What SUV upto £7k

[Watchman]

cj2013 said:

Watchman said:

Maybe it's the "10 year old car" thing. I tend to target newer cars - typically half that age.

Nearer warranty and bit higher in price, marque dependent, and you have more security.


Look at this, for example - I must be finding all the dodgy listings, but I sure as hell wouldn't turn up expecting it to exist at the price shown

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-10-Volvo-XC60-2-4-...




edit: Reported the listing as found the original car here - https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=ca...

Not sure what the benefit of these ads is, unless it's to prey on people who are so desperate for a bargain that they are prepared to buy without viewing

Edited by cj2013 on Saturday 10th November 22:34

That's really odd. I can't see what the benefit of that would be either.

I always call the dealer first anyway and discuss the car. I would assume during that conversation, the "error" in that listing would crop up.

Having said that, I never buy cars off eBay. There are a few dealerships I'd return to that I have bought from before, so I usually have a quick look at their sites and then Autotrader.

I have also bought successfully off a PH classified once before.

My past 4 cars have cost between £10K and £30K (the lower one was a lucky buy) and I expect a car to last me 5 years, so I'm looking for lowish miles, good condition and signs of sympathetic service history first.

Age is secondary these days as cars don't rust like they used to. Having said that, spec is usually dictated by age - the newer ones having the better satnavs and lighting but I know which cars I'm after and what year the various spec-items came into play so I'll start there.

Someone suggested £7K is too low for an SUV. I am partly in agreement but it depends whether you expect to buy and not have to spend again for x-years. If you can get an "honest" car with known faults that you're prepared to get around to over the next few months, I reckon you could buy well. As I mentioned on page 1, I sold a good ML for £7K. It had some faults which I was honest about. None stopped the car from starting and driving but one should be looked at before Winter (preheat plugs - probably only 1 - or maybe battery), another was an intermittent turbo issue which would cost £1000 for an exchange and could be left until the intermittent issue became more regular.

Other than that, it was mint, and really strong. No knocks anywhere and perfect wheels.

[cj2013]

Watchman said:

That's really odd. I can't see what the benefit of that would be either.

I always call the dealer first anyway and discuss the car. I would assume during that conversation, the "error" in that listing would crop up.

Having said that, I never buy cars off eBay. There are a few dealerships I'd return to that I have bought from before, so I usually have a quick look at their sites and then Autotrader.

I have also bought successfully off a PH classified once before.

My past 4 cars have cost between £10K and £30K (the lower one was a lucky buy) and I expect a car to last me 5 years, so I'm looking for lowish miles, good condition and signs of sympathetic service history first.

Age is secondary these days as cars don't rust like they used to. Having said that, spec is usually dictated by age - the newer ones having the better satnavs and lighting but I know which cars I'm after and what year the various spec-items came into play so I'll start there.

Someone suggested £7K is too low for an SUV. I am partly in agreement but it depends whether you expect to buy and not have to spend again for x-years. If you can get an "honest" car with known faults that you're prepared to get around to over the next few months, I reckon you could buy well. As I mentioned on page 1, I sold a good ML for £7K. It had some faults which I was honest about. None stopped the car from starting and driving but one should be looked at before Winter (preheat plugs - probably only 1 - or maybe battery), another was an intermittent turbo issue which would cost £1000 for an exchange and could be left until the intermittent issue became more regular.

Other than that, it was mint, and really strong. No knocks anywhere and perfect wheels.

You can also get newer cars that cost twice as much as older ones, but have half the spec. In terms of the '60 and RX400h, both can (and do) come with Sat Nav and all the gubbins. The RX has a much more dated interior, but they are cars which are 10 years old, but the only real difference is that they don't necessarily have an arbitrary tablet glued to the centre console.

In terms of engines, the reality is (due to the way the european emissions work), an older one is likely to be a more reliable car than a newer one, as diesels and petrols become more fragile with each new emissions tech that comes in.

Low miles, for me, is not an appeal. That's pretty much based on experience though, as the high-miler Volvo owners tended to rely on their cars more and, as such, looked after them more. The low-milers didn't, and so were more reluctant to get time-based maintenance done because "it has only done x miles" (which includes belts, cracking tyres and so on). For example, buying a D5-engined Volvo that has done under 100 is not guaranteed to have had the more expensive routine maintenance done, such as the timing belt & water pump (6y/108k). If you buy one at 130k/7 years old, chances are you're picking up a motor that's just run in and has passed the big bills - the equivalent feeling of rolling past Mayfair and Park Lane on a Monopoly Board and passing 'Go'.

I do find it out-of-touch that someone could think that you can't buy a used SUV for £7k. It sounds like something you'd expect from someone who would pay a handyman to change a light bulb. I've bought and owned reliable SUVs for £600. Perhaps the plausibility of reliability is intrinsically linked to a person's ability to maintain a car beyond an annual service?

[Watchman]

cj2013 said:

I do find it out-of-touch that someone could think that you can't buy a used SUV for £7k. It sounds like something you'd expect from someone who would pay a handyman to change a light bulb. I've bought and owned reliable SUVs for £600. Perhaps the plausibility of reliability is intrinsically linked to a person's ability to maintain a car beyond an annual service?

Ah, but there are different types of owners. I *know* that you can buy an SUV for £7K but the question thereafter is what are your expectations in regard to running it. If you treat a car as an on-going project (as I do) and expect to keep it healthy with regular/appropriate maintenance and parts then you won't be disappointed. But we all work with people who expect to do nothing to their cars except pour fuel into it every so often. It sounds like you're a "project car" type of person, as am I. You'll be fine with an SUV. Get one with a V6 diesel. They're great - I've had 2 so far.

[cj2013]

Watchman said:

Ah, but there are different types of owners. I *know* that you can buy an SUV for £7K but the question thereafter is what are your expectations in regard to running it. If you treat a car as an on-going project (as I do) and expect to keep it healthy with regular/appropriate maintenance and parts then you won't be disappointed. But we all work with people who expect to do nothing to their cars except pour fuel into it every so often. It sounds like you're a "project car" type of person, as am I. You'll be fine with an SUV. Get one with a V6 diesel. They're great - I've had 2 so far.

I'm just a bit disappointed that there is no caveat /elaboration involved in such a statement, though - e.g. "If you can't do basic maintenance, you'll find a lease cheaper", which could be very true. If, however a person is capable of pretty much rebuilding a car from component parts, £7k is plenty.

The only exceptions to that rule are some of the more problematic luxury cars, like VWs, which have horrific issues with gearboxes and mechatronics, or engine-out style designs - things which require specialist tools, knowledge and more than just driveway space.

The D5 is generally a decent lump, so I'm swaying towards that on a '60. I still have one eye on the RX400h, but the insurance is surprisingly high (quotes equated to around £600pa, when nearly everything I have insured and got quotes on is nearer £300) and there appear to be issues with adapting the stereo to modern standards (aux in/bluetooth). I'm also not going to rule out the CX-7 if one appears locally and temptingly priced.

[WhiskyDisco]

This '09 RX400h at £7.5k would be my choice.

I ran one for three years and thought it was a brilliantly engineered car.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...

This one has had a cambelt change and four new tyres.

Of the many SUVs that you could get into this is one that you could buy and dodge a bullet on the maintenance and large costs when things go bang.

[ZX10R NIN]

Or there's a nice XC90 but it's a bit over budget.

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

[cj2013]

ZX10R NIN said:

Or there's a nice XC90 but it's a bit over budget.

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

You can get them much cheaper, but they're in the same category as other "luxury" cars - not so cheap to maintain or run

[SlowV6]

WhiskyDisco said:

This '09 RX400h at £7.5k would be my choice.

I ran one for three years and thought it was a brilliantly engineered car.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...

This one has had a cambelt change and four new tyres.

Of the many SUVs that you could get into this is one that you could buy and dodge a bullet on the maintenance and large costs when things go bang.

+1 to this particular recommendation. On the face of it this is a good price. Good MOT history of late, nice colour combination and has the ML stereo.

[cj2013]

To add a bit of closure to this....


I picked up a 2006 RX400h. Eventually felt it was the sensible choice, and fitted both my ideas of getting a Hybrid (for something different) and getting something more 'executive' with plenty of spec.

Wasn't in a rush driving back, and so drove steadily with 34psi on each corner:




Didn't think it was too bad at all! About 80% motorway. Obviously would need to throw some fuel back in to get a more accurate figure.

Went through the usual congestion and roadworks, with 40/50/60mph limits, which obviously made the mpg a bit more achievable.

[SlowV6]

Let's have a warts and all review of the 400h then please....

[cj2013]

SlowV6 said:

Let's have a warts and all review of the 400h then please....

I'll try and stick something in the "Reader's Car" bit this weekend. Will probably make it a bit of a hybrid (duality!) of a project thread and an on-going review.

It'll be interesting to see how I get on with my normal commute, as I believe the 'EV' aspect of it only kicks in once it is happy that the ICE is up to temp. It was amusingly effective/eerie driving a big heavy bulk of a car through town in complete silence earlier.

[WhiskyDisco]

cj2013 said:

To add a bit of closure to this....


I picked up a 2006 RX400h.

You've made the right choice. Congrats!

[cj2013]

WhiskyDisco said:

You've made the right choice. Congrats!

Yes, seems a completely different car in person as to what it is in photos etc. Not exactly a 'user friendly' car though - took quite a while to suss out some of the basics!

[Vimes]

Interesting choice.

I went through a similar purchasing list recently with similar budget and requirements but also need it to tow so diesel was the only real option. Ended up with a 2005 3.0 V6 TDI Touareg.

Didn’t really look at the lexus properly as I couldn’t get over the looks but interested to hear how you get on with it.

[dmsims]

Vimes said:

also need it to tow so diesel was the only real option

Not sure if serious