spec me- not a bmw

adolf hamster · 10 Dec 2017 at 12:46

so, figured i'd put this out there see what opinions come back.

thinking of swapping the e90 for something a bit more reliable and a bit less impractical.

kinda casting the net wide so not really settled on exactly what make/model but using the following criteria:

4wd (rwd is also acceptable although i doubt theres anything meets my requirements in rwd, basically not fwd)

the same or more practical than the current car (so 5 doors, 5 seats, reasonable boot, maybe not quite as atrocious in the snow)

if it's gonna be a diesel suv then it'd better have some legit off road credentials (otherwise whats the point in a diesel suv)

cheaper to run than the bm (or at least less running costs- either doesnt go wrong or doesnt cost a bomb to fix)

less than 100k miles, less concerned about age if it's in good nick, ~7k max budget (but ideally less) although northern ireland only (which sadly means higher prices) because i cba going to the mainland to buy a car.

currently been just idly browsing autotrader and come up with:
09 impreza wrx- ticks all the boxes except running costs- anyone comment on what they're like to run?

08 freelander 2- freind who's into his landies speaks quite highly of these in terms of reliability, and the insurance/fuel economy is certainly making it the sensible hat choice

05 shogun sport- quite like the looks of this, although seems a bit on the massive side and probably desperately slow

11 jeep compass- threw this in just because jeep's not a brand i'd normally consider, although seems a bit soft-roader ish?

i'm open to suggestions if there's anything might be worth considering, especially in the realms of 4wd hatchbacks/saloons that aren't scoobys, i'm not in a rush so can afford to wait and see if something comes up.

adolf hamster · 10 Dec 2017 at 13:01

Marvin said:
Rather than an Impreza, how about a Legacy Spec B?

hmm, not bad, maybe a bit thirstier than the impreza but can't say no to an estate

adolf hamster · 10 Dec 2017 at 17:13

Amp34 said:
If you’re thinking of a smaller Jeep then it needs to be a Cherokee or Wrangler tbh. I wouldn’t really consider the Freelander to have “legit off road potential” either. Wasn’t it Landrovers equivalent of the X Trail and CRV?

Yeah i was figuring the compass probably wasnt the right offering from jeep.

The freelander does to me fulfill the off road potential, albiet granted its no defender/disco its at least got some pedigree to it.

I did look at the xtrail/crv/rav4 but none of them really appealed to me.

Will keep an eye out for foresters/legacys, although the only one on autotrader ni atm is a 2.0 non turbo which seems to have shocking performance for that amount of engine

adolf hamster · 10 Dec 2017 at 19:34

fastwunz said:
Freelander is a disaster for reliability in my experience - can you get an A4 Quattro estate?

That the freelander 1 or 2? I know the 1 has its problems but i've been assured the 2 is meant to be much better.

A4 estate is a possibility, none popping up on autotrader but then a lot of the dealers dont bother listing there so still need to do a bit of hunting in person.

adolf hamster · 11 Dec 2017 at 16:53

grudas said:
are you considering a new car because it snowed one day in a year?

Nope, not at all, definately not

VincentHanna said:
He mentioned reliability so I'm guessing the OP has already had to throw money at it.

Nail on the head, i can deal with the poor fuel economy, high tax and insurance, but if she's gonna be throwing £500 repair bills left right and centre and failing to start thats where i'm drawing the line.

Its not the going wrong is the issue so much as the bmw tax on parts is too rich for my blood. The 4x4 thing is mainly that if i dont want fwd and i already have rwd it doesnt leave much left

adolf hamster · 11 Dec 2017 at 19:56

jigger said:
Anything new-ish and EU spec is going to be problematic with 50,000 Plus miles. After 50K you are looking at replacing flywheels, DPF's, cats and the usual suspension bits.

Problem is sub 50k is a tough target to meet for my kinda budget

had a dander round the local dealers see what's on offer, nothing really caught my eye apart from a newer shogun at one of them, very nicely specced and at first glance seems pretty good nick, although it's a 3.2 turbodiesel so suspect the fuel economy is not going to be, well, existent. might test drive it see if it appeals.

adolf hamster · 12 Dec 2017 at 09:11

suggestions welcome! said:
This is screaming Forester tbh. Plus you can overnight parts from Japan to make it a bit more bling

oh god, i have just 1 question- why?

regular forester is on my list of cars to pay attention to if they pop up, but atm nobody seems to be wanting to sell them this weather

adolf hamster · 12 Dec 2017 at 09:20

Acme said:
What do you mean why? Its a Forester STI! Awesomesauce.

why did they do that to a forester when getting a regular sti was an option?

adolf hamster · 12 Dec 2017 at 10:53

Acme said:
What? It is its own model, the Forester STI. JDM goodness.

https://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/blog/ph-made-me-do-it-ph-blog/33159

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-fleet/subaru-forester-sti-ph-fleet/33728

wow, looks like it was something mighty car mods would have done lol.

thought the forester sti would have been a bit more understated, of course i suppose that's me forgetting what the japanese can be like

adolf hamster · 12 Dec 2017 at 14:45

[TW]Fox said:
Insisting on sub 50k miles is a bit pointless at this budget, you're looking at fairly old cars which means low mileage is much rarer and less relevant.

indeed, my original target is sub 100k, 50k is just going to be impossible to acheive with the rest of the criteria

adolf hamster · 13 Dec 2017 at 06:38

jigger said:
Look for something that's been looked after. I've spent about £1700 on a 90k Volvo. It should have another 90K in it without needed anything major doing again.

Always my aim although no guarantee, the bm for example is the literal incarnation of 1 careful lady owner, hasnt stopped 2 starter motor fails in 2 years.

adolf hamster · 13 Dec 2017 at 09:01

TallPaul1878 said:
Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4
Subaru Outback if you don't fancy a Forester.

will keep an eye out, although generally round here the only octavias you ever find are ex-taxis or ex police cars

subarus of all flavours are definately on my radar, although so far nobody seems to be selling them. maybe they all like em too much

adolf hamster · 13 Dec 2017 at 09:27

TallPaul1878 said:
I own a 2016 Octavia myself, just the saloon model, but to be honest I'm not sure I like the newer model with the way they've done the front headlights. I think it looks worse than the outgoing model.

not been paying attention to the newer variants, but used to have a mk1 fabia before getting the bm and i still kinda regret selling it, sure it had very little of the original suspension left by the time i got rid but in 5 years it never failed me (well, not counting when i left the lights on and killed the battery)

of course that was before they got their current reputation and you could grab nice examples for pittance secondhand

adolf hamster · 13 Dec 2017 at 11:27

well, took the shogun for a spin, not really impressed, no throttle/steering feel and that particular example was far enough at the top end of the budget it really needed to wow me to gain any traction.

back to searching, might go look at the other options in the op next week when i've got a spare day to head up that neck of the woods.

hmm, there's a 2011 legacy, 2.0 duzzel though, any thoughts?

adolf hamster · 15 Dec 2017 at 19:07

so, went and had a look at a freelander 2 today, quite liked it although the particular one i was looking at had plainly been used as a farming workhorse.

was planing to check out the scooby as well but it'd just got sold so back to the drawing board.