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Buying a used car - Lexus or Peugeot?

We have a 'next-car' conundrum that we can’t stop agonising over and we really need some independent impartial advice.

We would like a raised-height crossover/4x4 type vehicle (four-wheel drive is not essential) and we have narrowed our choices down to two completely different models. Either a four year old 100,000 mile Lexus RX450h for £17,000 OR a one year old 17,000 mile Peugeot 3008 2.0 HDi AUTO for £13,000.

Daily driving is pretty much very short journeys. We probably do two 50 mile journeys a week and 250 mile journeys every few months. In addition to that we want to tow a small (1200Kg) caravan once a month for a minimum of 500 miles - both vehicles are fine with this weight of caravan.

We'd love the luxury of the Lexus but don't want to be burdened with expensive repairs if anything goes wrong with a high mileage version. We love the superb value of the 3008 but don't want DPF issues. Can you help?

Asked on 10 April 2014 by Stephen Morey

Answered by Honest John
The idea of keeping the Lexus to 200k miles seem on the face of it to be risk. But there is very little stress in the drivetrain of these vehicles. The big problem could be the battery pack. The 3008 has an Eolys regenerated DPF and, though the Eolys needs replenishing every 40k to 80k miles (depending on how many times you refuel) that is not unduly expensive. It has a torque converter autobox too, so that should not be troublesome.

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