Family Car for £5k ish

[slowcyclist]

Hi,

I'm looking to replace my 2004 Renault Scenic and am struggling to decide what to replace it with. I have a preferred budget of £4k to £5k but could potentially stretch to £6.5k ish if necessary for a really good buy.

I'm looking for a large-ish family car that ticks the following boxes:
- no smaller, preferably larger, than the Scenic
- large load space (especially with the rear seats up) - bigger is better, but definitely no smaller than the Scenic
- good reputation for reliability, including air-con that's likely to keep working for a few more years
- 35+mpg
- ideally 6/7 seats, but not essential
- would really like something less than 10 years old, but could move a b bit on that

I do around 8k to 10k miles per year with a daily commute of around 6 miles and a few longer runs at weekends, so I guess that rules out a diesel. I'd be expecting to keep the car for at least 5 years.

So far my thoughts include Ford Galaxy or S Max, VW Touran, Volvo V50/60/70, Skoda Yeti or Octavia estate but most seem to be 90K+ miles for my budget. Yes, I still suffer from the 100k mile mental block, but am willing to try to look past that. I understand that parts wear out and need replacing and can cope with that to a reasonable degree, especially if the work is DIY-able, but would like to avoid either being left stuck at the roadside or facing £1000plus repair bills.

I've not had the best experience with the Scenic - it feels like whack-a-mole as it always seems to like to have at least one thing not working - so I'm nervous of buying another French car, but haven't quite ruled out a Grand Scenic or Grand C4 Picasso, but both feel like brave(?) choices.

On one hand, I'm not in a desperate rush to buy, but would like to have something before a planned (Covid permitting) drive down to the French Alps early next summer, so can afford to wait to see if the current Covid premium wears off a bit, but on the other hand want to be able to move quickly if something good comes up.

What do you recommend, and what do you recommend I avoid?

Many thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Yeti boot is tiny (I had one). For your requirements: Galaxy or S-Max all day.

I reckon a Civic tourer ticks a lot of those boxes as well (all bar the 6/7 seats). It has a 600+ litre boot with the seats up…

[ZX10R NIN]

Mazda5 Sport Nav not as big as the Galaxy but a very good car

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105182...

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107295...

Don't be tempted by the 1.6T Galaxy's you end up working them hard & you end up doing the same amount of fuel as the 2.0T.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107245...

Zafira Tourer 1.4T 140

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102169...

1.8 Tech Line 140

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107104...

[georgeyboy12345]

Some ideas - one thing that you can't tell from the adverts, and is usually a problem especially with seemingly good value MPVs, is that the interiors have been wrecked through several years of ferrying children about and all the food, vomit and other bodily secretions that go with them, resulting in them smelling rather ripe that no amount of air freshener will truly mask. Best thing to do is obviously go and look at them. You don't even need to test drive them in the first instance.


This Ford Grand C-Max has plenty of space, 7 seats, low mileage, less than 10 years old, will do 35 mpg and should be reasonably reliable as it's a normally aspirated petrol engine, and if anything does go wrong, they tend to be cheap to fix as parts are plentiful
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107285...


Mazda 5s are worth a look in. Also have reliable n/a petrol engines. I think the electric sliding doors put people off, so second hand prices are not too bad.

At the top of your budget, here's a 2.0 Sport Nav with only 62000 miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106063...


For less than 4 grand you can get a 1.8 with 88,000 miles on it, I'd get the dealer to remove all the stupid stickers from the back of it, should be easy enough with some boiling water.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008122...


2011 Nissan Qashqai +2 1.6 with 69,000 miles with a long MOT and 1 year warranty
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101218...

[slowcyclist]

Thanks very much for the very helpful replies - some good suggestions and useful information. I hadn't thought of the Mazda 5, so will read-up on those and see if there's one local that I can take a look at to judge the size. The Grand C Max had crossed my mind, but had assumed that it would be too small. Again, I think I need to see one close up.

Thanks for the comment regarding interiors and vomit - I'll assume that any strong smell of air freshener is there to mask something less pleasant!

I think the Galaxy would be my preferred choice of 7 seater - what are the petrol ones like for longevity given that I'd probably be buying with close to 100k on it and then looking to add another 50k or so over the next few years? I assume that from an engine and gearbox perspective the 2L is likely to have had a slightly less stressful life than a 1.6L - does this make a difference to long-term reliability, or the rate of wear on parts? What about auto V manual? I'd prefer a manual, but does it make a difference from a reliability perspective? I remember reading somewhere a suggestion that auto's are kinder to the drivetrain than manuals, but firstly don't know whether this is true and secondly don't know whether manual boxes or more or less reliable (are more likely to withstand 150k miles) than an auto.

[SlowV6]

How often will you do long journeys?

Do you live in the ULEZ zone or in a city that is likely to introduce something similar in the near future?

The reason I ask is because that 9 out of 10 of the cars on sale in this category will be diesel and a 2.0 TDCi suits these vehicles perfectly. If you do some long runs and don't live in a city then you could rule diesels back in. In this scenario an S-Max or a Galaxy would be ideal. Regarding the Fords, if you want an auto then this will be a powershift gearbox and you should look for evidence of it being serviced on time. If a manual then you should look to see if it has had a recent clutch & DMF. Either way a bit of a slush fund would be advisable.

Again regarding the Fords, and this is not specific to diesel, look for at least Titanium spec for some niceties. These models were facelifted in 2010 - I would be looking for a facelift model and you might need to add £1k to your budget if possible.

I feel either an S-Max or a Galaxy are the best cars for your requirement.

Edited by SlowV6 on Thursday 5th August 11:34

[slowcyclist]

Thanks for the reply SlowV6.

I live on the edge of a small market town and work is about 1.5 miles each way, with a trip home for lunch making it about 6 miles per day during the week. If the wife gets the keys first her commute is about 8 miles each way, again done twice per day in each direction. Weekends usually involve a longer trip somewhere of at least a 50-60 mile round trip. Roughly once a month, either for work or social, I'll usually do something that's a 200+ mile round trip. Are these mileages sufficient to make a diesel viable? When I say viable I mean sufficient to avoid blocked DPFs and diesel related issues rather than giving better value for money than a petrol.

Thanks also for the gearbox advice.

[SlowV6]

slowcyclist said:

Thanks for the reply SlowV6.

I live on the edge of a small market town and work is about 1.5 miles each way, with a trip home for lunch making it about 6 miles per day during the week. If the wife gets the keys first her commute is about 8 miles each way, again done twice per day in each direction. Weekends usually involve a longer trip somewhere of at least a 50-60 mile round trip. Roughly once a month, either for work or social, I'll usually do something that's a 200+ mile round trip. Are these mileages sufficient to make a diesel viable? When I say viable I mean sufficient to avoid blocked DPFs and diesel related issues rather than giving better value for money than a petrol.

Thanks also for the gearbox advice.

That usage profile is fine for the Ford diesel in my opinion and I definitely wouldn't rule it out given where you live. The 2.0 TDCi was fitted in millions of Fords, Peugeots and Volvo's and is generally a very reliable unit capable of high miles. In your shoes I would be looking for a facelift S-Max or Galaxy in at least Titanium spec with either the 2.0 TDCi engine or the 2.0 Ecoboost petrol (which is auto only). One final note about the diesel, it is due a timing belt change at 10yrs or 125K miles so check it is done or consider it a haggling point if approaching. The petrol is a chain driven engine. I confess I don't know much about the reliability of the ecoboost except the PowerShift automatic is often referred to as Powerst on this site. It is an automated double-clutch manual (like VWs DSG auto) rather than a traditional torque converter auto.

Galaxy's are a bit less sexy looking (for an MPV!) than S-Maxes and perhaps offer slightly better VFM.

[slowcyclist]

SlowV6 said:

That usage profile is fine for the Ford diesel in my opinion and I definitely wouldn't rule it out given where you live. The 2.0 TDCi was fitted in millions of Fords, Peugeots and Volvo's and is generally a very reliable unit capable of high miles. In your shoes I would be looking for a facelift S-Max or Galaxy in at least Titanium spec with either the 2.0 TDCi engine or the 2.0 Ecoboost petrol (which is auto only). One final note about the diesel, it is due a timing belt change at 10yrs or 125K miles so check it is done or consider it a haggling point if approaching. The petrol is a chain driven engine. I confess I don't know much about the reliability of the ecoboost except the PowerShift automatic is often referred to as Powerst on this site. It is an automated double-clutch manual (like VWs DSG auto) rather than a traditional torque converter auto.

Galaxy's are a bit less sexy looking (for an MPV!) than S-Maxes and perhaps offer slightly better VFM.

Thanks again for the feedback and further advice.

Ignoring mpg, is there much difference in reliability and maintenance and running costs between a petrol and diesel as the mileage creeps up? Sorry to keep on about the mileage issue - I know from the number of high mileage Galaxys in the classifieds that they're capable of 200K+, but I've no idea what sort of maintenance costs are involved in keeping them going to that sort of distance. If it's mainly a case of keeping on top of the normal maintenance schedules with the occasional higher outlay that's fine, but I'm nervous that it might start getting a bit like Trigger's broom, in which case the cost of keeping it on the road might be more than I'm willing to stomach.

[SlowV6]

To be honest there is an element of pot luck in any used car. Mileage on its own is not the only factor - a car that has done 150K miles on a motorway (like an airport taxi Galaxy) may well have had a far easier life than a similar car that has done 70k miles comprised of short town journeys. You have to look at the overall condition and service history of each car and ultimately you have to take a punt.

It is very unlikely an older car isn't going to require some ongoing maintenance outside servicing.

Some people would argue that a normal aspirated (not turbo charged) petrol engine from a Japanese (or Korean) manufacturer offers your best chance of reliability. Something like a last of the line (59 plate) Honda FR-V with the 1.8 petrol engine would fall into this category. This offers two rows of 3 seats to make it a 6 seater. The downside of an NA 1.8 petrol engine is that when you load it up with people and luggage they are hard work as they don't have the low down torque of a turbo diesel engine.

[georgeyboy12345]

I'd argue oil changes are more important on diesel engines (and turbo engines in general), though you shouldn't neglect to do the oil changes on any petrol or diesel engine really.

In general there tends to be more stuff to go wrong with diesel engines, even though you don't have spark plugs/coil packs to worry about, you have things like the high pressure fuel pumps, fuel filter, injectors, turbo, intercooler, associated pipework, control modules, EGR valves, DPF, etc, which diesels put more strain on due to the sooty nature of the exhaust.

Diesels also produce more sudden low down torque than equivalent priced petrol engines, meaning they place more strain on the flywheel, clutch, gearbox and drive shafts, which means they are more likely to need replacing sooner and at greater expense than an equivalent petrol engine.