3 series touring Vs Superb Estate (logic vs prestige?)
Discussion
Hi all
I'm due an estate next lease as the golf (BM 1.6) is like driving beige, but most importantly I have two big dogs.
Here's the rub. I'm 32, and always said "one day when I can afford it comfortably (as in not stretching too much) I'm gonna have a nice Audi or BMW."
No idea how prestige-based logic is perceived here, but I'm aware it's a stupid reason to buy a car. I guess it's my "I'm doing ok and I've sorted my sh# out" thing, after getting out of all the debts from my twenties. A well done treat to myself for a few years while we have no kids.
Only stipulation is I have to stay <120 on the co2. I've gone off the A4 Avant as I find them a bit boring to look at now. Which puts me at the 3 series touring ED plus (fine by me as I'm not a fast driver - I like comfort and music).
However now I've been researching, logic is pointing me to the Skoda Superb Sportline Plus. It's absolutely decked out with everything you could want, it looks mean as balls in black, and it's thousands cheaper than the BMW.
The main downside is that it's absolutely cavernous; I'm not sure I need a 660L boot (my old 407 estate was plenty despite everything breaking every 5 minutes). Also the interior is boring and cheap looking. The 3 series is beautiful inside and out and meant to be a much more rewarding drive.
So here's my issue. Be sensible, paying less for the Skoda (which is essentially a VW) with more space and kit, or pay more for a bit more appropriate space, nicer looks, and the knowledge that I've somehow achieved something by having a "premium" badge on the front.
Treat myself, or go for pure logic?
I dunno. I've got my whole life to do the "2 kids and a Mondeo" thing, and I never spoil myself, so should I just treat myself now, or go for what is an undeniably fantastic value car with the Skoda?
Excuse my rambling monologue but I'm doing more 180s than than a fairground carousel at the mo.
Cheers
Matt
I'm due an estate next lease as the golf (BM 1.6) is like driving beige, but most importantly I have two big dogs.
Here's the rub. I'm 32, and always said "one day when I can afford it comfortably (as in not stretching too much) I'm gonna have a nice Audi or BMW."
No idea how prestige-based logic is perceived here, but I'm aware it's a stupid reason to buy a car. I guess it's my "I'm doing ok and I've sorted my sh# out" thing, after getting out of all the debts from my twenties. A well done treat to myself for a few years while we have no kids.
Only stipulation is I have to stay <120 on the co2. I've gone off the A4 Avant as I find them a bit boring to look at now. Which puts me at the 3 series touring ED plus (fine by me as I'm not a fast driver - I like comfort and music).
However now I've been researching, logic is pointing me to the Skoda Superb Sportline Plus. It's absolutely decked out with everything you could want, it looks mean as balls in black, and it's thousands cheaper than the BMW.
The main downside is that it's absolutely cavernous; I'm not sure I need a 660L boot (my old 407 estate was plenty despite everything breaking every 5 minutes). Also the interior is boring and cheap looking. The 3 series is beautiful inside and out and meant to be a much more rewarding drive.
So here's my issue. Be sensible, paying less for the Skoda (which is essentially a VW) with more space and kit, or pay more for a bit more appropriate space, nicer looks, and the knowledge that I've somehow achieved something by having a "premium" badge on the front.
Treat myself, or go for pure logic?
I dunno. I've got my whole life to do the "2 kids and a Mondeo" thing, and I never spoil myself, so should I just treat myself now, or go for what is an undeniably fantastic value car with the Skoda?
Excuse my rambling monologue but I'm doing more 180s than than a fairground carousel at the mo.
Cheers
Matt
Edited by Joonyer on Tuesday 4th September 14:08
Edited by Joonyer on Tuesday 4th September 14:10
No doubt the 3 series is a great car.
With the money you'd save on the Superb could you then afford to go and get yourself a weekend toy to satisfy your driving needs? Or you could spec up the Superb with "music and comfort" options to rival the BMW?
I'm a sucker for spanglyness and would go for the Superb on exterior looks alone. Plus it's bigger, which as every man knows means better. And it has umbrellas in the doors so you could pretend to be James Bond.
I've currently got a V90 and previously had A4 and 3 series estates - I like to have something different each time so I'm probably biased towards the Superb.
With the money you'd save on the Superb could you then afford to go and get yourself a weekend toy to satisfy your driving needs? Or you could spec up the Superb with "music and comfort" options to rival the BMW?
I'm a sucker for spanglyness and would go for the Superb on exterior looks alone. Plus it's bigger, which as every man knows means better. And it has umbrellas in the doors so you could pretend to be James Bond.
I've currently got a V90 and previously had A4 and 3 series estates - I like to have something different each time so I'm probably biased towards the Superb.
A 320ED Touring will be my choice, currently in a 320d luxury and I started a thread asking why it feels quicker than my 430d. An ED would ride beautifully on small wheels and will be a fun car to hustle, I have no opinion on the Suberb as I have never driven one but I have been in a few of them, Uber drivers and it does feel cheap in the back, window switches and what not, it’s a budget VW and it will will show. I drove a 2012 Octavia 2.0 TDI once and while it was nice ish to drive, I loved the manual gearbox, very smooth but the interior was awful, probably because it was based on the previous generation Passat.
If you like music, be sure to spec the Harmon kardon as the standard system on the BMW’s are crap when on full blast.
If you like music, be sure to spec the Harmon kardon as the standard system on the BMW’s are crap when on full blast.
Guy at my work went from a 3 series estate to a Superb and prefers the Superb in every way. But he literally only uses it for commuting and customer visits so the dynamics of it aren't involved. And it was an older 3 series to a new Superb so not a level comparison.
Also if you think the Superb is too big what about the Octavia estate? Still bigger than the 3 series I think and the price difference will be more!
Other than that, test drive both and see how you feel after that? I don't think either is a bad choice really.
Also if you think the Superb is too big what about the Octavia estate? Still bigger than the 3 series I think and the price difference will be more!
Other than that, test drive both and see how you feel after that? I don't think either is a bad choice really.
i've just got rid of my 2015 year 190 dsg Superb estate. had it 2 years 24k miles and hated every moment of it. its currently for sale here - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
had several warranty issues which took ages to be sorted.
issues were mainly quality based issues - delamination of the gear knob; rear vent came apart in my sons hands; wind noise on drivers window which was never sorted; automatic load cover packed up and wouldn't retract; severe corrosion on rear discs (never seen on previous "old" cars). eventually got rid of it in July when the steering rack failed and Skoda were a pile of poo with their customer service. COlumbus kept crashing in cold weather; electric boot would occasionally not shut even though there was no obstruction.
For a £31k car it never felt anywhere near as nice place to be as my previous 15 years of Volvo's (S60/V70/XC90). and the seats (sport seat type) were a killer compared to Volvos. i've just gone into a 10 year old used Audi A6 (C6) which feels as good place to be as the nearly new skoda, but more enjoyable to drive with the Quattro.
mpg on the skoda - even when driving like a saint on the motorway - 65mph to glasgow from wiltshire never got it over 52mpg. driving quick returned c.45.
my inlaws have a nearly new 320d and a brand new 520d and they feel a much better place to be and a much better car to drive.
The skoda was huge and met my needs with 3 kids/dog etc, but when i save up a bit more cash i'll probably go back to a Volvo (V90) or possibly a 5 series.
ps residuals on the skoda plummeted. I think they kept the GMV artifically high to minimise the payments on the finance. With 6 months left to run, i had £16k outstanding on the finance but only got offered £12k part exchanges so decided to VT it instead. with the bad luck i had i wasn't keen to keep it beyond 3 years after the warranty expired.
had several warranty issues which took ages to be sorted.
issues were mainly quality based issues - delamination of the gear knob; rear vent came apart in my sons hands; wind noise on drivers window which was never sorted; automatic load cover packed up and wouldn't retract; severe corrosion on rear discs (never seen on previous "old" cars). eventually got rid of it in July when the steering rack failed and Skoda were a pile of poo with their customer service. COlumbus kept crashing in cold weather; electric boot would occasionally not shut even though there was no obstruction.
For a £31k car it never felt anywhere near as nice place to be as my previous 15 years of Volvo's (S60/V70/XC90). and the seats (sport seat type) were a killer compared to Volvos. i've just gone into a 10 year old used Audi A6 (C6) which feels as good place to be as the nearly new skoda, but more enjoyable to drive with the Quattro.
mpg on the skoda - even when driving like a saint on the motorway - 65mph to glasgow from wiltshire never got it over 52mpg. driving quick returned c.45.
my inlaws have a nearly new 320d and a brand new 520d and they feel a much better place to be and a much better car to drive.
The skoda was huge and met my needs with 3 kids/dog etc, but when i save up a bit more cash i'll probably go back to a Volvo (V90) or possibly a 5 series.
ps residuals on the skoda plummeted. I think they kept the GMV artifically high to minimise the payments on the finance. With 6 months left to run, i had £16k outstanding on the finance but only got offered £12k part exchanges so decided to VT it instead. with the bad luck i had i wasn't keen to keep it beyond 3 years after the warranty expired.
stut4 said:
i've just got rid of my 2015 year 190 dsg Superb estate. had it 2 years 24k miles and hated every moment of it. its currently for sale here - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
had several warranty issues which took ages to be sorted.
issues were mainly quality based issues - delamination of the gear knob; rear vent came apart in my sons hands; wind noise on drivers window which was never sorted; automatic load cover packed up and wouldn't retract; severe corrosion on rear discs (never seen on previous "old" cars). eventually got rid of it in July when the steering rack failed and Skoda were a pile of poo with their customer service. COlumbus kept crashing in cold weather; electric boot would occasionally not shut even though there was no obstruction.
For a £31k car it never felt anywhere near as nice place to be as my previous 15 years of Volvo's (S60/V70/XC90). and the seats (sport seat type) were a killer compared to Volvos. i've just gone into a 10 year old used Audi A6 (C6) which feels as good place to be as the nearly new skoda, but more enjoyable to drive with the Quattro.
mpg on the skoda - even when driving like a saint on the motorway - 65mph to glasgow from wiltshire never got it over 52mpg. driving quick returned c.45.
my inlaws have a nearly new 320d and a brand new 520d and they feel a much better place to be and a much better car to drive.
The skoda was huge and met my needs with 3 kids/dog etc, but when i save up a bit more cash i'll probably go back to a Volvo (V90) or possibly a 5 series.
ps residuals on the skoda plummeted. I think they kept the GMV artifically high to minimise the payments on the finance. With 6 months left to run, i had £16k outstanding on the finance but only got offered £12k part exchanges so decided to VT it instead. with the bad luck i had i wasn't keen to keep it beyond 3 years after the warranty expired.
the throttle pedal is also unresponsive compared to any other i've driven.had several warranty issues which took ages to be sorted.
issues were mainly quality based issues - delamination of the gear knob; rear vent came apart in my sons hands; wind noise on drivers window which was never sorted; automatic load cover packed up and wouldn't retract; severe corrosion on rear discs (never seen on previous "old" cars). eventually got rid of it in July when the steering rack failed and Skoda were a pile of poo with their customer service. COlumbus kept crashing in cold weather; electric boot would occasionally not shut even though there was no obstruction.
For a £31k car it never felt anywhere near as nice place to be as my previous 15 years of Volvo's (S60/V70/XC90). and the seats (sport seat type) were a killer compared to Volvos. i've just gone into a 10 year old used Audi A6 (C6) which feels as good place to be as the nearly new skoda, but more enjoyable to drive with the Quattro.
mpg on the skoda - even when driving like a saint on the motorway - 65mph to glasgow from wiltshire never got it over 52mpg. driving quick returned c.45.
my inlaws have a nearly new 320d and a brand new 520d and they feel a much better place to be and a much better car to drive.
The skoda was huge and met my needs with 3 kids/dog etc, but when i save up a bit more cash i'll probably go back to a Volvo (V90) or possibly a 5 series.
ps residuals on the skoda plummeted. I think they kept the GMV artifically high to minimise the payments on the finance. With 6 months left to run, i had £16k outstanding on the finance but only got offered £12k part exchanges so decided to VT it instead. with the bad luck i had i wasn't keen to keep it beyond 3 years after the warranty expired.
the good things about it - size (its huge) and when driven in sport mode (revs higher in the dsg), give it a thrashing and the engine and gearbox felt good together.
I also dont get the comparison - a BMW 3 series is not a Superb competitor. Anyway - not sure a 3 series diesel is quite the prestige drive it may once have been. Far too many of them. They're pretty normal from my perspective as is the A4.
The Skoda is an appliance and nothing more. I am on my 3rd. They're economical, trouble free, very very spacious and very boring although they look pretty good these days.
In your position I would not bother with either of them. If it's not something your heart is telling you to buy (which neither of these is) then buy what you actually need and then see what the badge is on the front.....
Oh and you have years and years to come when you will be able to drive a nice car. Life doesn't stop when you have kids you know.
The Skoda is an appliance and nothing more. I am on my 3rd. They're economical, trouble free, very very spacious and very boring although they look pretty good these days.
In your position I would not bother with either of them. If it's not something your heart is telling you to buy (which neither of these is) then buy what you actually need and then see what the badge is on the front.....
Oh and you have years and years to come when you will be able to drive a nice car. Life doesn't stop when you have kids you know.
Right - there are too many responses for me to reply individually, as I'm lying by a pool in Spain on my 7th G&T and I can't be bothered.
However, you've all been good enough to take the time to respond to me, and it's greatly appreciated - but I'll keep it general.
Thank you all sincerely for your input - it's truly appreciated. I think it's ultimately going to come down to test driving each and then deciding.
Again we don't have kids, and aren't yet sure if we will, but we love a good long weekend in Cornwall with tjlhe dogs so space is relevant. Though last time we managed to make it work fine with all our junk and the lab + rottie in my golf, comfortably. So the 3 series would be big enough. I also much prefer the look.
That said, again the superb Sportline plus looks really really slick outside, and absolutely I'll be having the upgraded sound system (I'm one of those people who used to have a giant sub and amp in the boot of my MG ZR) - and realistically, the amount of kit on offer for under 30k is absolutely obscene.
I can't help but feel the BMW would be a "won't the neighbours think I'm doing well" decision rather than pure logic.
BMW: looks nicer, nicer interior, more economical (?), but loads more expensive for less stuff. Possibly just paying tons for a badge.
Skoda: cheap looking inside, not amazing economically, boatloads of gadgets and extras for a great price, looks badass in black. Bang for buck.
Ugh.
Can't someone just pick for me? I guess it comes down to money. I'm in sales so comfort + music are absolutely my priority. I'll test drive both, get lease quotes and do my best to employ logic over emotion.
Thanks again people. I really appreciate your thoughts.
Matt
However, you've all been good enough to take the time to respond to me, and it's greatly appreciated - but I'll keep it general.
Thank you all sincerely for your input - it's truly appreciated. I think it's ultimately going to come down to test driving each and then deciding.
Again we don't have kids, and aren't yet sure if we will, but we love a good long weekend in Cornwall with tjlhe dogs so space is relevant. Though last time we managed to make it work fine with all our junk and the lab + rottie in my golf, comfortably. So the 3 series would be big enough. I also much prefer the look.
That said, again the superb Sportline plus looks really really slick outside, and absolutely I'll be having the upgraded sound system (I'm one of those people who used to have a giant sub and amp in the boot of my MG ZR) - and realistically, the amount of kit on offer for under 30k is absolutely obscene.
I can't help but feel the BMW would be a "won't the neighbours think I'm doing well" decision rather than pure logic.
BMW: looks nicer, nicer interior, more economical (?), but loads more expensive for less stuff. Possibly just paying tons for a badge.
Skoda: cheap looking inside, not amazing economically, boatloads of gadgets and extras for a great price, looks badass in black. Bang for buck.
Ugh.
Can't someone just pick for me? I guess it comes down to money. I'm in sales so comfort + music are absolutely my priority. I'll test drive both, get lease quotes and do my best to employ logic over emotion.
Thanks again people. I really appreciate your thoughts.
Matt
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