Decent(ish) 4WD estate car for £2500(ish)?

[Lunar Tick]

Appreciate some advice from PHers. Have a good friend looking for a reasonably reliable estate car with all-wheel drive and decent luggage space - budget around £2500. AWD desirable as we tend to get quite a lot of snow up here in the North Pennines. Reliability important as our little town is quite remote and friend has small baby so breaking down (as is the case most weeks in is Landrover Discovery) is not an option. I had wondered about Skoda Octavia Estate 4x4 and Impreza Wagon - any other ideas? Thanks in anticipation

[carmadgaz]

Subaru Legacy
Mitsubishi Delica (essentially a Pajero MPV)

[AMH82]

I think you've pretty much covered it with your suggestions there.

If performance is a priority I'd got for the Impreza. I picked up a '53 Blobeye Impreza wagon recently and am very happy with it. A bit more than your budget, but you'd find a tidy classic wagon, or probably a half decent bugeye if you're patient.

Octavia is a good shout though, I've not driven one, but the boot space is likely a lot larger than the Impreza. Octavia will be a lot better on fuel, but not quite the same performance so horses for courses really.

An A4 Avant Quattro is another option, but I doubt you'd get one for £2.5k

[AMH82]

Legacy was another I should have mentioned.

Also, can you find a Nissan Stagea for that sort of cash these days??

[carmadgaz]

AMH82 said:

Also, can you find a Nissan Stagea for that sort of cash these days??

Probably if you can find one at all, can't be that many about

[billzeebub]

Impreza Wagon, Legacy, Forester depending on size and performance requirements. No point looking elsewhere? I have been mega impressed with my £4k 2004 Forester 2.0XT (80k miles). It was bought this year from Subaru Main Dealer as a summer camping and Tip Trip car whilst doing some renovations. I fully intended moving it on before the winter..however, it is so capable that I am now keeping it indefinitely. In most circumstances the keys get picked up ahead of the RR!.. Very good cars, and the non Turbo version should be achievable within budget at around that age.

Edited by billzeebub on Monday 15th October 18:52

[itz_baseline]

Audi S4 (I'm assuming all S4's are AWD)?

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[Zad]

itz_baseline said:

Audi S4 (I'm assuming all S4's are AWD)?

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

So an S4 Avant Quattro for £2.5k? Good luck with the servicing and repair bills on that.

ETA:

Advert said:

Previous owners: 7

Possibly not a good sign.

[Johnnytheboy]

I've just waded through 191 hideous cars that a PH classified search with just the word "estate" and the parameters £2-3,000.

You should buy this one:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[projectgt]

As above suggestions plus consider:

Audi Allroad
Mitsubishi Galant VR4

[rallycross]

You should be able to find an A4 avant 3.0 v6 quattro in that price range (if lucky) not cheap to fix when it goes wrong and at 10 yrs / 100k plus its sure to need some things done over the next 12 months.

Impreza or Legacy probably best value 4x4 estate at this price point (non turbo models safer bet).

Passat 4motion if you can find one (rare in estate shape)

X trail 2.0 will be in price range if a 4x4 rather than estate will do.

Or a set of winter tyres on a Saab 9-5 estate should do nicely instead!

[Lunar Tick]

Cheers everybody - some good ideas there and also reassuring that my original ideas weren't too far off the mark.

[Lunar Tick]

Johnnytheboy said:

I've just waded through 191 hideous cars that a PH classified search with just the word "estate" and the parameters £2-3,000.

You should buy this one:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

This is what I'd personally go for as I've always had a penchant for power. Dunno whether my mate could stomach the less than frugal mpg though...

[anonymous-user]

The original RAV4 - not much bigger than an estate (esp. In 3 door guise), reliable, 4WD and in budget.

[Johnnytheboy]

Lunar Tick said:

Johnnytheboy said:

I've just waded through 191 hideous cars that a PH classified search with just the word "estate" and the parameters £2-3,000.

You should buy this one:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

This is what I'd personally go for as I've always had a penchant for power. Dunno whether my mate could stomach the less than frugal mpg though...

It'd probably cost as much as the car to drive it home from Cornwall, where it's for sale.

[thinfourth2]

Anyone who doesn't say Subaru forester is wrong

[Vixpy1]

Legacy

[_Batty_]

Impreza wagon. Love mine!

[Pesty]

How about this?

http://www.southgatecarcentre.co.uk/used-cars/jagu...


Think they were all 4x4 x types wern't they?

[Pesty]

I think you could get these in 4x4 as well couln't you maybe the is300 or did I imagine that

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...


Always wanted one of these is300

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...