"What Car" - however not for me, for my Dad

[dtmpower]

SeniorDTM bought an E46 330Cd new in 2004 as a personal work car. He was, at the time, working a long commute and needed a presentable mile muncher Monday to Friday and at weekends transport for his model planes. His main criteria in a car is always folding seats rather than an estate/touring style (he flies R/C planes with ~6ft wingspan).

I have given up on trying to convince him to run two or more cars and/or van.

However the long commutes only lasted a year or so and now he mainly works from home or rides a motorbike into town for meetings.

He wants to change the 330Cd for something 'new'. So far I have suggested a 640d Gran Coupe, he is also looking at the A7.

Can the powers of PH suggest a car for him;

New/Under 3 years old
Budget ~£60k
To keep long term (he is 60)
Folding Rear Seats/Long boot for aircraft wings
No sports suspension or crashy ride
Effortless to drive -> he is happy with automatic/DSG - being a passenger with him in a manual is painful (drives with <1k RPM most of the time)
Car will be garaged at home and do at most 5k miles per year.
Must also be quiet as he has a hearing condition and is hypersensitive to rattles/road noise.

edit: he prefers a 'coupe' style car , he is not keen on a big 4 door saloon.

Edited by dtmpower on Saturday 18th August 21:47

[davepoth]

Get him to look at a Jag. His money will get him in a brand new XJ; admittedly the diesel.

http://www.jaguar.com/gb/en/new_xj/models/xj_prici...

If he goes pre-owned he should be able to get the supercharged v8...

[McHaggis]

A8 with air suspension
BMW 730d

[dtmpower]

davepoth said:

Get him to look at a Jag. His money will get him in a brand new XJ; admittedly the diesel.

http://www.jaguar.com/gb/en/new_xj/models/xj_prici...

If he goes pre-owned he should be able to get the supercharged v8...

Too big and he doesn't want/like saloons.

[Matthen]

XF Sportbrake then? £60K will even get you some options

[edc]

Merc CLS.

[dtmpower]

Matthen said:

XF Sportbrake then? £60K will even get you some options

...His main criteria in a car is always folding seats rather than an estate/touring style...

[Matthen]

dtmpower said:

Folding Rear Seats/Long boot for aircraft wings

Edited by dtmpower on Saturday 18th August 21:47

Long boot = Estate in my opinion.. + you could get the optional "ski slot" for the aircraft wings.

And... The seats will fold in an estate.

[davepoth]

dtmpower said:

...His main criteria in a car is always folding seats rather than an estate/touring style...

So it has to be a large hatchback then? The XJ does have folding rear seats as far as I can tell; most saloon cars do.

[dtmpower]

EVERYONE - please stop suggesting ESTATES/TOURING/MASSIVE 5 SEAT SALOONS.

He wants a car similar to his current E46 - in as much that he rarely takes passengers, likes the coupe drive, but needs the storage capacity that precludes cars such as Vantage or other 2+2/coupes with no folding seats.

[McHaggis]

Well, his own criteria are limiting the options... hence many suggestions for great cars that happen to have 4 doors but are still very capable cars.

[davepoth]

Both of the cars you mentioned at the top are four doors too.

[McHaggis]

davepoth said:

Both of the cars you mentioned at the top are four doors too.

I know, thanks... they were suggested on meeting the majority of your (original criteria, before you edited), not all of them.

If he really hates the "noise" of many cars, he would love an A8 with air suspension if he could get over the fact that it was 4 door.

Depends on how heavily weighted the criteria are. You are treating them as binary "musts", the options are, however, more subtle.

It would be easier to find some option cars if we understood "MUST HAVE" vs "PREFERABLE TO HAVE"...

Edited by McHaggis on Saturday 18th August 22:36

[davepoth]

McHaggis said:

I know, thanks... they were suggested on meeting the majority of your (original criteria, before you edited), not all of them.

If he really hates the "noise" of many cars, he would love an A8 with air suspension if he could get over the fact that it was 4 door.

Depends on how heavily weighted the criteria are. You are treating them as binary "musts", the options are, however, more subtle.

It would be easier to find some option cars if we understood "MUST HAVE" vs "PREFERABLE TO HAVE"...

Edited by McHaggis on Saturday 18th August 22:36

Sorry, that comment was aimed at the OP.

[TDV6]

dtmpower said:

EVERYONE - please stop suggesting ESTATES/TOURING/MASSIVE 5 SEAT SALOONS.

davepoth said:

Both of the cars you mentioned at the top are four doors too.

[dtmpower]

TDV6 said:

dtmpower said:

EVERYONE - please stop suggesting ESTATES/TOURING/MASSIVE 5 SEAT SALOONS.

davepoth said:

Both of the cars you mentioned at the top are four doors too.

And both 'coupe-esque' and 4 seats.

[dtmpower]

[quote=dtmpower]

Can the powers of PH suggest a car for him;

MUST New/Under 3 years old
MUST Budget <£70k
MUST Folding Rear Seats/Long boot for aircraft wings
MUST No sports suspension or crashy ride

LESS IMPORTANT Effortless to drive -> he is happy with automatic/DSG/Manual

MUST be a 'coupe' style car , he is not keen on a big 4 door saloon.

[davepoth]

dtmpower said:

And both 'coupe-esque' and 4 seats.

Then you need to add the CLS onto your list to get the full set really, if that's what you're looking for. They're all large saloons without enough headroom in the back.

[matc]

CLS350 petrol SE with air suspension.

/thread

[dtmpower]

davepoth said:

Then you need to add the CLS onto your list to get the full set really, if that's what you're looking for. They're all large saloons without enough headroom in the back.

'he rarely takes passengers, likes the coupe drive, but needs the storage capacity that precludes cars such as Vantage or other 2+2/coupes with no folding seats.'

I really suspect that people who post on PH don't read.