Advice on a ~£12k SUV please in terms of long term

[Mohass89]

Hi all,



Looking to upgrade our 2007 prius now due to a growing family,


Our budget is around £12k, was thinking of taking a car loan and selling the other two cars. Mainly looking at a "luxury" german car. The lexus rx450h's are a bit too pricey.

I have found a few options, but the one that stood out was this one (a colleague at work selling):

Mercedes ML350 CDI 3 litre diesel done 70k miles.

Really liked the look of it inside and out.

I have been out the used care buying scene for a long time and i come here for some advice.
My concerns were;

Are diesels a definite no no at the moment.
Will the cost of depreciation of these cars outweigh any positives with the car - as in, is it not a smart purchase. taking into account the pending diesel ban


Thanks a lot !

Edited by Mohass89 on Monday 1st February 10:38

[Ceeejay]

I went with a Q5 3.0 tdi, only missing a sunroof in terms of options available.

Check that the DSG gearbox has been serviced. Mine went faulty after I had placed my deposit and the dealer was getting it serviced. Cost them £3k to get sorted at a specialist, but they honoured the deal I had with them

Mine is S line and I think the ride is a little harsh with 20” wheels, but I would imagine a suspension refresh will be required not far in the future which may fix things

[Mohass89]

thanks,

really nice car congrats!

just wondering what year it is and mileage / price you got it for if you dont mind me asking.


Are you concerned about depreciation in terms of diesel ban?

[Volvolover]

If its a family car you're after for that kind of cash then https://www.the90club.co.uk/

[Ceeejay]

Mohass89 said:

thanks,

really nice car congrats!

just wondering what year it is and mileage / price you got it for if you dont mind me asking.


Are you concerned about depreciation in terms of diesel ban?

It’s a 2011 so pre facelift, with 90k miles, and got it for just under 12k... not worried about Diesel bans and depreciation. I can’t remember the last time I went near a congestion zone, and if it lasts 4 years then it’s written off financially in my mind.

[Mohass89]

good shout re volvo,

just the looks of it vs the ML mercedes for the same price is the thing.

im sure interior and space wise they look quite similar.

and spec im not too sure

[Volvolover]

Depends if it’s looks or dependability you’re after, it’s not the flashiest car but it’s bloody practical, great for a family and if looked after, damn reliable. That dealer I linked to only sells good stuff, they all have a fresh service, fresh gearbox service and new belts and tensioners as standard.

I’m hooked purely for the split tailgate on which I’ve changed my daughters nappy in hundreds of car parks, lay-bys etc all over the country Lolol

[Mohass89]

hahaha I can definitely relate to the nappy changes in the boot!

Yes i agree with you the xc90s ive heard of their reliability.

that dealer is a bit far though, i am all the way down in bournemouth. but will definitely look into the Volvo's, just noticed they have a 7 seat advantage vs the Mercedes ML too

[Volvolover]

I’m south of Birmingham but I’m telling you you won’t finder better stock than that. It’s well worth the journey, I did the deal over the phone and sent a deposit on the proviso that the car was as described, it was better and all the prep adds so much value in my view as all the big jobs are done. I can’t rate the buying experience enough.

[Mohass89]

nice,

which one did you end up getting?

[Volvolover]

I bought a 2014 D5 SE Lux with 38000 miles last august.

I like it a lot

[Volvolover]

My only real advice if you get one, don’t get the r design, it looks better (subjectively) but drives way worse

[loskie]

even though its a 12k car you will have 50k car repair bills.

You really need an Octavia Scout, Outback or Forester

[Mohass89]

loskie said:

even though its a 12k car you will have 50k car repair bills.

You really need an Octavia Scout, Outback or Forester

Really? I didnt know they were notorious for being unreliable. Thought that was mainly the range rovers

[ZX10R NIN]

Mohass89 said:

Hi all,



Looking to upgrade our 2007 prius now due to a growing family,

I have got a 2003 Lexux RX300 as a stop gap which i found locally for £1400 and I really like the SUV experience in terms of driving position and space.

Our budget is around £12k, was thinking of taking a car loan and selling the other two cars. Mainly looking at a "luxury" german car. The lexus rx450h's are a bit too pricey.

I have found a few options, but the one that stood out was this one (a colleague at work selling):

Mercedes ML350 CDI 3 litre diesel done 70k miles.

Really liked the look of it inside and out.

I have been out the used care buying scene for a long time and i come here for some advice.
My concerns were;

Are diesels a definite no no at the moment.
Will the cost of depreciation of these cars outweigh any positives with the car - as in, is it not a smart purchase. taking into account the pending diesel ban


Thanks a lot !

Firstly there's not a diesel ban coming BUT some area's have/will be introducing ULEZ zones so if you buy a diesel car it has to be Euro6, secondly it depends on how long you plan to keep the car vs incoming (this is dependent on where you live) legislation & the resultant depreciation.

Also what is you're annual mileage? What will be the bulk of journeys short/medium/long?

If it's under 10k then you really need a petrol/hybrid above this & a diesel should be fine.

If you don't mind haggling & stretching the budget then you can get a ULEZ compliant diesel SUV for just over your budget:

ML350

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006019...

Hyundai Santa Fe Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101198...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008102...

Sorento KX1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101208...

KX2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202003068...

[Jag_NE]

To be honest OP, I think you should get an estate. For 12k you can get a 2018, low miles Passat. If you are taking a long term view and need to borrow money to buy the car there’s a strong chance a 10 year old luxury SUV will become a major pain for you. Repairs and maintenance will be £££

[Volvolover]

I missed the bit about the loan.

Forget it, get a big estate for the amount of cash you can raise without a loan. Check the £5k barge thread for some ideas

[Mohass89]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I would like an estate but the mrs thinks it looks like a hearse lol so unfortunately convincing her hasn’t worked!

I’ll look at the thread you recommended