Cheap boring dad wagon needed

[Pete Franklin]

I will become a dad in the next few months and will need something slightly larger than my current MX5.

The plan is to keep the mx5 and buy a boring large/ practical car for ferrying kids and large objects around. I'm preferably looking for some kind of big estate.

My budget is ~ £2000 for car, insurance and tax so realistically £1500 for the car. less if I can get away with it. I'm not too fussed about style or amazing handling/ speed but if the right car has it then they would be quite welcome.

It needs to be cheap to run and reasonably reliable and i really want to be getting 35MPG minimum. i'm quite capable of fixing things if they go wrong so a car that was easy to work on would be a plus.

The newer the better but i want something that is around 10yo and not astrinomical mileage- 100,000 seems reasonable. although I am flexible on these

Current considerations are Mk3 mondeo estate and 406 estate.

is there anything else that fits the bill that i should be looking for?

[davidjpowell]

Saab 9-5 is the obvious miss from your line-up.

[ewenm]

Something from Volvo?

[superlightr]

I hear there is a rare Focus Titanium going !

[edo]

1999 VOLVO V70 2.5 10V XLT
Trade Seller: Plg Direct

5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 78,000 miles, Metallic Green. Climate Control, Air conditioning, Heated seats, Alloy wheels, Towbar, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Full Service History, Roof rails, Remote central locking, Anti theft system, PAS, Passenger airbag, Adjustable seats, Rear wiper, Body coloured bumpers. TRADE PRICE FOR QUICK SALE. CASH ONLY ON THIS VEHICLE PLEASE. Tax until the end of July, MOT until the end of June. Solid car with a full service history, a couple of marks to the rear bumper, other than that a lovely car. Full Dealer Facilities, Part Exchange Welcome, No Reasonable Offers Refused




£1295.

[Matt UK]

Slightly beyond budget / criteria, but not by much.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2404531.htm

Or maybe this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2430944.htm

Edited by Matt UK on Monday 28th March 16:41

[farrendahl]

Matt UK said:

Slightly beyond budget / criteria, but not by much.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2404531.htm

Gets my vote

[davidjpowell]

farrendahl said:

Gets my vote

At least 35 mpg?!

[SD1992]

Matt UK said:

Slightly beyond budget / criteria, but not by much.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2404531.htm

I am sure I read "35 mpg minimum" in the OP somewhere...

MK3 Mondeo is a good idea - get one of the earlier TDDI ones as they have far, far less common faults than the more modern TDCI engines. These 2 look pretty decent:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[farrendahl]

davidjpowell said:

At least 35 mpg?!

Okay I might have missed that bit of the spec sheet lol












(Still think he should get it though - saves me robbing the savings fund to get it myself lol)

[oldcynic]

I'd vote for a Volvo V70 - ideally post 2002 or so. Mine's on 130K miles and still drives lovely after 7 years. I've got a D5 163BHP which moves nicely and drinks about 45mpg; it's also quiet & refined once on the move. And very comfortable.

[Matt UK]

davidjpowell said:

At least 35 mpg?!

On a long downhill stretch of motorway with a tailwind and a light throttle, yes the OP will get at least 35mpg.

[GreatGranny]

I just knew it!

New Dad, limited budget, min. 35 mpg, 100k miles and a leggy 540i Touring is suggested! Love it!

V70 Auto will not do 35+ mpg. Manual maybe just but a great family car.

What about a V40?

Doubt if you will need a large estate for the first kid.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Plenty left for tax & insurance.

[Pete Franklin]

Some good suggestions so far chaps

The Saab idea: would never have thought of this being an option- i'm amazed at how cheap they are. does much go wrong with them? are they any good? any other info on running costs? Even the insurance is pretty cheap.

Like the volvo idea as well- really suprised how much they cost too (and how cheap to insure)

BMW: well its the car i would like to own but the running costs, insurance etc would be too high I think.

regarding the Ford TDDI vs TDCI- i didnt know about the reliability issues cheers for that.

[edo]

Don't want to sound like a broken record, but at this budget MPG would be the least of my worries - I'd be buying the youngest, best condition car I could (and the one with the cheapest repair/parts prices).

No good buying something that can do 35mpg over something that does 25mpg if it hits you in the balls with a £1k bill (effectively writing it off).

[excel monkey]

Is an Octavia estate big enough for you?

Plenty around for your budget, and choice of petrol or diesel.

[Matt UK]

If the budget is strict then I'd go for something like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2337091.htm

I wouldn't bother with an older diesel. I'd rather pay that little bit extra at the pumps in exchange for a less complex engine with less to go wrong.

[Pete Franklin]

edo said:

Don't want to sound like a broken record, but at this budget MPG would be the least of my worries - I'd be buying the youngest, best condition car I could (and the one with the cheapest repair/parts prices).

No good buying something that can do 35mpg over something that does 25mpg if it hits you in the balls with a £1k bill (effectively writing it off).

I agree with you- reliability and cost of parts is more important to me that super economy but it would be nice to have something that didnt drink too much.

I'm flexible about the economy within reason

[boredofmyoldname]

GreatGranny said:

What about a V40?

Doubt if you will need a large estate for the first kid.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Plenty left for tax & insurance.

I don't have a kid but my V40 is big enough for most things, it doesn't manage 35mpg unless on a very steady motorway run. But they do have more equipment than equivalent foci etc, are comfier and feel better screwed together than a focus, and from what I have done so far is easy to work on.

Oh and don't worry about the lack of power either, the 160 (alleged) horses that pull mine along are more than adequate and it certainly isn't a car that will make you go searching for the most twisty way to wherever.

An E36 or early E46 touring might be a decent option too.

[JVaughan]

406 ... 110 bhp or the 136.. forget the 90's .. Plenty to choose from and loads of spare parts should you need them .. insurance cheap too ..
£1500 gets you a good car with sub 100,000 mileage