Another battle of the estates

[Adwillsy]

Hi All,

A bit of a background. I currently own a 1970 beetle which is fine but just doesn’t get the juices flowing and I can’t really do long journeys in it. I’m looking to sell and get a do anything car where it will be nice to drive, have some creature comforts and reasonably quick and settled on the motorway for around £4-4.5k

Given today’s market is not that great, I’d be looking to keep this car for a while and have 2 options that I need a little help on.

1. Audi A4 B7 avant 2.0T special edition Quattro (manual)

Or
2. BMW 325i E91 touring M-sport (manual)

I know both will be roughly 100k miles which doesn’t phase me too much as I’m a mechanic by trade and Also I walk to work so won’t be used every day.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers

[stevekoz]

I've a 330i Touring, a 330d Touring and a B7 A4 Avant with the 2.5 TDI V6. I've also had 3.2 v6 FSI A4 Avant.

Of those you've suggested i would go for the BMW. It's just a better car to drive. More character and a nicer engine. However, it is rwd, so is it as planted as the Quattro? On a motorway except in the worst of conditions i'd say yes. Anywhere else again, its conditions led, not to say the rwd isn't sure footed, its just different to Quattro and awd.

I would consider other brands as well tbf. At that price range you could bag yourself an ST220 Estate. Lovely engine, little on the thirsty side, but reliable and a nice place to be. Plus its just a nice driving car than the BMW and the Audi in my opinion. Have had 3 of them before as well as the ones i mentioned above.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202273...

A further alternative would be the Legacy Estate. You could get a 3.0 R spec.B Sport Tourer for your budget. Not as refined as the BMW / Audi i guess but it is nice spec for a Japanese car. Sure footed and has some go and is a nice steer too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202202...

[eleveneleven]

I'd be tempted to go for the BMW but sounds like you want more of a comfy cruiser than a drivers car, The Audi would be the better choice if that's the case, You'll probably get more toys too.

Edited by eleveneleven on Wednesday 2nd March 16:46

[eleveneleven]

I'd be tempted to go for the BMW but sounds like you want more of a comfy cruiser than a drivers car, The Audi would be the better choice if that's the case, You'll probably get more toys too.

Edited by eleveneleven on Sunday 6th March 11:20

[Adwillsy]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I currently work at Ford and am not too sure about the mondeo, I don’t get a sense of anything special when I get in them even though they’re nice. And the Subaru is a good shout. Do you know if they came in manual or are they rare as hens teeth?

[Krikkit]

Adwillsy said:

And the Subaru is a good shout. Do you know if they came in manual or are they rare as hens teeth?

Pretty rare in the UK, although much more common than the Japanese market cars which are 95% autos.

[RoVoFob]

Krikkit said:

Pretty rare in the UK, although much more common than the Japanese market cars which are 95% autos.

I had a 2005 Legacy Tourer 3.0R Spec.B with a manual gearbox; the gearbox made it - very short gearing, really slick change and the flat-six engine sounds fantastic and is extremely smooth.

I personally wouldn’t sacrifice the six-speed manual for the four-speed (?) auto. The engine made most of its power at high revs, so I think it’d feel sluggish with fewer, longer gears.

Keep an eye on UKLegacy.com for used models for sale: http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?/forum/13... Manual models are out there but can take a while to find a decent one…

If you don’t mind the interior and find the seats comfortable (I didn’t), the Subaru is a great driver-centric choice. Some people find the suspension over firm (I didn’t), the steering is quite light (it’s very precise, just not weighty, like most sporty German cars), but the engine and handling are great and the boot is bigger and more practical that the A4 and 3 Series…

[MC Bodge]

OP, have you driven any of them?

People like the Octavia vRS estate. I had a lower spec non-IRS estate, bit didn't like it or keep it long. The Superb has a very big boot.

I do have a Mk5 Mondeo estate. It's not fashionable, but a good, comfortable all rounder that drives very well for a big car(especially after disabling the intrusive steering aids in software), even impressive with a full load ,as all Mondeos have done.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 2nd March 18:23

[A500leroy]

Dacia Logan?

[ZX10R NIN]

Adwillsy said:

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I currently work at Ford and am not too sure about the mondeo, I don’t get a sense of anything special when I get in them even though they’re nice. And the Subaru is a good shout. Do you know if they came in manual or are they rare as hens teeth?

The reason you're not interested in the Mondeo is because you see them everyday but with your budget it would be the one I'd pick especially over the Audi.

ST220 a car that's special

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202273...

Titanium X

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201181...

Saab 9-3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202012...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202192...

2.5 Legacy

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202222...

3.0R Legacy but I'd say the ST220 above is the better steer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202202...

[ooid]

Adwillsy said:

Hi All,

A bit of a background. I currently own a 1970 beetle which is fine but just doesn’t get the juices flowing and I can’t really do long journeys in it. I’m looking to sell and get a do anything car where it will be nice to drive, have some creature comforts and reasonably quick and settled on the motorway for around £4-4.5k

If you sell VW, you will really regret it! there is literally no Air-cooled cars sround and they will be more rare to drive and have in the near future. Keep it please, save money or rob a bank who cares but do not change that beetle to a mediocre car.

Joke a side, perhaps get a reliable shed and use it for daily or long journeys. (Any volvo with D5 engine perhaps or Avensis would do!)

[georgeyboy12345]

Adwillsy said:

Hi All,

A bit of a background. I currently own a 1970 beetle which is fine but just doesn’t get the juices flowing and I can’t really do long journeys in it. I’m looking to sell and get a do anything car where it will be nice to drive, have some creature comforts and reasonably quick and settled on the motorway for around £4-4.5k

Given today’s market is not that great, I’d be looking to keep this car for a while and have 2 options that I need a little help on.

1. Audi A4 B7 avant 2.0T special edition Quattro (manual)

Or
2. BMW 325i E91 touring M-sport (manual)

I know both will be roughly 100k miles which doesn’t phase me too much as I’m a mechanic by trade and Also I walk to work so won’t be used every day.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers

Out of those two, I'd pick the BMW.

[stevemcs]

Out of the 2 i'd go BMW, however although you can fix things the last thing you want to do after a day of Adblue issues, Ecoboost engines being replaced is having to come home and fix your own car.

I do like the 2.0TFSi engine but it has a few issues which can make them a bit of a liability, the interior is nicer on the Audi, the seats are better in the BMW, the engine makes a nicer noise in the BMW both manual boxes are rubbish with the Audi being the worst of the two, if you prefer the power delivery of a diesel then the 2.0 TFsi would be the better engine, if you like to scream to the redline go BMW.

However .... if you want the Audi but cheaper and slightly better quality inside consider the Seat Exeo, you will get something newer with the slightly better A4 cab dashboard but the 2.0TFsi will be a rare thing. Or there is the Skoda VRS, i'd be looking towards the older belt engine rather than the facelift with the timing chain.

[Adwillsy]

Hiya, thanks for all the replies!! Erm no I haven’t driven the cars I’m looking at yet. The closest I have got to them is my brothers skoda octavia VRS which I don’t want the same as him and an e92 m3. Very different beasts entirely. I’m still not fully sold on the mondeo but will have a proper look at the next one I get in. And the Subaru I’ll have a trawl through the web and see what I can find

[jackofall84]

I've got a Kia Optima SW. I really like it, it looks smart and you can generally pick one up cheaper than all the other bigger named estates. They are a little rare so you may have to be patient for one to come up for sale. They're packed full of creature comforts though, especially if you get at least a trim level 3 or GT Line S. They're pretty reliable and even if you get a 5 year old model you'd still have 2 years of Kia warranty on it.

[Orangecurry]

ZX10R NIN said:

3.0R Legacy but I'd say the ST220 above is the better steer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202202...

I would say that's a JDM 2.0 Turbo, which some people prefer.

But I've had a UK manual 3.0R Spec.B estate since 2012 and 90k miles, and it's without doubt a much much better steer than the Ford.

With the mk4 Legacy, Subaru wanted to make a 'better' medium car than BMW/Audi, and they concentrated on handling. Remember that the Legacy was the first Subaru that won Rallys, and they passed that knowledge into the Spec.Bs

I keep thinking I should get something newer... but I can't think of anything. Really. It's not that powerful, and it's thirsty (27mpg average, 30 on a long trip), but it handles like a smaller car, has proper AWD, perfectly balanced front/rear, and is cavernous on the inside - the rear seats fold properly flat.

[Adwillsy]

I’m still looking into the legacy but the Mrs. Has come up with another option which I never thought to really look at. Subaru Forester 2.5 XT. 230hp 2.5 turbo 4 cylinder, 4WD etc. And in there is one for about 5k with 79k on the clock so it seems much lower mileage than what I’m looking at. Do any of you guys reckon this could also be a good option?

[bristolracer]

Check the road tax on the Subaru's.
Some can be a hefty £585/£600 per year.

It doesn't bother some, but I think it's taking the piss with so many dirty diesels on £30 or zero tax per year.

[georgeyboy12345]

I think those 2.5 turbos found in these and Imprezas have some serious reliability issues. I’d be very wary/avoid if I were you.

[Orangecurry]

...as above, the newer Impreza/Forester engines need some research. Anything older with a 2.0 should be good - but the 2.5 has a somewhat poorer reputation.
Legacy engines are completely different.

Impreza and Forester share (or used to) the same chassis, so there's little rear legroom compared to the Legacy if that's important to you.