Oh Lord, won't you buy me a ...

peasant

...well, what will you buy me ?

I've painted myself into an automotive corner and I can't for the life of me think what my next vehicle could be. Now the trusty old van is running fine and there is no thought of immediate replacement, but it is 20 years old and I just want to have some alternative lined up in case it goes catastrophically wrong one day.

Now ..here's what I've got now and what I would like to have again (or thereabouts)

permanent 4WD
motor tax of 445 Euro p.a.
fuel consumption of 8.5l/100 km / 33 mpg on average
space for three dogs and luggage or people (i.e a big boot of min 500 liter and some room to spare)

I sit up nice and high ...I like that
It has a tailgate, which is nice for stowing shopping in the pissing rain


Now, I realise that there is no vehicle out there that will meet all the criteria and that I will have to compromise. To make it even more difficult, the max budget would be about 7 - 8 k
Commercials are out, as I want windows in the back for a better view, plus taxing/insuring a commercial for private use only is a bit of a pain

Possible candidates identified so far:
Audi A6 avant quattro ...hard to get a good one at my budget, dear to run
Subaru estate/Forester ..quite dear second hand and they drink
Renault Kangoo 4x4 ...rare in this country
Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 (five seater)...just about coming into range, but no AWD


Now boardsies ...surprise me with your suggestions

dirtydiesel

Mazda bongo ticks all the boxes, not a very pleasant vehicle to luck at but very practical for your needs.:D

peasant

dirtydiesel wrote: »

Mazda bongo ticks all the boxes, not a very pleasant vehicle to luck at but very practical for your needs.:D

Yepp not a bad one, but 2.5 Liter (tax !), pretty rare in 4x4 and i would have concerns about parts availability/service ...at the right price it might make it into contention though (even though it's he anti-christ as far as VW van fans are concerned)

this would be in the same vain http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=200844190663992&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20Toyota%20Noah%2C%20with%20photos%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=3814166&CFTOKEN=56869702
once again ...with concerns about parts and servicability for those jap imports

high horse

Volvo XC70? Not sure if you can get one in budget though

Anan1

This is sold already, but might have fitted the bill if you don't rack up too many miles: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f110/forester-s-turbo-sale-67676/

peasant

Anan1 wrote: »

This is sold already, but might have fitted the bill if you don't rack up too many miles: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f110/forester-s-turbo-sale-67676/

Yepp ..for a grand sterling I would have certainly considered it

CharlieCroker

Subaru Legacy Outback?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201004351258837/sort/priceasc/usedcars/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/model/outback/make/subaru/postcode/me88tp/page/1/radius/1500?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fused%2Fcars%2Fsubaru%2Foutback%2Fpostcode%2Fme88tp%2Fradius%2F1500%2Fengine-size-cars%2F2l_to_2-5l%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&logcode=p

2.5 litre auto though





Mazda Tribute
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/Tribute/2.0-16V-/201001196421503/advert?channel=CARS

peasant

That Tribute looks interesting and good value for money, if I were buying now, I'd definitly investigate

Yepp ..that makes the shortlist for the future.

Anybody has/had one? What are they like?

unkel

Skoda Octavia estate 4x4?

peasant

unkel wrote: »

Skoda Octavia estate 4x4?

hens teeth ...but otherwise, yes

Cosmo K

Honda CRV? Probably the best SUV Soft Roader within your budget. Very comfortable, excellent built quality, permanant 4wd, bullet proof engines. Ok, its not exactly a great looking car, but they seem to be pretty reliable.

Was thinking about buying myself, as a replacement for my "bangernomics" Diesel Xsara, but I bought a cheap Vitara as a little off raod toy instead.

I had an 2.5 Outback for a year, one of the best cars I ever had, but very hard on petrol, also, head gaskets go on the 2.5 ltr, and are very expensive to fix.

VolvoMan

Volvo V50 T5 AWD?

peasant

How big is the boot on the CRV, do you know?

Cosmo K

peasant wrote: »

How big is the boot on the CRV, do you know?

How big are your dogs?:D

peasant

Cosmo K wrote: »

How big are your dogs?:D

Old English sheep dog (big), Collie (medium) and Terrier (small) ...so they do need a good bit of space
(the boot of the Jimny with the seats down was just about big enough ...but that left no room for anything else)

Seweryn

peasant wrote: »

Possible candidates identified so far:
Audi A6 avant quattro ...hard to get a good one at my budget, dear to run
Subaru estate/Forester ..quite dear second hand and they drink

I would go for the Legacy 2.0:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Legacy/2.0-GX-E/200943195614624/advert?channel=CARS
This one should be within your budget, lovely car to drive, 4WD, reliable, not bad on fuel, dog friendly...
Good Luck with your choice.

-Corkie-

I think the subaru is perfect. I cannot recommend a car peasant but dont touch a landrover freelander. Subaru is reliable;)

JHMEG

Toyota Emina Estima. Available as a 2.0L turbo petrol 4x4! Also available as a 2.2 diesel, which is sufficiently archaic to allow running on veg oil.

I carried a couch in one once.

peasant

JHMEG wrote: »

Toyota Emina Estima..

Good suggestion ...but I simply don't like these ...can't even pinpoint why not, simply don't

JHMEG

peasant wrote: »

Good suggestion ...but I simply don't like these ...can't even pinpoint why not, simply don't

Have you driven one? I didn't like them either till I got a loaner. Didn't take long to see the attraction.

robtri

how many people???

what about a commercial 4x4 like a range rover.... could hit nearly all the boxes

peasant

JHMEG wrote: »

Have you driven one? I didn't like them either till I got a loaner. Didn't take long to see the attraction.

Nope, never driven one. I just think they're fugly, do not like, do not want (I'm stubborn like that )

robtri wrote: »

what about a commercial 4x4

No commercials ...not on private tax and I likes my windows

Berty

Land Rover Discovery

-Corkie-

I can see the point about the toyota but you just couldnt buy one of them. I think that massive mirror on the back window is a turn off.. Hey santa fe is a good old drive.. bro in law has one and swears by it....

Midnight_EG

peasant wrote: »

...well, what will you buy me ?

I've painted myself into an automotive corner and I can't for the life of me think what my next vehicle could be. Now the trusty old van is running fine and there is no thought of immediate replacement, but it is 20 years old and I just want to have some alternative lined up in case it goes catastrophically wrong one day.

Now ..here's what I've got now and what I would like to have again (or thereabouts)

permanent 4WD
motor tax of 445 Euro p.a.
fuel consumption of 8.5l/100 km / 33 mpg on average
space for three dogs and luggage or people (i.e a big boot of min 500 liter and some room to spare)

I sit up nice and high ...I like that
It has a tailgate, which is nice for stowing shopping in the pissing rain


Now, I realise that there is no vehicle out there that will meet all the criteria and that I will have to compromise. To make it even more difficult, the max budget would be about 7 - 8 k
Commercials are out, as I want windows in the back for a better view, plus taxing/insuring a commercial for private use only is a bit of a pain

Possible candidates identified so far:
Audi A6 avant quattro ...hard to get a good one at my budget, dear to run
Subaru estate/Forester ..quite dear second hand and they drink
Renault Kangoo 4x4 ...rare in this country
Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 (five seater)...just about coming into range, but no AWD


Now boardsies ...surprise me with your suggestions

I sang every single word in your post, simply because of the opening line + thread name.

That's an achievement on your part I'd say!