(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

[bycap]

this looks fantastic. congrats on the new ride

[iRage]

Congrats on the car ! Although..to be honest I am somewhat upset that you didn't buy a Premio....Crosswinds + Leyland would have been epic

[Davy]

Congratulations! That certainly is a beautiful car.

The look of the entire new Mazda range has been stunning, with that new grille consistently appearing across most of the models.

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

Took me a while to actually get it.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Davy

[Kavvz]

Crap! So you have to continue talking to MD after all....

(Congrats on the new purchase)

[ferrarif50]

Nice dude

[pug306xsi]

Looking good!

Specs?

[Harry (aq)]

Wow, gorgeous. congrats mate.

Too bad I was waiting for Crosswind's Layland :-(

[Sampath Gunasekera]

Congrats Mate !!! More pics pls....

[AbeysinghE]

Hey that is gorgeous wheels..Hope you will have a great time on your new ride mate...

[SamG]

Congrats man !!! That is a gorgeous car and its a Mazda

[Pericles]

Funny, I was just having a chat with SkyActiv 6 owner last night. Looks real nice, dude

[MasterDon]

Elakiri!...The p***y pictures are on the way as promised.

[Supra_Natural]

Congratz on your new ride machan Enjoy!

Congratulations on the new wheels Supra

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

Good choice!

Congrats! Good Choice on the colour

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

That's absolute Beauty! Congrats Supra!

this looks fantastic. congrats on the new ride

Congrats on the car ! Although..to be honest I am somewhat upset that you didn't buy a Premio....Crosswinds + Leyland would have been epic

Congratulations! That certainly is a beautiful car.

The look of the entire new Mazda range has been stunning, with that new grille consistently appearing across most of the models.

Took me a while to actually get it.

Crap! So you have to continue talking to MD after all....

(Congrats on the new purchase)

Nice dude

Looking good!

Specs?

Wow, gorgeous. congrats mate.

Too bad I was waiting for Crosswind's Layland :-(

Congrats Mate !!! More pics pls....

Hey that is gorgeous wheels..Hope you will have a great time on your new ride mate...

Congrats man !!! That is a gorgeous car and its a Mazda

Funny, I was just having a chat with SkyActiv 6 owner last night. Looks real nice, dude

Elakiri!...The p***y pictures are on the way as promised.

Thanks very much guys. Its a base model 2.0 Litre so it lacks some of the whizz bang options like radar cruise control, blind spot detection, 11 speaker Bose audio etc etc but I just think of that as less to give trouble over the long run. I think of all the options on this thread this was by far the best choice and I'm glad I found a good one.

Now let's hope it lives upto Mazda's reputation in the long run!

[LS110]

Thanks very much guys. Its a base model 2.0 Litre so it lacks some of the whizz bang options like radar cruise control, blind spot detection, 11 speaker Bose audio etc etc but I just think of that as less to give trouble over the long run. I think of all the options on this thread this was by far the best choice and I'm glad I found a good one.

Now let's hope it lives upto Mazda's reputation in the long run!

Congratulations mate... good choice

[luckey007]

Congratulations................

[Pericles]

Thanks very much guys. Its a base model 2.0 Litre so it lacks some of the whizz bang options like radar cruise control, blind spot detection, 11 speaker Bose audio etc etc but I just think of that as less to give trouble over the long run. I think of all the options on this thread this was by far the best choice and I'm glad I found a good one.

Now let's hope it lives upto Mazda's reputation in the long run!

Ah, the guy I was talking to had a 2.5. He was quite enthused about it.

[sathyajithj99]

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.

Great car Supra. And nice colour too. Can you post some interior pics and rear pics

[Shanjeev]

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.

Those killer looks....

[tiv]

Thanks very much guys. Its a base model 2.0 Litre so it lacks some of the whizz bang options like radar cruise control, blind spot detection, 11 speaker Bose audio etc etc but I just think of that as less to give trouble over the long run. I think of all the options on this thread this was by far the best choice and I'm glad I found a good one.

Now let's hope it lives upto Mazda's reputation in the long run!

Just asking mate, based on your account name, did u own one of those Supras back in the day? or the NA one?

[Supra_Natural]

Here's a pic of the Ass end and one of the interior. Base interior is fabric, the previous owner has fitted a very well made set of tailored fake leather seat covers. They actually look and feel pretty good but I'm going to have to take them off as the front seatbacks hold the side airbags so putting covers on them is a no no (something the owners manual mentions with a big "Warning" sign lol)

Sadly the back end is no longer as pristine as it is in the photo as an idiot in a Kia sportage ran into me while I was stopped at a traffic light on Saturday evening. Apparently he was putting his shoe on while driving (!!) It was a pretty heavy impact but the bumper seems okay other than for scratches but there is a perfectly symmetrical dent just below the numberplate. I cant imagine how that happened unless the bumper really got pushed inwards and then rebounded. Will need to check the state of the impact rams under the bumper as well.... Sigh.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[Supra_Natural]

Just asking mate, based on your account name, did u own one of those Supras back in the day? or the NA one?

Sadly no machan, the Supra has always been top of my list of cars I would like to own, which is why I chose the username back in the day. It was taken from the CAR magazine road test verdict for the Supra in the 90s.

[Hoonigan]

Here's a pic of the Ass end and one of the interior. Base interior is fabric, the previous owner has fitted a very well made set of tailored fake leather seat covers. They actually look and feel pretty good but I'm going to have to take them off as the front seatbacks hold the side airbags so putting covers on them is a no no (something the owners manual mentions with a big "Warning" sign lol)

Sadly the back end is no longer as pristine as it is in the photo as an idiot in a Kia sportage ran into me while I was stopped at a traffic light on Saturday evening. Apparently he was putting his shoe on while driving (!!) It was a pretty heavy impact but the bumper seems okay other than for scratches but there is a perfectly symmetrical dent just below the numberplate. I cant imagine how that happened unless the bumper really got pushed inwards and then rebounded. Will need to check the state of the impact rams under the bumper as well.... Sigh.

That just kills you a little inside doesn't it. Hope the damage isn't more than skin deep.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[fookie]

Gorgeous car supra !! was refreshing to see this....

[iRage]

Were there supposed to be pics of the rear and interior ?

[Crosswind]

Sadly the back end is no longer as pristine as it is in the photo as an idiot in a Kia sportage ran into me while I was stopped at a traffic light on Saturday evening. Apparently he was putting his shoe on while driving (!!) It was a pretty heavy impact but the bumper seems okay other than for scratches but there is a perfectly symmetrical dent just below the numberplate. I cant imagine how that happened unless the bumper really got pushed inwards and then rebounded. Will need to check the state of the impact rams under the bumper as well.... Sigh.

I hope you ran the car on to his rear and shoved his shoe up his a$$