Best car choices?

Now that would scare the little ladies in their Micra's....then again maybe they would like to join in :)
 
Toyota Hilux Surf. I had a 3.0tdi one and it was brilliant. A true work horse and just kept going with years of abuse:D

I sold it last year and it's still going today with over 400k miles on the clock.
 
There you go. Scary machine. Room to sleep in the back. 100% guaranteed no engine problems. Under 10K and excellent depreciation. Babe magnet (see that hot totty).

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PatrickO said:
There you go. Scary machine. Room to sleep in the back. 100% guaranteed no engine problems. Under 10K and excellent depreciation. Babe magnet (see that hot totty).

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At first glance I thought they were transporting the large metal railings!

:coat:


.
 
PatrickO said:
There you go. Scary machine. Room to sleep in the back. 100% guaranteed no engine problems. Under 10K and excellent depreciation. Babe magnet (see that hot totty).

IMG_5950.JPG
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I don't think he could handle all that power, plus those tyres look very vulnerable to his favourite past time of kerbing. ;) Those brakes look like cheap Chinese copies too. Other than that it's just perfect for him. :)
 
I think you need an original 850cc Mini. You could maintain it yourself as they are mechanically straightforward, so wouldn't need to use any of those untrustworthy garages.
 
TBH you would be better off with one of these, multi-purpose jobbies.
Dig the garden during the week, and take the family out at week-ends (y)

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Right - I think I have 3 main contenders: Volvo XC90 (~04-06) vs VW Tuareg (04-06; auto) vs Honda CR-V (08+; manual; probably high mile low spec)

Is there anything I should be aware and did I miss anything even better around this price bracket?

P.S. I reckon X5 is a pretty daring option. Servicing will be far more just because of the badge, problems with turbo, and I will be called a c*** by pretty much everyone at work. I will obviously look out for some real bargains since I am in no hurry to spend the cash.

onomatopoeia said:
I think you need an original 850cc Mini. You could maintain it yourself as they are mechanically straightforward, so wouldn't need to use any of those untrustworthy garages.
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I'll have that as a coffee table for my garden :)
 
Vw with the v10 diesel or the xc90 with t6
 
I'd have either. Possibly slight preference for the Volvo. I wouldn't want the crv
 
dejongj said:
I'd have either. Possibly slight preference for the Volvo. I wouldn't want the crv
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What's wrong with good spec CR-V? I guess auto is just too out of date, and manual is plain annoying to drive in town or twisty roads.
 
Too me. Too small, too old fashioned, lack of capability, not a great Diesel engine, old fashioned interior, spec not luxurious enough. Ultimately it is a Honda, great for blue and pink rinse but that is it.
 
There are some real horror stories on autotrader. Propshaft, gearbox, turbo, electrical faults all round at astronomical cost. Honda comes out as fairly reliable and clearly more economic... 0 to 60 is also the best at only 10.3s (vs 13-14s).

edit: Can I attach jolly roger flags to make Honda look more 'dangerous'? Also orange flashing roof lights and speakerphone to shout at cyclists?
 
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There are horror stories for anything. Honda has a reputation for reliability I agree, whether it is true I'm not sure. To me it just doesn't have any street presence, to me you may as well get an Honda Accord estate and enjoy a better drive.

Take a look at honest john regarding the models you are interested in.
 
I'll need to test drive EX spec Honda for a start before I make up my mind. 10.3s, better mpg and far lower costs do mean a lot at the end of the day. Then we can look in to VW / Volvo monsters.

dejongj said:
There are horror stories for anything. Honda has a reputation for reliability I agree, whether it is true I'm not sure. To me it just doesn't have any street presence, to me you may as well get an Honda Accord estate and enjoy a better drive.

Take a look at honest john regarding the models you are interested in.
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I have 0 interest in 'regular' size cars right now. I've driven my dad's estate over weekend and I can't say I enjoyed the relatively low seating position at all. My Toledo hatch is also better on boot space, so I can't see how it can bettered by anything but an SUV.
 
I can understand that. A crv is very low compared to the other two.
 
dejongj said:
I can understand that. A crv is very low compared to the other two.
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I'd say it's tall enough just by looking at them on the street. The rear space and rear seat folding is something that will get scrutinised in the coming weeks. It's a shame about their auto box though.

Peter B said:
Forget the diesel and go for a cheap Subaru Forester. The turbo is the exciting one @ 25mpg, but the non-turbo with the all weather pack is OK at about 30mpg.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/subaru/forester
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Petrol, and particularly naturally aspirated petrols don't interest me at all due to low torque and lots of noise at reasonable revs.
 
ST4 said:
A Honda is about as exciting as a hot point dish washer. Get the Volvo, vw or a land cruiser
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10.3s to 60mph (i.e. less than mine), and tight turning circle suggest it's OK. Surely a good test drive is coming before I believe any of the reviews. I hear Volvo requires 5-point turns around the bends and Tuareg takes almost 14s to 60 (Clio territory) if we believe the internet. X5 3.0D should better that but at what price.

P.S. Are you back from Greece?
 
Nowt wrong with a Honda....Unless reliability and good mpg and reliability, O and did I mention reliability......Granted the CRV in the age range is not an exciting car but still the benefits outweigh that for me.

I have a shogun, had them for the last 17 years and all three have never missed a beat and only issue was on my 9 year old one the aircon pump sheared a pin in the drive assembly - done under extended warranty...

Have you considered the CO2 and taxation classes of these big older diesels......its not pretty
 
daugirdas said:
10.3s to 60mph (i.e. less than mine), and tight turning circle suggest it's OK. Surely a good test drive is coming before I believe any of the reviews. I hear Volvo requires 5-point turns around the bends and Tuareg takes almost 14s to 60 (Clio territory) if we believe the internet. X5 3.0D should better that but at what price.

P.S. Are you back from Greece?
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Nope. In Italy now:)

Toureg, x5, Volvo. They're just nicer
 
sx_turbo said:
toyota landcruiser 3.0TD
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I'll be honest - it is a very nice car, but it is certainly too pricey for me considering it is '04 reg.

ST4 said:
Nope. In Italy now:)

Toureg, x5, Volvo. They're just nicer
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Ok, how can I *properly* test drive them (the older models I am looking at)? I don't want to end up with something I'll hate.

I fear the Volvo will be a severe downgrade in terms of handling from the current car. I don't drive on motorways much, and I don't do proper offroading, and it is no good for regular A and B roads so I don't think it is optimal for me. There is Sport version which I would certainly want to address these issues, but they are pretty rare and pricey.

Tuareg - still considering one, but I really need to address servicing / reliability issues. Dealers would bankrupt me on parts. Do you know any affordable independents that would bring it back in line with servicing costs of a regular car, not a fighter jet? Did you say 3.0 TDI is not much good in pre '08 models? It is certainly the only one that appeals on performance / economy.

X5 - pretty much the same and far worse economy, awful auto box. I am ruling this one out.

Tiguan - nice for everyday driving but small boot kind of fails it. I'd rather get a CRV.
 
audi a4 all road or a6 all road?

problem is your list of must haves doesn't give you many options. the money you have doesn't give you many options.

crv's are awful in terms of interior luxury, and there pretty poor off the beaten track.

the more premium the badge the more both parts and servicing are, and the higher potential for faults, because the premuim badged cars have more gadgets for refinement, this is reflected in the cost of servicing and parts, and when you read forums at what goes wrong with premium badged cars, it is and can be very frightening.

a big problem with the reliability side of things is servicing, rather a lack of, because like yourself, a lot of people out there wish for a premium vehicle (rightly so aswell its each individuals choice), a lot of people can can afford to buy the premium vehicle, and then when it comes to servicing they baulk at the costs and then, to make the servicing affordable they cut corners, start missing things, eg: gearbox oil and filter changes, and the cycle continues. (the above is not directly aimed at you, but i see servicing costs mentioned earlier, and looking for cheaper alternatives)
 
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sx_turbo said:
audi a4 all road or a6 all road?

problem is your list of must haves doesn't give you many options. the money you have doesn't give you many options.

crv's are awful in terms of interior luxury, and there pretty poor off the beaten track.

the more premium the badge the more both parts and servicing are, and the higher potential for faults, because the premuim badged cars have more gadgets for refinement, this is reflected in the cost of servicing and parts, and when you read forums at what goes wrong with premium badged cars, it is and can be very frightening.

a big problem with the reliability side of things is servicing, rather a lack of, because like yourself, a lot of people out there wish for a premium vehicle (rightly so aswell its each individuals choice), a lot of people can can afford to buy the premium vehicle, and then when it comes to servicing they baulk at the costs and then, to make the servicing affordable they cut corners, start missing things, eg: gearbox oil and filter changes, and the cycle continues. (the above is not directly aimed at you, but i see servicing costs mentioned earlier, and looking for cheaper alternatives)
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CRV EX model will be just fine for "luxury" considering what I'm upgrading from. ES / SE maybe not so much... no auto is the biggest drawback. It doesn't look like I've got more sensible options, maybe except RAV4.

A6 is a wonderful car, but not for me. I don't like low seating position. When I get closer to becoming a pensioner I might look into them again. I am more likely to buy Altea XL freetrack 2.0TDI but frankly it is almost the same as I've got already. Maybe if there is only a minimal cost in upgrading...
 
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Have you considered a Mercedes ML? I guess a Porsche Cayenne is out as for that age it is petrol only.

I wouldn't be worried about servicing. Plenty of good independent garages about.
 
dejongj said:
Have you considered a Mercedes ML? I guess a Porsche Cayenne is out as for that age it is petrol only.

I wouldn't be worried about servicing. Plenty of good independent garages about.
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ML looks great but isn't it worse than Land Rover for reliability? And £500 VED is hardly good value for all that measly co2. Tuareg is pretty much the same as cayenne, as long as it's better than 2.5l

I am concerned about servicing, or more specifically repairs since parts are mighty expensive. If I knew car was as reliable as land cruiser that would be great.
 
Where do you get those ved figures from? They seem very high. I thought pre 2006 models were in a different category.

Personally I think your fear of servicing and parts is unjustified, but it doesn't matter what my view/Experience is since you need to be comfortable with it it.

I wouldn't compromise on auto box, lack of luxury ambience and driving pleasure. But if those are the categories you are happy to compromise on, then naturally that is fine for you.
 
dejongj said:
Where do you get those ved figures from? They seem very high. I thought pre 2006 models were in a different category.

Personally I think your fear of servicing and parts is unjustified, but it doesn't matter what my view/Experience is since you need to be comfortable with it it.

I wouldn't compromise on auto box, lack of luxury ambience and driving pleasure. But if those are the categories you are happy to compromise on, then naturally that is fine for you.
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I think I did a quick look on Parkers for VED. I may have looked at different year.

Let's say I had an absolute pig of a car before, so I don't want to repeat it with something far more expensive. The choice for 1.9TDI engine in the current car didn't come as accident...
Lack of reliability can hit in 2 ways : 1) money, 2) time off work. Both are just as bad IMHO.

Since I've never owned a really luxury car, I am pretty sure a top spec Honda would do for me. Auto box is a more serious one. VW has the best boxes (the DSG one in '07 +) and that would point me to Tiguan / Yeti. Small boot space vs manual...

Maybe I will get lucky with land crusier one day. I'll keep an eye on them.
 
What about the Nissan patrol is suggested earlier. Rock solid reliability :) and a nicer cabin than a crv from that year.
 
dejongj said:
What about the Nissan patrol is suggested earlier. Rock solid reliability :) and a nicer cabin than a crv from that year.
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Superb off-road ability, huge road presence, ideal workhorse, practically indestructible
Unrefined on-road, heavy steering, spongy brakes, dated inside, noisy engine
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from Parkers
0 to 60 in 14.9s

CRV.

Great in corners, unique styling, superb build quality, excellent diesel engine, refined
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That I really like

Not really an off-road vehicle, firm ride, no seven seat option
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Still far better for muddy paved single track road to Elgol in the winter / school zones than my current car.

It only needs to descend / ascend safely on paved muddy / icy 20% inclines. No further off-roading needed.
 
How about a Shogun. CRV no 1 in Honest Johns top ten 4x4 under £10000
 
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I think you need to go out into the real world and drive some :) stop reading those paper specs and looking at pictures. It will soon become clear :)

But hey if you honestly like the CRV go for one. I don't agree it fits with your original requirements but hey your rules and you can bend them :)
 
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