The answer is an L322 Range Rover for £10k and have budget left over the when it goes wrong.
How big is the Range Rover repair budget £30k ? LOL
I Have a Mk2.5 Ford Kuga, after also coming from an Octavia estate. Had it for 4+years. Bought at the tail end of covid, so car choices were still limited. Really wanted a Volvo V70 or XC70, But that boat had sailed.2.0 TDI, AWD, Manual gearbox.
Overall...its been pretty reliable. No roadside break downs. Mostly wear items - pads, discs, tyres. But have had a couple of heafty bills this month... new clutch + DMF. And changed the timing belt (8 years old vs Ford's recommended 10 yr / 100k miles) , but the water pump was leaking coolant a tiny bit.
Had to change an interior switch that had cracked (still worked) and also an ABS sensor last week. £30 and £25 respectively.
The boot is defo short compared to an Octavia. Ours is fully commandeered by our Labrador. So only have the back seats for storage / carting fear etc. That's the biggest downside.
Rear seat space / leg room is limited too - ok for small kids but my fully grown daughter has her knees in the passenger seat back, and she's not that tall. Even less space behind my seat as I'm 6ft and the seat is back further. Our back seats are folded down 95% of the time, and is in effect a 2 seater dogmobile.
Driver's seat is probably the highlight- electic adjustable, lots of adjustment variables, decent lumbar support.
Would I get another ? If the boot was a foot longer, then yes. But whe I replace it, it's going to be something bigger for practicality. Maybe the new just-out Mitsubishi Outlander. Maybe a Subaru Outback (regret not pressing the button on that 2 years ago). Or maybe a Santa Fe (as that's a big boxy machine with shed loads of space for long camping trips / tours in our coming retirement.
If you don't have a bigdawgie, kids have flown the coop, and don't camp then the Kuga could be good
my other half has the VAG group 1.5 petrol Kamiq.
She has the manual which was quite rare when we were shopping second hand. It is a lovely shifter. Fairly short throw, good engagement.
Surprisingly nippy, but its a really oddly short ratio gearbox. high speed motorway driving you can be over 3000 rpm in 6th, which drains the fuel.
I have a manual gearbox 22 plate 1.5 petrol Karoq, it sits at about 2000 rpm at 70mph so either the gearboxes on the Kamiq and Karoq are quite different or you really put your foot down on motorways!
high speed motorway driving you can be over 3000 rpm in 6th
'high speed' 😯 like 90+ if it's topping 3000 rpm in 6th ??
