Topic: Time to replace the Outlander has come...

[marcus_go]

After my experience with my last Dodge Dakota and the sleazy Dodge dealer I promised myself I would never own a Jeep/Mopar product again. I would think about breaking it for the right vehicle though. 

Just so much sleaze.

Yeah, a few colleagues at work had JGCs (2014+ era), and both were quite unreliable. One was a HEMI that knocked like crazy. Cylinder deactivation kills those HEMIs from what I recall. The other one was a EcoDiesel, which was a real POS from what I remember constantly having issues. A Pentastar in a base trim with few gimmicks is probably the best option from a reliability standpoint, but still a Jeep at the end of the day.

I got rid of my EcoDiesel after 41 months of ownership. Gave me a couple headaches, but nothing catastrophic. Thankfully I got out from under it while it still had great value & used that equity towards my Passport.

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

The diesels are problematic with all the emission controls on them now. But with the Ecodiesel they now also tend to fail catastrophically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lSHuzkv_RU

You did well going to the Passport.

[Firm]

Yeah, the Hemi & the EcoBoost are to be avoided, Pentastar is the way to go. Two close colleagues have them, both 2017s and both V6s, one a Trail Hawk and the other a mid-range trim of some sort. The latter is female owned and minimally maintained, but keeps going...Last week it threw an evap code which I diagnosed as a vent solenoid in the rear wheel well, cost $20 and I replaced for her in the parking in about 3 minutes. 

[rrocket]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

[Dante]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

I like diesels but kind of scared to own one. I contemplated an X3 diesel for a while but I dropped the idea.
Didn't like any Outlander after 2009.
I like wagons in general but IMO they are no substitute for an SUV.

[marcus_go]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

Yeah, I recommended a Touareg or Cayenne as well but I think they are bigger than what he is looking for.

I second a wagon. Maybe a well sorted 328xi Touring or Mercedes E350 (W212) would be worth a look?

[marcus_go]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

I like diesels but kind of scared to own one. I contemplated an X3 diesel for a while but I dropped the idea.
Didn't like any Outlander after 2009.
I like wagons in general but IMO they are no substitute for an SUV.

In what way exactly?

[Dante]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

I like diesels but kind of scared to own one. I contemplated an X3 diesel for a while but I dropped the idea.
Didn't like any Outlander after 2009.
I like wagons in general but IMO they are no substitute for an SUV.

In what way exactly?

Taller - more vertical hight for bulky items. Higher off the ground - better in deep snow, easier to get stuff in and out or get in and out for that matter. Typically more passenger space too, especially in the rear.

Wife likes ease of ingress/egress in the Outlander compared to my cars, and I don't fault her; I like that too to be honest.

[ktm525]

Cayenne Diesel.

Or what about a wagon instead? Surely a wagon can do everything you're currently doing with the Outlander?

What about a newer/fresher Outlander? You already know everything there is to know about these....

I like diesels but kind of scared to own one. I contemplated an X3 diesel for a while but I dropped the idea.
Didn't like any Outlander after 2009.
I like wagons in general but IMO they are no substitute for an SUV.

In what way exactly?

Taller - more vertical hight for bulky items. Higher off the ground - better in deep snow, easier to get stuff in and out or get in and out for that matter. Typically more passenger space too, especially in the rear.

Wife likes ease of ingress/egress in the Outlander compared to my cars, and I don't fault her; I like that too to be honest.

Which is why the market has spoken on the wagon vs CUV debate. 

I agree wholeheartedly. My XC60 has 90% of the handling of my old V70R, rides much better, is faster and has ground clearance so I don't have to angle it coming out of steep parking lots or scrape the lower nose on parking blocks. The wagon did have better brakes though. Increased loading height is much better for cargo and tiny kids.

[rrocket]

.

Wife likes

Ah ok.

Must have high wife approval quotient.

[rrocket]

Which is why the market has spoken on the wagon vs CUV debate. 

Or brainwashed via advertising into thinking they need a CUV.

There's been only one time a "bulky" item wouldn't fit into my Prius. But the same item wouldn't fit into a CUV or even a Grand Cherokee either.

But I guess if you regularly transport bulky items of a very certain size, I guess you'd need a CUV. As always, YMMV!

The handyman who worked on my house used a Volvo wagon BTW...and that guy regularly carries a lot of stuff. Exhaust was blown on it and he refused to fix it. LOL [emoji38]

[Dante]

.

Wife likes

Ah ok.

Must have high wife approval quotient.

Not really. It's just that I want a compact SUV/CUV in the stable for a number of (personal) reasons and it happens that the wife prefers it too. In fact when I first bought the Outlander she was the opposite - questioned why do we need one. Once she started using it, she never went back. Also, for personal reasons, I prefer compact SUVs rather than larger SUVs just how I prefer compact cars/hatchbacks vs larger sizes.

This is not to say you cannot live without one. I do Costco runs with the GTI or the BMW all the time and I've never had to leave something behind. Did I wish I had the Outlander? Yes, most of the times especially when I buy bulky household items.

If I were constraint to have one car, it would probably be a wagon or a raised wagon (e.g. Golf Alltrack, Audi Allroad, etc...). I found that driving a compact SUV/CUV on the public roads, you lose absolutely nothing vs a car or a wagon. Sure, they burn more gas, but fuel economy has never been a determining factor for me when choosing a car; instead you gain a lot of convenience which I appreciate more. YMMV.....

[WP v3.32]

Like someone mentioned in here, maybe a last year VW Touareg VR6 would be a good choice if you can find one. I believe they stopped in 2018 but they are for sure nice vehicles IMO.

 

[ktm525]

Which is why the market has spoken on the wagon vs CUV debate. 

Or brainwashed via advertising into thinking they need a CUV.

There's been only one time a "bulky" item wouldn't fit into my Prius. But the same item wouldn't fit into a CUV or even a Grand Cherokee either.

But I guess if you regularly transport bulky items of a very certain size, I guess you'd need a CUV. As always, YMMV!

The handyman who worked on my house used a Volvo wagon BTW...and that guy regularly carries a lot of stuff. Exhaust was blown on it and he refused to fix it. LOL [emoji38]

There is no argument that wagons carry as much or more than an equivalent sized CUV, the CUV just carries it at a more accessible height.  They are more comfortable to put things and people in and that's is why they won despite car enthusiast's articles suggesting common folk needed a sharp handling wagon that could pull huge G's around corners. For most people in most situations they would rather have comfort and accessibility over outright performance.  In this context CUVs win. Every time. I know what ride height my mid eighties parents prefer when I have to shuttle them around..

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Which is why the market has spoken on the wagon vs CUV debate. 

Or brainwashed via advertising into thinking they need a CUV.

There's been only one time a "bulky" item wouldn't fit into my Prius. But the same item wouldn't fit into a CUV or even a Grand Cherokee either.

But I guess if you regularly transport bulky items of a very certain size, I guess you'd need a CUV. As always, YMMV!

The handyman who worked on my house used a Volvo wagon BTW...and that guy regularly carries a lot of stuff. Exhaust was blown on it and he refused to fix it. LOL [emoji38]

There is no argument that wagons carry as much or more than an equivalent sized CUV, the CUV just carries it at a more accessible height.  They are more comfortable to put things and people in and that's is why they won despite car enthusiast's articles suggesting common folk needed a sharp handling wagon that could pull huge G's around corners. For most people in most situations they would rather have comfort and accessibility over outright performance.  In this context CUVs win. Every time. I know what ride height my mid eighties parents prefer when I have to shuttle them around..

It's easier for young families when putting kids into carseats, too.  Bending down to strap a kid into the back of a sedan sucks.  Strapping them into a minivan or CUV at upper body height is much better.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

  In this context CUVs win. Every time. I know what ride height my mid eighties parents prefer when I have to shuttle them around..

Case in Point: TPL.  He went from a brand new Golf R to a VW Taos pretty darn quickly.  I don't think he even had his Golf R for six months before switching.  Gee, I wonder why?  Isn't he in his eighties?

[Dante]

Back to the main topic, one puzzling thing which I struggle with is to determine the price to pay for whatever car. Perhaps some collective wisdom and knowledge can help...

I checked the retail price on VMR Canada for the vehicles of main interest and they are far off from the asking prices I see.

As an example, VMR retail prices (rounded up): 

2017 BMW X3 35i "Premium" 82K-90K km: $20,000
2016 Volvo XC60 T6 Platinum,  97K-105K: $17,000


So what a hell I should realistically offer/expect to pay for one of these examples? The gap between VMR and asking prices are many thousands of dollars.... 

[dkaz]

VMR is about as accurate as your property assessment.

[Dante]

VMR is about as accurate as your property assessment.

LOL... I figure....

[Firm]

When you're talking about used cars, and your search is extending across a wide geographic area, I don't think there's a clean answer to that question. No used cars are identical, and every market is a little different. It comes down to what you're willing to pay against how well suited the car is to you/your needs. For example, you're probably willing to pay more for a car that's local, in the colors and specs you want, from an easy to deal with seller, than you would in a different situation.

[Dante]

Found out few things about the 2017 X3 I linked.

The car was originally bought by a "global affairs diplomat" and the current owner bought it from him 2 years ago. The car has no accidents but some scratches on the bumper (visible in one of the picture). It seems like the current owner also travels a lot for work which explains  the low mileage and perhaps the dirty engine bay (?!) - not the type spending his weekends working/detailing the car on the driveway (?)

Will meet up with him on Monday when he's back in Toronto, see the car condition, maintenance history, etc. and go from there. If the interest remains after that, I will probably pull the Carfax and see what it is.