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Reliable car with high driving position - AndrewAUK99

As a car my wife likes the Freelander 2 which you can get for our budget of less than £4k and she really likes the high driving position but the mpg is poor for the 5k miles it will do each year

..so are they any cars you would recommend for a budget that have this high driving position

Happy to consider hatchback, SUV, 4x4. Must have 5 doors and a good size boot

Cheers

Reliable car with high driving position - badbusdriver

While I would in no way recommend a car as statistically unreliable as a Freelander is likely to be, I would suggest you not overly fixating on the mpg of a £4k car doing 5k miles per year. The likelihood of other running costs exceeding that of fuel consumption is very high given that, in todays market, your budget is bordering on banger territory.

For that reason you really want to be keeping your car as simple as possible, so no diesel and, with very few exceptions, no 4x4/SUV's either. To maximise bang for buck, look at cars which are no longer considered trendy or desirable (hence no SUV), such as MPV's.

I'm thinking petrol engined Ford C-Max (1.6, 1.8, 2.0, no 1.0 Ecoboost), Toyota Verso, Mazda 5, possibly Vauxhall Zafira. Also, depending on exactly how big the boot needs to be, Kia Venga and Hyundai ix20 (same car barring badges and some minor trim and styling differences). The boot capacity is pretty good at 440 litres (if memory serves) but it is a short car, so floor area may not be enough.

Reliable car with high driving position - Ian D
You could get a Honda CRV 2008-2012 model 2.0i VTEC (petrol), for £4k you would may get a 2010 100,000 mile example, manual would achieve 30-35 mpg, auto 25-30mpg depending on usage, great cars, bit sluggish compared to the diesels. The 2013 on model is improved and more stylish but I don’t think will be in budget unless on sky high miles.

Reliable car with high driving position - gordonbennet

Similar models to FL2 would be Peug 4007 and its Citroen and Mitsubishi sisters, which i believe all share the same engine as the FL2, which possibly accounts for it being regarded as the most reliable LR product around, chap who does my fencing has had one for years and reports no issues to speak of.

I don't know which if any of these would have a DPF, if they do then the French models might well have the EOLYS fluid system too, which helps keep the DPF happy but can suffer its own problems.

CRV is a good shout, RAV4 i'm none too sure about.

Forester another possibility if AWD is preferred, but will not be good on fuel as it has a full time 4WD system (most reliable all wheel drive system though), do not be tempted by a Forester Diesel of which you will find umpteen on sale spares or repairs because the engines peg out, cambelt petrol engines and changing spark plugs really need sthe engine jacking off its mounts for access, i know because i have one, check undeneath for rust especially if its lived up north where the road salt fetish is serious.

Reliable car with high driving position - Andrew-T

... she really likes the high driving position but the mpg is poor for the 5k miles it will do each year.

Not sure how poor mpg relates to an annual mileage, and certainly not to a driving position. If you do 5K a year it will cost you less than if you did 10K. Probably a modest saving compared to factors such as insurance or VED ?

Reliable car with high driving position - RT

... she really likes the high driving position but the mpg is poor for the 5k miles it will do each year.

Not sure how poor mpg relates to an annual mileage, and certainly not to a driving position. If you do 5K a year it will cost you less than if you did 10K. Probably a modest saving compared to factors such as insurance or VED ?

At 5,000 miles/year the difference between poor mpg and average mpg isn't very much.

Reliable car with high driving position - John F

The human brain is such that the pain of parting with around £100 a month to refuel a 5k miles a year Chelsea tractor far exceeds the anaesthetic removal of around £200 of value from one's automotive 'investment' over the same period of time. This is why it makes most sense for a low mileage driver to make their car last as long as possible so that 'depreciation' never costs more than the fuel put in it. Not that this argument applies much to the OP who is clearly in the 'old banger' market with the accompanying risk of large unexpected bills.

Edited by John F on 12/01/2024 at 11:22

Reliable car with high driving position - Random

Not that this argument applies much to the OP who is clearly in the 'old banger' market with the accompanying risk of large unexpected bills.

The beauty of this end of the market cars a less likely to be tech laden, electric r****** that's not really needed, causing expense. Low cost car doesn't automatically mean big bills.. For many years all my cars have been under £2500, and NONE has ever given me a large unexpected bill. Buy with your heart and 'yes' you can have large unexpected bills, but buy with your Brain' and chance becomes extremely unlikely. Buy an uncared for/marque with a poor reliability record and...............

Reliable car with high driving position - Engineer Andy

... she really likes the high driving position but the mpg is poor for the 5k miles it will do each year.

Not sure how poor mpg relates to an annual mileage, and certainly not to a driving position. If you do 5K a year it will cost you less than if you did 10K. Probably a modest saving compared to factors such as insurance or VED ?

At 5,000 miles/year the difference between poor mpg and average mpg isn't very much.

Indeed - better to find a reliable, practical car suitable for their needs that is as simple as needed and no more, so the OP spends much less on maintenance, insurance and possibly VED. That would more than compensate for lower-than-average mpg.

Reliable car with high driving position - SLO76
Don’t buy an SUV if money is tight. £4k is bottom of the barrel money at todays prices, meaning you’ll be looking at cars in excess of 12yrs old. SUV’s are more complex and much more expensive to repair and maintain than an equivalent small hatchback. A small MPV like the Ford C-max with the robust Yamaha designed 1.6 petrol would be a much safer bet, if a high driving position is required.

If you absolutely must have an SUV/4wd, then the least risky bet would be either a 2.0 petrol Honda CRV or 2.0 petrol Toyota RAV4. Both will be thirsty, but both will be far more reliable and much cheaper to run than the far more complex and troublesome turbo diesels you’d get for the same money. The petrols will be ULEZ friendly also while the diesels will exclude you from many city centres.

Rust is the big fear with old SUV’s like this. You could spend £4k on something that is rotten through if you’re not careful. Scrutinise the Mot history for rot advisories, and get under it for a good look plus check up front for the front crossmember and both subframes.
Reliable car with high driving position - Xileno

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Reliable car with high driving position - Adampr

My vote goes to Kia Venga, Kia Soul or Hyundai ix20.

Reliable car with high driving position - paul 1963

I do tend to think this will be yet another thread where the op is never heard from again, some nice suggestions from the panel as normal though.

Reliable car with high driving position - Andrew-T

I do tend to think this will be yet another thread where the OP is never heard from again, some nice suggestions from the panel as normal though.

Not blushing, I hope ?

Reliable car with high driving position - AndrewAUK99

Thanks but those Kia and Hyundai have far too small a boot. Nice though

Reliable car with high driving position - Orb>>

Thanks but those Kia and Hyundai have far too small a boot. Nice though

Thanks but those Kia and Hyundai have far too small a boot. Nice though

Take out the false floor in the boot. We had 5 adults and 2 22 kilo suitcases and 3 carry on 10 kilo ones plus a few years back .

Edited by Orb>> on 12/01/2024 at 21:50

Reliable car with high driving position - badbusdriver

Thanks but those Kia and Hyundai have far too small a boot. Nice though

Take out the false floor in the boot. We had 5 adults and 2 22 kilo suitcases and 3 carry on 10 kilo ones plus a few years back .

No doubting that the boots are capacious (or big, to put it another way!) But as I said earlier, the actual floor space isn't that big.

Unfortunately the OP hasn't given any indication of what they need the boot for, which would increase the chances of more suitable suggestions. The boot in the Freelander 2 seems to be massive, figures I've found say 755 litres which is way bigger than anything suggested so far. Even 7 seat MPV's like the Mazda 5 and Zafira would have less than 600 (with third row seats folded). Same for SUV's of a similar size to the Freelander, like the RAV4 and CRV, which makes me wonder if the quoted figure of 755 litres is actually measured to the roof rather than the window line (which is typically the measurement with rear seats in place).

Point is if the OP wants a big boot because they have a couple of big dogs, boot floor area will be very important.

Reliable car with high driving position - Xileno

I was thinking similar, knowing what the boot will be used for is important when giving suggestions. Dogs (if intended) certainly alters matters. In which case a Berlingo or one of its relatives might suit.

I've often found when carry stuff that the shape of the boot can be as important as the cc.

Reliable car with high driving position - Random
The boot in the Freelander 2 seems to be massive, figures I've found say 755 litres which is way bigger than anything suggested so far.

Actually official boot space is 405 litres,. If you'd stopped to think about it you'd have realised 755 is incorrect, I suspect that figure is with the loadspace cover removed.

Reliable car with high driving position - badbusdriver
The boot in the Freelander 2 seems to be massive, figures I've found say 755 litres which is way bigger than anything suggested so far.

Actually official boot space is 405 litres,. If you'd stopped to think about it you'd have realised 755 is incorrect, I suspect that figure is with the loadspace cover removed.

If you'd stopped to think about my whole post rather than the one sentence you picked, you'd know that I did suspect 755 litres was not entirely correct.

Reliable car with high driving position - Random
The boot in the Freelander 2 seems to be massive, figures I've found say 755 litres which is way bigger than anything suggested so far.

Actually official boot space is 405 litres,. If you'd stopped to think about it you'd have realised 755 is incorrect, I suspect that figure is with the loadspace cover removed.

If you'd stopped to think about my whole post rather than the one sentence you picked, you'd know that I did suspect 755 litres was not entirely correct.

Sorry, my apologies BBD, I missed that.

Reliable car with high driving position - Engineer Andy
The boot in the Freelander 2 seems to be massive, figures I've found say 755 litres which is way bigger than anything suggested so far.

Actually official boot space is 405 litres,. If you'd stopped to think about it you'd have realised 755 is incorrect, I suspect that figure is with the loadspace cover removed.

The OP may then want to consider an estate car if load area, not volume, is more important, as many estates have a retractable cover rather than a 'parcel shelf'. Some hatchbacks do have them as well.

The Venga / iX30's boot is far from small, especially for a car of its footprint. It's bigger than the boot in my 2005 Mazda3 saloon by about 30L, and my car's boot isn't small athough the opening is).

When I was looking for a car back in late 2005, I took all my holiday gear (suitcase, 'food' box, golf bag and trolley, etc) to see if they fitted in the cars I was looking at.

It may be more difficult to do this withe the OP's canine friends if the current car owner doesn't allow such a 'test', but it's worth at least asking, even if they bring along some kind of sheet to cover the boot floor to avoid any 'soiling'.

Reliable car with high driving position - Random

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Surprisingly most cars, in my experience of looking at this price point and below, are at used car dealers.

Reliable car with high driving position - badbusdriver

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Surprisingly most cars, in my experience of looking at this price point and below, are at used car dealers.

Nobody has said anything to the contrary. The point, which maybe should have been made clearer, is that the OP is more likely to get a better and younger car for their budget buying privately.

Reliable car with high driving position - Random

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Surprisingly most cars, in my experience of looking at this price point and below, are at used car dealers.

Nobody has said anything to the contrary. The point, which maybe should have been made clearer, is that the OP is more likely to get a better and younger car for their budget buying privately.

Have you now become Xileno's spokesperson? LOL! I'm sure he can reply to comments to his own posts if he feels the need.

Reliable car with high driving position - badbusdriver

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Surprisingly most cars, in my experience of looking at this price point and below, are at used car dealers.

Nobody has said anything to the contrary. The point, which maybe should have been made clearer, is that the OP is more likely to get a better and younger car for their budget buying privately.

Have you now become Xileno's spokesperson? LOL! I'm sure he can reply to comments to his own posts if he feels the need.

You do understand the concept of a motoring forum don't you?

Reliable car with high driving position - Andrew-T

You will also need to be confident buying privately at this end of the market. Not everyone is or have the time.

Surprisingly most cars, in my experience of looking at this price point and below, are at used car dealers.

While that may be true at a price point below £4K, the message is that dealers will expect to take a profit of at least a grand - a sizeable chunk of your outlay, which you should avoid paying a private seller. Hence the suggestion that a private purchase could give you a better result, as well as the opportunity to ask pertinent questions and get worthwhile answers.

Reliable car with high driving position - Random

Suggest a Ford C-Max petrol, ideally 1.6, cheaper parts than many marques, good reliability record and great to drive. Just make sure you buy on condition, low owners, good MOT history and evidence of regular servicing, preferably with receipts to back up. Otherwise phone the garage relating to the service book stamps to ascertain they are genuine.

At 5,000 miles a year the difference between a 35 mpg and 50 mpg is only going to be a couple of hundred quid or so. Really not something to be of great relevance when all is said and done.

Hope this helps. Do come back to us and let us know what you decide. Useful for us and for others in your position. Many thanks.