Thanks to everyone who contributed to my earlier thread.  It was starting to get a bit confused and cluttered, and I have a better idea of what I'm trying to ask, so I decided to start a fresh thread focussed on those specific questions.

The issue

Replacing my car.  Budget is $25K (confirmed finance).  Key criteria - reliable (not requiring significant or costly repairs every year), comfortable and enjoyable to drive, good space (bonus points if it can seat 6 people), good fuel economy, and durable (lasting for 5-8 years).

I know many of these things are subjective, so I've tried to articulate what those things are to me.

The long list

Thanks to everyone who offered up suggestions in my previous thread.  I also looked through other threads to get an idea of makes/models I should be looking at.  I searched on Trademe with some fairly broad parameters to see what models came up in my budget.  What I discovered is that compact SUVs are the new station wagons, so pretty much everything on my long list is an SUV.  I also discovered that 6+ seats is hard to find unless you go big and expensive (on into the van/people mover territory, which I'm not keen on).  Being somewhat "rare", I've had to extend my criteria to include 5 seaters as well.  That's why my criteria is "good space" with a bonus if that space includes a third row of seats.

The long list includes a lot of different vehicles.  Most of them I've excluded for a mix of cost (sometimes "value for money"), age, fuel economy, or a "doesn't offer much difference/advantage for the cost."  My notes below are based on looking at specific examples on Trademe for Palmerston North.  I've also looked further afield (Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Auckland) but this can be tricky to properly inspect vehicles in person, so it's generally for an example of a model which isn't available in PN.  But I do accept that I could find better or cheaper examples elsewhere - it's just not practical to travel all over the country hunting out the best deal. 

The ones I've considered include:

- Haval H2 (relatively thirsty, and engine seems a bit small for the size of the vehicle)

 - Honda CR-V (seems relatively expensive for a newish 5-seater - at least, amongst the examples I was able to find).

 - Kia Sportage (quite expensive for a newish 5-seater, and has higher fuel consumption compared to others I'm looking at)

 - Mazda 6 SW (found one that was quite cheap, but has very high mileage and is just a slightly newer version of what I already have (Subaru wagon; found another which is lower mileage, but is comparatively expensive for the same age)

 - Mazda CX-5/CX-8/CX-9 (these all seem to have a price premium meaning there aren't many examples in my price range that aren't very high mileage)

 - Nissan X-Trail (quite expensive, though much newer than most others I've looked at, but has relatively higher fuel consumption)

 - SsangYong Korando (similar age to the Nissan I looked at but is cheaper.  However, engine seems a tad small, and isn't a brand I'm familiar with)

 - Subaru XV (relatively expensive for the age, but this specific example had very very low mileage)

The short list

I have a short list of three different options.  It's fair to say that none of the makes/models I've looked at (short or long list) are without issue or compromise.  With my budget, I won't find something perfect.  I also know that some people will be strong advocates for models on the long list.  Please persuade me if there's something I've overlooked or if I've overestimated some flaw.

My tentative short list is:

 - Mitsubishi Outlander

 - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

 - VW Tiguan Allspace

Of the ones on my shortlist, the Outlander seems to hit the most boxes.  The petrol model has 7 seats, which isn't a dealbreaker for me but would be nice to accomodate my blended family.  My two young kids have hopped in the back of several 7 seaters and have no problem fitting comfortably in there.  We haven't done that in an Outlander yet, but I would expect it to be similar to the CX-8 we drove in Auckland in terms of space.  I drove an Outlander on my own last week and it was good to drive, if unexceptional.  It was comfortable, decent to drive, good fuel economy (7.9L/100km).  It had high mileage (ex-lease) but has a fully documented service history.

The Outlander PHEV isn't 7 seats, but I could live with that if the fuel economy was anywhere near as good as it claims.  The big question marks are around the reliability of the hybrid system, and whether the fuel economy will meet expectations (or dwindle with age).  There are three local examples and one in New Plymouth that are in shouting distance of my budget.  One has had the battery replaced in 2022, and reports 82% SOH.  The PHEV I drove last week was very nice to drive, more so than the Outlander.  But they are older (between 2016 and 2018) though most have lower mileage.

For Outlanders generally, I have no idea about their long-term reliability, costs to service, and fishhooks to watch for in terms of repairs/breakdowns (especially with the PHEV model)

The VW Tiguan is a very nice car.  The one I drove was just a 1.4L petrol turbo (which I have discovered is not recommended by owners - the 2L is the one to go for).  I found one in Auckland which is the same age, higher mileage, but has the 2L engine for a grand less than the 1.4L model I drove.  It has seven seats, which is an extra point in its favour.  However, I've been spooked by claims of very high maintenance costs and lots of random and often expensive repairs.  It's a shame, because otherwise the Tiguan would be a winner for me.

So here are my questions for the brains trust:

 

1. What are the real-world costs for maintaining and repairing a VW Tiguan?  I've read that they are expensive to own in NZ because of the "euro" factor.  The model in Auckland has higher mileage (117K), which seems to count against it but does this also mean that the big ticket scheduled services would likely already been done (assuming it has been regularly serviced).  Do Tiguans start to "break down" at a certain age?  If I had some confidence that I wasn't buying a lemon, then I would be really tempted to go for the Tiguan.
2. What are the real-world costs for maintaining and repairing a Mitsubishi Outlander?  Common-sense suggests that as a japanese import it will be cheaper to service and maintain, but I don't want to assume that.  Do they have known significant faults at a certain age?  The petrol model I'm looking at is a 2019 model with 145K kms on the clock, ex-lease with a fully documented and comprehensive service record.  As with the Tiguan, does this mean that the big-ticket services have already been done?  Or are there big costs coming down the road?
3. Is it foolish to consider a second-hand PHEV Outlander?  I have only about 30 mins experience behind the wheel of one of these - not enough time to gauge the fuel economy reliably - but my instinct is that the battery is a potential liability.  I'm trying to learn about how the hybrid system works.  From what I've read, it can run in hybrid mode with petrol and electrics working together, in "Series" mode where the electric motors drive the car but the engine generates electricity for the motors, or it can run in a petrol mode and recharge the battery (direct from the engine and from regenerative braking).  And it can plug-in to charge too.  I guess I'm curious about how this all works.  How fuel efficient is it to run in Series mode (particularly for low speed urban driving) and just use the engine as a generator?  It probably makes more sense to let the on-board computers decide the best use of the various systems, but is the real-world fuel economy result likely to be poorer for an older/high-mileage vehicle as the battery degrades.  And what is an acceptable battery SOH?  One of the models I've found has had the battery replaced in 2022 - does this make it a better contender, or is it indicative of failure and other problems?

Thanks for coming along to my TED talk 😄.  This would be the most significant expense I've ever incurred that isn't house-related, so I want to make a good decision.  Really appreciate any insights or advice you can offer.