One for the wife?
Discussion
Some of the 4x4s suggested here would test the £10k budget.
So I'd suggest that you consider a conventional 2 wheel drive car, but invest in a set of winter wheels/tyres for added security in inclement weather.
That opens up your options a bit.
If you want 7 seats I think the VW Touran is often overlooked in favour of more fashionable 7 seaters. However this is a mistake because the Touran has much better 3rd row seats than many alternatives. Also the kids love travelling in the Touran because the glass area is much bigger, especially in the third row. This makes for more peaceful long journeys.
It steers reasonably well being based on a Golf chassis and, in my experience, is both reliable and economical.
You should also find plenty of cars in the £6k - £10 price range. Later cars (2009/2010) seem to have suffered from some cost cutting and so, in some cases, an earlier model can still be a good bet.
2.0 TDi Sport
So I'd suggest that you consider a conventional 2 wheel drive car, but invest in a set of winter wheels/tyres for added security in inclement weather.
That opens up your options a bit.
If you want 7 seats I think the VW Touran is often overlooked in favour of more fashionable 7 seaters. However this is a mistake because the Touran has much better 3rd row seats than many alternatives. Also the kids love travelling in the Touran because the glass area is much bigger, especially in the third row. This makes for more peaceful long journeys.
It steers reasonably well being based on a Golf chassis and, in my experience, is both reliable and economical.
You should also find plenty of cars in the £6k - £10 price range. Later cars (2009/2010) seem to have suffered from some cost cutting and so, in some cases, an earlier model can still be a good bet.
2.0 TDi Sport
Thanks for the replies. I have gone away and am still researching for the best option. Of course I would have expected to pay a lot less for the 307 but the reliability issues have put a stop to that idea.
To explain a little more regarding the 4x4 thing, she's not the most confident driver in snow and we live at the top of a hill in a close which means we have to go down a hill to come back up another. Quite often I've left her the Impreza and driven to work if the weather isn't too great. Also on a couple of occasions my Son's school has closed on a moments notice at the first sign of snow and I've had to come out of work to go get him.
I know it doesn't snow often in the UK, but when it does it causes so much grief.
I like the idea of the Forester, as I've spent the best part of a year working on a Subaru and know how easy they are to work on in comparison to a bloody Renault lol. The search continues...
To explain a little more regarding the 4x4 thing, she's not the most confident driver in snow and we live at the top of a hill in a close which means we have to go down a hill to come back up another. Quite often I've left her the Impreza and driven to work if the weather isn't too great. Also on a couple of occasions my Son's school has closed on a moments notice at the first sign of snow and I've had to come out of work to go get him.
I know it doesn't snow often in the UK, but when it does it causes so much grief.
I like the idea of the Forester, as I've spent the best part of a year working on a Subaru and know how easy they are to work on in comparison to a bloody Renault lol. The search continues...
Edited by Fruitcake on Friday 5th September 18:37
Qashqai in 4x4 flavour. Choose a petrol 2.0 and you'll have cam chain timing so no belt worries and an all round bombproof beast. My wife has an 08 model and it feels so tight and solid, despite its 92k miles.
Only weak point appears to be bottom arm bushes. They cost me £300 all in for new arms at around 85k miles, other than that it's been ace.
I asked the wife the other day, what would she want if it were to be changed and the answer came back 'another qashqai'. For the first time ever she's liked a car I put her in!
Only weak point appears to be bottom arm bushes. They cost me £300 all in for new arms at around 85k miles, other than that it's been ace.
I asked the wife the other day, what would she want if it were to be changed and the answer came back 'another qashqai'. For the first time ever she's liked a car I put her in!
longblackcoat said:
Winter tyres plus whatever you like. Seriously.
Ground clearance is seriously underrated in these parts! Not picking on you longblackcoat, you're repeating an oft-cited mantra on these pages.My claim to fame is i had winter tyres from 2009 - that was a year before they started to become fashionable here in the UK. In fact, there's even a thread on here telling me how daft i was ;-)
I've used them every winter since then on (almost) all my cars, but lack of ground clearance will still trip you up easily.
Fruitcake said:
To explain a little more regarding the 4x4 thing, she's not the most confident driver in snow and we live at the top of a hill in a close which means we have to go down a hill to come back up another. Quite often I've left her the Impreza and driven to work if the weather isn't too great. Also on a couple of occasions my Son's school has closed on a moments notice at the first sign of snow and I've had to come out of work to go get him.
I know it does
4x4's tend to be bigger and heavier, in snow and ice this is bad, you want small and light. You might have another set of driven wheels (on low profile tyres that are less than useless in the snow), but you have more weight to stop and a higher center of gravity to contend with when it starts sliding about. I drive a tractor with weighs about 7500kg, it's 4wd, has massive wheels and it's crap in snow. My mountain bike on the other hand is great. I know it does
Edited by Fruitcake on Friday 5th September 18:37
My dad had a herd of cows so live in the country, they've never had a 4x4. Mum is in her late 60's and drives a newish Fabia with stupid low profile tyres that I warned them about. She's a nurse and ALWAYS gets to work no matter how bad the weather. If the snow drifted to the top of the hedges, she'd just drive the Skoda over the top of it. She has a worry to start with, then has a word with her self and gets on with it.
Willy Nilly said:
4x4's tend to be bigger and heavier, in snow and ice this is bad, you want small and light. You might have another set of driven wheels (on low profile tyres that are less than useless in the snow), but you have more weight to stop and a higher center of gravity to contend with when it starts sliding about. I drive a tractor with weighs about 7500kg, it's 4wd, has massive wheels and it's crap in snow. My mountain bike on the other hand is great.
My dad had a herd of cows so live in the country, they've never had a 4x4. Mum is in her late 60's and drives a newish Fabia with stupid low profile tyres that I warned them about. She's a nurse and ALWAYS gets to work no matter how bad the weather. If the snow drifted to the top of the hedges, she'd just drive the Skoda over the top of it. She has a worry to start with, then has a word with her self and gets on with it.
Could the same be said when that snow turns to ice?My dad had a herd of cows so live in the country, they've never had a 4x4. Mum is in her late 60's and drives a newish Fabia with stupid low profile tyres that I warned them about. She's a nurse and ALWAYS gets to work no matter how bad the weather. If the snow drifted to the top of the hedges, she'd just drive the Skoda over the top of it. She has a worry to start with, then has a word with her self and gets on with it.
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