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Kia ora.

I'm looking to buy a good car for outdoor adventures for around $10,000 or less.

I had been considering a large station wagon such as a 2005/2006 Honda Accord, however am starting to recognise the need for a bit more ground clearance than the average urban vehicle. My dad has a 2001 Holden Commodore that made a great family adventure wagon, but it always struggled with ground clearance!

It needs to be able to take on a gravel road with ease, could be 4wd, be reliable, have some reasonable ground clearance, and it would be really nice if it was nice to drive on-road too!
I had always liked the idea of a ute, however I've been driving a 2013 Hilux for work and it's not very refined on road at all...

I've been thinking something along the lines of a Volvo XC70 (expensive to fix), Subaru Outback (expensive to fix), Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, Nissan X-Trail (all medium sized SUVs...so maybe not refined...).

Would prefer a capable off road wagon but it seems Subarus and Volvos aren't the most reliable cars to purchase second hand!

Would be great to have some others thoughts on what I should be looking for.

Hi there,
I would have thought the Subaru Outback would be a good candidate. A main thing I would look into is the cooling system, make sure it is in good condition. The 2.5 engine tends to blow gaskets if overheated. The CRV or RAV are also good options, but you're right, would be less refined than a Subaru.