We only do bangers; help me shop newer?

bluebirdy

Hi, ageing/ailing parents mean I need a reliable, "country lanes (not off road, just hills, ice sometimes and potholes) in the dark on my own" car.

So I'm needing: high driving position, safe, comfortable and not going to let me down.

We also have lumbering 6 footer teens/young adults to ferry around. Daily driving is short trips, but regular cross country jaunts/driving to France holidays in normal times.

We have about £10k in mind so am thinking of eg. 3 year old Kia Sportage or similar with average mileage but still some warranty. Have good credit so will use 0% credit card plus cash deposit of £3-4k to save on interest costs.

Trade in is non existent- might get a few quid for ancient, creaking (but the best value car buy ever,  at £1.8k for 7 years family service) Xsara Picasso that is about to fail its next MOT. Unlikely though.

We've been burned by expensive nearly new car failure before (virtually full price Mazda 5, died completely after 8ish years), so feeling nervous about the investment. Husband wants to go back to more bangers, but I want comfort/safety/reliability since I'll be the one schlepping around in the dark.

So if you can recommend anything other than a recentish, used Far Eastern SUV so we have some ideas to compare with, we'd be grateful?
 

marlot

I'd recommend a petrol vehicle, given the short trips.
I'd look at Honda, Toyota, Kia and Hyundai.  Suzuki Vitara might be worth checking out too.
Consider an automatic - there are some good ones from those manufacturers.

BOWFER

We've had 2 x Kia Sportage, it's a good choice considering it will still have years of warranty left.
We had no problems with the diesels only doing short journeys and they gave mid 30MPG, which didn't strike me as too bad for a car of that size and us not driving with economy in mind.
I'd certainly avoid the petrol versions of those, as the fuel consumption really is horrendous.
Honda CRV would also be a good choice, legendary reliability and they hold their value well (but won't be under warranty).
Toyota RAV4, but they have got to be one of the most boring looking cars on earth.

daveyjp

Subaru Forester petrol. You may be able to get into a 2013 facelifted model for your budget.

facade

Unfortunately, subarus are known for burning more oil than a VW, and the servicing is very expensive. There are also a lot of head gasket problems. 

Stick with CRV (don't park it on the street or the catalyst will be stolen) Vitara, Sportage, Tucson etc.

There is always the Qashqai, but they are massively overpriced for what they are, and if you are after a Renault, go for a Dacia Duster.

jimbo6977

If you really don't want anything Asian, maybe a Peugeot Partner Teepee. 

jjdc

So you want reliable. SUV. Aging parents. Able to carry a car full of grownups in comfort. 

Lexus RX 450 is the only choice imo. Plenty around at £10k, good for half a million miles. 

Goudy

For reliable and fairly fuss few stick with a normally aspirated petrol and try and steer clear of turbos and diesels.

Something based on a fairly modern platform will be lighter, have better mpg and safety features than something based on older tech, so I would perhaps pass on the Honda CRV's and Toyota Rav4's your budget will get you.

Something from Kia or Hydundai is worth a look, but I would head straight to Suzuki for a 2015 onward Vitara or a 2017 onwards S Cross with the NA 1.6 pertol engine (M16A engine)

You'll find most are privately owner rather than fleet stuff, they are Tonka Toy reliable and cheap to run and service, easily 50mpg on a motorway trip if you steer clear of the Allgrip 4x4 version.

Her in doors 2017 Vitara has been ruthlessly reliable, 60,000 totally fault free miles.

Sniff out a higher spec model and it should come with excellent LED headlights that'll light up the dark lanes brilliantly and a host of safety kit like radar brake support and adaptive cruise.

BOWFER

Goudy said:

For reliable and fairly fuss few stick with a normally aspirated petrol and try and steer clear of turbos and diesels.

Something based on a fairly modern platform will be lighter, have better mpg and safety features than something based on older tech, so I would perhaps pass on the Honda CRV's and Toyota Rav4's your budget will get you.

Something from Kia or Hydundai is worth a look, but I would head straight to Suzuki for a 2015 onward Vitara or a 2017 onwards S Cross with the NA 1.6 pertol engine (M16A engine)

You'll find most are privately owner rather than fleet stuff, they are Tonka Toy reliable and cheap to run and service, easily 50mpg on a motorway trip if you steer clear of the Allgrip 4x4 version.

Her in doors 2017 Vitara has been ruthlessly reliable, 60,000 totally fault free miles.

Sniff out a higher spec model and it should come with excellent LED headlights that'll light up the dark lanes brilliantly and a host of safety kit like radar brake support and adaptive cruise.

Normally aspirated engines in these types of cars are utterly hopeless, they simply cannot cope.
Believe me, we bought a 1.6NA Hyundai IX35 and it was just awful....awful....!!!
Had to be revved hard to compensate for the complete absence of torque, and needed low gearing to compensate as well, so cruising any distance wasn't a relaxing affair.
MPG suffered too, as it needed to be revved and revs are the enemy of MPG.
We didn't keep that car long, I tell you - sold to a garage for what I could get and moved on.

GunJack

Why not go for a newer, deisel C4 Picasso if you like them?? £3-4k can get a reasonable one around 10-14 plate...

Goudy

That might be something to do with the IX35 weighing around 1500kg and producing 165Nm of torque for the 1.6.

The Suzuki Vitara 1.6 weighs a tad over 1200kg and produces 156Nm of torque.

It's also why I mentioned getting something on a more modern platform, they are generally lighter.

The IX 35 is an older model, Euro 5 and 158g/km Co2

The Suzuki is Euro 6 and 123g/km.