TL:DR; i have my heart set on changing, models will be newer than originally expected, not going extreme offroading and risk battering a daily driver just more than the honda can do, nissan pathfinder 2008+ 2.5 dci an option? 2nd car is a big no no. money pit means to me buying a lemon, which of those is the least citrusy?
read on:
i hear what you are saying and take it all into consideration. i have done more research and price checking and it seems these throw up the least problems over 100k depending on model year, and the car i would be going for would be 2 or more years younger than mine with a good 50% less miles on the clock.
I have no space for a second car let alone a safe place to store a transport trailer. the park is like 30km from me, i will be going to check it out at the weekend to see what people are using there. but its noting like the moab or these extreme trails with mud boggin or rock crawling (or if it has i wouldn't be doing it) i guess thay have differnt levels of challenge on different routes suitable for different vehicles - heck if there's one my honda would get through while being a lot of fun then i would reconsider changing. big lift kits and ridiculous sized tyres might not even be needed, maybe just all terrain or mud tyres.
i have found 2.5 dci nissan pathfinders 2008-2012 with very low km on them, not so much luxury as the jeep but then my honda is really low spec so heated seats and reverse parking sensors would be a luxury for me, for a little bit over my budget. i believe those years had the least (2012 very little if any) famous drivetrain troubles and they are a cheaper to run as a daily driver.
the car would be kept hopefully for a long time basically until the engine is knackered and repairs are more than the value, my point about money pits was that i dont know if any of the ones i mentioned are going to throw up problems i haven't found through my own research - i know the Disco3 has a very bad rep for all sorts of problems throughout the whole car which is why it is not on there, the ones on my list, not so much. the merc engine and trans in the jeep is strong as heck, vw touareg has some niggles but if i can find 2007 and later models within budget. surely these newer ones would be less problematic?
also i live in germany, where nearly every small garage is a vw or merc or bmw car specialist in one form or another so cheaper than dealership repairs. and i have a nissan garage down the end of the road too.
basically i only considered the change as i should be coming into enough money to clear all loans, set aside a hefty deposit for when we buy a house, and 10k or so for personal spending. and there are niggles with my honda - as much as i love the quiet and relatively powerful 2.2 - that annoy me. a/c system b*****s up. blue smoke on startup (maybe turbo oil seal gone?) possibly need trans fluids changed, the outer rubber seal of the side windows makes no contact to clear outside rain or mist when opening. in cold german weather ice forms inside the top of front windscreen. folding seats dont leave flat full length cargo space of which i now need more.
Edited by heartattakjjoe on 21/02/2017 at 10:31
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