I am torn between a seven-year-old Subaru Impreza and a 14-year-old Toyota Hilux double cab. The price is the same. Any advice on how to choose? I am a family man, and my job is trouble-shooting computerised solar power systems, so lots of driving to sites. MCE.
The price might be the same, but not much else is. The brand, the class and even the age is starkly different. Both brands are well respected and proven in this market (though Toyota has the advantage there, over every other make).
Bottom line, there are no rights and wrongs in a decision like this. It is a “choice”, and that will depend as much on you as on the vehicles themselves.
Is most of your motoring around town or do you make many longer trips? What is the condition of the roads you mostly use, and just how rough are the bad ones? How old are you, how big is your family? How important is comfort and speed, image, running costs, resale value a few years down the line…and so on.
So, the real question is not which one you should buy, but what you should consider in reaching your conclusion.
The Toyota is clearly bigger, stronger, has more load capacity and pulling power, more ground clearance, a higher driver eye-level, will be able to manage more challenging conditions, and is peerless in the number of mechanics and parts stockists who will know it well…wherever you go.
But…it will be less stable at high speed on good roads, it will consume more fuel even if it has a diesel engine, it will give you a harsher ride and be bulkier to manoeuvre.
Getting in and out will be more of a hoik. Cargo security might be an issue, requiring either a tonneau cover, a lockable canopy, or a metal box bolted to the loadbed floor.
The Subaru is lighter, swifter, more nimble, more economical to run, probably quieter, more comfortable on most roads, easier to get in-and-out of, easier to load small luggage in a hatchback that is weatherproof and lockable.
In your specific example, the car is a lot newer in years, and probably mileage…unless the double cab has been used as a private second car.
But…the Subaru will have less luggage space and load capacity, lack the elevated driver eye-level, be less able and slower on really rough roads, be more prone to belly scraping where there are big rocks and steep bumps, and have less go-anywhere ability.
The Subaru Impreza is lighter, swifter, more nimble, more economical to run and more comfortable on most roads.
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These observations are obviously made without the finer details (especially provenance and condition) of the specific vehicles concerned.
On the Toyota, my first (and very important) question is whether the actual vehicle you are looking at is registered as “commercial” or “private”.
Commercial vehicles enjoy an initial duty/tax advantage, but require annual inspection. This can be a bigger pain in the posterior than stiff springs, impose a speed limit of 80 kph and involve all sorts of chevron and reflector takataka.
The CV or PV distinction also affects the provenance – CV’s have often had a harder working life.
The condition of the load bed is a good clue; as is the state of peripherals (eg tailgate latches) which might reflect the different care taken by hired drivers working on building sites compared with personal owners using the vehicle as a family car.
Mileage, as well as age, can be significant – CVs work all day and every day to pay their way. In counterpoint, most utility vehicles have heavy-duty construction and detuned engines which offer greater longevity. What is the odometer mileage? Who were the previous owners?
On the Subaru, the size of the engine can make a big difference, ranging from the very economical and mild-mannered to motorsport hotrods.
Over seven years that might not make a big difference to the mileage, but it might have made a big (!) difference to how severely the vehicle has been driven.
The mileage “norm” for private cars is about 15,000 kms per year. Some CVs do a similar distance, but many will do double that.
Further, I would check the general market prices of the two models when they are five years older than the ones you are looking at.
Ergo, a 12-year-old Subaru and a 19-year-old Toyota. That will tell you which of your choices is likely to give you the better resale value.
I’m guessing that you are still quite early on the lifelong target of “trading up”, so the choice you make today will have an effect not only on your driving experience over the next few years, but where you might be on the next step up (or down) the ladder when the times comes to sell and buy again.
Always bear in mind that “depreciation” can often be the single highest cost of motoring.
