Which Car £3 to £5K?

[Vincent]

New car time...I could do with something a bit higher up this time for getting the old man in and out. I quite like the X5 but they're expensive to run apparently. Any decent suggestions? What about the Nissan X-Trail? I'm looking at cars around the £3K mark but could go a bit higher for the right car.
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Space Is Deep

[G]

Merc Vito - not bad on fuel. Fit 2 motorcycles in the back comfortably or 3 at a push if they're not too big. Go for the crewcab version and a lot of places consider them cars it turns out.

[weasley]

Honda CR-V?
I always liked the idea of the HR-V too, so long as you choose carefully (avoid CVT, go AWD).
The RAV4 is a bit of a no-brainer.
Ford C-Max?
It looks like the Merc B-Class might be getting in price range - I had one for three years and whilst I never fell in love with it dynamically, it was very easy to access/egress. If you test one please check out the steering lock because a supertanker would out-turn it which made parking awkward.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[dydey90]

I've heard bad reviews for the CR-V. It's just an estate on stilts with none of the interior space that you'd think it had.

For cars that are easy to get in though, my grandad had a few Citroen Picassos, purely because the seat is about arse-high so you just step sideways into it.
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This post is probably not serious and shouldn't be taken literally.
Past: CBR125,ER6f NINJA 650, ZZR600 Current: VFR750

[Vincent]

[Vincent]

What about Freelanders? What's the cruising speed of a diesel one? Will they handle sticking at 80 all day?
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[Slacker24seve...]

My granddad has an X-trail 173 which I drive occasionally. It's a good car, decent engine and doesn't handle horribly. Nothing has gone wrong in 4 years apart from the cat getting clogged up from short journeys - you have to get them hot once in a while.

X-trails are reasonable off road (no Discovery, but not bad) whereas an X5 is basically a big car. As such its a bit compromised and if you don't need to venture further than a dry field once a year or tow things, a big car might be a better bet.
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Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[Vincent]

[Rogerborg]

[Polarbear]

My grannymobile C-Max is actually a nice car to drive and very upright seating. It's very easy to get in and out. Mine is the 2 litre auto which is nice but thirsty. The 1800 manual is better.

It is fucking boring though.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Vincent]

[Robster]

Hate the X3s and X5s out of principal. If you need something off roadey, the Freelander 2s are quite lush inside and nice to drive on the road and less explodey than the old ones. X Trail is ugly but a bit of a grower and i've learned to like them.

If it doesn't need to see muddy stuff then a clean C-Max you can practically walk in and out of. Careful of older ones, ones i've seen come through work seem to rust quite badly.
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Up the bum no babies.

[P.]

320 or 330d. Even a 520d

[Kickstart]

[Vincent]

Aye...the Rover forum peeps are trying to convince me to stick a new engine in mine...on the drive..in sub zero temps....I don't think so I am looking at other 75s though, I'm always slagging people off for sticking with the same cars but I guess it makes sense in a lot of ways
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[Polarbear]

[Vincent]

Before the 75, I don't think I ever had a car for longer than a year. I bought for pennies and just ran them until they packed up. Cars are cheap now though...or cheaperer.... and you can get a more repectable example for much less.... that's worth looking after.

Just had a thought...what about Lexus? They're supposed to be good ja?
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Space Is Deep

[Polarbear]

Lexus, the most bland luxury car going. If you are going to get a decent car, get one with more character than beige blancmange.

Saying that, being Jap, they are probably very reliable.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[RhynoCZ]

Think big, BMW 850 (E31), 740/750 (E38), 540 (E39) and others.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Vincent]

Can I get a decent Merc for under £5K?
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Space Is Deep

[RhynoCZ]

[Vincent]

[RhynoCZ]

Didn't Rover went bankrupt? Also, the 75 looks like a cheap Jaguar. I'm kind of surprised no one suggested a Jaguar, being a British classic.

Ask yourself how much distance are you going to cover in the car. A diesel car is a bit of a lottery with all the high-pressure stuff that's expensive, needing replacing by about now. Not even mentioning, that some of the diesel BMW's and MB's do only about 5 mpg more than the petrol versions with higher power output.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Vincent]

Might be different with the later models but I've found Jags expensive to run and pigs to work on.

Rover were bought by BMW then folded. The tools went over to China where they make a car like the 75 today - the Roewe 750E. Some of the body parts and internal trim are highly prized by 75 owners for conversions.

Good point about the economy...it used to be different when diesel was a lot cheaper. The govt encouraged people to buy diesel cars through tax incentives then low and behold, the price of diesel went up
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Space Is Deep

[Vracktal]

Go big or go home.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-JEEP-COMMANDER-LIMITED-CRD-7-SEATS-4X4-TOP-SPEC-/262148030770?hash=item3d093d8132:g:WrEAAOSwZVhWSvnv

That or you could buy 6 Volvo 940s.
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2007 BMW R1200R: On road
2009 BMW G650X Challenge: On road
1975 Norton Commando 850: Off road, awaiting recommissioning