USED SUV Recommendations for 2017

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › USED SUV Recommendations for 2017 - 30k budget

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#1783391 16-May-2017 20:53

jjnz1: What about a 2014/2015 Nissan X-Trail ST (T32). I have a 2016 one and I love it. Base model on trade me goes for under $30k.

2.5 litre engine, can get either 7 seater or 4wd model for that price. Mine tows fine being a 6 speed (although you can select 7 for some reason -dont quite understand why)

5 stars safety.

Was going to suggest the same. Heaps of low km ones (ex-rentals at the Nissan dealers for $32K. Near new and 3 year warranty). Wifey loves ours and fuel economy is awesome. Lots of room. Takes a little bit of getting use to the 'feel' of a CVT transmission but they are silky smooth and beautiful to drive.

We have some Outlanders in our work fleet. Also great value for money and new at $33K must be seriously on the list. They are a bit noisier than the XTrail and for some reason the rear seats on all Outlanders are like sitting on a hard park bench. Other than that they go really well.

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ANglEAUT

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#1783417 16-May-2017 22:44

I'm very happy with my Suzuki Vitara LTD (towbar optional extra). Currently available brandnew for $30 000 + ORC @ 2.9% finance. Very spacious on the inside, very responsive to my foot. The optional sunroof is ginourmous & always a talking point. Excellent lights at just the right height.

PS Also in Auckland. No babies.

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Nikras

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#1783430 16-May-2017 23:31

Geektastic:

Why does it need to be an SUV if 4WD ability etc is not an essential?

Would a Subaru Outback or Forester do?

Or a Volvo station wagon if you want awesome safety features.

All can be had with 7 seats, I think (depending on how many people you need to fit)

I like the size of the SUV :) There are many features to an SUV that really appeals to me.

The Subaru Forester is an option, though I've read a used one isn't worth the hassle as their engines aren't reliable in the long run. I'm hoping to buy a car and keep it for at least the next 5-6 years.

Not really a fan of station wagons but Volvo's do have some nice SUV's with nice price tags on them too :P

Nikras

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#1783431 16-May-2017 23:35

Wade:

Throw the Ford Kuga on the list also, my parents bought a diesel Titanium last year and love it to bits

I never thought of Ford!! Thanks for the tip! will look them up! :)

Nikras

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#1783433 16-May-2017 23:47

Thanks everyone for helping me out with the list! It will be a busy weekend for me.

I'm surprised no one here drives a Hyundai, their prices are premium after all.

So far I've narrowed it down to these:

Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Qashqai / X-trail (will try both), Suzuki Vitara (@lcl fantastic looking car!),

Honda CR-V(I'm hoping with the new one coming out in July, the older model prices will be lowered), and the Ford Kuga (and maybe escape).

Thanks for not adding Toyotas on there just because they're way too common and they feel boring. haha! (Sorry Toyota fans)

raytaylor

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#1783442 17-May-2017 00:42

I drive a Ssang Yong Korando

These are a cheaper compact SUV, quite spacious and would suit a family.

I bought it new off the taupo yard as their ex demo model so it did have 15k on the clock.

The vehicle is rated for 8.5L / 100km - the only vehicle I have owned where the rated fuel consumption is actually what I really use.

I do have the diesel version. When I worked it out, with insurance, registration, fuel consumption, road user charges, basically the total cost of ownership over 5 years, you would need to do more than 32,0000kms a year to make diesel worth while.
Less than that and your better off with petrol.

It tows my quad bike beautifully. It has no problem maintaining 90km/h with the quadbike & trailer on the back.

It has a mercedes engine which I quite like - nice and powerful for its 2L size.

Problems

- At 105,000kms the transmission blew itself to bits. $8,000 rebuild cost. I thought it was under warranty but it turns out my 100,000km warranty included the 15,000kms that it was being used as a demo car on the taupo yard.
In saying this I would still buy another ssang yong but the head service repair guy in the head office are pretty crappy person to deal with. The napier dealer and service agent changed on the same day of the transmission dying which complicated matters.
I was going to take them to court over this but had some other family issues at the time and never got round to it. Now I just tell everyone - you know the saying "A good customer will tell 1 other person, but a bad expierence causes them to tell five" - well your probably number 50. I have 7,950 yet to to go.

So either way you go - even if you buy a Mazda or Hyundai, make sure you get the extended warranty. In my case the consumer guarantees act didnt help because its a business vehicle.

Pros
- Wing mirrors can retract when its locked. It may sound and look stupid and sound uneccessary but i soon realised I love it because i can tell if the car is locked from a distance just by looking at it so i know i need to get my keys before i get something out of the car.

- Lights under wing mirrors make it easy to see walking around the car at night

- Heated seats are pretty powerful

- Built in stereo could easily be swapped out for an android headunit from aliexpress. My receptionist puts my appointments directly into the google calendar which syncs to "the dashboard" in the car.

- Most roof racks fit fine. My old subaru ones went on no problem.

Little problems

- Everything is computer controlled. If you are winding down a window and someone locks the passenger door, the window reverses direction or something like that. I forget the combination but there are a couple of little quirks where the software programmer has forgotten to close some gosub loops or something like that.

- If you take your seatbelt off while the key is in, it must beep 16 times. Thankfully the seatbelt when worn has the switch in the N-O position, so by unplugging the seat belt sensor under the drivers seat, it never beeps as it always thinks the seat belt is being worn so that was a simple fix.

- There is a point along the centennial highway between johnsonville and porirua where the cruise control fails if you have it on eco mode - the shape of the road makes the car think there is a fault and you have to pull over and turn the engine off and back on to engage cruise control again.
If the cruise control is in normal / power mode through this stretch of road it has no problem.

Its only once or twice that I have ever encountered the weird behaviour of the computer that it makes me think about the software programmer not finishing his job so its not really an issue.
I only drive to wellington about 4-5 times a year so the cruise control problem also isnt really an issue.

So anyhow I would recommend looking at the Korando. Probably not the diesel version but I drive 50,000kms a year so it works out cheaper for me.

Ray Taylor

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jarledb

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#1783457 17-May-2017 03:07

Nikras:

Thanks for not adding Toyotas on there just because they're way too common and they feel boring. haha! (Sorry Toyota fans)

Well, TimA suggested the Prado Landcruiser. Thats a Toyota. :)

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lxsw20

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#1783458 17-May-2017 03:42

Rav4? Surprisingly roomy. Tows the old mans 5m Cresta Craft just fine too. Or you can get the Vanguard which is a V6, some have leather & 7 seats.

EDIT: never mind, saw you don't want a Toyota....

Coil

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#1783465 17-May-2017 06:53

jarledb:

Nikras:

Thanks for not adding Toyotas on there just because they're way too common and they feel boring. haha! (Sorry Toyota fans)

Well, TimA suggested the Prado Landcruiser. Thats a Toyota. :)

Landcruiser is a premium range that cant really be compared to anything else toyota offer.
Great trucks!

Nikras - Always get a mechanical warranty for the car 3-5 year one. Will be worth it..
All the Korean cars currently seem to chew out gearboxes like they are free. A workmates Hyundai recently just gave up (I30)

nakedmolerat

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#1783468 17-May-2017 07:32

If Outlander suits you - I higly recommend to get brand new. You can't go wrong with 10 years warranty from Mitsubishi.

With that budget - I will try to get new or close to new (less than 3 yrs). Checkout Honda CRV but please don't go near a Holden!

Coil

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#1783475 17-May-2017 07:34

nakedmolerat: If Outlander suits you - I higly recommend to get brand new. You can't go wrong with 10 years warranty from Mitsubishi.

With that budget - I will try to get new or close to new (less than 3 yrs). Checkout Honda CRV but please don't go near a Holden!

You mean a Daewoo?

timmmay

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#1783477 17-May-2017 07:44

I have a 2016 Quashqui. It's a nice crossover, not really much larger than a car really. It easily fits in moderate sized buggies, capsules, car seats. There's enough room when travelling away with a baby... just. It's nice to drive, economical, and has plenty of power. I don't have a tow bar, but my father in law tows a small trailer on his 2016 / 2017 Qashqui and doesn't have any trouble. It's big enough that parking is a bit annoying at times, it can fit into standard spaces but you may have issues opening the doors... but that's true of every car when you're trying to get a baby in and out. I'd buy it again. It cost about $30K when it was 3 or 4 months old, ex lease.

If you want a really large vehicle, Qashqui isn't the one for you. If you want something a bit bigger than a car with good visibility and reasonably good carrying capacity, it's good.

Happy to answer questions. Also, if you're near Wellington, we're selling some newborn stuff like capsule, bassinet, etc.

nakedmolerat

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#1783480 17-May-2017 07:50

TimA:
nakedmolerat: If Outlander suits you - I higly recommend to get brand new. You can't go wrong with 10 years warranty from Mitsubishi.

With that budget - I will try to get new or close to new (less than 3 yrs). Checkout Honda CRV but please don't go near a Holden!

You mean a Daewoo?

Daewoo is ugly but more reliable than Holden!

alasta

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#1783494 17-May-2017 08:38

nakedmolerat: If Outlander suits you - I higly recommend to get brand new. You can't go wrong with 10 years warranty from Mitsubishi.

Unless things have changed recently it would pay to be aware that the 10 year warranty is not all inclusive - the latter five years covers the drivetrain only. Also, the full 10 year deal is not transferable to subsequent owners.

I got a bit caught out on this with my Mazda. They claim to now offer a five year warranty, but the latter two years has a number of exclusions.

lxsw20

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#1783529 17-May-2017 09:51

nakedmolerat:
TimA:

nakedmolerat: If Outlander suits you - I higly recommend to get brand new. You can't go wrong with 10 years warranty from Mitsubishi.

With that budget - I will try to get new or close to new (less than 3 yrs). Checkout Honda CRV but please don't go near a Holden!

You mean a Daewoo?

Daewoo is ugly but more reliable than Holden!

They are all part of the same group - General Motors. Vauxhall/Opel/Daewoo/Holden/Chev/many others

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