Family German 4x4 needed. Budget £10k. Help!
Discussion
Hi there
I wanted to see if anyone of you chaps can kindly give me some direction for a good second hand German 4x4 for my family (plus Volvo)! My budget is max £10k (without needing finance) and ideally under 80k miles on the clock, max 2 previous owners. We would be doing under 12k miles a year and mainly consisting of shorter journeys given that we live in a City.
I have done a lot of research on the various cars, and have concluded the following short list:
Porsche Cayenne 2005-07 plate, 3.2 petrol - this seems the best value as quite a few are listed on Autotrader for under £10k with sat nav etc. I am nervous in that am I missing something here - poor reliability, high cost of maintenance etc?
BMW X5 (2nd gen)2007-08. A 3.0 diesel (ideally the SD diesel) - these cars (2nd gen) are more expensive it seems and are more around the £15k mark - am I priced out?
Volvo XC90 - 2007-09 plate - these seem better value and plenty under £10k available. The interior looks somewhat more dated in comparison to the other cars listed here..
Mercedes ML 2007-09 (ideally the 3.2 petrol or CDI with some power). I think these cars still look good and not too dated.
Any thoughts/recommendations would be really appreciated on the above cars.
Thank you so much!
I wanted to see if anyone of you chaps can kindly give me some direction for a good second hand German 4x4 for my family (plus Volvo)! My budget is max £10k (without needing finance) and ideally under 80k miles on the clock, max 2 previous owners. We would be doing under 12k miles a year and mainly consisting of shorter journeys given that we live in a City.
I have done a lot of research on the various cars, and have concluded the following short list:
Porsche Cayenne 2005-07 plate, 3.2 petrol - this seems the best value as quite a few are listed on Autotrader for under £10k with sat nav etc. I am nervous in that am I missing something here - poor reliability, high cost of maintenance etc?
BMW X5 (2nd gen)2007-08. A 3.0 diesel (ideally the SD diesel) - these cars (2nd gen) are more expensive it seems and are more around the £15k mark - am I priced out?
Volvo XC90 - 2007-09 plate - these seem better value and plenty under £10k available. The interior looks somewhat more dated in comparison to the other cars listed here..
Mercedes ML 2007-09 (ideally the 3.2 petrol or CDI with some power). I think these cars still look good and not too dated.
Any thoughts/recommendations would be really appreciated on the above cars.
Thank you so much!
Edited by ugene425 on Tuesday 13th December 16:39
vz-r_dave said:
The Volvo isn't German but probably the best value for money.
Yes thanks, I agree with you. The German cars look better IMO but the overall costs are higher I guess. Having said that my wife likes the Volvo especially as it is probably the safest family car out there in my budget!
What about a Toerag?
One owner car, 09 plate, with 50k miles within budget.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
07 Petrol car with 57k miles £3k less than budget
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
One owner car, 09 plate, with 50k miles within budget.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
07 Petrol car with 57k miles £3k less than budget
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 13th December 16:47
sparkythecat said:
What about a Toerag?
One owner car, 09 plate, with 50k miles within budget.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Good shout but I cannot have one as my brother had one and don't want to 'copy'!One owner car, 09 plate, with 50k miles within budget.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Volvo V40 D2. If you get the Cross Country model you can pretend it's a 4x4, seeing as it's for city driving. Smaller than the others two so more nimble and easier to park/easier for other road users to see around you. What's not to like?
Edit: If the city in question is London, the D2 engine is also (if I remember correctly) below the tax threshold, which may mean it's not affected by the congestion zone. That could be total rubbish though.
Edit: If the city in question is London, the D2 engine is also (if I remember correctly) below the tax threshold, which may mean it's not affected by the congestion zone. That could be total rubbish though.
Muddle238 said:
Volvo V40 D2. If you get the Cross Country model you can pretend it's a 4x4, seeing as it's for city driving. Smaller than the others two so more nimble and easier to park/easier for other road users to see around you. What's not to like?
simply not high enough for my wife, hence why 4x4 is needed.My wife has an XC90 but we need a 7 seater otherwise I'm not sure we would have it.
Its an old design (ours is an 07), slow, thirsty, highest tax bracket, terrible auto box and barge like in the corners.
However its built well, very comfortable, great stereo and fits all our crap in it (there are 5 of us, kids 10, 14 & 16).
It also pulls our 1500kg van superbly.
Do you need a big 4x4 or will XC60 size be ok?
Newer design, better engine, cheaper to run and handles ok.
Its an old design (ours is an 07), slow, thirsty, highest tax bracket, terrible auto box and barge like in the corners.
However its built well, very comfortable, great stereo and fits all our crap in it (there are 5 of us, kids 10, 14 & 16).
It also pulls our 1500kg van superbly.
Do you need a big 4x4 or will XC60 size be ok?
Newer design, better engine, cheaper to run and handles ok.
GreatGranny said:
My wife has an XC90 but we need a 7 seater otherwise I'm not sure we would have it.
Its an old design (ours is an 07), slow, thirsty, highest tax bracket, terrible auto box and barge like in the corners.
However its built well, very comfortable, great stereo and fits all our crap in it (there are 5 of us, kids 10, 14 & 16).
It also pulls our 1500kg van superbly.
Do you need a big 4x4 or will XC60 size be ok?
Newer design, better engine, cheaper to run and handles ok.
Thank you for your helpful comments regarding the Volvo - interesting. Well built and good stereo are all pleasing to hear but the other points you mention are somewhat concerning for my poor little wallet!Its an old design (ours is an 07), slow, thirsty, highest tax bracket, terrible auto box and barge like in the corners.
However its built well, very comfortable, great stereo and fits all our crap in it (there are 5 of us, kids 10, 14 & 16).
It also pulls our 1500kg van superbly.
Do you need a big 4x4 or will XC60 size be ok?
Newer design, better engine, cheaper to run and handles ok.
To answer your question yes we need a 4x4 as the car needs to be high up for my wife to get our child out, load pram and endless bags etc!
Merc ML is looking better value to me..
Ah if its for city use you definitely need a "proper" 4x4. How about a G Wagon if it has to be German.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
In budget but slightly over on owners and mileage but not by a lot.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
In budget but slightly over on owners and mileage but not by a lot.
Edited by chrisga on Tuesday 13th December 16:57
Muddle238 said:
How tall is your wife?! 
In all seriousness though, have you considered the XC60? Like an XC90 but with less footprint.
Tall enough to want a high up car! XC60 would suffice but we would grow out of with second kid. I would look at BMW X3 but have not due to the same reason..In all seriousness though, have you considered the XC60? Like an XC90 but with less footprint.
chrisga said:
Ah if its for city use you definitely need a "proper" 4x4. How about a G Wagon if it has to be German.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
sadly no!http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
Why German and what sort of usage is it intended for? IMO the Germans do many things well but 4x4s is not really one of them (G-Wagon excepted). If I had to buy a German 4x4 it would be a Touareg 3.0tdi, the BMW products are just fashion accessories with no off-tarmac capability at all, likewise Audi SUVs and the Porsche is essentially a Touareg underneath but with Porsche prices. The Mercedes ML420/GL420 CDI has a compelling engine and a reasonable modicum of 4x4 ability for average use.
Personally I'd pick a Jeep Grand Cherokee/Commander, Toyota Landcruiser Amazon or if you're feeling brave a Range Rover TDV8 over all the German options (aside from G-wagons which are stratospherically expensive).
I'm a diehard petrol fan but large 4x4s are the place for diesels IMO, petrol models usually have serious drinking problems. I don't know how much of a concern fuel costs are to you but I'd be surprised if any petrol 2.5t 4x4 could top 20mpg which is a fair chunk of fuel for 12k per year (>£3000 P/A).
Personally I'd pick a Jeep Grand Cherokee/Commander, Toyota Landcruiser Amazon or if you're feeling brave a Range Rover TDV8 over all the German options (aside from G-wagons which are stratospherically expensive).
I'm a diehard petrol fan but large 4x4s are the place for diesels IMO, petrol models usually have serious drinking problems. I don't know how much of a concern fuel costs are to you but I'd be surprised if any petrol 2.5t 4x4 could top 20mpg which is a fair chunk of fuel for 12k per year (>£3000 P/A).
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