SUV For Under £5k?

[don logan1]

Hi all,

I need something roomy for kids and camping stuff, preferably AWD, budget is £5k. Needs to be reliable as will be driving through Europe this year.

I know the below options don't deserve mention in the 'Off Road' forum, but thought this would be the place to at least ask opinions on some of these crossovers.

Looking on Autotrader, realistic options are as follows:

CR-V
Old Shogun
Jeep of some description
Subaru Forester/Outback
Rav4
X- Trail
Santa Fe
Outlander
Kia Sorrento/Sportage

It needs to last a couple of years and stand up to a bit of rough treatment on tracks and in the snow. I'm aware of the off road limitations with the above models (Shogun excepted), and have owned full on mud pluggers before.

I don't know anything about Jeep Grand Cherokees, Patriots, etc. are they as unreliable as you hear, or have Jeep come on a bit in the last few years?

Likewise with Subaru Forester- I quite like these, but don't know anything about them. How's the reliability on a 10yr old sub 100k miles model?

Most of the others I've read up on and they seem ok in terms of reliability, which is the main factor. On the subject of reliability- I take it that considering a LR of any description would be worth steering clear of (Disco 3, Freelander)?

I know that Kia have come on a lot of late, but am unsure of whether a 10 yr old one is likely to give fault free driving for a couple of years.

Thanks for any advice.

[don logan1]

psychoR1 said:

""I don't know anything about Jeep Grand Cherokees, Patriots, etc. are they as unreliable as you hear, or have Jeep come on a bit in the last few years?""

Not sure where that comes from but I have probably 80k miles in Grand Cherokee's petrol and diseasel with no reliability issues. IMHO theyre well built tough vehicles and £5k buys you a lot of Jeep. They're easy to work on, easy to get parts for and there is a huge amount of advice from the US forums.

No experience of a patriot tho'

Thanks. These actually seem pretty reliable from looking around online. Any issues with buying a 100k miles+ one? And is the autobox made by Mercedes as well as the engine?

Edited by don logan1 on Saturday 15th June 16:34

[don logan1]

psychoR1 said:

Yes the engine is the merc v6 single turbo diesel 3.0. I think 218 brake as std and remapable. Does anywhere between 23 and 30mpg as std.

Only issues seem to be the swirl flap motor which sits under the turbo at the back of the V but can be bridged out with a resistor if it fails and oil leaks from the oil cooler that sits in the middle of the V - that can have leaky O rings that make it a £500 job at a friendly garage or a long diy job if youre good on the spanners.

Gearbox is indeed the merc 5 speed auto - the same box is used in the hemi and the SRT - generally thought to be reliable. Axles are by Jeep and also seem pretty reliable.

I think the main thing to look for is oil leaks, the body should be good as they don't seem to rust. Sometimes the rear subframe can get a bit scabby so maybe look at that also and the usual on brakes etc as its a heavy car.

Thanks for that. It's on the short list.


Also now considering a Subaru Outback (3L petrol). Seems to offer a lot of car for sub £5k, AWD and great to drive. Completely different to a Grand Cherokee, I know, but capable enough off road for what i'd ask of it, plus they seem to be very reliable too. Only reason I can think of to go for the Jeep instead is for 4x4 pay and play days, but these would be few and far between. Anyone know much about the Outback? Looking online, there's a choice of 3.0 R and 3.0 Rn, but i can't work out the differences, not that i've really looked into it yet. Anyway, £5k gets a 10-12 yr old model with under 100k on the clock, so looking tempting...