What on earth is next when your very own icon falls apart? It’s a tricky one, especially when Roger’s old Mercedes-Benz estate was running out of time and there didn’t seem to be a nearby replacement. In his words: “I’m currently sourcing an SUV, because a knee problem means I need to be able to slide out of the car.
“My heart says a 2006 BMW X3 2.5 with 71k miles and my head says a Lexus RX 300 from the same year with 84k miles. I know friends who have owned each model and both give a good report. It will only be less than average mileage. What do you think?”
Certainly when it comes to getting in and out of vehicles, I’m starting to favour those that are a tad higher up. My initial reaction would be to go for a Lexus, on the grounds that reliability isn’t going to be any sort of issue, provided the car is in pristine nick. Owners can just go about their business uninterrupted.
You can get fairly old but perfect examples at a price. For instance, a 2006 RX 300 with less than 50k miles and one private owner after being a pampered demonstrator is a stiff £7400. You might prefer another 2006 example with an extra 100k miles; an unwanted part-exchange, it’s just over £2000. There’s a choice.
If you enjoy driving, an BMW X3 is certainly going to be more fun, plus a much cheaper proposal. Dodging the high-milers, a one-owner, 94k-mile 2.0-litre diesel SE that looks tidy enough is advertised at £2300, which seems very reasonable. Indeed, there are a few X3s around of that mileage and money, and one with a sole previous keeper was even better value. Service history and lots of bills is always a good way forward, so Roger seems to have a lot of good options between these models.
Interestingly, though, he also threw in a real oddity in the weird shape of the Subaru Tribeca. Roger said that he’d never seen one before, and it is indeed a rare car, but it’s not unappealing, even if it is a bit challenged in the looks department.
