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Audi Q7 or Mercedes GL owners advice please


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Hi all, we’re looking at getting a new motor as my missus is pregnant and soon there will be 5 of us and 3 in child car seats. We’re looking at these 2 as they are 7 seaters and I’m after a 4x4. 
 

Are there any current or past owners to offer real world experience and ownership rather than a car review on YouTube. We’re looking at around 2010-12 models around 10k ish with less than 100k on the clock. There’s plenty of Q7’s in that bracket but only a few merc’s. 
 

I previously owned a merc cl500 so the reliability and price of parts (suspension leg was £1500 on the cl) is something I’d like to be cautious of. 
 

finally anyone who wants a bmw 320d m sport convertible there will be on for sale soon 😂 

thanks in advance, stay safe and atb 425

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As a Mercedes owner for more than 25 years, My last car was a SL55 AMG which I sold on 27th Feb in anticipation of taking  delivery of my new car which hasn't turned up. Over the years I have had many Mercs mostly high performance and my greatest reason for owning Mercs was the spares were so cheap.

I have always bought my spares direct from Germany mail order as suggested originally by the owners club and the prices are staggering.  I think the suspension leg for the CL500 is the same as the CLK 500 so depending on year you are looking at under £400  I got new high composition pads and AMG  discs all round for the SL55 for around £400. If I had got them from Mercedes UK I would probably looking at £2000.

The beauty of buying from Germany is their laws do not allow the fitting of pattern parts so you are buying parts that come from makers that supply Mercedes

however my recommendation in this instance  would be look very seriously at Hyundai.   

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13 minutes ago, Hignet said:

mate had q7 got stuck on wet grass soon got rid

That’s often down to the tyres they come with from the factory designed to minimise co2 and maximise mpg....not grip or fitted with budget ditch finders put decent tyres on and makes a big difference....

 

add the XC90 to the mix not the street cred of the audi but the D5 5 pot motor is great and the later haldex system works well might be surprised with what you can get for your budget.....

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saw a Q7 get stuck on flat wet grass at a shoot last year.ok for tesco's car park-owner later turned up in a LR110 to save further blushes.

consider-

lc120

d4

I'd love to say subaru but I think they are dying species.

or a 4x4 pick up?

f.

 

 

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Thanks everyone for the replies, Vince green that’s a great shout about the parts from Germany  and something I’ll definitely be looking into. Is there any company or channel you go down to order. 
 

The Kia is a good shout also as a lad at work has one and he speaks highly of it but it just doesn’t float my boat personally. 
 

Hdav the Volvo is also a good shout. My main list were xc90/X5/Q7/GL. I test drove a Q7 and it was nice. Nothing special on the short drive but the 7 seats and the space behind for a pram and soon a dog was great. 
 

also looked at the disco 4 but my mechanic mate who usually does the work said he’d disown me if I bought one. He’s not a fan. 
 

im open to any decent motor but my head says the Q7 but my heart says the merc. The last was such an amazing car I need to at least test drive one before taking the plunge. Thanks for all the suggestions 

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6 hours ago, Browning 425 clay hunter said:

Thanks everyone for the replies, Vince green that’s a great shout about the parts from Germany  and something I’ll definitely be looking into. Is there any company or channel you go down to order. 
 

The Kia is a good shout also as a lad at work has one and he speaks highly of it but it just doesn’t float my boat personally. 
 

Hdav the Volvo is also a good shout. My main list were xc90/X5/Q7/GL. I test drove a Q7 and it was nice. Nothing special on the short drive but the 7 seats and the space behind for a pram and soon a dog was great. 
 

also looked at the disco 4 but my mechanic mate who usually does the work said he’d disown me if I bought one. He’s not a fan. 
 

im open to any decent motor but my head says the Q7 but my heart says the merc. The last was such an amazing car I need to at least test drive one before taking the plunge. Thanks for all the suggestions 

Have a look at these people

https://www.bestpartstore.co.uk/

they look like a British company but its actually AutoDoc Berlin. Prices are amazing and watch for the discount codes.

Because of German type approval laws all parts have to be genuine so no cheap pattern parts. We bought a turbo for a BMW last year and it was £1000 less than BMW wanted for the same part, and I do mean the same, not similar or an alternative.

Only downside is the parts take a week to get here

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The one thing I will say with the Q7 we had on fleet was it loved to eat front types for some reason. 
Every service it was having new fronts, I would say every 10k. 
 

only thing we could put it down to was the low profile and weight along with the size and scrubbing when trying to park

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I am a fan of the Q5.

How many miles do you see yourself doing and are you in your own business?

£10k gets you a brand new Q5 (with no bills on it) for 3 years plus.

If you buy a second hand Q7 with miles on it for £10k then after 3 years that’s going to be worth at best £5k and you will do a few bob in maintenance I bet. 
 

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Edited by Mungler
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My eldest had a Volkswagen Toureg which was very similar to the Q7 - he test drove both, but the Audi was heavier. Possibly the most uncomfortable car I have ever driven - low profile tyres did not suit it. He then moved onto a Mercedes GLE - slower, but far more comfortable ride. He stuck with Merc and now has a CLS 350.

His view is, for speed, Audi or VW, but Merc for comfort.

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43 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

My eldest had a Volkswagen Toureg which was very similar to the Q7 - he test drove both, but the Audi was heavier. Possibly the most uncomfortable car I have ever driven - low profile tyres did not suit it. He then moved onto a Mercedes GLE - slower, but far more comfortable ride. He stuck with Merc and now has a CLS 350.

His view is, for speed, Audi or VW, but Merc for comfort.

With the GLE it depends which engine option you choose the standard 2 litre diesel is slow I believe but the 3 litre petrol V6 should be faster

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Thanks for the info mungler, it would be personal but I’ve always preferred to own rather than lease. Just my preference. 
 

Gordon r - the Toureg is a good shout but only do 5 seats according to autotrader. I need a 7 seater. I did test drive the Q7 and didn’t notice it being a particular rough ride especially coming from my 320d with m sport suspension and 255/30/19 run flats which isn’t forgiving so that’s not too much of a concern. It will only be used for school and work. No off roading. Just need something with 7 seats and plenty of space inside. 
 

after yesterday’s news about the car dealerships opening next month I’ll get to look at a few of the other suggestions and hopefully get something before August when the baby’s due so still time to look into it. 
 

thanks for all the contributions 

5 minutes ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Just get the GL you know that it's by far the best car 👍

😂 that’s the one my heart wants and with the info about parts from vince green I’m very tempted. Only thing is my budget just about gets me into them within the criteria of 10 y/o and less than 100k.   I’ve found about 3 that would suit 

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I had a Q7 3.0 on a 59 plate with grabber all terrain and used it for every day driving , european tours, livestock trailer towing 2.5 tons, off road round the farm, shoot days etc and was brilliant. As good as the VW Toureg 3.0 it replaced.

I have a new style landcruiser now but the Q7 was the best on road driving car I had and it was fast , 230bhp I think.

Sold it with 137k and fsh and someone bought it to use for horse trailer duties.

 

If you have 10k budget I’d look at one or I’d lease something these days probably.

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In the trade I’ve sold premium 4x4’s such as the Cayenne, X5, Touareg, etc, with 100k plus miles, the Porsche surprised me with its poor general health, the X5 seemed to have shaken its switchgear loose to order, the one that really impressed me with its tautness were in fact the Q7’s, they just seem to wear the miles well, as for off road drivability obviously there is a huge amount to do with the tyres. You can’t expect much from low profiles meant for road use. 

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Thanks for your input Hamster, I agree the instances of Q7’s being stuck on wet flat grass are more related to the tyres fitted instead of the capability of the 4x4  system. Audi did make quite a name for themselves in the past for their four wheel drive capability . 
 

final question Hamster have you had any dealings with the merc GL ?  Pretty sure I’m edging towards the Q7 but the merc gets good reviews by owners on autotrader and the online reviews I’ve seen. Thanks 

Edited by Browning 425 clay hunter
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36 minutes ago, Browning 425 clay hunter said:

Thanks for your input Hamster, I agree the instances of Q7’s being stuck on wet flat grass are more related to the tyres fitted instead of the capability of the 4x4  system. Audi did make quite a name for themselves in the past for their four wheel drive capability . 
 

final question Hamster have you had any dealings with the merc GL ?  Pretty sure I’m edging towards the Q7 but the merc gets good reviews by owners on autotrader and the online reviews I’ve seen. Thanks 

Unfortunately I’ve neither owned nor sold any 4x4 Mercs but like most have been unimpressed with reports of expensive bills for big miles. 

10 minutes ago, oowee said:

In a few weeks there will be tens of 1000's of Audi's coming to the market. The company's sale of lease cars have been held for two months due to the lockdown there will be some bargains.

I bet there will be some gems amongst these, all my own lease/contract hire Beemers have been handed back pitch ready. 

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