£12,000 for a full size 4x4 / SUV but which ?
Discussion
Hi All,
Looking for recommendations.
5 seater or 7 seater, does not matter
Petrol or diesel, does not matter
Reasonably high miles, say 150,000 does not matter
Service history, reasonably important, but not a deal breaker.
Mud plugging, does not matter,
Condition more important than age.
Audi Q7
Volvo XC90
Land Cruiser 120 series (LC3, LC4, LC5, Invincible) types
Land Cruiser Amazon
Range Rover Sport
Discovery 4
BMW X5
Porsche Cayenne
ML280
ML320
ML350 (petrol)
Lexus RX 300, 3550h, 400h
Volkswagen Touareg
I may have left some out, but not looking for
BMW X1,
Audi Q3
Nissan Qashqai
BMW X3,
Audi Q5,
Mazda CX-5
HondaCR-V
I realise for £12,000 there will be a fair age spread amongst them
So what to clear off the table strait away and why?
I know a few that would be near the bottom of my list anyway, but what should be the top few ?
What make and model would get me a reasonable 4x4 / SUV for my £12,000
R1
Looking for recommendations.
5 seater or 7 seater, does not matter
Petrol or diesel, does not matter
Reasonably high miles, say 150,000 does not matter
Service history, reasonably important, but not a deal breaker.
Mud plugging, does not matter,
Condition more important than age.
Audi Q7
Volvo XC90
Land Cruiser 120 series (LC3, LC4, LC5, Invincible) types
Land Cruiser Amazon
Range Rover Sport
Discovery 4
BMW X5
Porsche Cayenne
ML280
ML320
ML350 (petrol)
Lexus RX 300, 3550h, 400h
Volkswagen Touareg
I may have left some out, but not looking for
BMW X1,
Audi Q3
Nissan Qashqai
BMW X3,
Audi Q5,
Mazda CX-5
HondaCR-V
I realise for £12,000 there will be a fair age spread amongst them
So what to clear off the table strait away and why?
I know a few that would be near the bottom of my list anyway, but what should be the top few ?
What make and model would get me a reasonable 4x4 / SUV for my £12,000
R1
Did this sort of research myself last year and ended up narrowing down to the BMW X5 and the Volvo XC90 as I wanted reliability and a lower price above all else.
Drove both and eventually settled on an X5, but not much in it really. A smidge over £10K got me a 2007 4.8i 7 seater X5 with some nice extras at 65K miles. Had it a year and haven't had a single issue with it other than needing 2 rear tyres which is just what tyres do... wear out. Drives well considering its size/weight.... SUVs are not really my thing, but a combination of London speed bumps and room for the kids and their friends swung it.
I wouldn't go anywhere near anything from Land Rover or Mercedes unless you like visiting garages regularly.
Drove both and eventually settled on an X5, but not much in it really. A smidge over £10K got me a 2007 4.8i 7 seater X5 with some nice extras at 65K miles. Had it a year and haven't had a single issue with it other than needing 2 rear tyres which is just what tyres do... wear out. Drives well considering its size/weight.... SUVs are not really my thing, but a combination of London speed bumps and room for the kids and their friends swung it.
I wouldn't go anywhere near anything from Land Rover or Mercedes unless you like visiting garages regularly.
Leftfield choice - KIA Sorento.
Unburstable (but going by the shortlist will probably be rejected off-hand purely because of the badge)
Contrary to popular perception, the 'Germans' also rust like hell.
Unburstable (but going by the shortlist will probably be rejected off-hand purely because of the badge)
cb1965 said:
I wouldn't go anywhere near anything from Land Rover or Mercedes unless you like visiting garages regularly.
This. Demonstrates amply how public perception of certain brands is totally skewed. High milers of all the other ones will probably also leave you at the side of the road and/or with a ruinous bill with the possible exception of the Toyotas.Contrary to popular perception, the 'Germans' also rust like hell.
Edited by r11co on Tuesday 5th June 15:19
Of the list I'd pick the BMW X5 3.0D circa 2007/08 with 80-90k miles and 235bhp.
Other options would be:
Volvo XC90 2.4 D5 R-Design SE circa 2009 with 80k miles and 188bhp.
Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0TD circa 2010 with 100k+ miles and 242bhp.
If you don't need the off-road ability I'd choose a big estate as they usual drive better, handle, are quicker and more efficient.
Other options would be:
Volvo XC90 2.4 D5 R-Design SE circa 2009 with 80k miles and 188bhp.
Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0TD circa 2010 with 100k+ miles and 242bhp.
If you don't need the off-road ability I'd choose a big estate as they usual drive better, handle, are quicker and more efficient.
When you put your basic criteria into Autotrader, and select a reasonable sized engine to exclude the "mummsy" SUVs, the newest choices seem to be Lexus 450 hybrid thingys, then FFRR and RR Sports, with the odd Infinit thrown in (which can be made to sound quite naughty I'm told.)
I'd be considering £8k on a FFRR and the other £4k in a Bork Chest. But I like a bit of risk.
I'd be considering £8k on a FFRR and the other £4k in a Bork Chest. But I like a bit of risk.
r11co said:
Leftfield choice - KIA Sorento.
Unburstable (but going by the shortlist will probably be rejected off-hand purely because of the badge)
Good call on the Kia. Unburstable (but going by the shortlist will probably be rejected off-hand purely because of the badge)
cb1965 said:
I wouldn't go anywhere near anything from Land Rover or Mercedes unless you like visiting garages regularly.
This. Demonstrates amply how public perception of certain brands is totally skewed. High miilers of all the other ones will probably also leave you at the side of the road and/or with a ruinous bill with the possible exception of the Toyotas.Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 5th June 15:18
As for the rest of the post I'm sorry but I have quite a few friends in various aspects of the trade and SUVs from Merc and Land Rover do not fare well in the real world reliability stakes. I own a Merc as well as the X5 so it's nothing to do with badge snobbery or the likes. The X5 is built a magnitude better than my Merc despite the latter costing twice as much when new.
Nanook said:
Had a Sorento.
After 2 days of flashing lights, the drivetrain shat itself entirely all over the dealers workshop floor.
Hmmm. Not typical behaviour. I know of two high-milers that mechanically have had nothing more than wear-and-tear items (plus a power steering pump seal replacement on one of them).After 2 days of flashing lights, the drivetrain shat itself entirely all over the dealers workshop floor.
My experience of big, high mile BM's is difficult to repair oil leaks and rusty wheelarches. Nothing though compared to the dog that was my bro-in-law's ML. Rusted faster than an old Alfa, with comparable electrics.
tinnitusjosh said:
louiebaby said:
I'd be considering £8k on a FFRR and the other £4k in a Bork Chest.
That's the second time i've heard that phrase today - what does it mean?Bork is a a PH term for non-specific older, heavily depreciated vehicles giving you reasons to be sat at the side of a road waiting for the RAC, on your phone to a mate, explaining why you might be a little late.
Bork is sort of equal to Break.
Been through this a couple of times myself over the last 6 years and ended up with the same car twice despite wanting something different.
It all depends on what you want from it. My musings are below.
X5 - nice but seemed like a big 3/5 series and the ride was hard. Drove well but not comfortable.
FFRR - wanted to love but didn't. Interior dated, reliability issues, very comfortable but not fun to drive, very boat like
RRS - same as above, drove ok but not that comfortable, reliability issues.
XC90 - love the new ones, older ones looking very dated now and not fun to drive
Toureg - Close second to the Q7 but couldn't find a decent spec with air suspension with sensible mileage for a reasonable price.
Cayenne - Great drivers car, interior like all Porsches dated quickly, outside has dated badly, mainly petrol
ML - Just no for a multitude of reasons
Kia/Hyundai - Newer, but noticeably lower rent and lower engined than the rest
Murano/Cx7 - actaully liked thes ebut too small for what i wanted
Which left what I went for both time, Audi Q7
Air suspension - check
4wd - check
7 seats - check
good interior - check
decent performance - check
handling - check (as well as a SUV can be of course)
Comfort - check
Economical - check
Tech - check (has bluetooth, nav, keyless, panoramic roof, bose, fridge, and all manner of goodies
Looks - subjective but check for me
Pool - check (as in a decent pool to buy from rather than only a few to choose from).
They are very spec sensitive and some look downright awful whereas with the right spec they can look lovely. The suspension makes these as you can choose to waft along in comfort and eat up the miles or select Dynamic and have some fun though the corners - it does far better than something that size should!
What is right for one, won't be for another so best thing to do, is spend a weekend test driving them all back to back and see what you think for yourself and have a think about what you really want from it.
This is my 2nd one:
It all depends on what you want from it. My musings are below.
X5 - nice but seemed like a big 3/5 series and the ride was hard. Drove well but not comfortable.
FFRR - wanted to love but didn't. Interior dated, reliability issues, very comfortable but not fun to drive, very boat like
RRS - same as above, drove ok but not that comfortable, reliability issues.
XC90 - love the new ones, older ones looking very dated now and not fun to drive
Toureg - Close second to the Q7 but couldn't find a decent spec with air suspension with sensible mileage for a reasonable price.
Cayenne - Great drivers car, interior like all Porsches dated quickly, outside has dated badly, mainly petrol
ML - Just no for a multitude of reasons
Kia/Hyundai - Newer, but noticeably lower rent and lower engined than the rest
Murano/Cx7 - actaully liked thes ebut too small for what i wanted
Which left what I went for both time, Audi Q7
Air suspension - check
4wd - check
7 seats - check
good interior - check
decent performance - check
handling - check (as well as a SUV can be of course)
Comfort - check
Economical - check
Tech - check (has bluetooth, nav, keyless, panoramic roof, bose, fridge, and all manner of goodies
Looks - subjective but check for me
Pool - check (as in a decent pool to buy from rather than only a few to choose from).
They are very spec sensitive and some look downright awful whereas with the right spec they can look lovely. The suspension makes these as you can choose to waft along in comfort and eat up the miles or select Dynamic and have some fun though the corners - it does far better than something that size should!
What is right for one, won't be for another so best thing to do, is spend a weekend test driving them all back to back and see what you think for yourself and have a think about what you really want from it.
This is my 2nd one:
I’d rule out the following cars.
Any V8 petrol powered X5 - to many niggling oil leaks, timing covers, valley pan, rocker covers etc
RR Sport pre facelift, a lot of people may argue this but all the early models we’ve had were unreliable and the 4.4 and 2.7Td are horribly underpowered and the Supercharged and TDV8 will have expensive swaybar and airbag suspension issues at this age/mileage. They are also stupidly small inside compared to the exterior. Facelift 3.0diesels with the newer gearbox are better.
I’d also eliminate the 3.2 V6 versions of the cayenne’s & Touaregs as I find them underpowered.
ML Mercedes - the interior and drive are almost a generation behind most of the competition.
My top picks would be:
Diesel E70 X5
Diesel Q7 4.2TDI we’ve had two done north of 100,000miles without fault.
3.0TdI Diesel Cayenne / Touareg / Q7 (they are essentially the same drivetrain as a 3.0tdi q7)
TDV8 FFRR - 2007+ I’ve personally run one to just shy of 200k miles with minimum major issues.
Landcruisers and shoguns are the “safe choice”. Horrifically boring but they will get the job done time after time after time.
I can’t speak for maintenance costs in UK, but in NZ they are cheaper to repair and maintain then their euro equivalents.
All of them are hard on tyres, brakes and bushes obviously.
Any V8 petrol powered X5 - to many niggling oil leaks, timing covers, valley pan, rocker covers etc
RR Sport pre facelift, a lot of people may argue this but all the early models we’ve had were unreliable and the 4.4 and 2.7Td are horribly underpowered and the Supercharged and TDV8 will have expensive swaybar and airbag suspension issues at this age/mileage. They are also stupidly small inside compared to the exterior. Facelift 3.0diesels with the newer gearbox are better.
I’d also eliminate the 3.2 V6 versions of the cayenne’s & Touaregs as I find them underpowered.
ML Mercedes - the interior and drive are almost a generation behind most of the competition.
My top picks would be:
Diesel E70 X5
Diesel Q7 4.2TDI we’ve had two done north of 100,000miles without fault.
3.0TdI Diesel Cayenne / Touareg / Q7 (they are essentially the same drivetrain as a 3.0tdi q7)
TDV8 FFRR - 2007+ I’ve personally run one to just shy of 200k miles with minimum major issues.
Landcruisers and shoguns are the “safe choice”. Horrifically boring but they will get the job done time after time after time.
I can’t speak for maintenance costs in UK, but in NZ they are cheaper to repair and maintain then their euro equivalents.
All of them are hard on tyres, brakes and bushes obviously.
Looking for recommendations.
5 seater or 7 seater, does not matter
Petrol or diesel, does not matter
Reasonably high miles, say 150,000 does not matter
Service history, reasonably important, but not a deal breaker.
Mud plugging, does not matter,
Condition more important than age.
Obviously if you don't need an SUV you might consider:
BMW 530d Touring circa 2011 with 90k miles
Audi A6 3.0 TDI Avant circa 2011 with 70k miles and 237bhp
Audi S4 Avant 3.0 TSFI V6 circa 2009 with 70k and 328bhp
5 seater or 7 seater, does not matter
Petrol or diesel, does not matter
Reasonably high miles, say 150,000 does not matter
Service history, reasonably important, but not a deal breaker.
Condition more important than age.
Obviously if you don't need an SUV you might consider:
BMW 530d Touring circa 2011 with 90k miles
Audi A6 3.0 TDI Avant circa 2011 with 70k miles and 237bhp
Audi S4 Avant 3.0 TSFI V6 circa 2009 with 70k and 328bhp
Subaru Forester?
Im in the same boat as the OP, narrowed my list down to the Forester STI (after having an XT) or the Cayenne Turbo. My Dad has a Q7 TDI, had it for years and only thing thats gone wrong was recently when a pothole broke something in the ecu or a controller, £4k repair bill
Im in the same boat as the OP, narrowed my list down to the Forester STI (after having an XT) or the Cayenne Turbo. My Dad has a Q7 TDI, had it for years and only thing thats gone wrong was recently when a pothole broke something in the ecu or a controller, £4k repair bill
X5 4.8i M Sport
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Grand Cherokee Overland
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4.8S Cayenne
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Q7
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Santa Fe
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Infiniti FX
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Grand Cherokee Overland
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
4.8S Cayenne
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Q7
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Santa Fe
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Infiniti FX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
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