MG ZS 2018 vs Rav4 2007

[LCD]

Thinking of buying a compact SUV and my maximum budget is like 4.5mil. After doing some thorough research i came across the Rav4 2007 that is priced at 4 mil which was recommended in several threads compared to X-Trail and CRV because of the maintenance cost, parts availability,  fuel efficiency and of course Sri Lankan Toyota mentality. Only issue i have is that it is like 12 years old and i will encounter some amount of repairs.

The other option is the second hand MG ZS which is priced at around 4.5 mil. In several threads many people had said not to buy it for the simple reason that is made in china. I think it is too soon to tell anything bad about it.

Many people suggest the Toyota Raize due to the Toyota mentality and i actually cannot afford it because it is priced at around 5.2 mil. So guys i would like to find out your thoughts on this. If you were me what would you select? MG ZS 2018 or Rav4 2007. Any other vehicle suggestions are also appreciated. 

Edited November 27, 2019 by LCD

[kush]

With age any car will have maintenance issues so in my view Rav 4 will have more issues than the MG which will be fairly new.

Considering the number of vehicles on the road being the current model agent support MG will be better on availability of parts, you may have to go to the agent though. But MG will give reliable motoring for few more years. You may also have warranty.

Fuel economy more or less will be same, both are known to consume fuel in the range of 6-7 kmpl.

MG has newer technology and safety features being a newer model, it is also design to be sold in Europe so is designed to comply with their requirements.

Check whether you are ok with the built quality and the materials of MG

You may have to take a hit at the time of resale in the MG depending on how long you are planning to keep it.

 

[CNX]

Why not consider a Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios? You will be able to find a newer car than the RAV 4, which will be more reliable and durable with better resale value hopefully than the MG.

[LCD]

@Kush Thanks for the reply. I will take into consideration the points you have mentioned.

@CNX Thanks for the reply. In several threads i saw negative reviews on the Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios. All suggested to go for a Rav4. 

[matroska]

As mentioned you can try out the Terios -not quite the rav 4 but you can buy some newer model. Sluggish and a bit uninspiring though. 

[iRage]

Well...I beg to differ form some of the comments above. I would go for the RAV4. 2007 model would mean you are lookng at a A30 series one and I have had 4 of them in three different countries. My last one is actually my mother's one which she has owned since 2008 when she first bought it when she lived in Japan. She bought it down to Sri Lanka in 2013 with just 17,000km on it and since then we have put 64,000km on it. In all this time we did the preemptive maintenance work which included replacing the shocks (although shocks were pretty good) and the suspension bushes (which cost about 250K since we got the parts from Japan) and now we are planning on doing the gasket replacement etc....  Then of course the running services like CVT fluid replacements and oil changes and bake pad replacements. We have had ZERO faults with the car and the car runs as good as new. Any car has preemptive maintenance work that needs to be done and these are NOT issues. The thing is I do believe that if you find a properly maintained RAV4 (with genuine parts and done on time) its maintenance "issues" (I would rather say requirements) even at a older state is actually much better than a MG even though it is a lot newer. Primarily because so far I have not been impressed with the MG's build quality and the service life of the components it is constructed with.  But then again....it is about finding a a well maintained vehicle. 

If you are buying a second hand vehicle...in any country....you should be willing to do pre-emptive maintenance (so it is not an issue).  Because of how he pre-emptive maintenance schedules are now structured (in a progressive manner)...the pre-emptive maintenance at 100K is not going to be drastically different in terms of cost from what it would have been at 50,000km. It is going to be expensive with proper parts and labor at all stages.What other repairs you will have to do....not even the gods can tell you because it all depends on how the previous owner had taken care of the vehicle. It does not matter if the used vehicle is 1 year old or 12 years old. It is just that a 12 year old Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan properly maintained is not going to be any much worst (or even better) than a 3 or 4 year old MG.

If your budget is 4mil then you should not spend all of it on the car...save some for mandatory replacements and such no matter what you buy. 

If you want a risk free car....buy brand new....even if it is a hatch or a proper unregistered import that you yourself selected at an auction or a barely used recent import (you are not going to find one that is honest). But then these are going ot be out side of your budget.

What I would say is....buy what you like....that is in good condition and is honest and with a proper service history. Get in to a few..use them....and you will see that the older RAV4s, CRVs and XTrails that are well taken care of are actually better than the MG. 

[LCD]

Thanks @iRage for your reply. I will take your points into consideration and in other threads i have read the things that you have mentioned to check when buying a second hand Rav4.