Tasked with finding a car for a relative

[biggs682]

Late last week I was asked to try and find a smallish SUV for a relative.
The initial list only had Nissan Juke or Quashqi on it and a £5k limit.

Only a few choices available and nothing local , so when I asked anything else that will do the Vauxhall mokka and Renault Captur got added to the list.

So found a garage selling a Juke , Captur and a Mokka all at one place so off we went. No Juke as it's been Lent to a customer, the Mokka was poorly presented so left with looking at the Renault on initial inspection it's interior was filthy when questioned I was told that the garage only gave them a quick clean for the forecourt but it would be fully valeted before handed over.

Suggested a road test and was given the keys with the sales guy jumping in the passenger seat so selected first gear released the handbrake and all four wheels were locked on so a few gentle attempts of going forward and backwards and they all released enough to move the car .
I handed over to the sales man as I wasn't going to be responsible for the first drive with brakes binding like that , he moved it off and with every rotation of the passenger side rear wheel there followed a loud clunk that you could feel through the car a 100 yards later the road test was scrapped.
So still looking but hopefully got 2 X jukes to look at tomorrow

 

[Cycleops]

I should be very careful recommending a car to others Martin, if it's all goes t**s up you'll be the one getting the blame.
Do AA still do used car inspections or do you have a friendly mechanic who would do it for a fee?

 

[biggs682]

I should be very careful recommending a car to others Martin, if it's all goes t**s up you'll be the one getting the blame.
Do AA still do used car inspections or do you have a friendly mechanic who would do it for a fee?

We have had that talk already and if i do find one that i like then it will be strongly suggested to have it mechanically checked by some one other than seller.

Yes we have a local mechanic who i would suggest taking it too

 

[Jameshow]

How about a Skoda yeti??

I'm in the same boat as my sister's car was written off today.

I recommended several garages which have a good reputation and left it at that.

She will have her own opinion and it will frustrate me when she buys something I don't like! As above I don't want to be liable for any poor decision.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Suzuki SX4 S Cross SZ5, or lower model if ever so slightly too spendy. Petrol flavour I suppose, but the pump of doom version is better.

Tremendous piece of kit in every respect.

That said, I have just bought a Panda 4x4 because a billy-bargain came up and could not be refused, and that shouldn't be ignored either.

 

[Slick]

No particular helpful consumer advice from me unfortunately, but please don't buy a juke. Without a shadow a doubt, the ugliest car on our roads, and whilst I'm genuinely unflustered by most things in life, the site if an oncoming Juke with those horrendous lights does offend me.

 

[Saluki]

I too am looking for a car of that ilk. Something that will fit bikes, dogs etc. I looked at a Tacoma today, it was in great nick with 55k on the clock but the reviews say that the 1.6 petrol is seriously underpowered. I might test drive it but am going to look at a Dacia Duster and possibly the Skoda Yeti too. My works does car loans - I work for a massive Euro bank, so It might be worth Investing in something a bit better than my very tatty old Polo. I’m starting to have difficulty getting bikes in the back as I‘m not as flexible as I used to be. At 58 I am feeling that I deserve more than a £400 car, although it’s been fabulous and still is. I don’t want a new one though, the depreciation just depresses me.

I shall watch this thread with interest.

 

[biggs682]

I am not a lover of the juke due to the lack of rear leg room and lack of space in boot.
Have suggested a Dacia but told not enough presence so can't see a Skoda being accepted either.
I suggested a previous model or two Toyota RAV4 but got the thumbs down as well.

The one thing that I am amazed at is the majority of cars I am seeing have either got 100k plus or getting close to miles on the clock and I hate high mileage cars .

 

[wafter]

Do them and everyone else a favour, by kicking them firmly in the happy sacks and telling them to get a proper car 👍

 

[wafter]

Do them and everyone else a favour, by kicking them firmly in the happy sacks and telling them to get a proper car 👍

Props to the good folk of CC there have been some decent suggestions on here. It seems that something like the universally-well-regarded Skoda Yeti is likely to be a far more legit / practical proposition than some boomer-soft-roader-gash like the Quasqui.

Might I enquire as to what's led your associates to decide they want one of these vehicles, with it's correspondingly worse fuel consumption and inferior pedestrian-crash-protection?

 

[biggs682]

@wafter of course you can.
It's based on her previous ownership of a Juke and a Quashqai .
If it was down to me I would steer her away from both and towards a conventional hatchback and probably one from the far east
Had loads of Japanese car's myself and never had issues with them .

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

How about a Skoda yeti??

I'm in the same boat as my sister's car was written off today.

I recommended several garages which have a good reputation and left it at that.

She will have her own opinion and it will frustrate me when she buys something I don't like! As above I don't want to be liable for any poor decision.

+1 for a Yeti

 

[CXRAndy]

£5k won't get you very much in the way of a decent car these days and less so for a bigger car.

You will need to find the 🦄 of used cars

Also you will be forever blamed if it turns out to be a mouldy old lemon

Edit someone mentioned Yeti. Quick look on Autotrader- £5k puts the vehicles at around 10-13 years old with 70-130k miles

 

[Jameshow]

Suzuki SX4 S Cross SZ5, or lower model if ever so slightly too spendy. Petrol flavour I suppose, but the pump of doom version is better.

Tremendous piece of kit in every respect.

That said, I have just bought a Panda 4x4 because a billy-bargain came up and could not be refused, and that shouldn't be ignored either.

Or the Vitara same basic car but more upright.

 

[Jameshow]

Freelander 2??

Xc90 the daddy!!

XC60 smaller not so much presence. 2.4 better than 2.0.

Audi Q3/5 just!

X3?