Petrol SUV/Estate £20 to £30k

SFTWend

Original Poster

847 posts

76 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 8th May 2023

I sold our nice Mercedes W205 wagon last year when the wife said we would be holidaying abroad in future and she'd be happy with something cheaper to potter around in. We didn't need such a nice second car if we weren't doing regular long family trips. After a few weeks with a lovely old Volvo shed it turns out it wasn't suitable for her needs and it found a new home this evening. Apparently we will be going to Devon for half term and a comfy car would be nice.

My 10 year old Giulietta will now serve the role of child taxi and general duties. Looking for a family car no more than say 5 years old that has a reasonable sized dog accessible boot. Hence an estate or SUV. Would like to spend £20k but after seeing used Hyundai's on a dealer's forecourt for £35k I realise budget will probably need to stretch to £30k. Must be petrol and will do some shorter trips and I prefer the driving characteristics over diesel. Also needs to feel sufficiently different from the Merc that I don't wish I'd kept it!

So I'm at the Lexus dealer sitting in an NX, liking the pan roof and the 10 year manufacturer warranty. Very sensible and worry free. But it doesn't wow me and for £30k, which I consider loads for the family car, it has to. I'm drawn to a Stelvio, the 280bhp model in either Milano or subsequent Veloce trim. There seem to be some assumedly end of finance 4 year old Milano's just in budget. I like a drivers car and these appeal. Appear to be one of the few cars that fall into a buyers market but the downside is they will probably depreciate heavily whilst most other makes/models hold value.

Alternative suggestions welcome please.

TIA.

flatso

1,240 posts

130 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

Used Cayenne, seem to be well built and a decent family steer.

SFTWend

Original Poster

847 posts

76 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

flatso said:

Used Cayenne, seem to be well built and a decent family steer.

Very nice but too big for wife to park and think I'd be looking at an 8+ year old car for my budget.

This led me to surfing Macan's. My concern with these is maintenance costs.

Easternlight

3,433 posts

145 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

Don't know how important the badge is to you but you'd get a very good Skoda Kodiac,Karoq, Superb for that money.

sunnyb13

961 posts

39 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

Audi q5

stevemcs

8,675 posts

94 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

How bout an E Pace

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302174...

ZX10R NIN

27,641 posts

126 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

SFTWend

Original Poster

847 posts

76 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

Easternlight said:

Don't know how important the badge is to you but you'd get a very good Skoda Kodiac,Karoq, Superb for that money.

I'm not a badge snob and would rather buy a Skoda than the Audi equivalent. Good call, thank you, but for me the Stelvio feels like more car for similar money.

SFTWend

Original Poster

847 posts

76 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

ZX10R NIN said:

Thank you. Neighbours have had constant grief with JLR products but I'll look into the Swedish and German offerings you suggested.

dunc69

688 posts

248 months

[report]

[news]

Tuesday 9th May 2023

A Skoda Superb 272 mapped to 350bhp is excelling at family duties for us. Very spacious and quite quick!

I’m sure the 280 Alfa would achieve the same…, perhaps with a touch less space inside.

stevemcs

8,675 posts

94 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 10th May 2023

Dad's not had any issues with his F Pace, only needing tyres and services - 2.0 petrol 250ps.

ninjag

1,827 posts

120 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 10th May 2023

Estates are easier for dogs to get in, especially over time. That dark S6 Avant looks nice, ticks a lot of boxes from the excellent AWD system to a V8 engine for smiles (whilst you still can).

JamesLepreux123

3 posts

12 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 10th May 2023

How about a Merc? Although looks like their a bit unreliable checking the MOT histories of a few. Look sweet though eh!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303245...

https://vehiclescore.co.uk/score?registration=WM68...

georgeyboy12345

3,524 posts

36 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 10th May 2023

jrock78

108 posts

50 months

[report]

[news]

Thursday 11th May 2023

Stelvio for me - Currently driving a Milano ed 280 petrol and its a fantastic place to be. Surprisingly light and nimble with a punch for an SUV and also roomy inside. Would have preferred a Guilia Estate but this is not available and the Stelvio does not disappoint. You will be able to pick up a Milano spec in your budget and they came with a 5 yr warranty.

SFTWend

Original Poster

847 posts

76 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 17th September 2023

Thanks for suggestions. Thought I should share outcome. Estates dismissed as wife found our Merc wagon to be too long for parking and I wanted something different.

Drove an Alfa Stelvio 280, loved it but didn't like the Alfa dealer. Subsequently ruled out as too easy to steal.

Tried a new Kia Sportage 230. Good value for the kit but found the handling a bit wayward when pushed and trim a bit too plasticky for my taste.

Dismissed Lexus NX 300. Questionable real world economy, comparative lack of poke and CVT box.

Final shortlist between Mini Countryman JCW and Volvo XC40 T5, both of which offered sufficient interior room whilst being compact enough to please the wife. Couldn't find a Mini in the spec I wanted so settled for this T5 R Design Pro fully loaded to first edition spec.

I can understand why the XC40 received such good reviews. Traditional Volvo comfort and safety with some scandi cool. The T5, being a 2020 last of the purely petrol motors, whisks it along nicely.

pb8g09

2,344 posts

70 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 17th September 2023

Smart looking car, glad you completed the thread too!

Interestingly looking at the links above, the only one that still seems to be up for sale is the Porsche Macan on 94k miles, everything else has sold. Wonder if that’s anything to read into!

sunnyb13

961 posts

39 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 17th September 2023

Love a xc volvo, pure comfort

Summit_Detailing

1,898 posts

194 months

[report]

[news]