(Decided) What To Buy - Opinions Appreciated

[Supra_Natural]

I've already had this chat with some of you chaps offline but I figured I would throw the question open to the AL hive mind as well and see what comes up.

After a solid 4 years of reliable service it's time to bid adios to our much loved Civic FD4. Total budget for a replacement is an absolute maximum of 5.6 Million and it will be used as a daily driver by the household (driven by a driver mostly) which means it will basically be in town traffic a lot and endure lots of stop starts and such.

The major priority to be honest is a car that will be pretty reliable with minimal unexpected problems cropping up I don't mind figuring out how to fix a car and getting it done but this can't be a rolling project as my hands are full enough with those . So something made within the last 4 years or so is where the focus lies as the .

Fuel economy is not a major concern but it can't be on a level that will cause thel hingannas to have coronaries either as I already have something in the stable that does that part quite well. So something that does around 7-8 in town is all right. Oh yeah, needs to be automatic as well and it would be a bonus if it is at least somewhat fun to drive (this is not essential though). Saloons or SUV/Crossovers preferred and I want something that has side and curtain airbags and all modern safety kit ideally.

Will look to keep it for four years or so and it would be nice if it retains some value at the end of that.

So now you have the background, let's meet the contenders.

2014 Suzuki Grand Vitara - 5.56 Million brand new ex stock at the agents.

Pros - 4 year/80K warranty, it's brand new, these are rugged and fairly solid trucks

Cons - Model is ancient/being replaced this year, 4WD not available, only two airbags, bit of a truck really, likely to depreciate heavily.

2011 BMW X1 S Drive 18i petrol - Approx 5 mill from BMW pre-owned. 41k on the clock - One specific vehicle in this case

Pros - Nice to drive, much better kit list than the average X1, versatile, basic N4x series petrol engine said to be better long term than the diesels, all the safety kit.

Cons - Inspection report highlighted quite a lot of repairs needed included a leaking power steering, owner has agreed to cover the cost of getting it done at the agents but I feel that is likely to be only the start.

2013 Mazda 6 2.0 - Going rate seems to be the 5.5 million range.

Pros - Looks good, comfy, fun to drive, surprisingly economical, should be reliable, will have about 1 year of agents warranty left.

Cons - Hard to find as owners hang on to them - there are only two cars on the market right now and owners are both doctors so they are being very stubborn on their price (5.7 and 5.8 in both cases - since their is a transfer tax i need to take that into account), Not 100% sure about the long term reliability of the SkyActiv tech.

2013 Toyota Premio - 5-5.5 Mill

Pros - Probably will be trouble free over the four years, comfy, economical, will be worth something when it's time to sell, surprisingly OK drive, simple to maintain.

Cons - Not exactly an exciting choice, Model will be replaced soon, Weirdly old tech in some areas (Like rear drum brakes)

2010 Mercedes Benz C Class - 5.5-6 Mill

Pros - Seems to be back to old school form for Merc in terms of quality, decent drive, comfortable, solid.

Cons - Not sure how it will hold up over the next 4 years, Going prices are somewhat higher than budget.

2014 Toyota Prius - Prices vary but there seem to be unreg choices in the 5-5.5 range

Pros - It's a Prius

Cons - It's a Prius

Annd the final choice (the one I would really rather avoid)

2013/2014 Honda Vesi Vezel - Seem to be available between 5 and 5.5

Pros - It's actually an fairly ok little crossover, nice interior, quite economical

Cons - It's a Vezel.

So there you have it, those are what I've looked at, let me know what you think and any other options I may have missed.

Cheers

Edited March 25, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[VVTi]

If i'm not mistaken they never did a manual (of the later cars) simply to avoid treading on the toes of the R34 Skyline sedan which was produced in parallel

ome Russian nut jobs have dropped the R34 manual tranny in the Medalist. Now that' an idea.

But the sheer nirvana of gliding in traffic is enough for me not to consider a manual transplant.

[The Don]

More or less.... Not in the same league as the M3s or M5s... but they say the Jap horses are a more eager lot than then Euro horses.

Another 50 horses and it will give the M3 of that era a run for its money.

[iRage]

The C34 version even had the TT and AWD... the cheeky buggers... LOL

I knew the WC34 Stagea came with a RB26DETT and AWD (rear end of a R34 Skyline ?) but I had no idea the Laurel actually came with it.

I once saw a C33 with a RB26DETT at the Nissan gallery. They apparently did it for some race and was a "one-off" kind of thing.

[Supra_Natural]

Oh btw S_N does your family still have that Jeep Grand Cherokee? I remember urging you not buy it based on the interior quality / fit and finish and I'm curious to hear what you have to say about it after owning it for a while...

Yup still have the thing, going on 8 years now (done about 75k in that time) and touch wood it's been relatively okay.

Did have some issues like the transmission control unit packing up and needing to be replaced (NOT cheap let me tell you, its a unit programmed to the vehicle so only choice in this part of the world was the agent at the time). Also had to replace front upper arms recently and shocks/mounts some time ago and a couple of bushes along the way.

Interior still basically looks exactly the same as when we got it; only issue was the inner section of the interior door handles started to disintegrate, thankfully there was an upgraded version on Ebay. The rest of it has stayed intact and unfaded/uncracked.

There's also now an independent shop for Chrysler/Jeep products which is a blessing as D*MO prices are eye watering and paying them makes no sense considering that the vehicles are now old and have depreciated sharply.

The V8 is still as amusing as it ever was, though personally I now slightly prefer the other V8 in the stable

Edited March 26, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[Kavvz]

Yup still have the thing, going on 8 years now (done about 75k in that time) and touch wood it's been relatively okay.

Did have some issues like the transmission control unit packing up and needing to be replaced (NOT cheap let me tell you, its a unit programmed to the vehicle so only choice in this part of the world was the agent at the time). Also had to replace front upper arms recently and shocks/mounts some time ago and a couple of bushes along the way.

Interior still basically looks exactly the same as when we got it; only issue was the inner section of the interior door handles started to disintegrate, thankfully there was an upgraded version on Ebay. The rest of it has stayed intact and unfaded/uncracked.

There's also now an independent shop for Chrysler/Jeep products which is a blessing as D*MO prices are eye watering and paying them makes no sense considering that the vehicles are now old and have depreciated sharply.

The V8 is still as amusing as it ever was, though personally I now slightly prefer the other V8 in the stable

Wow, not bad then as over all there weren't too many reliability issues other than the transmission control unit (the suspension repairs are pretty standard I think and to be expected almost). I'm glad I was wrong, but what's all this about it depreciating? Has the value dropped below that of an equivalent Jap SUV? (As in the Land Cruiser or Montero? )

Edited March 26, 2015 by Kavvz

[Supra_Natural]

Wow, not bad then as over all there weren't too many reliability issues other than the transmission control unit (the suspension repairs are pretty standard I think and to be expected almost). I'm glad I was wrong, but what's all this about it depreciating? Has the value dropped below that of an equivalent Jap SUV? (As in the Land Cruiser or Montero? )

I'm not that thrilled about the suspension needing work after 75k but I guess age is also a factor and we use it a lot of the time on crap roads for work so that could have contributed as well.

I'm quite impressed with the interior holding up well because If you look at most SUVs of the time (Euros specially but even some Japs), all those soft touch plastics have faded, cracked and started to rattle while the crap hard plastics that Jeep used basically look like they did back in '07

In terms of depreciation, yeah its been catastrophic (gas guzzler, not a Jap, limited parts/repair sources here, so it is basically a nightmare for the average SL SUV shopper who doesn't want to have active involvement in running a vehicle). The current market rate is around 4 mill, which is a lot less than Landcruisers of the same era.

All things considered it's been pretty decent I guess, though it remains to be seen how well things hold up as it approaches the 10 year/100k mark.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[PreseaLover]

Where? would prefer the 6 if I can get it but certainly won't discount the new 3. Is it that price brand new?

DO NOT SELL THAT LAUREL, even to me!

There is always a certain Laurel if you are interested.

Laurel is a very rare car and I like it It has this rich elegant look.... What's the model year btw? and how i the fuel consumption?

[Magnum]

On the topic of large Nissan cars do we have any Y33 Nissan Cima in SL?

[Supra_Natural]

Laurel is a very rare car and I like it It has this rich elegant look.... What's the model year btw? and how i the fuel consumption?

I thought you wanted a Presea? anyway as for this laurel,

a ) It is not for sale,

b ) The fuel consumption will make you have a heart attack.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[PreseaLover]

I thought you wanted a Presea? anyway as for this laurel,

a ) It is not for sale,

b ) The fuel consumption will make you have a heart attack.

Haha I do want a presea and will be buying only a presea.... I just asked out of curiosity as I'm fond of Sedan Nissan cars

[Supra_Natural]

It appears that the Mazda 6 is leading by a significant margin with the Premio of all things being second!

Stay tuned for the conclusion.......

[Watchman]

The new Mazda 3 looks pretty awesome too!

[Supra_Natural]

So the people have spoken and the results were clear cut (and they agreed with my own feeling on the matter) - A clear victory for the Zoomin Mazda.

Was having trouble finding a car within budget but lucked out with the weekend papers so here we go, the new addition to the stable.

If you look closely, a cat can be seen lurking in the background in this one.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[Crosswind]

So the people have spoken and the results were clear cut (and they agreed with my own feeling on the matter) - A clear victory for the Zoomin Mazda.

Was having trouble finding a car within budget but lucked out with the weekend papers so here we go, the new addition to the stable.

If you look closely, a cat can be seen lurking in the background in this one.

Well... at least I don't have to buy that Leyland bus now... Congrats on the car. It does look gorgeous.

BTW do you use the cat to dry your old sarongs and bedsheets?

[Reckless]

Congrats Supra on your awesome new ride! would love to see some interior pics too.

[LashNeo]

Halleluiah !!

As predicted, the Skyactive sexy bombshell has finally arrived!

Great choice Supra. My heartiest congrats.

[Supra_Natural]

Well... at least I don't have to buy that Leyland bus now... Congrats on the car. It does look gorgeous.

BTW do you use the cat to dry your old sarongs and bedsheets?

Thanks man, lol no those are used to keep the car cover from scratching the cat. Car cover was off today.

Congrats Supra on your awesome new ride! would love to see some interior pics too.

Thanks machan, will post some up presently. Just brought it home today.

[Supra_Natural]

Halleluiah !!

As predicted, the Skyactive sexy bombshell has finally arrived!

Great choice Supra. My heartiest congrats.

Thanks machan, if I'm honest it was always the no 1 choice for me, only issue was finding the right car... definitely lucked out with this.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[PreseaLover]

Congratz on your new ride machan Enjoy!

[Hoonigan]

Congratulations on the new wheels Supra

[trinity]

Congratulations machang... What an awesome choice.. Cheers!!

[The Don]

Good choice!

[tiv]

Congrats! Good Choice on the colour

[Jor-el]

wow she is gorgeous.. curves at all the right places... congrats supra!

[Ruslan]

That's absolute Beauty! Congrats Supra!