What (Used) Car to buy? Help!

[skipperdoo]

Hi there, DH and I have recently moved out of London and need a new car before arrival of our firstborn.

We want a SUV, possibly a hybrid, with decent boot space as we like to travel a fair bit and have a dog as well. Good reliability and safety ratings are key. I don't want it to feel like a monster on narrow roads but we think SUV is the way to go for our growing family.

Some of the models we've been looking at are below, though we may have to purchase an older model to fit our budget (about 20K).

• Toyota RAV4
• Hyundai Tucson
• Peugeot 3008
• Volkswagen T-Roc
• Lexus RX
• Mazda CX-30

Anyone have any recommendations? Any advice is appreciated, I've lived in the city for a decade and don't know much about this subject! TIA

From a reliability point of view the Lexus and Toyota are the ones to look at, then the Mazda and Hyundai.

If you want reliability and boot space, ditch the idea of an SUV. As a general rule they are more likely to go wrong than the family cars on which they're based, poorly packaged (less room inside for the same sized car), and the extra height to the boot floor becomes problematic when your dog becomes elderly and creaky.

I'd suggest a Peugeot Rifter or Citroen Berlingo: they give you all the space you'll ever need for a growing family, and sliding rear doors are much more practical in narrow parking spaces when you're grappling with child seats and so on. They are more fuel efficient than SUVs (including the Peugeot 3008 you've listed above, which sits on the same EMP2 platform) and significantly cheaper - with a decent discount you could probably get into a brand new one with your budget.

I'd suggest a Peugeot Rifter or Citroen Berlingo

Two brands to steer well clear of if you want reliability!

@Shade17

I'd suggest a Peugeot Rifter or Citroen Berlingo

Two brands to steer well clear of if you want reliability!

Yes, if you base all your decisions on reputation, conjecture and prejudice. French manufacturers used to have a reputation for ropey reliability, but actual facts don't really bear this out any longer and within the industry the Peugeot-Citroën (now Stellantis) EMP2 platform is developing a tremendous reputation for mechanical reliability. You'll soon see it on Vauxhalls, Chryslers and Fiats too.

The most recent JD Power Dependability survey for the UK - from 2019, there has been no 2020 data published - lists Peugeot at number one, with 77 problems per 100 vehicles (pp100). Skoda is second. The famed reliability of Toyota actually ranks in 18th place with 134 pp100, below the industry average and below other French muck such as Citroën (which is the same company as Peugeot), Renault and even Dacia (part of Renault).

Because the Berlingo and Rifter are based on commercial vehicles there is a lot of accurate fleet data on dispatch reliability - so whether or not it starts and goes at the beginning of a day's work, rather than whether or not the radio struggles to tune in to Classic FM. For the same reason, repair costs are very low. There is little to worry about.

It's a shame Toyota don't sell their ultra-reliable direct competitor (the Proace City Verso) to the Berlingo or Rifter in the UK but if you lived in Europe or wanted a van without seats then I'd certainly recommend it. It's actually a Rifter/Berlingo, from the exact same production lines in Mangualde or Vigo, with the exact same Peugeot-Citroën mechanics, engines, and gearboxes, but Toyota badges.

I have a Toyota Avensis with 270,000 miles on the clock, it's been thoroughly abused and never put a foot wrong.