Yet another what car?

[Rannsachair]

That's me retired now, sold my Defender and am contemplating buying something to replace it:

Budget around £10k
Ideally roomy enough in the back for some tools/lawnmower/strimmer when required.
I have looked at vans and came to the conclusion most are pretty poor, expensive and spartan.
I do not mind doing maintenance though ideally not too much mechanical work on it (like a Defender)
Do not want something rusty.
Ideally good heating system for winter, automatic and 4wd a bonus.
Will likely do under 4000 miles a year mainly short journeys.
I was originally just going to get a van, though thinking a posher SUV would be a far nicer place to be.

Based on this I was thinking something like:

A Subaru Forester petrol - not sure if big enough
A pre 2015 Volvo XC90 - diesel - not sure about short trips
Honda CRV or Rav 4 possibly?

Would appreciate the views of the collective.

 

[Migmac]

I’ve an old RAV4, 08, it’s diesel and 4wd. I use it like a van, back seats down and loads of room. I’m only doing short trips and no issues yet. In for a MoT tomorrow, they might tell me different

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Agree on second hand vans ...to get something half descent it was going to cost me close to a new van!...in the end I cut out the middle man and just bought new. Mine is auto and drives like a car...has climate too!

I've no idea on reliability but my mate loves his Dacia duster...gardener by trade. He removed the rear seats and ply lined the floor....but I think they also do a commercial version with seats already removed.

 

[Robotstar5]

I've been running a Suzuki Grand Vitara for 12 years, not the most economical as it's a petrol auto, but tows my trailers and when you fold the back seats they tip forward against the front seats giving a good boot space.

 

[Rannsachair]

I've been running a Suzuki Grand Vitara for 12 years, not the most economical as it's a petrol auto, but tows my trailers and when you fold the back seats they tip forward against the front seats giving a good boot space.

View attachment 526847

My brother ran a 2.4 petrol one, a 2011 and the rear suspension mountings rotted out seriously - put me off - we get a lot of salt on our roads.

 

[Robotstar5]

My brother ran a 2.4 petrol one, a 2011 and the rear suspension mountings rotted out seriously - put me off - we get a lot of salt on our roads.

Same model as mine apart from it's 2010 currently at 73K, MOT man has not raised any concerns yet.

 

[Rannsachair]

Same model as mine apart from it's 2010 currently at 73K, MOT man has not raised any concerns yet.

His looked fine, rotted from the inside out, when I poked it with a screwdriver ( I was going to treat some rust scabs: went straight through!

 

[dobbslc]

What about a Mitsubishi Outlander?
Big, 4x4, auto, petrol, diesel and PHEV options.

 

[skotl]

That's me retired now...

Congrats, Tom!

 

[reb78]

Defender...

 

[Rannsachair]

Defender...

Had one for the last 20 years, loved it.

 

[Puglet1]

Not a biased opinion but I was a quality manager at the Honda factory in Swindon. I was lucky enough to have had a few CRV 2.2 as part of my package. I tested them at several proving grounds and they performed really well. I also drove them over farmland and in snow. The 2.2 drives beautifully, is quick, and difficult to tell it’s not a petrol propelled vehicle. I hope this helps.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I've had a few volvos and rust has never been an issue. Last one was a 2.5t xc70...lovely car and very easy to fix. Auto boxes can be trouble if not properly serviced...actually properly serviced means assuming oil is for life .

Think volvos are galvanized....or at least used to be.

 

[Rannsachair]

Not a biased opinion but I was a quality manager at the Honda factory in Swindon. I was lucky enough to have had a few CRV 2.2 as part of my package. I tested them at several proving grounds and they performed really well. I also drove them over farmland and in snow. The 2.2 drives beautifully, is quick, and difficult to tell it’s not a petrol propelled vehicle. I hope this helps.

My dad ran a 2010 2.2 auto CRV for years, great car, though starting to get rusty, the later 1.6 diesel seems less attractive.

 

[willie.macleod]

Double check car tax on old xc90s, mine is £735 a year for a 18 year old vehicle. It will be tax that kills it quicker than the rust but having said that recently it's needed more work over the last 12 months than the discovery which is 3 years and 80000 miles older.

CRVs can and do rot, just turned down a Forester with head gasket issues...

Can you get your 90 back?! Try and avoid anything euro 6 particularly diesel. I've a constant stream of DPF/EGR/SCR faults to fix on vehicles owned by friends and colleagues who should never have bought them, completely unsuitable for their usage.

Freelander 2 fits the bill nicely, cheap now for a runabout and you can get nice interiors with good heaters (webasto on some td4s) and autos readily available as well. Don't spend anything close to 10k on it though.

 

[reb78]

Had one for the last 20 years, loved it.

I know.

They're unexplainably addictive. I would miss mine incredibly if it was gone (not that it's on the road currently!) ... I was half serious online with what @willie.macleod said and wondered if it would be best back with you!

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Hate to say it but maybe the 90 would have been worth keeping, sometimes it’s better the devil you know

 

[Rannsachair]

Hate to say it but maybe the 90 would have been worth keeping, sometimes it’s better the devil you know

I service all my extended families cars and van and spent more time working on the Defender than 2 or 3 of them put together a year.. I sold my Defender for about double what I propose to replace it with, though I have not used it seriously off-road for about 6 years and that was what it was designed for. Ignoring the 25ish mpg and high road tax.

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I service all my extended families cars and van and spent more time working on the Defender than 2 or 3 of them put together a year.. I sold my Defender for about double what I propose to replace it with, though I have not used it seriously off-road for about 6 years and that was what it was designed for. Ignoring the 25ish mpg and high road tax.

Ticked all the boxes though, bar mechanical, and there’s can’t have been much if any left to cause problems with the work done! I don’t know of much that really suits your needs, although mate has a forester and swears by it. Another mate had a CRV, ran forever but the body rotted like a pear

 

[masleeve]

The 4wd duster was used by the field engineers where i work after initial scepticism they proved to be reliable and good load luggers.
Personally we have a modern forrester , the older ones seem bullet proof if looked after if you dont mind the styling .