Family Motor... Urgh..

[PizzaPeas]

Afternoon All!.. Am a long time lurker in constant mental turmoil about what motor to buy for the family.. requirements as follows

- About £25 - £30k
- under 40,000 miles or 4 years old.
- Must fit Labrador in boot.
- Must fit child & paraphernalia in.
- Must be 'good' to drive. And by that I mean balanced, responsive, communicative. Doesn't necessarily need 400bhp.
- Mustn't be too highly strung. (RS4, Evo's.etc.. need not apply)

Have really been struggling to decide on either an estate (S4, 535d..etc.) or an SUV (which pretty much rules out any of the driving requirements).

After having seen a 40k mile X5 last weekend at Parkway Spesh Vehicles in Notts (Great service from these guys & lovely stock btw) , I've been totally put off that idea. The interior quality is some of the shasbbiest i've ever seen on a 50k new list price. I *think* i'd like a nearly-new Touareg but they're a bit too pricey..

Getting really miffed off with my lack of decision on this as I need to move pretty quickly. Any ideas/help/random suggestions much appreciated!!

Cheers folks!

[liner33]

How often will you have the dog in the back? If its not more than a couple of dozen times a year get the estate if Rover is a regular passenger get the SUV

If it were me i'd be looking at a BMW diesel

[Gavin0478]

S4 avant or perhaps an SQ5 should just about squeeze into budget.

[MrOrange]

C63 or a 5-series estate

[Mysterae]

BMW 640d GC. The dog will most certainly fit in the boot .

[sebhaque]

What about a 335i estate? Okay it's an automatic but it's not necessarily a bad engine and platform. You could probably haggle this down to £30k:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I was quite impressed with the interior of a colleague's CLS shooting brake but the only ones I can find around are derv variants, so not exactly thrilling to drive. Might be worth a look though:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[BobSaunders]

I am in the similar predicament. I need to decide what i am going to be sitting in for the next few years. This will include future children and rover, as well as interests and hobbies.

I have come down to either -

- BMW 520D Touring or BMW 530D Touring
- or, Range Rover Sport

The RRS is in my list due to just loving the car and always wanting one.

The 5 is just practical due to size and added "comforts". Engine size will be replaced by bike - so will need a tow hook.

Edited by BobSaunders on Saturday 10th January 14:34

[Justin Case]

Is the dog travelling in a cage. When we had a dog, he would happily jump up into his cage (fabric not metal) and settle down quite happily in it even for long journeys.
So get the cage first then see if it will fit the car, a lot of 4x4s have a surprisingly small boot. A Skoda Superb will swallow a pack of hounds quite happily, but that may not give you the drive that you want, in which case a 3 litre Jaguar XF Sportbrake or a Discovery could be worth looking at.

Edited by Justin Case on Saturday 10th January 17:24

[g7jhp]

I'd go for an Audi S4 Avant, plenty of room for kit, looks great and a great blend of pace/economy as required.

[Oilchange]

Jag XF Sportbrake

[ZesPak]

Oilchange said:

Jag XF Sportbrake

Would be my first choice.

[PizzaPeas]

Thanks for all the responses there fellas - some good suggestions too!

I'm leaning more and more towards the S4 Avant which, given the performance, V6 soundtrack and quality of build really appeals. I've never actually even thought about the Jag!? Not sure why but I see these aimed at more of the 'mature' gentlemen (probably down to Jag's image).

Rover isn't an everyday passenger, moreso on the weekends, and doesn't travel in a cage so this shouldn't be a problem in an estate. It's more the paraphernalia that comes with the babby (I s'pose I could always hook up a trailer.. ;-) )

In my own mind when I compare the S4, Touareg, 530d etc.. the Audi always rises to the top for whatever subjective reasons.

Has anyone actually owned a B8 S4 Avant that can share any pearls of wisdom here?

[Steve7777]

You don't say how much mileage you're doing but with similar requirements I ended up with a Cayenne Turbo as I do low mileage so don't mind the mpg, tyre costs etc. If you're thinking about an SUV you should at least try a Cayenne with air suspension and PDCC before writing them off based on an X5.

[worsy]

PizzaPeas said:

Thanks for all the responses there fellas - some good suggestions too!

I'm leaning more and more towards the S4 Avant which, given the performance, V6 soundtrack and quality of build really appeals. I've never actually even thought about the Jag!? Not sure why but I see these aimed at more of the 'mature' gentlemen (probably down to Jag's image).

Rover isn't an everyday passenger, moreso on the weekends, and doesn't travel in a cage so this shouldn't be a problem in an estate. It's more the paraphernalia that comes with the babby (I s'pose I could always hook up a trailer.. ;-) )

In my own mind when I compare the S4, Touareg, 530d etc.. the Audi always rises to the top for whatever subjective reasons.

Has anyone actually owned a B8 S4 Avant that can share any pearls of wisdom here?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Benbay001]

PizzaPeas said:

Thanks for all the responses there fellas - some good suggestions too!

I'm leaning more and more towards the S4 Avant which, given the performance, V6 soundtrack and quality of build really appeals. I've never actually even thought about the Jag!? Not sure why but I see these aimed at more of the 'mature' gentlemen (probably down to Jag's image).

Rover isn't an everyday passenger, moreso on the weekends, and doesn't travel in a cage so this shouldn't be a problem in an estate. It's more the paraphernalia that comes with the babby (I s'pose I could always hook up a trailer.. ;-) )

In my own mind when I compare the S4, Touareg, 530d etc.. the Audi always rises to the top for whatever subjective reasons.

Has anyone actually owned a B8 S4 Avant that can share any pearls of wisdom here?

When i had my Jag i felt rather cool in an anti establishment way (was 20yo). Jags are lovely as a day to day prospect.

Personally though my comfy estate with no MPG requirement money would go on a Subaru Legacy Spec B GT
Japanese import only but plenty about.
2.0 turbo, same engine as the STI AFAIK.
They are well below your budget but they should hold their money, be in good condition and be fun and fast.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...





With the money you dont spend you could tune the ass off of it, or buy a weekend car.

Edited by Benbay001 on Sunday 11th January 09:42

[Mr E]

Our merc fits all of those requirements of you accept that "good to drive" means "relaxing and wafty" rather than poised and balanced.

We also considered x5, 5gt, 5 series routings, a6 estates and jag sportbrakes.

[cailean]

Subaru Forester XT (new)

[guy10]

How about this?

2014, 2300 miles, V6, 260bhp, 4WD, Estate, All the normal toys, Labrador sized boot, Not too highly strung, S4 build quality....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[liner33]

guy10 said:

How about this?

2014, 2300 miles, V6, 260bhp, 4WD, Estate, All the normal toys, Labrador sized boot, Not too highly strung, S4 build quality....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

I wouldnt spend £30k on a second hand Skoda , no way !

[Mr E]

liner33 said:

I wouldnt spend £30k on a second hand Skoda , no way !

I considered one.