£13k - what car? DS5 vs 320d vs c220 vs Insig biturbo etc

£13k - what car? DS5 vs 320d vs c220 vs Insig biturbo etc

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Joebristolgym

Original Poster:

72 posts

173 months

Tuesday 24th March 2015
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Hi there, looking around at the moment for a new (to me) car. Planning on buying by around September this year.

Want a diesel - I have a job where I travel quite a lot - potentially up to 20k per year. Not interested in petrol for this having run a Seat Leon Tdi 140 for the last 18 months and really liked it. Bad points about it are that the engine really is very agricultural sounding inside and the interior is very 'plasticky'. Good points are reasonable economy, great seats (it has the sports pack with quite heavily bolstered seats), fairly punchy performance and it looks nice (although the wife hates it for some reason).

So a new car has to be at least as fast, needs to have sat nav built in, needs to be a manual gearbox and look ok. It also needs to be able to carry a reasonable load / be capable of carrying stuff in it. I'm not worried if it is a hatch, estate or saloon - as long as it has split folding rear seats.

The short list I've come up with is below - I don't want anything older than 2010 or with more than 50k miles on it.

  • BMW 320d M Sport
  • Merc C220 / C250 CDI Sport
  • Citroen DS5 2 litre diesel (not the hybrid)
  • Insignia Biturbo diesel
These are all right on the cusp of my budget, so would take potentially a lot of looking around for one, and hopefully a bit more depreciation in the next 6 months.

I appreciate they are slightly diverse - the Citroen would be the slowest / less sporting but I just like the interior and how it looks. The Insignia would have the most standard equipment I'd think. The BMW / Merc would likely have to be an estate as the split folding rear seats on these models was an optional extra, and I haven't seen too many cars with it specced on it.

Cars I have ruled out:

  • Lexus IS220d - no estate or split folding seats
  • Ford Mondeo - I just don't like them and neither does the wife.
  • Mazda 6 2.2d sport - read too many bad things about the engine and corrosion, plus mazda wheels don't last well.
Any opinions on the cars I've mentioned, or any other suggestions welcomed!

Edited by Joebristolgym on Tuesday 24th March 16:16

Joebristolgym

Original Poster:

72 posts

173 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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No replies to my first post - maybe got lost, or maybe no opinions?

After looking around for a bit longer I think the BMW and Merc in the right spec won't be achievable for the money I have to spend.....and looking like the same may well be the case with the Insignia.

The more I think about it, the more I like that the DS5 is a different option compared to a lot of cars on the road. PLus I work for a bank and there are a lot of 3 / 5 series or c class mercs in the carpark so it would be nice to stand out.

I appreciate the DS5 is probably going to be the least sporting drive, but the interior is just so nice (I sat in one on the weekend). Thinking maybe with a superchips remap to the engine it will do quite a good job both for work driving and as a family car going forward.

The days of me driving unpractical (but fun) cars are gone for the time being.

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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You haven't mention what the budget is from what I can see.

What sort of age are you looking at?
Any absolute must have features (Cruise and such)
Minimum size, has to take kids?


MC Bodge

21,551 posts

174 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Mondeo

romeogolf

2,056 posts

118 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Volvo V50 or a V60 with slightly higher miles? VW Passat?

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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If age isn't an issue, Saab?

XF estate if they're in budget?


Second mentions of Mondeo and Volvo.

dogzilla

157 posts

210 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Joebristolgym said:
I appreciate the DS5 is probably going to be the least sporting drive, but the interior is just so nice (I sat in one on the weekend). Thinking maybe with a superchips remap to the engine it will do quite a good job both for work driving and as a family car going forward.

The days of me driving unpractical (but fun) cars are gone for the time being.
Remapping a DS5 Diesel? The prognosis is not good I'm afraid. The chances of making a full recovery at this point are next to nil. If you don't do something sharpish you will soon be driving a Meriva.

For your own sake man, wake up. You don't need big money to buy a decent car, you just need the right attitude.


AmitG

3,272 posts

159 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Of the cars on the original list I would go for the DS5, because it's the most unusual, and I like that. It has an element of theatre that is missing from nearly all modern cars. I'm glad that in a sea of generic repmobiles and SUVs, something like the DS5 exists.

The interior is a work of art; it's simply stunning, especially when you consider that underneath it all is the dashboard from the C4.

Get the youngest one you can. The early cars had a very hard ride. I believe that later cars have a softer ride (still not as it should be on a French luxury car, but better) and also less tendency to wander to the left due to road camber. And at some point they gave all the cars independent rear suspension (previously it was just the hybrid). Worth checking.

I have half an eye on a DS5 hybrid myself. It's slightly bonkers, but that's how French cars are meant to be smile


ferrariF50lover

1,834 posts

225 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Do not buy a fking Insignia, they are st. Slow, crude, thirsty, miles too heavy, horribly uncomfortable after about 10 miles, a crunchy shift and, every time you change into an even numbered gear, you whack your elbow on the central cubby hole lid. Tiny command screen, unnatural, unintuitive controls and if you spec the flash wheels, tyres are horrendously expensive. And finally, you have to tell the utterly, utterly hateful electronic handbrake at least twice before it will engage.

The DS5 is like driving in a cave. Visibility is a thing of the past. The quirkiness (which I love) loses its appeal pretty quick.

I wouldn't have either the Beemer nor the Merc, but that's based on disliking the driving position in the Merc and the interior of the BMW, both things which may well differ from me to you.

Not sure what else to suggest. An Avensis will bore you to death. Maybe an Accord, but they're probably dull too (never driven one). If I wanted a frugal but fun car with heated leather, nav, digirad and LED lights (and your other requirements, upsettingly for you, I'd be buying a Leon FR.

RyanOPlastry

750 posts

207 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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I have a DS5 DSport Hybrid as a company car. ( I don't think anyone in their right mind would spend £35k of their own money on a Citroen full of electronics ) 62000 mostly motorway miles in 28 months from new.

It is something of a triumph of style over substance but I still love it.
The interior is very comfortable and unlike anything else on the road. The interior trim is squeak and rattle free and still feels as solid as when new despite the mileage.

It isn't very sporty, and the ride comfort is well below what I would expect from any other Citroen.

Hybrid specific problems which would not affect you are : Radio is hopeless, they hybrid doesn't have AM or DAB and FM reception is poor.
Boot space is not great due to sloping roof ( and in my case batteries) We have a crate for transporting our dogs, it fits easily in a Saxo, but too big for the DS5. Co2 and hence company car tax is low ( especially with 17" wheels) but real world fuel economy is poor for the mileage I do - most of the time on motorways I'm just taking a heavy electric motor and batteries along with me for the ride. I'm sure the 2 litre diesel would be better than the hybrid in this case. The rear passenger doors are huge compared with the size of the opening. Hatchback is awkward to open as there is no handle to spoil the appearance, and it doesn't open far enough to get anything more than fingertips under to open it when unlocked. Oh and the heated seats are pathetic - even on maximum any heat is barely noticeable.

Don't expect the level of service you would get from an Audi or BMW dealer. I don't seem to get treated any better than if i had a 2CV.

Nevertheless I still love it.





Risotto

3,926 posts

211 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
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Would the previous shape Honda Civic fit the bill?

PompeyPaul

519 posts

182 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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R2T2 said:
You haven't mention what the budget is from what I can see.
It's in his thread title - 13k. wink

R2T2

4,076 posts

121 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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PompeyPaul said:
It's in his thread title - 13k. wink
Balls. Didn't notice hehe

You can get a 335i for 13k, I've saw a couple of 320's in that price bracket.

What about a 318D and a remap?

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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No doubt the PH Ford love will prevail in this thread's recommendations, but if you're not worried about image I'd look at the BMW - compared to the others you get more economy, more power, noticeably less noise at motorway speeds, a more revvy engine and better handling. There's a reason why they're absolutely everywhere and that's that they appeal on a lot of different levels. Having driven most of the competition the only cars that do things better are Audi and Volvo with their interior fit, finish and comfort, which in my opinion is a little better than the 3 series and most front wheel drive competition in terms of interior space, which is a given (especially in estate car format, the 3 series touring is far from the roomiest estate out there); every other quantifiable aspect seems to be done better by the BMW (which as I said, is why they're so popular). The only downside is the image; you will get more road rage and more sly comments in the office car park, but if you're not worried about that it would be (and was) my choice.

Edited by RobM77 on Friday 17th April 09:01

Tyred

23 posts

113 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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The current C Class are nice places to be, the only downside for my two was the variable and sniffy attitude of Merc dealers.

The dark horses are the higher powered Volvos with D3 and D4 engines. They are remap_able, but servicing on my D3 was Mercedes prices. Swift and comfortable. The V40 D4 loaner I had was a nice car without the BMW crack dealer look.

Edited by Tyred on Friday 17th April 08:45

AmitG

3,272 posts

159 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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RyanOPlastry said:
I have a DS5 DSport Hybrid as a company car. ( I don't think anyone in their right mind would spend £35k of their own money on a Citroen full of electronics ) 62000 mostly motorway miles in 28 months from new.
Can I ask what sort of real world fuel economy you get?

Has it gone wrong so far?

Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

129 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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ds5 every time. A diesel 3 seires is dull and 10 a penny. Ds5 Really are lovely

Plus they are French. So cheap. There's a few 2013 auto trader with 35k for £11k! You don't get a 3 seires for that

Edited by Nickbrapp on Friday 17th April 18:51


Edited by Nickbrapp on Friday 17th April 18:52

matchmaker

8,462 posts

199 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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Octavia vRS TDI? Or a high spec TDI Octavia - like the L&K?

rb5er

11,657 posts

171 months

Friday 17th April 2015
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Your list is horrendous. £13k? For any of those? oh dear.