I think the answer is an RX450h ?

[Dg504]

Time to replace the car and I think I know the answer but enjoy browsing the classifieds & AT so much that my mind is never made up!

I need/want;

- live in zone 2 London and work just out so mainly used daily for 7 miles each way to work (20/30/40 and a mile of 50mph suburbia, flowing rather than stop start) mpg not really an issue. Live on a street so no charging option. Will also cycle soon but will still drive twice a week.

- do like having a bit of power when needed. Current car is an aero saab which is no 0-60 demon but once rolling feels nicely adequate in everyday life

- weekends away as family are at least 100 miles each way

- holiday to France a year with a mrs and 3 yrs olds kit in tow. Tow bar bike rack will probably be purchased soon

- don’t really want a 2.0 diesel anything. Are any 3.0 diesels standing out as reliable? Would need to be Ulez and happy with usage profile.

- ideally doesn’t need garage visits other than MOT along with a service and consumables

Current searches open are;

RX450h SE-L for the toys (3rd gen to keep insurance sensible)

Mk6 golf gti plus a roof box for two weeks a year

Jag xf 3.0 s/c - there’s a purple one for sale that’s been on for a while

Volvo v60 though the petrols all appear a bit gutless on paper

C63 estates (facelift so headbolts are ok) are the F it, get one while I can option

Audi S4/5 sportback with the 3.0l

Tight me would like to spend £5-8k and have a stress free life not worrying about the car and lavish it each service time to whatever it needs. The Saab is perfect in that respect - it just troops on. Though could spend up to £20k. Will likely keep for 5+ years as although I still love everything about cars, life is far too busy and priorities change

[ZX10R NIN]

At 8k I'd be buying one of these, they'll do everything you require are ULEZ compliant & a very nice place to be.

QX70:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410175...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507094...

RX450h:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202506243...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507314...

QX50:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505172...

You can land a top spec last of the line QX70 for inbetween the top of your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503260...

These are also a good buy at around 15k & you'll get one wit 1 year AUC warranty that you can extend:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507254...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508045...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507254...

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 24th August 13:49

[Matt_T]

I think that I'd avoid older diesels if you are doing 7 miles a day. For most cars the DPF replacement is £3000 , so if you do get one, try to find one with the DPF done.

At your budget there is a lot to be said for simple Japanese / Korean petrols.

Mazda CX-5s are really nice cars, as are Honda CR-Vs. With the CR-Vs I think that the 1.5 petrol has some reliability issues but the 1.6 diesel is bombproof (tbc).

Edited by Matt_T on Sunday 24th August 17:29

Edited by Matt_T on Sunday 24th August 17:33

[ARHarh]

I owned an rx400hh for 8 years. Took it from 85k at 9 years old to 170k at 17 years old. It gave us no trouble at all. Just service and consumables really. A couple of ball joints and hand brake cables were the only non service items needed. Check you like the feel of the gearbox as most don't like them, never had an issue my self. a year later and it's still being used daily as we see it sometimes.

[Sheepshanks]

Don’t know if it’s sorted now but didn’t RX450’s get whacked by high insurance costs?

[addey]

We've recently bought a '67 plate RX450h and the insurance was a bit of a shock! Quotes were coming out over £1100 but have ended up paying £750 (mainly by initially adding it to my current insurance then buying the new policy 4 weeks out from renewal date) Its a great car though, comfortable, quiet and spacious. We've been getting around 38mpg average and did ~1600miles around Europe a few weeks back. I've still got a search saved on autotrader with alerts and there are 1-2 popping up for sale daily (2013-16 year cars), which to me feels like quite a high turnover so maybe the insurance costs are impacting people?

[Pickle_Rick]

Sheepshanks said:

Don’t know if it’s sorted now but didn’t RX450’s get whacked by high insurance costs?

Yeah, easy to nick, and the cats get stolen (esp as precious metals prices are on the up).

Lovely cars, but I sure as hell wouldn't own one in London with on street parking.

[ilikejam]

Agree with ZX that the QX70 is a great shout. Very comfy with lots of tech and I always think the photos never do the interior justice as to how nice it is inside. Decent power from the V6, however it was top end tax bracket when we had an FX - not sure if QX70 is different. Controversially I think they're looking better as they get older! (or maybe it's just me getting older....)

[ZX10R NIN]

ilikejam said:

Agree with ZX that the QX70 is a great shout. Very comfy with lots of tech and I always think the photos never do the interior justice as to how nice it is inside. Decent power from the V6, however it was top end tax bracket when we had an FX - not sure if QX70 is different. Controversially I think they're looking better as they get older! (or maybe it's just me getting older....)

The QX range is the lower tax (around £400) bracket the FX was the top rate, I always wondered why seeing as they had the same drivetrain.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Monday 25th August 14:07

[Doc_Love]

We had a similar situation a few months ago. We looked at 3.0 Audi Q5's, Volvo XC60 D5's, RX450h and BMW X3. Likewise shorter ULEZ journeys, odd longer trip once a month and wanted a bit of power to enjoy/pull a caravan.

RX came 2nd. Just lacked a bit of character. Ended up with..... A jap import XC60 T6!

What a machine. Comfort, power and no worrying about Hybrid batteries or DPF's!

[ARHarh]

Doc_Love said:

We had a similar situation a few months ago. We looked at 3.0 Audi Q5's, Volvo XC60 D5's, RX450h and BMW X3. Likewise shorter ULEZ journeys, odd longer trip once a month and wanted a bit of power to enjoy/pull a caravan.

RX came 2nd. Just lacked a bit of character. Ended up with..... A jap import XC60 T6!

What a machine. Comfort, power and no worrying about Hybrid batteries or DPF's!

No need to worry about Toyota hybrid batteries, they will easily outlast the car.

[Mark83]

Pickle_Rick said:

Yeah, easy to nick, and the cats get stolen (esp as precious metals prices are on the up).

Lovely cars, but I sure as hell wouldn't own one in London with on street parking.

Yep. Easily stolen and I recall one of the most stolen cars. Next door had theirs stolen off their drive while they slept and it was literally gone in 60 seconds despite keys in a faraday pouch and the house secured. The wiring required to steal is easily accessed just by pulling the front bumper out.

[chip*]

Mark83 said:

Pickle_Rick said:

Yeah, easy to nick, and the cats get stolen (esp as precious metals prices are on the up).

Lovely cars, but I sure as hell wouldn't own one in London with on street parking.

Yep. Easily stolen and I recall one of the most stolen cars. Next door had theirs stolen off their drive while they slept and it was literally gone in 60 seconds despite keys in a faraday pouch and the house secured. The wiring required to steal is easily accessed just by pulling the front bumper out.

OP is looking at a 3rd Gen which should be fine i.e. the 4th Gen (15-22) are targets with the thieves accessing the canbus by the headlights.

However, it seems the car thieves have found another way to steal the current RX/UX models via the tailgate!

https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/1522...

[andy43]

chip* said:

Mark83 said:

Pickle_Rick said:

Yeah, easy to nick, and the cats get stolen (esp as precious metals prices are on the up).

Lovely cars, but I sure as hell wouldn't own one in London with on street parking.

Yep. Easily stolen and I recall one of the most stolen cars. Next door had theirs stolen off their drive while they slept and it was literally gone in 60 seconds despite keys in a faraday pouch and the house secured. The wiring required to steal is easily accessed just by pulling the front bumper out.

OP is looking at a 3rd Gen which should be fine i.e. the 4th Gen (15-22) are targets with the thieves accessing the canbus by the headlights.

However, it seems the car thieves have found another way to steal the current RX/UX models via the tailgate!

https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/1522...

Yes 3rd gen are bulletproof compared to the later cars.
4th gen are in the UKs top ten most stolen as they can be taken inside 30 seconds via the headlight ecu, and the latest 5th gen which were supposedly fixed are being taken via the tailgate wiring - some thieves carry an oval UK sticker to cover the hole while it’s being driven to the shipping container. Tailgate replacements are taking months.