Help me find a nice estate!
Discussion
The wife and I have decided this year we are going to treat ourselves to a new family car. At the moment we have a C Max TDCi on an 04 and fancy an update.
Our budget is about £8K, maybe stretch a little more for the right car. I don't want to go any older than 7 years at an absolute maximum and need 32mpg as a minimum. It has to be an estate as we have 2 large dogs and a 1 year old boy. The issue is finding a balance between something nice to drive and look at without costing a fortune to run. Preferably petrol and manual as we both enjoy driving and won't be putting huge mileage on it to warrant a diesel but I will consider both auto and diesel for the right car. So far I have come up with the following but haven't done very much research into each model as yet:
BMW 3 series - I'm a big BMW fan having owned quite a few, but I'm not particularly familiar with the newer models (E90 range). I've always been a fan of the 6 cylinder petrols but having a look at the autotrader stats compared to the 4's there doesn't seem to be much in it (other than a nicer noise!) I've seen a few 318's for very reasonable money but can't help thinking I would get bored of it after the new car novelty has worn off. Is there a particular engine and spec to go for on these?
Audi A4 TFSi - On paper these seem quite nice and in S-Line spec they look the part too. I don't know a lot about Audi's really as they've never really interested me but I would like to drive one if they are worth considering.
Saab 9-3 - These seem to be a lot of value for money. A friend of mine has already sent me a link to a 2.8V6 turbo which is stunning! I don't think the wife will be happy with the running costs on that particular model but there are others to choose from. I know Saabs come with a bit of an old man image but I'm not especially bothered I am more concerned about the quality of them.
Ford Mondeo - Again a lot of value for money and no doubt a very good car but I don't know if we will be bored of it after a year.
BMW 5 series (E60) - I'm a bit fan of these and found a lovely 525i on a 58plate in great spec well within budget. I know they're a 3 litre so expect fuel consumption not to be fantastic but it could be something we can live with if the car is right. Does anyone have any day to day experience of these? I realise it won't be a point and squirt car due to the sheer size but with it being family orientated I'm more concerned about enough grunt to overtake easily than being able to fling it around the A-roads.
Very vague I know! We are not rushing into anything and I'm purely in the research stage at the moment, but if anyone has feedback on any of the models above or can suggest something else I would be very grateful.
Our budget is about £8K, maybe stretch a little more for the right car. I don't want to go any older than 7 years at an absolute maximum and need 32mpg as a minimum. It has to be an estate as we have 2 large dogs and a 1 year old boy. The issue is finding a balance between something nice to drive and look at without costing a fortune to run. Preferably petrol and manual as we both enjoy driving and won't be putting huge mileage on it to warrant a diesel but I will consider both auto and diesel for the right car. So far I have come up with the following but haven't done very much research into each model as yet:
BMW 3 series - I'm a big BMW fan having owned quite a few, but I'm not particularly familiar with the newer models (E90 range). I've always been a fan of the 6 cylinder petrols but having a look at the autotrader stats compared to the 4's there doesn't seem to be much in it (other than a nicer noise!) I've seen a few 318's for very reasonable money but can't help thinking I would get bored of it after the new car novelty has worn off. Is there a particular engine and spec to go for on these?
Audi A4 TFSi - On paper these seem quite nice and in S-Line spec they look the part too. I don't know a lot about Audi's really as they've never really interested me but I would like to drive one if they are worth considering.
Saab 9-3 - These seem to be a lot of value for money. A friend of mine has already sent me a link to a 2.8V6 turbo which is stunning! I don't think the wife will be happy with the running costs on that particular model but there are others to choose from. I know Saabs come with a bit of an old man image but I'm not especially bothered I am more concerned about the quality of them.
Ford Mondeo - Again a lot of value for money and no doubt a very good car but I don't know if we will be bored of it after a year.
BMW 5 series (E60) - I'm a bit fan of these and found a lovely 525i on a 58plate in great spec well within budget. I know they're a 3 litre so expect fuel consumption not to be fantastic but it could be something we can live with if the car is right. Does anyone have any day to day experience of these? I realise it won't be a point and squirt car due to the sheer size but with it being family orientated I'm more concerned about enough grunt to overtake easily than being able to fling it around the A-roads.
Very vague I know! We are not rushing into anything and I'm purely in the research stage at the moment, but if anyone has feedback on any of the models above or can suggest something else I would be very grateful.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Don't ignore the Mercedes C-class. Loads of estates around at sensible prices. It is said the electonickery gives less trouble than on comparable BMWs.
I'm a massive fan of the new Mercedes range but my budget will only put me in an older shaped one which I'm not fond of. They look a bit dated compared to the others.I had an E61 530xd which was a fantastic car, but I never put a dog in it - I thought the car was not agricultural enough and too beautiful to be used as a dog carrier (might just be me though).
I am not sure about used Skoda prices in the UK, but maybe an Octavia vRS estate with the 2.0 TSI engine ?
Or if they are within price range, a Skoda Superb Estate - can be had with big petrol engines (3.6 VR6!!!), has more luggage capacity than the Titanic, and they are so understated they're kind of cool!
I am not sure about used Skoda prices in the UK, but maybe an Octavia vRS estate with the 2.0 TSI engine ?
Or if they are within price range, a Skoda Superb Estate - can be had with big petrol engines (3.6 VR6!!!), has more luggage capacity than the Titanic, and they are so understated they're kind of cool!
A bit of estate lover. I've had:
Escort
Golf (mk3 and 4)
Octavia
E39
E61
And now a honda accord.
It's a toss up between the accord and the e61 to be honest. The e61 edged it for me in terms of engine and driver involved. It was a 525i on gas.
However, in six months it did me for £2k in maintenance and THEN the head gasket went, not a happy story.
the Honda is nearly as good in every way, except the driver involvement but. It's a 2.4i auto EX and I've had a gas conversion done. I fully expect it to just work and so far, 8 months and 15k miles and it just does.
Escort
Golf (mk3 and 4)
Octavia
E39
E61
And now a honda accord.
It's a toss up between the accord and the e61 to be honest. The e61 edged it for me in terms of engine and driver involved. It was a 525i on gas.
However, in six months it did me for £2k in maintenance and THEN the head gasket went, not a happy story.
the Honda is nearly as good in every way, except the driver involvement but. It's a 2.4i auto EX and I've had a gas conversion done. I fully expect it to just work and so far, 8 months and 15k miles and it just does.
I am swaying more towards an E60 after the responses on here and also looking at the specs of them! The 525d seems a good choice offering decent poke as well as impressive MPG. We had an E36 320d about 5 years ago now on an 03 plate and it caused some nightmares! The turbo and intercooler needed replacing, as did 4 injectors along with a boot load of other things costing £3.5Kish to fix. I am therefore pretty sceptical about BMW diesels so need to do more research this time.
I can see from your initial list that you're probably after a premium brand (e.g.BMW, Audi already mentioned in first post).
But I would say have a look at the Passat. Ok, some say it's a workhorse, but the quality is reasonably good, and the money may "go further" than with a BMW (personal opinion).
Your budget will include cars around '57 to '59 plate. Most people go for a diesel, but for me the petrol is a better drive. On a well known auto trading web site there are 261 Passat Estates between £6,500 and £9,000 at the moment, only 4 of them are petrol!
There are some interesting engine options, 1.8TSi and a V6 in the mix. It will take time to find the right one, given the shortage of petrol examples.
P.S. I've yet to drive the very latest shape Passat, but all the previous ones I've driven suited me fine.
But I would say have a look at the Passat. Ok, some say it's a workhorse, but the quality is reasonably good, and the money may "go further" than with a BMW (personal opinion).
Your budget will include cars around '57 to '59 plate. Most people go for a diesel, but for me the petrol is a better drive. On a well known auto trading web site there are 261 Passat Estates between £6,500 and £9,000 at the moment, only 4 of them are petrol!
There are some interesting engine options, 1.8TSi and a V6 in the mix. It will take time to find the right one, given the shortage of petrol examples.
P.S. I've yet to drive the very latest shape Passat, but all the previous ones I've driven suited me fine.
M4cruiser said:
But I would say have a look at the Passat. Ok, some say it's a workhorse, but the quality is reasonably good, and the money may "go further" than with a BMW (personal opinion).
It's always my stock answer because we have one.But, when you say you have "large" dogs, how large are we talking as our male won't fit in the back of a newer (Post 55) Passat due to the roof...
Someone mentioned Passat, so why not Octavia, I've heard tales of over 50mpg in a diesel and at the age you want, no DPF . Then, if you are considering Mondeo, why not the Insignia estate. Mondeo petrol drink fuel IMHO, and the TDCI versions have the pull of a Fiesta. Both of the Insignia saloons I've driven have returned close to 50MPG on a trip up north and on that sort of trip I "make a lot of progress", and use lower gears for acceleration. I don't know how many owners Vauxhall honour the warranty on, but it's advertised as up to 100k miles. Then there's the Avensis estate and although I'm not a huge Frog fan, the Laguna estate.
Edited by Who me ? on Sunday 20th April 20:32
I faced an almost identical choice back in January, looked at most of the same models, and ended up with the Mondeo.
Simply put, you can get a far newer/lower mileage Mondy for the same money as the others.
Plus it's huge.
And, whisper it, I suspect that it has far less of a bork factor than the German rivals.
Simply put, you can get a far newer/lower mileage Mondy for the same money as the others.
Plus it's huge.
And, whisper it, I suspect that it has far less of a bork factor than the German rivals.
perhaps a french offering, had a trip in a 508 estate a while back and wasnt a bad place to be, rather smart.
You should be able to get a 3 year old one for about 8K, nice panoramic roof too. It won't make your rollocks tingle but its a comfortable cruiser.
Also Volvo's are nice places to be and should beat the germans value wise.
You should be able to get a 3 year old one for about 8K, nice panoramic roof too. It won't make your rollocks tingle but its a comfortable cruiser.
Also Volvo's are nice places to be and should beat the germans value wise.
Sounds like you have all the main options covered. I'd go for the Audi personally, some good 06 models around for your budget.
Bit of a wildcard, but an Impreza Wagon is a quick, sorted and comfortable drive. Not huge, running costs are high but if you can find a Prodrive'd Hawkeye registered on a 55 plate the rfl isn't too bad!
Bit of a wildcard, but an Impreza Wagon is a quick, sorted and comfortable drive. Not huge, running costs are high but if you can find a Prodrive'd Hawkeye registered on a 55 plate the rfl isn't too bad!
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