Grand Vitara, X-Trail or Other?
Gday all
It's time to start thinking about a new car for the family.
I have a budget of 30k which is my max.
I am looking for a decent family SUV and have come down to either of these (I think) and was hoping for some opinions maybe of owners or the more automotive inclined on these forums.
The car will be used by my other half (who has requested an automatic) to transport her and our 20 month old around. The plan is to add another kid at the end of this year (so will end up with two car seats eventually)
I would like to use the car occasionally on weekend fishing trips on sandy beaches down south (would always be going with a mate and his Landcruiser)
We do not buy cars regularly, we're more the type to buy a car and drive it till we need a new one. So something with atleast a reliable reputation is preffered.
Based on my budget it looks as though I can get a new in stock '11' plated Grand Vitara or X-Trail.
Both of them are nice cars, I'm leaning towards to looks of the X-Trail at the moment but the Grand Vitara does have the low range gear box and is likely going to be better off road from what I've read.
Before all you Landcruiser and Patrol owners say get a real 4WD they're out of my price range for a car of the kind of age I'm after, the missus will run into things with it and the fuel consumption is huge. I'm not wanting to do any crazy off road work, up and down a beach occasionally.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated, would be even better if someone can just make up my mind for me please :P
Other options I have considered are the:
Rav4 but from what I've read their offroad ability is one of the worst
Jeep Patriot but the room in them is lacking,
Jeep Cherokee, it's quite thirsty, I havent looked at on nor do I know much about them
Subaru Forrester, my parents have one and I'm just not a big fan of them
Cheers
Andy_b
Posts: 633
Date Joined: 19/10/11
gday mate, my mum had a
gday mate, my mum had a vitara and we used to take it up the beach fishing and had no worries on the sand, also it pulled out a landcruiser out of the shit no worries at all.
few laughs when we did that
oh the good old days
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
lol ya know its not the first
lol ya know its not the first time I've heard of one pulling out a landy.
How is the room in them? I'm taking one for a test drive this Saturday but until then I can only speculate on its internal size, I've played with the X-Trail etc already.
We've gotta get a pram into the back of them oviously and the missus wants another one around the end of this year so it's gotta have enough room in the back for a booster and car seat too. (We're stopping at two...)
499
Posts: 181
Date Joined: 07/12/08
Forester.....not enough
Forester.....not enough ground clearence for offroad and rips off all the stone covers underneath when reversing in soft sand...friggen useless
Rav4....quite decent build quality, useless in the sand unfortunatly
X-trail = X fail,...,,they were running a useless gearbox setup.... constant revs on drive side and some stupid multiplyer effect on the other side of the drive line = useless, slipped sometimes under load and nissan knew about it...they stopped making this setup.....they have now gone back to thr traditional driveline setup...... so beware of which model u buy....personally i wouldnt touch one
Jeeps....decent off road but thirsty like many yank mobiles
Suzuki.......i ended buying one of these for the following....theyve been round since the 80's......decent drive train, doesnt fail....good on the sand....has high and low range and will go anywhere barring super soft boggy sand......ive hit beaches running 40psi and its fine...not recommended though...drop tyres to 20psi and it will nearly go anywhere....just enough clearance to go most places.....
build quality is ok but nothing special.....the new 3.2v6 should go quite well......the 2.7 is a lil slugish in the auto but adequate for town and a women driver and overtaking at 100kms is ok also in the 2.7ltr.....2.7ltr drinks about 8.7 ltr / 100km on my readout....ive had no issues with mine, reliable
if it was me id go the 11 plate vitara as they are the closest thing to a 4wd in this genre of vehicles......the 2011 should come in the 3.2v6 which should hum along quite nicley...run tyres at 40psi to reduce body roll and get some extra miles outa yr rubber....run 25% tints to keep interior cool and yr away....good luck
Boppo
Posts: 214
Date Joined: 08/03/09
xtrail
My mrs has an xtrail 2006 model and we take it onto the back beach at Lano no worries. Have even taken it to Wedge along the beach before but try not to do it as it is hard work. I was sceptical of it been any good off-road too but it has actually proven to be a little champ of a car. I have a Navara and it isn't as comfortable offroad as the xtrail however it has the clearance...something that is lacking in the xtrail. You can get a 50mm lift kit for them though.
snappermiles
Posts: 2100
Date Joined: 05/11/10
for the money you want to spend
i would be buying the suzuki!!
but you never no 70 mil next tuesday could buy anything you wanted!
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS EXCEPT YOU AND ME! AND IM NOT SO SURE ABOUT YOU!
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
Thanks for the input 499 and
Thanks for the input 499 and Boppo.
Boppo would you take the X-Trail to Whitehilles (assuming you've been)
stilly
Posts: 341
Date Joined: 10/08/09
x-trail
missus gets a gov car every year they are getting better, interior much bigger than they look, diesel isnt too bad for poke around town cant comment on offroad, but cant see a beach mission being too much drama if your with two cars
jay91
Posts: 50
Date Joined: 02/02/12
have you considered a
have you considered a prado?
not quite as large as a typical landcruiser or patrol but still has more than enough room.
the D4-D motors have proven themselves and quite economical with plenty of grunt.
for that price range you could expect an 05 model but dont if thats too old a model for you
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
Hi JayI've had a look at
Hi Jay
I've had a look at them.
I was trying to get a newish car given we really dont buy cars often, in fact we're likely to drive the new one until it dies, similar to our recent one which is on its last legs.
The prado's do go on and on thought dont they.
Another thing to consider I supose is also the servicing costs, the bigger real 4WD's are going to cost a bit more each time arn't they?
synthos
Posts: 522
Date Joined: 23/06/07
rvice
I did read some good reports on the X trail but those were reports only :( for service on a 4x4 u get shafted take it to trents automotive (next to boatshack in joondalup) he looks after me. Taking my mitsubishi back to mitsubishi would cost me $400 and thats just a service a joke .... :( as long as services are done accordign to manual ie alls done u dont get shafted and I have a real 4x4 the 45000km service hurts I never seen so many oil changes before :(
snapper
Posts: 335
Date Joined: 09/02/08
45,000 service hurts
wait until you replace the clutch and timing belts.
Assassin Land Based Fishing Club Member
thesupervisor
Posts: 1136
Date Joined: 10/06/09
i have a real grand vitara a
i have a real grand vitara a 99 model v6 2.5
its got lots of storage under the seats so assume the new ones do aswell
good car have done quite a few mods lift exust tires and goes any where my mates patrol and crusier goes
the new ones have gone a bit soft since 2006 but still good
heaps of info here
http://newgrandvitara.net/modules/newbb/
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
Cheers mateCan anyone comment
Cheers mate
Can anyone comment on the Outlanders? Seem to get a lot of car with them but I'm a not to sure they'll go ok on the sand...
thesupervisor
Posts: 1136
Date Joined: 10/06/09
i not 100% but the outlanders
i not 100% but the outlanders are all wheel drive not 4wheel drive
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
Scotte
Posts: 1145
Date Joined: 07/12/06
I would def consider a used
I would def consider a used prado man.
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
Gday Scott,Yer I'm looking at
Gday Scott,
Yer I'm looking at them now, do I really want something with 100,000km's on the clock and no warranty though when I can get the GV with zero on the clock and 3 years warranty
Will go have a look at one this weekend anyways
I'm in no huge hurry at the moment.
Cheers
thesupervisor
Posts: 1136
Date Joined: 10/06/09
dont get hung up on klms on
dont get hung up on klms on the clock
my gv has done 340000
still going strong but you do have to maintain anything you buy
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
Perry Home
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 07/10/10
Medium Size - Compromise!
Hi Craggles - gotta agree with one of the earlier posters re the Prado. Here are the reasons.
1. Everything is a compromise - you just gotta work out which ones best for you. $ versus vehicular value - which has more that you want.
2. I don't think I'd ever buy brand new. Every time you buy a car you lose money - tax, instant depreciation. The more times you change over coz the car no longer fits your family - the more you pay out & therefore lose. Consider the false economy of changing a vehicle twice in 10 years compared to the person who has no need to change after 5 years. Its a rare car that appreciates in value! If you can find one we'll all be happy to buy it!
3. You'll find with more kids you'll have to have more space - car seats, strollers, additional clothing etc - the one thing you can't get once you've bought a small vehicle is internal space. where's the fishing gear gonna go. Buy a trailer or roof tray - you could spend that money on a medium size vehicle. Prado would be my choice next time. Driven easily you'll get surprisingly good fuel economy.
4. I'd want my family in the car to feel safe & be safe - being up a bit higher the observant driver can "see" things unfold a little more before it becomes a serious issue. The extra size could be advantageous in the case of an accident - not taking anything away from smaller vehicles.
5. I bought my 97 T/d Pajero when it was 5 years old with 124k on the clock - by that time its price had dropped from 56.5 k to 29.2k with a trade I got it for 23k - in ten years I've done 200k of kms in her - regular services, 1 starter motor, reconded the fuel pump and she's still going without any major issues. My kids have gone from 10 & 8 to 20 & 18 - they re over 6ft tall now - each still fits in the car with no whinging bout leg room comfort etc.
6. I do regular country km's - comfort both in seats and ride in the bigger vehicle will assist you - set the cruise control and the lil tackers will sleep all the way home!
Good luck - I'd be getting figures on the 05-07 Prados by Toyota and other similar size vehicles if it was me.
Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
just bite the bullet
and get a landcruiser....... diesels you can service yourself......will keep going and going..... ive had mine now (98 model) for 4 yrs and service it myself... driven across australia 5 times towing boat or trailer and it hasnt missed a beat........as for room , it has plenty..... and you only need to get a std 4.2 model... no need for a turbo unless ya towing 3ton........as far as price goes im sure you would find a nice neat one for less than 30k.........yeah its a bit more for servicing if you take to a mechanic but then if you take a late model car to a dealer then its still gonna cost you........ and everyone just about has one so never have a problem with parts..........
Craggles
Posts: 85
Date Joined: 19/05/07
Thanks Perry and Vander for
Thanks Perry and Vander for the responses.
Perry I know what you mean with regards to new cars, I never thought I'd even consider it but at the moment the Grand Vitara's new are very close to the year old versions which is the only reason I'm considering it.
The safety aspect is certinaly something I've considered, the main concern I have with the Prado is my better halves driving ability, lol the Magna we have at the moment has a few nice scratches from her, giving her something bigger may put the rest of the world in danger... I've given her a Pajero for a couple of days when I've had them for work though and she's managed ok.
Vander, can you give me an indication of what a regular service by yourself entails? I used to muck around with cars when I was younger so I can do most things.
Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
every 5000 ks
change your oil and filter..... every 10000 change your air filter......cost is roughly $150 every 5000 and 180 to 200 every 10000ks... apart from that you're just checkin things over and if it broken or needs attention....you do it otherwise get a mechanic to do it.....oh and change ya coolant when you remember to do it hehehehe its pretty simple even for me
Brad Y
Posts: 260
Date Joined: 03/02/12
My mrs got a captive diesel a
My mrs got a captive diesel a while back. Its been great on fuel, will go down a gravel track ok. Dunno if its a real beach goer or not. Im planning to get a towball for it so I can tow the boat down to albany etc. My bet is it will go fine for that as the diesel has plenty of power. Great to put the dog in the back. Plenty of room for 4 adults or 2 adults and 3 kids in the back.
Fish for thrills....
Doooma
Posts: 791
Date Joined: 05/12/09
MItsubishi
Mate, seriosly have a look at a 2010 plate Mitsubishi Challenger.. 2.5L turbo diesel... (4x4)
You may be able to pick up a 2nd handie or even auctions for around 30k...
I have 1 and it seriously goes everywhere... great on fuel, not too big so my missus loves to drive it...
I think for a later model car.... honestly this would be your best choice...
Comes with diff lock as standard also, and great warranty...
Scheduled servicing is every 15000kms, but I tend to change oil n filter at half that..
My mates are patrol and cruiser guys and they are constantly surprised at where I take my challenger!!!!
I did want a little more power so I through a chip it chip in it and she goes like a beeeyoody!!!
Another thing... have you asked your employer if you could novate lease a vehicle? Im switching mine over to that at the moment.. Will save me a bundle!!!!
Comes with fuel card etc... and I dont have to pay tax on the fuel...(GST)