Used 4x4/SUV £15k

[mhulks]

Looking to move away from leasing cars and buy a used 4x4/SUV. Ideally want something relatively affordable to run and reliable - have been looking at the Freelander 2, VW Toureg and Audi Q5.

What age & mileage is a safe bet when looking to make this sort of purchase?

Suggestions welcome!

Thanks

[steve-5snwi]

I guess it depends on what you want from a 4x4 but if it's towing or off road capabilities then it would have to be the freelander, a hse auto would make a nice car. The tour age would be my second choice and I would only consider a q5 if it was a v6.

[ZX10R NIN]

Depending on what you want from your SUV because with a 15k budget a Kuga/Sportage are good calls.

[Mo28]

My choice would be a Volvo XC60

[troika]

If you want reliability, Land Cruiser or Subaru Forester depending on the size of vehicle you want. Don’t even think about a Land Rover unless you can fix it yourself, which you often will be.

[covmutley]

Mo28 said:

My choice would be a Volvo XC60

Ours is great. Had it 2 years. No problems, bid enough for the 3 kids, comfy, the D5 engine goes well enough, stereo is really really good, leather seats are good. Decent image I think and a good used buy.

I am sure others are 'sportier' to drive, but it really isn't the point of the car.

[juice]

troika said:

If you want reliability, Land Cruiser or Subaru Forester depending on the size of vehicle you want. Don’t even think about a Land Rover unless you can fix it yourself, which you often will be.

Sorry but in 50,000 miles on my 14 plate FL2 - nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with it.

[troika]

juice said:

troika said:

If you want reliability, Land Cruiser or Subaru Forester depending on the size of vehicle you want. Don’t even think about a Land Rover unless you can fix it yourself, which you often will be.

Sorry but in 50,000 miles on my 14 plate FL2 - nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with it.

Then you’ve been lucky. Let’s be honest, nobody buys a Land Rover if reliability is a key consideration in the buying process.

[Pistonheader101]

FL2 are very reliable

[MuscleSaloon]

FL2 isn't a bad car and its light years ahead of the original one. The use of PSA / Ford parts is a big factor, as opposed to aging Rover stuff used for the FL1. £15k will bag you a good FL2. Some cheap looking parts like keys and door locks are regular trouble spots on the earlier ones now so that's the sort of stuff that you could see fail on a newer one in the future.

Touareg is a good deal bigger and has a quality feel IMO. I see these as a bit of a bargain at the moment. With a bit of looking you can get something really nice under £20k. Only offered with the 3.0 TDi which is a nice engine but probably scares some away who are more comfortable with the idea of a smaller 4 cylinder.

Not had any experience with Q5 so cannot comment !

[troika]

Pistonheader101 said:

FL2 are very reliable

Granted, for a Land Rover, they are better than average (which is not difficult). What about the chocolate rear diffs that are essentially service items unless you get Bell Engineering to fit one with a proper sized bearing? Reliability and Land Rover are not words which are commonly associated, for good reason.

[Big GT]

You will notice a big difference in refinement between the FL2 and Touareg as the Touareg is leagues ahead. I like the FL2 but never felt it was a quality product unlike the VW and the Disco 3/4.
We had a Disco 3 and 4 that we sold for around £15K mark and in 5 years of ownership we never had an problems.

Go for the Touareg OP

[Pistonheader101]

The Touareg r-line is just sublime

[silver1011]

£15,000 is going to get you an 8-10 year old 80,000+ mile Toureg. Diesel / DPF only.

Undoubtedly a good car but I'd rather stretch the budget, save for another year and buy a brand new, petrol Skoda Kodiaq...

Latest VAG engines / technology and a 3 year warranty. Plenty of choice out there, 5 or 7 seaters, petrol or diesel, manual or DSG.

Looks nice in black. This is an SE, which is pretty basic and it still looks smart. This one is on Autotrader for £22K...

[mhulks]

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. I'm certainly leaning towards the Toureg but I wanted to get your thoughts on what seems to be a cheaper alternative.

A 4x4 Suzuki Grand Vitara (5dr, diesel) - similar to the one on auto trader below.

Any views?

Thanks again

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Hdj80 01]

touereg would definitely be the pick from your initial suggestions, but it is in a different class, closer to a range rover than a freelander imo.

i would go for a rav4 over a freelander, although a 3.0 landcruiser would be my choice, will likely be the most reliable and will hold its value a huge amount better than any of the other options, however that does mean you would be looking at an older one for the same money as the others

suzuki grand vitara is a underated little car imo, although dont expect the refinement youd get from a touareg, only thing that would put me off the touareg would be the cost if it were to go wrong

Edited by Hdj80 01 on Saturday 10th March 22:36