Best 4×4/softroader for £5k

Looking at maybe changing the family car so may go for one of these for a change. Had a Zafira for a few years and its been great but we no longer need 7 seats just a big boot for shopping, bikes, buggies etc. Would prefer a diesel and something relatively cheap to run. Of the ones I have looked at so far on Autotrader and Ebay I like the Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4 and our favourite so far due to the value is the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Anyone had experience of these or can recommend something else? Cheers

Nissan x-trail seems the other obvious option, both it & the Honda seem well rated when I looked

I quite like the 07-08 Mitsubishi Outlander which would fit in your price range. I’ve been in the Citroen equivalent C-Crosser as a passenger and that seemed alright for the money.

random autotrader example which may have an oil leak…

ex-CRV owner – big comfortable, reliable. MoTs were never an issue, only let down was fuel costs and it was a thirsty bugger but probably no more than any thing else of the same type.
Surprisingly little boot space with rear seats up, but rear seats would never have anyone complaining about lack of space. Rear seats down, cavernous boot space.
Built in picnic table was a bonus

Nissan Quashquai or whatever its called

Forester.

Forester all day long.

However I wouldn’t buy a diesel Forester and a 5k CRV will be leggy.

Youd be surprised how old/high mileage you’d need to go to for a diesel Rav4

Like the x trail although it’s pig ugly! Also like the outlander but struggling to find one in my price range that hasn’t been to the moon. I will have a look at foresters. Anyone tried the vitara?

Now that outlander is a beauty brigands, very nice. Is 112k miles on a car like this OK or is that a bit much? Also don’t do many miles at all per year, 4000 maybe.

I’d run a car to 112k+ that I owned. I wonder buy into a car without providence at this mileage.

If you only do 4k a Year- petrol ALL day long.

Your mileage is too low for a diesel, CRV petrols have timing chain issues with higher mileages so I crossed them off my list when looking a few months ago.

Friend at work is into bangernomics and run an old vitara for years-pretty indestructible but rust killed the fuel tank and sump and hence the car. Replaced with a 52 plate Rav petrol and again has been bulletproof for him.
Both cars have been utterly abused beyond the call of duty on his major house build/groundworks.

For once I’m forced to agree with hora.

4k a year?

Big petrol pump.

Walk

Is insurance costs not a lot more on petrol though? And at this price range would just not need one with much lower mileage?

At 4K per year I’d get a Mazda CX-7. Fuel consumption ain’t good but otherwise they’re great and £5K would get a decent one.

I spend £6K on one at the end of last year and it’s a lovely bit of kit – roomy, well equipped, quick (260bhp helps) and handles surprisingly well for a big beast.

^ good shout. My brother in law has a cx-7 and it’s lovely.

4k a year? Just get a V8 range rover. 😀

I’m sure there are low annual mileage insurance policies available if you look.

MY CX-7 wasn’t expensive to insure, despite having my 24 year old daughter on the policy. With just me and my wife it’d have been £200 fully comp. We’re old though!

Do the maths 4,000 at 40-45mpg (your not going to get amazing mpg in a big SUV/4×4) v 27-30mpg in a petrol similar…

Then factor in the extra price of the diesel and its probably higher mileage.

Can you get the Mazda at 5k?

+1 crv just so reliable

I think it’ more like 30-40mpg at best for a small 4×4 diesel vs 15-25 for a petrol in the £5k price bracket. Still sod all in it at 4k a year and you will buy a cheaper car with less potential for trouble buying a petrol.

Can you get the Mazda at 5k?

Yes, no problem. There are several on Autotrader in that range.

I’m averaging around 20mpg with mine.

For example there is a 2007 CX-7 with 64K on the clock for £4,450. There are cheaper ones than that too, with higher mileage – including one with 87K miles for £3,820 (also a 2007).

55ish onward petrol(suzuki engines) Grand Vitaras are virtually bomb proof. Proper full time 4wd with low range and diff lock. Diesel ones- renault engine, can be harsh, dpf problems,dpf pressure sensor hoses break up & inlet throttle valve failures are not uncommon

A non turbo Forester will give you 30mpg+ even making progress on twisty roads.
A turbo will give you about 20.

As above. I had a non turbo Foreseter and got about 32mpg. Turbo diesel X-Trail is currently averaging 37mpg.

Just done an insurance quote on that there Mazda and it was surprisingly cheap. Barely different to my Zafira. Just can’t get my head around getting a car with an engine like that when I set out to get a boring frugal diesel. It’s 250 bph!

Do you need 4×4? Going on criteria in the OP i’d be looking at an estate.

Not really but the Mrs likes the elevated driving position and to be honest it’s a change from the boring mpv we’ve had for years.

Fair enough, I still miss our old Passat estate, really comfy and swallowed bikes, Mrs hated driving it though, found it was too big.

We now have a 2008 CMax, and i’d recommend that, (just not diesel) Petrol, Manual, Rear seats fold forward or come out completely to make a van almost for my occasional bike trips,(although they weigh a bit!) it’s been reliable and is really quite nice to drive too, with higher up seating position that you’re looking for, Mrs wants to replace it with another when the mileage gets nearer 150k.

I’m with Andyl, 4k a year = V8 Range Rover
Foresters aren’t that big really if you are after a large boot, I looked at a few, but they seemed smaller than the V50 I had.

V6 Vitara would be good option if a Range Rover would be too big.

Would consider a c max, are they roomy enough in the back for 3 kids? Is the boot big with seats up?

Subaru Outback 3.0 or 2.5 petrol or 2.0 diesel. A bit higher up than an normal estate without the clown car looks do something like a quashqai.

Subaru Outback 3.0 or 2.5 petrol or 2.0 diesel. A bit higher up than an normal estate without the clown car looks do something like a quashqai.

The Forester is the better car, if not quite so big. Much more sprightly and a far nicer to drive. I have a 3 litre Outback at the moment but would swap it for another Foester (I’ve had two) in a heartbeat.
The flat 6 does sound better though…

Oh, avoid Subaru diesels pre 2011; they have a tendency to snap crankshafts.

BMW X3?

Just got our daughter a really nice condition one for 5.5k.

Another vote for a Honda CR-V, I had one last year for a few months as a temporary runabout, nice to drive, notrhing went wrong with it and great on the crap roads around where I live. Loads of space with seats down. Mine was a 2 litre petrol, pretty thirsty though.

Gone from crv to outlander… Needed the extra seats… Very similar cars Both do a good job… Crv is more refined but slower and as the turning circle of an oil tanker

Repairs on Subarus can be expensive though, can’t they ?

But big plus for the crv is the adaptive cruise control used it alot and miss it

“Youd be surprised how old/high mileage you’d need to go to for a diesel Rav4”

also I was surprised by how much more a clutch cost for the diesel over a petrol – wiped out any fuel cost savings