Catch a Chevvy?

▶ One sector of the used car market which I’ve found myself taking more than a passing interest in recently is that for seven-seat diesel autos, and it’s actually one where the choice seems surprisingly limited – at least if you want a moderate chance of freedom from risk of big bills. It also seems to be an area where demand exceeds supply, though I’ll be testing that part in the next few weeks when our Kia Sorento goes on the market – we’ve had it 18 months and it’s time for an upgrade.

Realistically though, our choice for a replacement is somewhat limited. Ford and Peugeot/citroën are out due to transmission fragility, and needing proper seven-seat capacity with decent legroom ruled out things like a Land Rover Discovery – which I’d actually have quite liked to try. I’ve also seen far too many 4x4 Volvos with transmission problems to consider an XC90. Realistically, the choice seems to come down to a Hyundai Santa Fe, another Sorento, or – and this was the possibility that did somewhat surprise me – a Chevrolet Captiva! This is, of course, the other-branded version of the Vauxhall Antara (though this is only available as a five-seater), and it’s actually a rather nice package – well-equipped, good-looking after the 2011 facelift and, thanks to its rather naff brand, rather good value.

The downside is that the aforementioned naff brand stopped being sold in Europe at the end of 2015. There is still, though, support for it out there if you know where to look; after 2012 Chevrolet was supported pretty-much entirely by smaller independent dealerships, many of which are still around.

There don’t seem to be a massive number of vehiclespecific defects to look out for – a few people have reported minor-ish electrical issues, and while there have been cases of spectacular engine and/or transmission failure, objectively these don’t appear any more common than on other vehicles of similar age. There’s also quite a few around with low mileages and decent histories. One to think about perhaps?