Buying Used Luxury 4x4 – Advice Needed
Discussion
Hi All,
I found some other articles like this but none of them really came close to my preferences. I apologise in advance for the long post, hopefully one or two of you will get through it, its good therapy to get my thoughts written down…
Currently have a Skoda Octavia vrs tfsi hatchback and it has been a great car for 3 years I have had it. It has also been a surprisingly practical family car for my two kids (1 and 2). Boot space is impressive and as it’s the limited edition version it probably has one of the best interiors in any skoda. The number one problem with it now is the ride, great when ur on your own but when ur wife and kids are telling u to slow down at every bump it does get rather tedious. So we were always going to get a bigger car but now I have my Caterham coming next month I am willing to sacrifice that boy racer urge (a little) and go for a 4x4.
We live in the centre of Winchester on old tight roads which is not really 4x4 territory but I do do site visits and every 3 weeks we take longer family trips to friends and of course holidays, other than that my commute is not every day and only 20minutes.
Budget is anywhere from 18k to 30k. Basically I would like to spend less but if the right car for the best value is available I would dip into savings. I don’t want to get burned by buying a bad cheap example.
Here is what I need:
4x4 – no point getting an SUV if its not 4x4, main reasons for the type of car are the driving position, space and capabilities in the country
Space – Boot space for holidays, buggys etc and 2 kids, (possible 3rd child space in middle seat)
Interior – Probably the most important feature to me is the cabin, want it to be super luxurious and with as many features as I can get, want top of the range in terms of gadgets (reverse parking camera may be very useful). I also have a thing for white/cream leather interiors, so that’s probably a bigger selling point than it should be.
Ride – obviously anything would be an upgrade on my skoda and Caterham, but fairly important, the more comfortable my family is the faster I can drive
Engine – Ideally I would like a big petrol v8, but would settle for a v6 petrol or diesel if I was convinced elsewhere. Running costs are not that important to me as I don’t do consistently long miles although even I baulked at the range rovers tax bill.
Reliability – Fuel costs may not be a concern for me but I hate to lose confidence in a car, and have that constant doubt, so this is important.
Badge – Owning a skoda u can see that im not a badge snob, in fact for me I would prefer being seen in an infiniti than a Porsche if you get what I mean.
Speed – Basically should be close to the speed of my current car as possible (7secs 0-60), but nothing much slower than 8 secs really.
So here is my shortlist so far:
Porsche Cayenne:
Would probably be the best suited to my needs overall with great petrol engines, good cabin, german reliability, plenty of space.
But put off a little by the looks of the older models, the newer versions are out of price range, and it is a little brash (people are going to think I spent a lot, which I don’t particularly want), the examples in price range tend to be older with higher miles and interior isn’t quite as nice as others. A little worried about maintenance and service fees.
Range Rover Sport:
Plenty of space and the interior is top notch even on the older models. Petrol is only on the big v8 and costs on that engine scare me a bit (I have never owned anything other than 4cylinders). Not exactly sporty, but very comfy. Reliability is a concern. And this is right on the limit of size I can get away with (will be parked on street until I extend my garage). Lots of options to choose from which confuses me completely. Command spec? HSE? Not sure what my best option is here.
Merc M Class:
Bit cheaper than two above but again the range confuses me a little, I searched petrol and saw a 350 CDI, is that a petrol engine, or is the only petrol an amg. Interior is pretty good, and size would be better suited to my needs. Badge is good level but bit common where I live.
Infiniti FX:
Bit different from the others due to it being smaller and almost crossover size. But really like how cheap the v8 is, and the unique badge and pretty good quality interior with great kit. Size is the only real issue here, boot is smaller than my skoda. Can I get away with a storage box on longer journeys?
Others include X5 (just to bland). Audi Q5 (too small again and bland again), Q7 (too big, expensive)
Let me know what im missing. Could really do with some help and expertise wading through the different model types. Also havnt looked into the diesel options that much as the tend to be higher price second hand and not quite special enough, but is it worth looking at some? Havnt test driven anything yet, my wife would have a go at me unless i was buying that week.
Thanks
David
I found some other articles like this but none of them really came close to my preferences. I apologise in advance for the long post, hopefully one or two of you will get through it, its good therapy to get my thoughts written down…
Currently have a Skoda Octavia vrs tfsi hatchback and it has been a great car for 3 years I have had it. It has also been a surprisingly practical family car for my two kids (1 and 2). Boot space is impressive and as it’s the limited edition version it probably has one of the best interiors in any skoda. The number one problem with it now is the ride, great when ur on your own but when ur wife and kids are telling u to slow down at every bump it does get rather tedious. So we were always going to get a bigger car but now I have my Caterham coming next month I am willing to sacrifice that boy racer urge (a little) and go for a 4x4.
We live in the centre of Winchester on old tight roads which is not really 4x4 territory but I do do site visits and every 3 weeks we take longer family trips to friends and of course holidays, other than that my commute is not every day and only 20minutes.
Budget is anywhere from 18k to 30k. Basically I would like to spend less but if the right car for the best value is available I would dip into savings. I don’t want to get burned by buying a bad cheap example.
Here is what I need:
4x4 – no point getting an SUV if its not 4x4, main reasons for the type of car are the driving position, space and capabilities in the country
Space – Boot space for holidays, buggys etc and 2 kids, (possible 3rd child space in middle seat)
Interior – Probably the most important feature to me is the cabin, want it to be super luxurious and with as many features as I can get, want top of the range in terms of gadgets (reverse parking camera may be very useful). I also have a thing for white/cream leather interiors, so that’s probably a bigger selling point than it should be.
Ride – obviously anything would be an upgrade on my skoda and Caterham, but fairly important, the more comfortable my family is the faster I can drive
Engine – Ideally I would like a big petrol v8, but would settle for a v6 petrol or diesel if I was convinced elsewhere. Running costs are not that important to me as I don’t do consistently long miles although even I baulked at the range rovers tax bill.
Reliability – Fuel costs may not be a concern for me but I hate to lose confidence in a car, and have that constant doubt, so this is important.
Badge – Owning a skoda u can see that im not a badge snob, in fact for me I would prefer being seen in an infiniti than a Porsche if you get what I mean.
Speed – Basically should be close to the speed of my current car as possible (7secs 0-60), but nothing much slower than 8 secs really.
So here is my shortlist so far:
Porsche Cayenne:
Would probably be the best suited to my needs overall with great petrol engines, good cabin, german reliability, plenty of space.
But put off a little by the looks of the older models, the newer versions are out of price range, and it is a little brash (people are going to think I spent a lot, which I don’t particularly want), the examples in price range tend to be older with higher miles and interior isn’t quite as nice as others. A little worried about maintenance and service fees.
Range Rover Sport:
Plenty of space and the interior is top notch even on the older models. Petrol is only on the big v8 and costs on that engine scare me a bit (I have never owned anything other than 4cylinders). Not exactly sporty, but very comfy. Reliability is a concern. And this is right on the limit of size I can get away with (will be parked on street until I extend my garage). Lots of options to choose from which confuses me completely. Command spec? HSE? Not sure what my best option is here.
Merc M Class:
Bit cheaper than two above but again the range confuses me a little, I searched petrol and saw a 350 CDI, is that a petrol engine, or is the only petrol an amg. Interior is pretty good, and size would be better suited to my needs. Badge is good level but bit common where I live.
Infiniti FX:
Bit different from the others due to it being smaller and almost crossover size. But really like how cheap the v8 is, and the unique badge and pretty good quality interior with great kit. Size is the only real issue here, boot is smaller than my skoda. Can I get away with a storage box on longer journeys?
Others include X5 (just to bland). Audi Q5 (too small again and bland again), Q7 (too big, expensive)
Let me know what im missing. Could really do with some help and expertise wading through the different model types. Also havnt looked into the diesel options that much as the tend to be higher price second hand and not quite special enough, but is it worth looking at some? Havnt test driven anything yet, my wife would have a go at me unless i was buying that week.
Thanks
David
I'm looking at this on a tighter budget but for similar reasons. I dont agree that an SUV has to be 4x4, we're looking at things like the Maverick and Mazda version for the space you get, rather than the driving ability off road. Some are just 2WD, and tbh, that'll be fine for us, the kerbs round here arent that high anyway.
I'd definitely consider options before saying they have to be XYZ
I'd definitely consider options before saying they have to be XYZ
My brother/sister in laws have a Cayenne and they love it. It's probably more on the sporty 4x4 side than the luxury but it looks good in black with tinted windows. It's been their family bus for a couple of years. He's talking about getting a Range Rover now. Have you considered the Tourag? They've not got the best reputation but they are the best looking 4x4 SUV in my eyes. I'm sure you could get a good spec for less cash than some of the more premium badges and it would fit in with your anti badge snobbery stance.
i'm a died in the wool land rover fan, so i would plump for the rrs, or as someone else mentioned a full fat rr with the tdv8.
having said that, don't rule out the land cruisers, not the nicest looking, and maybe not as sporty, but like the rr's they will eat the miles, and you can get hold of them in lexus trim (may only be an import here) but they are nicely appointed inside
never driven a toureg, but i can't agree about it's looks, it just looks like a jacked up vw passout. you can get a rs version though with the full fat v10 diesel
having said that, don't rule out the land cruisers, not the nicest looking, and maybe not as sporty, but like the rr's they will eat the miles, and you can get hold of them in lexus trim (may only be an import here) but they are nicely appointed inside
never driven a toureg, but i can't agree about it's looks, it just looks like a jacked up vw passout. you can get a rs version though with the full fat v10 diesel
Another full-fat Range Rover owner here, but save yourself a few £ and buy the 5.0 Supercharged for less than the 4.4 TDV8.
Running costs aren't that bad. If you bought from a main dealer, you often get a few years of free servicing as part of the deal.
Correspondingly, pay a little less and get one privately or from a specialist. There's one 4x4 specialist that you MUST avoid at all costs. Have a look on FFRR.com for the answer and great buying advice and encouragement.
The Supercharged models, especially in Autobiography spec, have most things as standard.
Running costs aren't that bad. If you bought from a main dealer, you often get a few years of free servicing as part of the deal.
Correspondingly, pay a little less and get one privately or from a specialist. There's one 4x4 specialist that you MUST avoid at all costs. Have a look on FFRR.com for the answer and great buying advice and encouragement.
The Supercharged models, especially in Autobiography spec, have most things as standard.
garycat said:
If you're considering an Infiniti, surely a Lexus RX should be on your shortlist too? Or a VW Toureg maybe?
They don't do a drivers Lexus RX - its not fast and not a real 4wd (elec motor on back wheels) - a V8 FX50 can be had for buttons and goes very very well. Its just a bit small like a RR sport not a FF RR Do yourself a favour and don't even think about a Touareg. I've got one and it's the least reliable car I've ever owned. Its done 50,000 miles, never been off road, never towed anything and feels like its done 500,000 miles. It clunks, creaks and rattles. If I didn't know the previous owner who is a neighbour I'd swear it was a cut and shut. It tries so hard to be clever but the electronics are flakey and constantly report problems which don't exist and disappear by turning the car off and back on; everything from ABS, emmissions, oil temp, blah, blah, blah. Its not just electronics either. Mine is on its 3rd, yes third, center driveshaft. The center support baring fails leaving you completely immobile. The replacement is 800 quid from VW, which brings me on to VW part prices. They are more than Porsche; you will get to know your VW dealer very well. Be friendly and they will get you cheaper Porsche Cayenne parts which are often identical. Life is too short to bother with the VW, get the Cayenne if you must buy this platform.
huwp said:
Had an ML and the build quality was poor. Changed it for a Lexus RX which was faultless. Their customer service at the dealership was also very impressive. We'd have another Lexus in a heartbeat.
Really? Was it the older one?I have one (2008) and it has been faultless. Anything in particular that fails?
Despite really wanting one, I got put off the Full Fat RR due to lack of reliability and horrendous bills (similar to my old ferrari) experienced by friends that have them.
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