will need to get changed as they age.
Pick a car, do your homework and find the common faults and ask any seller about them.
jep said:
No worries. Go drive them all, it's the only way you'll know what's right for you.
Yes, the big bulk for me was the petrol cost as my daily commute is a 100+ mile round trip over the Peak District, so every week needed at least 1 full tank, if not 2. On top of the fuel/depreciation, I also had costs associated with 4 services, 6 tyres (not inc the full set of winters on separate alloys I've still got in the garage), 1 set of discs and 2 sets of pads all round, on top of the air compressor and other investigations...
Re the ML, a mate recently picked up an 08 ML320 Sport. Really nice looking in black, but the inside let it down for me. It really didn't feel like a quality interior, very cheap, flimsy materials and the inside space felt compromised for the size of vehicle.
Insurance wise, the Disco is pretty cheap as it's only group 35. FFRR start at 38 I believe, as do both the RRS and ML. My X5 was group 44, so I've dropped down significantly in that area.
With my current mileage I doubt I would have to fill up more than once a month thankfully, but am under no illusion that there aren't plenty of other costs heading my way. Next door neighbours have a Disco 4 which I think they use an indy for, so may speak to them to see how they rate things etc. Cars I've been looking at have done around 100k so I'm hoping that they will have had a good chunk of money spent on them already, but a look through receipts should give me the heads up I assume...Yes, the big bulk for me was the petrol cost as my daily commute is a 100+ mile round trip over the Peak District, so every week needed at least 1 full tank, if not 2. On top of the fuel/depreciation, I also had costs associated with 4 services, 6 tyres (not inc the full set of winters on separate alloys I've still got in the garage), 1 set of discs and 2 sets of pads all round, on top of the air compressor and other investigations...
Re the ML, a mate recently picked up an 08 ML320 Sport. Really nice looking in black, but the inside let it down for me. It really didn't feel like a quality interior, very cheap, flimsy materials and the inside space felt compromised for the size of vehicle.
Insurance wise, the Disco is pretty cheap as it's only group 35. FFRR start at 38 I believe, as do both the RRS and ML. My X5 was group 44, so I've dropped down significantly in that area.
I guess not having spent much time in any premium cars I'm at a disadvantage regarding fit and finish; my mate's R Class is very nice on the inside (and spacious obviously) but then that's me coming from a 2003 Vauxhall Astra!
A.J.M said:
If you really want a RRS, get the TDV8 engine.
The best of the bunch for noise, power, speed and still giving good mpg.
Change the oil as filter every 7.5k or so as the turbos don't like dirty oils.
Proper Castrol and a good quality filter will do.
Any of the cars you want will cost to maintain properly. From the tyres to brakes and servicing, you'll need to factor that and any common mileage wear and tear items that will need to get changed as they age.
Pick a car, do your homework and find the common faults and ask any seller about them.
I reckon that if I test drive a TDV8 RRS I will be pretty smitten, but having a look at the used values and they are a good chunk above my budget annoyingly The best of the bunch for noise, power, speed and still giving good mpg.
Change the oil as filter every 7.5k or so as the turbos don't like dirty oils.
Proper Castrol and a good quality filter will do.
Any of the cars you want will cost to maintain properly. From the tyres to brakes and servicing, you'll need to factor that and any common mileage wear and tear items that will need to get changed as they age.
Pick a car, do your homework and find the common faults and ask any seller about them.
Currently leaning towards a 2006/07 FFRR TDV8 as could get one for the price of an older TDV6 RRS HSE, despite it being faster, newer, higher quality and pretty similar on fuel
Just a general question to those who have bought premium cars (not necessarily 4x4's) at a relatively young age, did you find it difficult to get a serious reaction from salesmen in a dealership? Silly thing to worry about I know but I've never actually *bought* a car, well my current one I did buy but just from my mum but that's it.
The one time I tried to get a test drive of one of these I was with my older colleague and the salesman insisted on directing his questions to him rather than me - I am a very young looking 23yo so any tips on how to not get mugged off by the guys in shiny suits?
The one time I tried to get a test drive of one of these I was with my older colleague and the salesman insisted on directing his questions to him rather than me - I am a very young looking 23yo so any tips on how to not get mugged off by the guys in shiny suits?
I would say ring the dealer before hand to tell them what you are looking for and the possibility of a test drive, this way it doesn't look like you have just turned up and want to have a go. I know mines not a premium car but this seems to be a good bet.
Edited by 160 on Wednesday 9th October 19:34
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