Help me decide the best 7 seater SUV for 3.5 Million

[hustlehard]

I need a 7 seater SUV for 3.5 million which has a good fuel economy. (diesel)

I could only find that Hyundai Santa Fe 2007/2008 will help all my requirements but all the vehicles available have crossed 100,000kms on the clock and I heard the engine needs to be overhauled after reaching 100k and the second-hand market is horrible too.

The main reason I need a 7 seater is that there are 6 people in my family and we mostly travel together. 
I also have thought of buying something like an x-trail or rav4 2007ish and ride with the family by turning down the back seats or I heard that a seat can be installed as a 7 seater on a Facebook post.

I could only find old posts about this from 2013 on this website so please help me.

Thanks in advance,
Somasiri
 

[iRage]

Do not fix extra seats in the back on a X-Trail, RAV4, CRV.  In Sri Lanka there are morons who do it but it is NOT safe.  The 5 seater variants do not have the necessary support braces to safely and securely hold the 3rd row of seats and there are no points to fix seat belts on to. Our Sri Lankan morons just drill holes on to the floor boards and just bolt seats and belts on just like they did in old school vans (which was possible with the  frame on ladder construct and the body for the passenger variant was the same as the body for the cargo variant). They do not look at what other braces and welds and support arms will need to be added on. These are NOT safe !  In case of an accident its going to just rip through. Also, the vehicle was not designed for 7 seats so there will not be enough leg room space, getting in and out will be a pain and when the seats are folded you will not have enough storage space...so you are not going ot have a good people carrier...nor will you have a good crossover for carrying passenger's luggage.

The new CR-V and the Toyota Vanguard have 5 & 7 seat variants....the 5 seat variants of these could be converted to 7 seats. However, you will need to rip a few things out of the rear interior and then a proper conversion kit (with the proper mounts at the very least) will need to be purchased. 

You could look in to older Pajeros and Prados....but may I as why you need a SUV to transport 6 people ? MPVs are another option.

[noddy]

why dont you for a double cab 2 in the front and 4 at the back but there will be 3 seat belts and get a good diesel. ford is cab is cheaper then the others

[hustlehard]

3 hours ago, iRage said:

Do not fix extra seats in the back on a X-Trail, RAV4, CRV.  In Sri Lanka there are morons who do it but it is NOT safe.  The 5 seater variants do not have the necessary support braces to safely and securely hold the 3rd row of seats and there are no points to fix seat belts on to. Our Sri Lankan morons just drill holes on to the floor boards and just bolt seats and belts on just like they did in old school vans (which was possible with the  frame on ladder construct and the body for the passenger variant was the same as the body for the cargo variant). They do not look at what other braces and welds and support arms will need to be added on. These are NOT safe !  In case of an accident its going to just rip through. Also, the vehicle was not designed for 7 seats so there will not be enough leg room space, getting in and out will be a pain and when the seats are folded you will not have enough storage space...so you are not going ot have a good people carrier...nor will you have a good crossover for carrying passenger's luggage.

The new CR-V and the Toyota Vanguard have 5 & 7 seat variants....the 5 seat variants of these could be converted to 7 seats. However, you will need to rip a few things out of the rear interior and then a proper conversion kit (with the proper mounts at the very least) will need to be purchased. 

You could look in to older Pajeros and Prados....but may I as why you need a SUV to transport 6 people ? MPVs are another option.

Hey Vanguard and CR-V costs around 5-6 million so its out of option.

Is it okay if i convert a rav4 5 seater to a 7 seater? I checked some 2008/7 rav4's but i find that the xtrail has more space compared to it ?

Yes i could easily get a pajero or a prado but i need something 2007-8ish which will have less repairs vpaired to a 20+ year old vehicle And i would love a MPV TOO BUT its not not an option for my budget :l

Edited June 24, 2019 by hustlehard

[hustlehard]

44 minutes ago, noddy said:

why dont you for a double cab 2 in the front and 4 at the back but there will be 3 seat belts and get a good diesel. ford is cab is cheaper then the others

So 6 people can ride comfortably in a double cab? That will be great. Can you please enlighten me on the best double cab models, because i saw many toyota thailand models on the net and im confused whats the best 

Something for 3.5 million

[iRage]

45 minutes ago, hustlehard said:

Hey Vanguard and CR-V costs around 5-6 million so its out of option.

Is it okay if i convert a rav4 5 seater to a 7 seater? I checked some 2008/7 rav4's but i find that the xtrail has more space compared to it ?

Yes i could easily get a pajero or a prado but i need something 2007-8ish which will have less repairs vpaired to a 20+ year old vehicle And i would love a MPV TOO BUT its not not an option for my budget :l

Do not convert a RAV4 or X Trail in to 7 seats ! That was the whole reason why I wrote my previous post. It is not safe..and it is not comfortable. Do idiots in Sri Lanka do it. Yes...but then it is these are morons who do not care a s&*t about safety. Also, you convert it...no sensible person will buy it at a reasonable price afterwards (but then there is a moron born every minute in SL). There is a reason why the RAV4 and X-Trail and Vitara and old CRVs never came in 7 seat configurations. 

As for the double cab..depends on the double cab...some did come with bench seats in the back and front....why not a MPV ?

Edited June 24, 2019 by iRage

[hustlehard]

2 hours ago, iRage said:

Do not convert a RAV4 or X Trail in to 7 seats ! That was the whole reason why I wrote my previous post. It is not safe..and it is not comfortable. Do idiots in Sri Lanka do it. Yes...but then it is these are morons who do not care a s&*t about safety. Also, you convert it...no sensible person will buy it at a reasonable price afterwards (but then there is a moron born every minute in SL). There is a reason why the RAV4 and X-Trail and Vitara and old CRVs never came in 7 seat configurations. 

As for the double cab..depends on the double cab...some did come with bench seats in the back and front....why not a MPV ?

I dont like MPV's that much and the only two that's available are Honda Freed, Avanza or an old townace.

But what do you think of Santa Fe 2007/2008/2009? My main concerns are the market value and if the fuel economy is more than 10kmpl id love it 

[Clark'sson]

The description you mentioned only points to one vehicle.

The Hyundai Santafe.

Its the only 2007ish 7seater suv for your budget.

Dont even think of converting a 5 seater to 7. Its not made to hold that weight and no proper mounts. Its a death trap.

And the xtrail and rav 4 of that era never came with 7 seats. Its the vanguard a streached version of the rav4 which came later which had it.

And there will be a significantly low fuel economy in the petrol suvs compared to the diesel

You shouldnt be complaining about the horrible 2nd hand market of it because its the only reason it ended up in your budget. If it held on to the value like a toyota you couldnt even think of buying one.

So the ones who should be upset are the ones who bought them brand new like us.

The engine repair came at around 60 000km due to not using super diesel.

If it was done properly. (Most were done in the company under a special warrenty). There woudnt be any issue.

You could finda hacked  one for 3.5

But dont be an el-cheapo and go for the cheapest one.

Go for a good condition one with all the options like 4wd, 7 seats, triptronic, spped lock etc.

Its better to get a well looked after one for a little bit more than a hacked one for a little cheaper and spend much more on repairs.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Clark'sson

[hustlehard]

2 hours ago, Clark'sson said:

The description you mentioned only points to one vehicle.

The Hyundai Santafe.

Its the only 2007ish 7seater suv for your budget.

Dont even think of converting a 5 seater to 7. Its not made to hold that weight and no proper mounts. Its a death trap.

And the xtrail and rav 4 of that era never came with 7 seats. Its the vanguard a streached version of the rav4 which came later which had it.

And there will be a significantly low fuel economy in the petrol suvs compared to the diesel

You shouldnt be complaining about the horrible 2nd hand market of it because its the only reason it ended up in your budget. If it held on to the value like a toyota you couldnt even think of buying one.

So the ones who should be upset are the ones who bought them brand new like us.

The engine repair came at around 60 000km due to not using super diesel.

If it was done properly. (Most were done in the company under a special warrenty). There woudnt be any issue.

You could finda hacked  one for 3.5

But dont be an el-cheapo and go for the cheapest one.

Go for a good condition one with all the options like 4wd, 7 seats, triptronic, spped lock etc.

Its better to get a well looked after one for a little bit more than a hacked one for a little cheaper and spend much more on repairs.

Machan, regarding that engine repair you said. Do you think i should opt the santa fe because of that engine repair done in 60,000? I heard that the company never informed the buyers to use super diesel when they buy it. I only found 1 deisel vehicle of 100,000 and all other diesels have passed more than 150,000. what do you think about the petrol version of it (i heard petrol does around 10 kmpl but i highly doubt it even does ?

Please advice me what i should look for when buying one and how to know if there are any problems. Im thinking of going to this new Car Check place to get it inspected. Are they trustworthy?

[Clark'sson]

Yes the company told to use normal diesel when i drove it out brand new. But i used super diesel.

The one i used with super didnt get the engine issue at even 100 000km.  It was manual.

The cluch pump and flywheel fail in the manuals so avoid them. 

Then i exchanged it to a fully loaded auto. 

It had its overhaul at 65 000km. But there are no issues afterwards. 

There is nothing to be afraid of if the overhaul had been done in the company.

The fuel economy reduces with time but a diesel will do above 10kmpl easyly.

But never expect 10 in any petrol suv. Youd lucky if you got around 5kmpl in the 2.7 v6 petrol.

So if you need fuel economy never buy the petrol varient.

10years is nothing for a diesel suv and for the price theres no other vehicle thats comes to your requirement.

The other optioms would be a Palathsaba Pajero or a Prado from the 1980s

You can only buy something like a wagonr or alto new at that price which is totally useless for your requirement 

Edited June 25, 2019 by Clark'sson

[iRage]

Buy the Santa Fe....other 7 seater SUVs are out of your budget or are too old for you...so you really do not have much of an option here...(unless by some luck you find one of the extremely rare Honda Stream or Toyota Wish which are MPVs but in reality station wagons)

[hustlehard]

On 6/25/2019 at 11:32 AM, Clark'sson said:

Yes the company told to use normal diesel when i drove it out brand new. But i used super diesel.

The one i used with super didnt get the engine issue at even 100 000km.  It was manual.

The cluch pump and flywheel fail in the manuals so avoid them. 

Then i exchanged it to a fully loaded auto. 

It had its overhaul at 65 000km. But there are no issues afterwards. 

There is nothing to be afraid of if the overhaul had been done in the company.

The fuel economy reduces with time but a diesel will do above 10kmpl easyly.

But never expect 10 in any petrol suv. Youd lucky if you got around 5kmpl in the 2.7 v6 petrol.

So if you need fuel economy never buy the petrol varient.

10years is nothing for a diesel suv and for the price theres no other vehicle thats comes to your requirement.

The other optioms would be a Palathsaba Pajero or a Prado from the 1980s

You can only buy something like a wagonr or alto new at that price which is totally useless for your requirement 

 

On 6/25/2019 at 1:31 PM, iRage said:

Buy the Santa Fe....other 7 seater SUVs are out of your budget or are too old for you...so you really do not have much of an option here...(unless by some luck you find one of the extremely rare Honda Stream or Toyota Wish which are MPVs but in reality station wagons)

Thank you v much iRage and Clark'sson