Reliable, good looking (1999+ preferably )and 7 seater please! Budget around 11k. Thanks.
vtecintegra,
Sep 7, 1:06am
Good looking is pretty subjective.
Anyway what do you want to use it for! Typically the ones that are better suited to off-road are worse on the road and vice versa
73040,
Sep 7, 9:32am
Mostly city use and some odd roadtrips, and no offroading. 7 seater is a must. No need for big power either.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 9:33am
Is this vehicle actually doing any offroading! If so what sort of offroading! Are you taking 7 people regularly or are one or two seats just for occasional use!
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 9:39am
Snap, O.K in the nicest possible way its crazy using an SUV in the city if you are not going to be needing any 4WD ability.
By using the wrong tool for the job you just end up making massive compromises in safety, practicality and running costs for no payoff what so ever.
If you are patient and cunning 11K would buy you several great vehicles for carting people around the city and doing road trips with significantly more safety, comfort and lower running costs than any SUV for the same money.
VW Touran springs to mind as one option for starters.
fordcrzy,
Sep 7, 9:45am
buy a 2002+ toyota ipsum.
from what you have described you are crazy to buy an SUV.
73040,
Sep 7, 9:45am
family is 5 people including 3 kids, and might need extra 2 seats 2 - 3 times a month. Just like the look of SUVs sorry! And vans look a little boring unless newer models.
If you really want an SUV go and buy one,but remember that "look" is going to cost you something like 30% more in fuel costs, you will be looking at a couple of airbags vs 10 in the Touran. Crash ratings, maneuverability, ride comfort etc is all significantly reduced and maintenance costs increase all in the name of fashion. You are also likely looking at an older vehicle with much older technology. The cost and compromise is huge.
73040,
Sep 7, 9:53am
Sorry jazz tauran looks like a van, any other suggestions!
Stream in that link looks awesome but i'm guessing for my budget i'm looking at the early van like models of stream :(
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 9:55am
Volvo XC70 is another thought. But really if you are only considering vehicles based on their looks alone I probably can't help you. Happy shopping.
fordcrzy,
Sep 7, 10:04am
GO AND DRIVE AN IPSUM!
then drive an SUV and you will be ditching the SUV idea in a heartbeat. a 10 grand suv is going to be an unreliable ugly box that costs a fortune to service.
why anyone would want a pajero or izusu bighorn over a much better looking honda stream or toyota ipsum is anyones guess.
drew2009,
Sep 7, 10:09am
so you want seven seats but don't like vans, you have 11k to spend, and presumably you want to keep the running costs reasonable. at least one of these things will change.
If you do go for a 4WD/SUV be sure to allow for the extra maintenance and care they require, not to mention fuel, RUCs if diesel, ect there are alot of hidden costs down the track, often people buy them without taking all this in. I'm not saying don't do it, just get your calculator out before you buy.
73040,
Sep 7, 10:12am
Okay no SUVs. thoughts on estima 2000+ aeras models! some of them overpriced and aeras come in 3.0l rather than 2.4 which would've been better suited
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 10:17am
The estima while popular and liked by many is a very bulky vehicle and its been built with no consideration to weight savings or economy. The drivetrain is also very out dated compared to the state of the art 6 speed in the likes of the Touran which again affects economy. Its likely a bit better than an SUV but you can still do a LOT better in terms of vehicle for your money.
73040,
Sep 7, 10:20am
Hey jazz yep agree it's definitely very heavy. Ipsum and stream actually look nice. Inclined more towards ipsum. Thoughts! Volvo is too station wagony. thanks heaps for suggestions they are awesome. Any more similar ones!
fordcrzy,
Sep 7, 10:23am
i hated van like people movers until i drove an ipsum. our 240S has great handling and really does drive like a car.the only minus on these is the 4 speed auto is a bit weird when driving around town.seems to kick down when it doesnt really need to. other than that its a fantastic car.just go and drive a 240s and you will see what i mean.
73040,
Sep 7, 10:24am
Stream 1.7 vs ipsum 2.4l you reckon stream is underpowered!
fordcrzy,
Sep 7, 10:27am
i wouldnt say the stream is underpowered. you can get them in 2.0l form. The thing i will say about the stream is that it certainly does ring its engine out and it SEEMS like its going fast but in reality, it isnt. and also the front seats of the stream are like wooden park benches to sit on.very very uncomfortable.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 10:28am
Really I think you should take a second look at the Touran, at least check one out in person. The Touran is just leaps and bounds ahead of anything else around. Its got an amazing super efficient FSI engine thats super low maintenance, powerful and stupidly economical. I could get better economy on the open road out of that 2.0L engine in a Golf than I could out of a 1200cc car.
You are getting 6-10 airbags vs two in most of the Japanese equivalents, the structural integrity in a crash is miles ahead and most importantly is the transmission.
Pretty much all the opposition vehicles are using 4 speed automatics which present two problems. Firstly 4 gears is not enough to get the best fuel efficiency out of an engine, especially around town. Secondly automatics use something called a torque converter instead of a clutch. Whenever that torque converter is slipping (which is most of the time around town) you lose around 30% of your fuel economy.
The clever DSG transmission in the VW has no torque converter, its lower maintenance and it has 6 gears vs 4 combine that with the much more efficient engine and a design that uses other clever technology to keep fuel consumption low and you have a vehicle that really is pretty hard to beat.
There are other Japanese equivilents you might like the look of better like Mazda's MPV etc but just bear in mind all those are well behind the VW in terms of what you are actually getting in terms of a functional vehicle.
EDIT, just to add take an Ipsum or any other equivilent for a blat through the port hills and then try the same with the Touran. The two extra gears and strong FSI engine make for a much more pleasant and quite sporty drive in the Touran.
Also, the rear seat in the Touran folds right away into the floor giving you heaps of load space when only carrying 5 people.
73040,
Sep 7, 11:24am
jazz- sounds good but just had a look at touran again and there is only 14 in whole nz for sale! whereas heaps of streams and ipsums, i was wondering if something goes wrong woudlnt it cost a hell a lot more than the honda and toyota to get it fixed!
and also the cheapest touran is around 13.5k whereas ipsums and streams start anywhere around 9.
73040,
Sep 7, 11:42am
I saw that auction, and I reckon they are not fully honest. " There is a small stain on the rear seat but will come out with a shampoo." - it's kind of big. Its a small thing but I'd like to deal with people who are more honest about their listings and they are in auckland and i'm in chch :(
I think Touran looks a little too boxy compared to its competitors whereas specs wise it looks impressive.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 11:48am
Youve got it in one! The touran is the far better vehicle the others are just wearing better party dresses. Trust me though the pretty dress wears thin after a while of living with the lesser vehicle.
The likes of repo cars are cheap discounters so don't expect full service, as far as I am aware though they don't have too bad a reputation (unlike another one on here called Oval). If it were me and I was serious about it I would just see if the likes of someone from Qualitat (also in auckland) could give it a quick look over for you.
If you wound up getting it for 9K or so I think you would be laughing, as it would still owe you under 10K after shipping etc.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 11:50am
Just had another thought, keep an eye on Turners as they regularly have well priced Tourans come and go.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 7, 11:52am
I should mention too, part of the styling of the Touran revolves around giving you more space inside. If you have a good look at some of the more sleek options you will see that having a roundy back end etc often means you give up luggage or passenger space or compromise on visibility. Likewise the quite upright design means you sit high which means you can be more comfortable with less legroom.
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