Had my 2008 HSE for nearly 3 years and have loved it.The dilemma is, that I have decided to retire a year early and will have a substantial drop in income,so something cheaper to run will be necessary. I will still need an SUV,but not necessarily a true 4x4.I have a total budget of £15k/£16k and also,the car needs to be an automatic.I have read all the reviews and this has made the job more difficult.I have tried to narrow it down,but all the toys on the HSE have made the decision even harder.I seem to be looking at the VW Tiguan,Hyundai ix35,Kia Sportage,or BMW X1.Any ideas would be welcome.

How many miles are you planning on doing?

Unless your fuel bills are huge (like mine), wouldn't it be cheaper to keep the money in the bank, avoid all that additional depreciation and eek a few more years from something that's half decent?

Tigger is making a good point as your fixed costs like insurance, road tax and servicing will be similar, you are at a low spot in depreciation so time to bail out is when you are told you need to spend silly money on a repair or say when you need 4 brand new tyres.

If you need a SUV the choice has never been greater but one of these with a few miles on may do:

https://www.whatcar.com/small-suv/ FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

You both have a point.Currently I do about 8k per annum,which is mainly comutting to work and the odd long run.When I finish work,the intention is to use the car more on longer journeys,such as,taking the grandkids for days out and getting out and about more.I reckon that my mileage will still be around 8k.My reason for a change is that,my HSE is approaching 10 years old and in the meantime,I will need 2 new tyres,the parking sensors are playing up,the rear brake pads need replacing,the nearside front shock absorber needs attention,the tailgate needs attention.So,this is my dilemma.

Tyres and brake pads - you will get a bill for them on a new to you 2 to 3 year old second hand car quite soon in ownership even at 8k a year, I am on my second set of rear pads in 4 years on my FL. Shocks looking on line are not that expensive so assuming you have a good local garage not a big problem. Tail gate electrical switches are really cheap and easy enough to change, sensors may just be muck but no experience of problems with them so far so cant give a good opinion. Whats the miles and are you needing to do cam belt soon? FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Mileage is nearly 71000 miles.I understand that the cam belt will need changing at 10 years and major service with all fluids to be changed.Last Mot I spent money on various non-essential repairs because I thought that it would be worthwhile.Where does it end?

Get a Kia or similar with a long warranty then but your car at those miles is nicely run in but it will need continued monies spent to keep it on the road and reliable. If you are running kids around there are no short cuts with Tyres, Brakes and Suspension I guess, all the best whatever you choose. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Bit different for me because I do all of my own maintenance, but I've just gone back to an 08 HSE with 71k on it to avoid the bills that come with the newer vehicles..........better the devil you know. Compared to a lot of new stuff (especially Japanese vehicles) the little freelander 2 is pretty cheap to run...

As it says in the footer, my original FL2 is just about to pass 150,000 miles with its second owner. He's doing about 20,000 miles a year and hopes to keep it for at least another 3 years and certainly beyond 200,000 miles, so 71,000 isn't too bad at all.

All of these items that you mention are consumables that any car will need, unless it's new when depreciation will outway all other costs

Besides, you'll probably have a much better idea of what your car needs will be once been retired for a year so, what you think may be right now, could turn out to be wrong! I'd definitely wait a year and see how things pan out

eddiekol wrote:

I will need 2 new tyres,the parking sensors are playing up,the rear brake pads need replacing,the nearside front shock absorber needs attention,the tailgate needs attention.So,this is my dilemma.

Sensors can be bought for nothing on Ebay, simple plug into diagnostic will tell you exactly which one/ones, gas struts easy replace as well as brake shoes, tyres well
Nothing you mentioned is nothing more than simple maintenance. MY15
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Surround Camera System
InControl Apps soon to be replaced with CarPlay (WIP)
Meridian Premium Surround Sound
Digital Audio Broadcast
Timed Climate
Cruise ECO Data
Follow Me Home Reverse
Extra Features Menu
Picture In Motion
4x4i screen (WIP)
Digital Broadcast TV
Meridian Rear Media with WIFI
Factory Powered Tailgate
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
Reverse Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Electrochromatic Wing Mirrors (WIP)

Like Stuart said it sounds like the car just needs some TLC .

ill third the TLC bit, but at 10 years old its the big cam belt service etc time, so a big bill looms.

however if you can afford the 10 year service and the TLC bits, you will then have a car that's good for years to come. If/when any more big bills rear their heads (diff, haldex, or something) then off load it to a dealer.

you could spend your 16k on a Sportage with a 7 year warranty, and they are nice cars IMO but to match your HSE spec you would need the mid range or better, can you get that for 16k still with decent warranty.

as has been said, personally I would hang on to the FL2 until your settled into retirement and see how the land lies.
Get the bits of TLC done, it wont hurt if the 10 year service is done at 11 year. Then make a decision a year or so into your life of luxury.

good luck

You could also split the 10 year service in to two parts if that helps, have the cam belt/water pump done first then the fluid changes at a later date. Saves trying to pay for it all in one go.

Why is anyone fixated on a 10 year service ? The individual items can be picked off over a 2 year period starting now say for a 8 year old car with miles. Doing it that way you will not see that one massive bill and achieved the same outcome. Get a labour only price to change and buy a genuine Gates Cam Belt and Water Pump kit its going to be £'s cheaper.

As long as you have receipts at 10 years the service book is just interesting reading material.

Apart from the Cam Belt my motor by the start of year 5 has had a the equivalent / in excess of a 10 year service , biggest cost was the halldex filter and oil change as I paid Austen to do that. Its an old saying but true "A good factory maintenance team spends a lot of time drinking tea." Secret is defiantly preventative maintenance not fire fighting.

http://www.freel2.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=324654#324654 FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

The 10 year service for many is seen as a major milestone, not everyone on here is is either able to or confident enough to carry the work out themselves. Also, not all local garages are happy to fit customer bought parts as it takes away possible mark up profit and the parts themselves may not be the right ones. I agree that the cost can be off-set by doing the service schedule in more manageable chunks over a period of time and hopefully as more people read this they will realise that the service schedule isn't written in stone, it's more of a guide