Torn on what to spend £10k on - SUV/Estate

[RupertNuetron]

I'm a data analyst petrol head.

So my heart says German whilst my analyst head says Japanese. I need a bit of space as do quite a bit of mountain biking and hiking so need boot space for the bike and the gear. I love an luxury SUV or an estate.

Previous cars

- Mitsi Shogun 3.0
- Lexus RX300
- Audi A6 Avant 3.0
- Merc E320

Being 6ft 4 I find seat backs of Japanese cars (Lexus, Toyota, Mitsubishi) just too low and base of my head is often at the top of the headrest on full extension.

However the smart me just wants an ultra reliable "don't need to worry about what's going to go wrong"

Whilst only my German cars have given me that inherent quality 'feel' you get being in a German car cockpit and the feel you get from the drive. The in, wrap around feel good "in it" like this car was made for you.

So i'm looking at
X5, Q7, ML, RX450h, or equivalent estates from the same marques.

I guess I was bitten hard by my Merc, despite the Audi only requiring service items my merc had a litany of issues and started becoming ruinous. Yet it was probably the nicest place I've had in a car as it combined Lexus levels of refinement with that innate German 'feel'. Maybe I should give them another go? Or on the averages do they tend to be more troublesome?

At £10k price ranges milage and age often prohibit the purchase of a third party warranty to ease the peace of mind.

Edited by RupertNuetron on Friday 17th March 15:13

Edited by RupertNuetron on Friday 17th March 15:14

[Harveybw]

I bought a 2010 RX450h as dog/mountain bike wagon and can wholeheartedly recommend it.
I've had newer German/British 4x4's and whilst all lovely in their own way, the Lexus is just great at what it does. It was meant to last a few months and now I use it every day and don't want to part with it.

Super comfortable (I'm 6.1), really quiet, loaded with kit that still works and it's built incredibly well also.
It's not an off roader and pretty boring to drive, but dealt with snow no issue. Fairy good turn of speed when needed. Quickly got used to the cvt box also, which I think is great and suits the car after DSG boxes from VAG.

At the budget you have, it's what would get my vote.

[ARHarh]

Having now owned my RX350h for 6 years and 80k miles my money would be buying an RX450h.

But in reality if I had £10k to spend. I would save £10k and keep the RX350h

[ZX10R NIN]

If you want a luxury SUV for 10k take a good look at the Infiniti QX70 they're sensible on road tax, well highly spec'd (adaptive cruise heated/air cooled seats etc)as well as reliable but check the boot as they're not the biggest.

QX70 GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301063...

FX 37:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301263...

FX30D these are the pre facelift to the QX70 & are just as well spec'd but they're £600 road tax.

[Terzo123]

Slightly outside you parameters, and not quite as luxurious as their German counterparts, but bang for buck really decent value

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023021342...

Or if you are feeling brave and can live with the older model

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023031452...

[RupertNuetron]

ZX10R NIN said:

If you want a luxury SUV for 10k take a good look at the Infiniti QX70 they're sensible on road tax, well highly spec'd (adaptive cruise heated/air cooled seats etc)as well as reliable but check the boot as they're not the biggest.

QX70 GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301063...

FX 37:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301263...

FX30D these are the pre facelift to the QX70 & are just as well spec'd but they're £600 road tax.

Loving that left field suggestion - will be adding Infiniti to the research list. TY.

Edited by RupertNuetron on Friday 17th March 21:00

[RupertNuetron]

Terzo123 said:

Slightly outside you parameters, and not quite as luxurious as their German counterparts, but bang for buck really decent value

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023021342...

Or if you are feeling brave and can live with the older model

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023031452...

Tempting isn't it, I did have an initial peruse at Jeep - a lot of the money right? I think I was an American in a previous life (minus the wars) as jeep resonate my inner American but just tooo 4x4'y and the reliability index is just too much of a concern for my practical head.

[agent006]

SUV or estate? Why not have both in one car?

Volvo XC70:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303064...

[ZX10R NIN]

RupertNuetron said:

ZX10R NIN said:

If you want a luxury SUV for 10k take a good look at the Infiniti QX70 they're sensible on road tax, well highly spec'd (adaptive cruise heated/air cooled seats etc)as well as reliable but check the boot as they're not the biggest.

QX70 GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301063...

FX 37:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301263...

FX30D these are the pre facelift to the QX70 & are just as well spec'd but they're £600 road tax.

Loving that left field suggestion - will be adding Infiniti to the research list. TY.

Edited by RupertNuetron on Friday 17th March 21:00

No problem I forgot to add the link to the 30d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302084...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211131...

I forgot to add that all the diesels are ULEZ/CAZ compliant, I have family & friends with these so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[JQ]

I wanted a Jeep Grand Cherokee, went to test drive one and was shocked at how small the boot was for such a large car.

Ended up with an XC70 and absolutely love it. The D5 engine is quite spritely and in SE Lux trim it’s got everything you need.

[ZX10R NIN]

Estate wise the E350cdi is the pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301313...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302264...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

[QJumper]

RupertNuetron said:

At £10k price ranges milage and age often prohibit the purchase of a third party warranty to ease the peace of mind.

I was in the same position 18 months ago, wanting a luxury SUV but also wanting reliability and peace of mind. At bang on £10k I bought a 2009 Lexus RX450h with 95k miles, partly because of their reputation for reliability, but also because Lexus offer a 10yr plus extended warranty for cars over 10yrs old up to 15yrs old and 150k miles. For an RX it costs around £550 year and seems to cover everything bar consumables and the infotainment system, and includes UK and European AA cover for yourself and an additional named driver. Naturally it has to be serviced by Lexus to maintain the warranty, but their prices aren't too bad, and so it seemed pretty good value to me.

As with any car that age, give the underside, sills, wheels arches etc a good look over for any signs of excessive corrosion beyond surface rust, as that will turn even the most reliable car into a money pit. The good thing about an SUV is that if it's in reasonable shape it's easy to spray the underside wiith something like ACF-50 or Dynax rust treatments once a year, without having to get the car on ramps.

[georgeyboy12345]

What about a 3.0d Jaguar XF Sportbrake?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303085...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302114...

[Sc0tchland]

ZX10R NIN said:

No problem I forgot to add the link to the 30d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302084...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211131...

I forgot to add that all the diesels are ULEZ/CAZ compliant, I have family & friends with these so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Hey ZX10, the new ULEZ zone which comes into effect in Glasgow in June is Euro 4 Petrol / Euro 6 Diesel, no option for charge, just straight fine if you go into the city centre with none compliant car

[ZX10R NIN]

Sc0tchland said:

Hey ZX10, the new ULEZ zone which comes into effect in Glasgow in June is Euro 4 Petrol / Euro 6 Diesel, no option for charge, just straight fine if you go into the city centre with none compliant car

Well the 3.0d is compliant so if Glasgow is using the same criteria then the Infiniti passes.

[ALawson]

Thoughts on the newer BlueTec ones, is the NOX and Adblue a big issue in terms of likelihood of occurrence?

ZX10R NIN said:

Estate wise the E350cdi is the pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301313...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302264...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

[ooid]

You can find a good GL class (post 2011 and 3.0 GL350 CDI V6) around 10k. I had it for a short time, a bit big but loved it. I would also go for RX450h though for the peace of mind but I think big GL class also quite reliable.

Here is a link (I have not heard anything catastrophic on these engines, v8 ones might be better though, twin turbo and etc?)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209240...

Edited by ooid on Sunday 19th March 20:20

[ZX10R NIN]

ALawson said:

Thoughts on the newer BlueTec ones, is the NOX and Adblue a big issue in terms of likelihood of occurrence?

ZX10R NIN said:

Estate wise the E350cdi is the pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301313...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302264...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

It does seem to be something to be aware of but it's not a prolific issue.

[ooid]

ZX10R NIN,

I assume these are the same engine (architecture) on the GL Class earlier I posted. Do you have any views on GL on long term use, apart from the fact they are nightmare to park! I really loved them...

[LightningBlue]

I’m also into hiking for photography and a bit of mountain biking and I can fit my bike in the boot of my saloon Volvo S60 along with a load of camera equipment, albeit with the rear seats down to accommodate the bike, so I wouldn’t rule out a different body style. Obviously an estate would be more practical but unless you’re planning to sleep in it on location hatchbacks, saloons or maybe even some coupes could work for you too.