Got Advised to Sell Car by Mechanic (Pajero Sport), Advice Please? Car Recommenations?

Richmond Tigers on 04/08/2022 - 16:09

Hi all

My mechanic (trusted, our wives are friends) recently fixed our pajero sport, it had a faulty fuel injector which was covered under warranty but also had a DPF error which was fixed. He also cleaned out the manifold and done a few other tidy ups related to carbon build up.

The car only has around 75,000km's on it, is owned outright and he indicated to us with the market the way it is, the low km's and knowing the issues further down the track potentially (based on how dirty the manifold was, our suburban driving and the faulty DPF burn), he suggested now would be a good time to sell it.

It's a diesel and we planed to go on big trips but life circumstances need us closer to home more often than not.

We are seriously considering selling this and buying another car outright.

Questions are, does this seem like a good idea and sound advice? And also what is an equivalent larger 7 seater SUV up to the 50k mark that is not diesel and is a reliable make and model?

Cheers

Automotive

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 04/08/2022 - 16:12
    +13

    If you are only doing short metropolitan trips and driving like a grandma then get rid of it.

    Alternatively, make an excuse to do a country weekend escape once a month, hit the highway and treat that baby like a rental. Google "Italian tune up".

  • pegaxs on 04/08/2022 - 16:13
    +1

    You sell your over-inflated car and then have to buy another car in an over-inflated market… for a net gain of…. $0. You're not going to be able to sell you car for massive gains and then expect to buy in the same market at lower prices. If you are getting top $$ for your car now, it's because everyone is asking top $$.

    Unless it is a 2nd and seldom used car you can do without for a few months/year, then why bother? A new car is going to put you on a wait list if you go that direction.

    If the car you have works and does the job and you are happy with it, just keep it.

    • geekcohen on 04/08/2022 - 16:24
      +2

      A new car is going to put you on a waitlist if you go in that direction.

      Depends on the car, plenty of cars in my local Hyundai Car Yard. Sounds like an i30 is a good car for the OP if they are only running around town.

    • Richmond Tigers on 04/08/2022 - 16:29
      +2

      I'm not in it for the gain, just for something reliable that is more suited to what we use the car for. If i could sell mine for 50k and buy something for 50k then that's fine with me.

      At the end of the day, if a 7 seater 2018 pajero sport got me a 7 seater 2022 outlander, then I'd call that a break even. Obviously some skin on the bones would be preferable, but if I'm looking for more profit I'm getting down into the LDV's of the world.

      • geekcohen on 05/08/2022 - 08:23

        7 seater 2022 outlander

        They are about a 6 to 7 month wait. My wife and I looked at one of those last month and were told Feb delivery…….

    • Drakesy on 04/08/2022 - 16:49

      If they keep driving the way they are the costs are going to be astronomical to fix.

  • Brian McGee on 04/08/2022 - 16:39
    +4

    (based on how dirty the manifold was, our suburban driving and the faulty DPF burn)

    There isn't really a faulty DPF burn, the vehicle is not being operated in the correct conditions to trigger the burn.
    You obviously recognise that the vehicle you have is incompatible to the lifestyle you lead, either you have to sell the car and hope a similar one exists that suits, or change your lifestyle to accommodate the vehicles requirements.

    • Richmond Tigers on 04/08/2022 - 16:46

      Yeh basically high oil levels effect the sensor and will not trigger the burn. Then the oil gets too high before the DPF error comes on. By then the DPF needs a clean itself because the burns haven't triggered. Pajero sports do not have a burn indicator either. Other cars apparently have a burn indicator.

    • Stopback on 04/08/2022 - 18:38

      You just need to go to the highway once a month.

  • yogihogi on 04/08/2022 - 16:40
    +2

    Mazda CX-9 would be my pick but also outlander Santa fe sorrento CX-8 xtrail kluger

  • pharkurnell on 04/08/2022 - 16:43
    +2

    Is the mechanic asking to do you a favour and buy it off you cheap?

  • Drakesy on 04/08/2022 - 16:48
    +1

    What @MSPaint said. Diesels are not for short suburban trips.

    I had an Audi Q7 with 150,000k's on it and it was driven like a grandma in its previous life.
    had a similar thing when my dpf backed up and injectors clogged. $800 an injector x 6 + DPF clean which was another $1000 in labour. They also warned the manifolds would've been clogged with carbon, he strongly recommended getting rid of it.

    It sounds like your mechanic is doing you a favour, highly recommend jumping back to petrol or electric. Injectors and DPF issues are not cheap to fix. It's this reason a low km diesel is not a good buy if it's owned by an inner city worker, i.e. a range rover, VW, Mercedes will only put you in a world of pain.

    Jump on a petrol prado, santa fe or sorento.

    • Richmond Tigers on 04/08/2022 - 19:05

      Sounds familiar, he said a predominately suburban driven diesel by 150,000km is basically scrap, and best to get it gone before 100,000km. Oddly our injector issue was not clogging, simply a manufacturing fault and covered. But hell 1 would have been exxy but 6, shit man thats rough.

  • barge-in hunter on 04/08/2022 - 16:51
    +3

    If you have a trusted mechanic telling you that your car is going to give you trouble, then take that advice and run with it. A friend or two have had very similar issues with DPF diesels - and trust me, those repair bills are horrific.

    As others have said - the waitlist could be the issue. You could risk the wait time with your current car (as long as you're not holding out for a Landcruiser).

    Other 7 seater models are often a bit smaller in the back row, but you could consider:
    - Toyota Kluger 7 seater (2019+)
    - Mitsubishi Outlander (new)
    - Hyundai Sante Fe (2020+)
    - Mazda cx9 (2022 ex demo)
    - Kia Carnival :D

    • TEER3X on 05/08/2022 - 09:48

      If you have a trusted mechanic telling you that your car is going to give you trouble, then take that advice and run with it

      Nah better to ask on ozbargain first

  • spackbace on 04/08/2022 - 16:58

    Just go have a browse yourself

    The best place is normally the used car warehouses, as they'll have a bunch of near-new stock. Size them up, see what you like and what suits, then go find out what the wait time is for new stock and make the call from there.

    Just note that most new car stock has wait times, so plan accordingly

  • ShannonN on 05/08/2022 - 04:08

    wonder if when you sell if privately you'll tell the new owner about the probs?

    • Tleyx on 05/08/2022 - 13:37
      +1

      It's not really a problem if you aren't just using it as a city run about

    • Euphemistic on 05/08/2022 - 15:17

      Not so much problems as issues that most diesels have that are related to not running them on log distance enough.

  • Euphemistic on 05/08/2022 - 05:20
    +1

    What about fitting a catch can? It’ll help with the oil build up problem and be a lot cheaper than buying a new car.

    • geekcohen on 05/08/2022 - 08:24

      Not going to help the DPF burn.

      • Euphemistic on 05/08/2022 - 09:15

        True, but will help with oil sludge build up. Taking an hour long trip once a month would likely be a lot cheaper than buying a new car though.

        • geekcohen on 05/08/2022 - 16:21

          Well as the OP said above.

          I'm not in it for the gain, just for something reliable that is more suited to what we use the car for. If i could sell mine for 50k and buy something for 50k then that's fine with me.

    • Richmond Tigers on 05/08/2022 - 09:44

      Was thinking of doing an EGR delete, but with diesel prices the way they are I'm worried about economy.

      • Euphemistic on 05/08/2022 - 09:50
        +1

        EGR delete might be an illegal mod. Catch can isn’t (AFAIK).

        Having said that, I put an EGR block in one of our vehicles. Hasn’t affected economy in any measurable way - and I do record consumption not just guess.

  • bhubb18 on 05/08/2022 - 09:06

    And you replace it with another modern diesel that will still have the same DPF issues, likely even worse due to tighter modern emission standards?

    nvm saw you said not replacing it with a diesel. You'll have the factor in the (typically) much worse economy of Petrol counterparts though

  • redvaldez on 08/08/2022 - 09:30
    +1

    Genuine DPF issues on a Pajero Sport are few and far between. I've seen a burn happen on my <15 minute drive to work in my old PS so it isn't quite as demanding as say late model Toyotas. Carbon build-up is a fact of life in virtually any diesel, and is a reason why catch-cans are so popular (I had one installed at new and drained at every oil change).

    I'm not quite as pessimistic as your mechanic - with a catch can fitted I would be reasonably confident to hold on to it. But similarly, they make a good point that the second-hand market is still strong, and if you were going to sell, now would be a good time to do so.

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