10k to spend

[techguyone]

Need either mpv or suv/crossover as carry biggish loads / lots of family.

Anything Smax & up size will be too big, Cmax and below too small.

Must be petrol, but not crazy thirsty like ford 2.5, not enough miles and reluctant for the high overheads of modern diesels.

Last vehicle was a citroen picasso xsara, which was surprisingly reliable and it all worked despite being an 01 regd - the size was about right too for load carrying.

Considering a Qashqai, possibly a +2 2.0 litre, size & looks seem right, toys aplenty, and japanese reliability.

What else would be a contender?

Already considered & dismissed.

Pug 3008 - it'll fall apart 15 secs after buying it
Ford C Max - too small (new cmax- grand is still too expensive)
Ford S Max - too big + i'd be hard pushed to find a decent petrol that didn't drink too much
Ford Kuga - Just too expensive, and the older versions had a staggeringly small boot
Vw Tiguan - bit on the small side, and nervous about the 1.4 TSi engine eating itself
Mazda 5 - Not big enough
Vx Zafira - no too long in the tooth
Vx Mervia - Just no!
Toyota rav4 - silly rear side hinged door, bit agricultural & to much 4x4
Honda CR-V - ugly


I have looked at an awful lot of vehicles in that category/price range & it does seem to keep coming back to a Qashqai.

If money was no object, I'd probably get a 2nd Gen Kuga or possibly latest Honda CR-V or Ford c max Grand

[heppers75]

Consider the latter shape Murano as well.

Mrs H has had one for the last couple of years or so and it has been a great car.

Very well equipped, handles well and goes very well for a semi tonka toy as it is basically a 350Z with a bigger body!

Go for the facelift and it is really an Infiniti not a Nissan.

Fuel wise pottering about low to mid 20's on a run late 20's pushing 30mpg if you are steady.

[wemorgan]

Nissan Qashqai?

[swisstoni]

someone will tell you to invest it in property in a minute

[techguyone]

Nice looking!

Sadly all appear to be CVT & 3.5l, which means poor economy & to a lesser degree high road tax.

Sure looks nice though, looks like the same 4wd some of the Qashqais have too.

[Lozw86]

BMW 5 series, Audi A6, Merc E class estates?

[cerb4.5lee]

swisstoni said:

someone will tell you to invest it in property in a minute

[cerb4.5lee]

Lozw86 said:

BMW 5 series, Audi A6, Merc E class estates?

I thought about recommending an estate & I was always happy with my old 5 series estate (apart from the 4 pot diesel engine) it was practical & a decent steer too.

[techguyone]

Not really wanting an estate, I quite like being high up like in a mpv/SUV

Mercedes M series MPV isn't suitable
BMW X1/3/5 or either too small or too high maintenance cost or just too hardcore. I f I were going that route I'd just get a disco or RR but I don't need 4x4 to that degree

[161BMW]

A concours BMW E21 323i :-)

[techguyone]

Maybe I should be looking at it differently.

I'm reasonably sure my research has been thorough.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't get a Qashqai petrol, or some monstrous hidden defect I don't know about like the vw 1.4 TSi engines that would put me off.

Oh yes, the fact it's not a MX-5 doesn't count - sorry.

[Dracoro]

We have a 09 Honda CRV and can't really fault it. You should get a good one for £10k.

[Bill]

I'd say a Mazda 5 was the size you need - halfway between the C and SMax. The VW Touran is slightly smaller I think.

But it's clear you want a Qashqai despite it being smaller inside than the CMax...

[sawman]

from the list I would pick the rav4

have you ruled out the mitsubishi outlander?

for me the biggest issue with the cashcow id that everyone and his brother have one

overall I would pick a subaru outback (in fact I did!)

[techguyone]

Well I'm actually looking at the +2 qashqai, which isn't as small in the back Bill

[techguyone]

I looked long & hard at the outlander, petrol ones are all auto though.

Again to avoid complications with modern autos, I'd prefer to stick with manual gearboxes.

[Bill]

techguyone said:

Well I'm actually looking at the +2 qashqai, which isn't as small in the back Bill

Yep, but it is inevitably smaller inside because of the 4x4 packaging. Don't get me wrong, if you want one then get one, but perhaps the thread should be asking about common issues with them

[techguyone]

True,I was wondering if anyone would come out with something out of left field that I hadn't considered before finalising really.


In an ideal world, I wouldn't have to worry about modern diesels & auto gearboxes, which would open up the range significantly, I think sticking with manual & petrol I'm minimising my exposure to potential big bills in the future, albeit at the expense of choice at purchase time.

[heppers75]

techguyone said:

Nice looking!

Sadly all appear to be CVT & 3.5l, which means poor economy & to a lesser degree high road tax.

Sure looks nice though, looks like the same 4wd some of the Qashqais have too.

Mid 20's in mixed driving and £470 a year.

I have actually grown to quite like the CVT box.

[Bill]

It's a conundrum, the vast majority of that kind of car will be diesel. I'd be tempted to half the budget and get the 2.5T SMax and have some fun.