$30K RR L322, RR Sport or FL2 - a good idea?

[VladTepes]

CONSIDERING the possibilities for when the missus' Mazda comes off lease next year.


I think she'd prefer something with a higher seating position, and our limit would be $30K if that.


Anyway I was looking at options and:


RR L322 ~$30K will buy and '05 model with up to 200,000kms on the clock.


RR Sport $32K will buy a TDV6 MY07 with 155,000kms.


FL2 $28K will buy a '08 TD4 HSE with 53,000kms.




Are any of these a good idea?
Is maintenance going to be a killer? Major problems with many?


Personal experience preferred please.


Thanks

[Xtreme]

That's unusually low k's on an 8 year old Fl 2. I just bought an 09 Fl 2 Td4 HSE with 125k kms on it, in pristine condition (I don't think it had ever seen a dirt road) for a lot less than the $28k you mentioned.

Only had it about a month but really pleased with it. SWMBO will be driving it most of the time - downsizing slightly from the D2 but still have the Defender for the bush camping trips.

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

There are 2012 and 2013 Freelander 2's on carsales with low kms and under $30k.

Get a 2013 model with the Meridian sound system for that price easy. Which would be my suggestion.

A Vogue or RRS at that price is going to be knackered...

[rar110]

Vlad,
if you're talking novated lease I think you will be limited to a 5 to 7 year old car depending on the type. I understood lease companies prefer to limit the age to 5 years at the start of the lease, but seem to be flexible with luxury cars.

Because of the post tax contribution to running costs which is based on the car value (incl GST), around $30,000 is a good limit IMHO for a novated lease unless you're earning a bomb.

Another point to remember with a novated lease is the immediate GST refund when buying from a dealer. There is no GST on private sale vehicles, so no refund. The finance amount is reduced by the amount of GST refunded. Eg if buying a $33,000 car the finance amt is $30,000.

Something like this might be in the above range after some negotiation.

https://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Land-Rover-Freelander-2-2012/OAG-AD-12248789

[Disco-tastic]

Hey Vlad,

At 155 and 200k km the RRS and RR may need another 2-10k spent on them to fix issues such as gearboxes and worn suspension components. I just bought a 150k km D3 and before i even paid for it i spent $600 on fixing the coolant overflow bottle and the air suspension "dryer". I also needed a new door lock which i was quoted $400 to fit (i ended up doing it myself for half that as it wasnt urgent).

A low km freelander would have less wear and tear and even some warranty! Do you need the space or off road capability of the other two?

Cheers

Dan

[rar110]

I agree with Dan. With older high km vehicles, especially a RRV or RRS, you need availability to big amounts of cash. Eg my 2008 RRV with about 240,000km did a gearbox/ transfer case and alternator in quick succession (nearly $6k and that was cheap).

If the car doesn't need a 4wd capacity then look for a 2WD SUV. Much cheaper to buy and run.

[frantic]

As rar110 said maybe look outside the LR stable?
Have a look at the Japanese 4 , rav4, x-trail, forester and CX5 ,along with the vw tiguan and the kia sportage. Drive a FL2 to compare to them.
All of these should easily come inside your budget either close to new(3years old and under), or new with several years warranty.
Another larger option that's 1/3 LR is a ford territory with a tdv6.

[DiscoMick]

CX5s are great. Our neighbours loved their CX5 so much they replaced it with another one. Great drive.

[Disco-tastic]

I dont think the japanese have the same 'feel' of luxury as the FL2. I havent personally been in an FL2 but i have been in a disco sport (the replacement) and it was leagues ahead of the rav4, Forrester, xtrails, CX5 i have sat in or seen. It also cost a league more...

If you're going to look outside the LR stable theres also the new hyundai santa fe or tuscon, as well as sister Kia offerings. A mate had the current model santa fe diesel and loved it. Another bought a CX5 for his wife recently - he really wanted a discovery sport but couldn't justify the extra $20k for off road capability he was never going to use, and the cx5 was his next favourite.

Anyway, hope you find a good buy that the other half and you love and that doesn't give you any headaches :thumbup: :)

Cheers

Dan

[VladTepes]

Cheer all.


Given how much she loves her Mazda3 (and I do too) I think a CX5 is a very likely candidate if we can stretch to the $.



I originally thought a CX3 would be the go... until I found that despite the nomenclature it's sneakily based on the Mazda2 platform... :lol:

[DiscoMick]

Cheer all.


Given how much she loves her Mazda3 (and I do too) I think a CX5 is a very likely candidate if we can stretch to the $.



I originally thought a CX3 would be the go... until I found that despite the nomenclature it's sneakily based on the Mazda2 platform... :lol:


Our neighbours have a CX5 and the daughter just bought a CX3. It may be based on the 2, but it's roomier than our 2. It's a good thing - Wheels wrote it up big in its Car of the Year in the latest issue. We love our 2. The latest 2 is almost as big as the previous 3 inside.

[Cambo_oldjaguar]

My father in law just bought a brand new CX-5, and me being the "car guy" in the family I had to go along and make sure everything went ok.

I do not rate the CX-5 at all.

The FIL is a die hard Mazda fan so he was going to buy it no matter what, as much as he likes our Freelander he's a bit badge-conscious, so it was not going to happen.

It's the little things in the Mazda that are frustrating.

- the electric handbrake is not automatic at all. Why bother putting in an electric handbrake if it still needs input from the driver?

- the back seat legroom is pretty woeful

- the interior trim feels cheap

- the touchscreen looks like someone bought an iPad clone off Alibaba.com and stuck it on the dash.

- the options from Mazda are the model, engine, paint colour and "take it or leave it", there is no personalisation at all. He wanted the top spec but without a sunroof, not possible (he's very tall, his head was in the roof lining with the seat lowered). So he ended up buying a lower spec car to get the headroom.

- If it's not in the yard you have to wait for it. They initially told us 2-1/2 months wait on a black Sport Maxx with the safety pack. Drop the safety pack and it's a 3 week wait instead.

Which i find ridiculous since there are no options, no special builds.

And on the way back from the dealer I lost count of how many I saw on the road in about 15 minutes.

Not for me i'm afraid...