Top 3 Affordable Used Crossovers for City and Summer Cottages in Ukraine

Three best used crossovers not older than 2010 within $10,000

As always, we rely on the opinions of specialized service stations about the reliability of used cars.

It’s funny that some of the inexpensive crossovers that never had a reputation for longevity just turned out to be very practical and durable.

And from some masters you can hear that it is better to buy an average car with a good reputation than a more prestigious car that is famous for its «sores”.

Chevrolet Captiva

2010−2014.

What if the budget is limited and you need a bigger car? Well, or simply put, which brand is worth looking at, if you want «a lot of cars for little money?

That’s right, Chevrolet.

The once legendary American brand in the 2000s became a de facto budget brand for General Motors; under its cover, South Korean-designed cars were supplied to many markets.

Captiva is no exception. But, of course, this is a car of a different breed and class than the very popular Aveo and Lacetti, by which most Ukrainians are familiar with the Chevrolet brand.

A discreet, but quite practical crossover unexpectedly proved itself well in terms of reliability. If you do not have high expectations in terms of comfort and handling, then the Chevrolet Captiva may well be your option.

Almost all Captiva we have are equipped with a 2.4-liter gasoline «aspirated.” It can be called moderately reliable. Masters recommend changing the timing belt more often than prescribed in the regulations – better by 90 thousand km than by 120 thousand km.

Also, this motor is characterized by leaks in the crankshaft rear oil seal and valve cover. The thermostat rarely lasts longer than 100 thousand km. As is the oil pressure sensor.

After 200-250 thousand km, it is highly likely that the replacement of valve stem seals and piston rings will be required – this is already a repair of moderate severity.

After restyling in 2011, an updated version of this engine with a timing chain drive was installed on the Chevrolet Captiva. This did not solve the problems – the chain, as a rule, stretches over 120-150 thousand km and needs to be replaced.

But with proper care, a Chevrolet Captiva with such an engine can travel 300,000 km or more.

We sometimes meet diesel Chevrolet Captiva imported from Europe. There is very little information on them. Masters who have dealt with the 2.2-liter Chevrolet Captiva turbodiesel say that its weak point is the fuel injectors.

But if you do not want unpredictable adventures, it is still better to prefer a gasoline engine.

Gearboxes on the Chevrolet Captiva can be safely called successful. The manual does not raise any questions, the clutch usually lasts at least 200 thousand km.

On the pre-styling Chevrolet Captiva, a 5-speed automatic transmission from Aisin was installed. To her, the masters have no particular claims. With regular oil changes, this box quietly walks 350-400 thousand km without repairs.

After restyling, a 6-speed automatic transmission of General Motors’ own design appeared on the Chevrolet Captiva. She made the car a little more economical and dynamic, but her resource turned out to be significantly lower. Even with regular oil changes, the box often requires a major overhaul by 150–200 thousand km.

The transfer case on the Chevrolet Captiva is also not the most durable; due to bearing wear, it could need repairs after 150 thousand kilometers. Although there are instances that have already traveled 250-300 thousand km without repair.

But the chassis of the Chevrolet Captiva turned out to be very tenacious and inexpensive to maintain. Large investments are required here no more than once every 100 thousand km.

Renault Duster

2010−2013.

In the circles of true connoisseurs of the automotive industry, cars like the Duster are generally not mentioned at all. It is believed that this is a very plebeian car, focused on people who do not understand cars at all.

Maybe it is. But the fact remains – Duster, for all its clumsiness and simplicity, has become a real bestseller. Both in the primary and secondary markets.

No one in their right mind would call Duster the standard of reliability and durability. Like all other Renault cars, it is average in this parameter. But the simplicity of design, the availability of spare parts and their low cost make themselves felt.

The Duster is not one of those cars that never breaks down. But he belongs to the number of cars that are easy enough to maintain for years in good condition at a relatively low cost.

The front suspension is not very durable, sometimes the levers and even ball joints are asked to be replaced after 60-80 thousand km. Pleased except that relatively inexpensive parts.

The rear suspension on the Duster was of two types. All-wheel drive versions have a multi-link, which is generally quite reliable. The front-wheel drive Duster has a problem-free, practically «eternal” torsion beam.

The vast majority of Dusters in our budget will be manual. And this is good in terms of reliability and maintenance costs of the car. The clutch here quietly walks 150-200 thousand km. In principle, the manual transmission on the Duster can be called an excellent solution.

If you are lucky enough to find a Duster for that kind of money with automatic transmission, then you need to prepare for the nuances. Boxes here are not long-lived, it is better not to miss service intervals for oil changes (many owners, unfortunately, neglect this expensive procedure).

The same, by the way, applies to the all-wheel drive Duster. In the “razdatka” you need to change the oil, and at least once every 50 thousand km, the masters advise.

Some owners also face the problem of play in the rear cross of the universal joint. If at the same time the cardan itself is broken, then the repair can cost a tidy sum.

As for engines, the Duster for the money is likely to be equipped with either a 1.6-liter gasoline engine or a 1.5-liter turbodiesel.

The first option can be called acceptable – this is the old engine that Renault has been putting on many of its cars since the late 1990s. The motor does not set longevity records, but it has few frankly weak points. One of them is ignition coils, which do not have a large resource. With runs over 100 thousand km, typical malfunctions are valve cover leakage and thermostat failures.

The 1.5-liter turbodiesel was installed on the Duster in several different versions, including an option without a diesel particulate filter. Motors, in principle, are quite resourceful, their main enemy is low-quality fuel, the masters say. Therefore, it is worth refueling only at proven gas stations, and most importantly, do not neglect the replacement of the fuel filter.

Typical for all diesels, the problem with the failure of the exhaust gas recirculation valve (EGR) on this motor is solved relatively inexpensively, so it is difficult to write it down as a minus.

In the early years of the Duster with a 1.5-liter turbodiesel, there were cases when the connecting rod bearings turned. Most often, the problem was associated with excessively long service intervals in Europe, if you change the oil at least once every 10 thousand kilometers, then there should be no problems, they assure specialized service stations.

Nissan Qashqai

2010−2012.

A very popular crossover is not losing ground in the secondary market.

It would seem that the model has few special advantages. Here, the ground clearance is only 180 mm and the body geometry is not particularly off-road. And the handling dynamics are by no means outstanding. And the cabin with the trunk does not break records in terms of capacity.

But in terms of the overall set of consumer characteristics, the Nissan Qashqai is quite satisfactory for many consumers. Especially for its price.

And what about reliability after so many years?

Of course, the Nissan Qashqai is no match for some Japanese competitors who are able to nurse 300 thousand km without significant problems. But in general, buying a Nissan Qashqai can be a smart investment if you make the right choice.

In our budget, the vast majority of the Nissan Qashqai will either come with a 1.6-litre petrol «aspirated”, or with a 1.5-liter turbodiesel of French design (and this is a pretty good choice, see above).

The petrol engine is also not particularly troublesome. It has no frankly weak points, you just need to understand that its average static resource is about 250-300 thousand km, then the engine begins to inexorably eat up oil and gradually ask for a major overhaul.

The manual transmission on the Nissan Qashqai is generally quite reliable, there are no special complaints. It is these Nissan Qashqai that prevail among the proposals in our budget.

If you happen to find a car with two pedals instead of three, then it will be a CVT. Which on Nissan proved to be by no means as good as, say, on Subaru or a little later on Honda. For quiet drivers, the variator serves its 150-200 thousand km without problems, but any repair work with it is quite expensive.