Which would you buy?
Discussion
I'm in the market for a car.
At the mo, we've got an XC60 - the posh car, and a VW Caravelle - the workhorse.
The workhorse however needs some work! We do love the ruddy thing but it needs time to have the work done, and as a daily driver it's just not working. I'm putting close to £100 a week into it in diesel and that's getting old real quick.
So plan is, leave the van on the drive, use it for mountain bike trips and days out, and I get a new workhorse.
As much as I'd like something punchy and fun, I think I need to be sensible. I don't want to spend a fortune, it's going to have a messy 6 year old (a messy 40 year old! haha) and 2 labradors. It'll do the dog taxi, the school runs and my trips to the office each month which is 120 miles each way. SO i'm keen to have it be comfortable and reliable above all else.
So far, i've narrowed it down to 2 options that i'm torn between:
A 2014 VW Passat 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Tech Alltrack DSG 4Motion
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503120...
I like the fact it's 4WD, some of the dog walks are a bit rugged so being able to cope with that is handy, I don't drive off road but I like the 4WD regardless. Tax isn't too bad, economy isn't too bad, interior looks good and my all time fav, heated windscreen. So from a spec point of view it's great. Dealer is known to me, we've bought from them in the past so I know i'll get a good car, there's a VW main dealer in my local town so handy for any issues should I need main dealer support.
Option 2 Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi Elite Nav Sports Tourer
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/167394307737?_trkparms=...
Obviously there's loads of these about, but this is a really good spec, low mileage and from a dealer i've used before and trust.
So i'm torn. The £1000 difference isn't too much of a concern. In the local (ish) area i've not seem much else around this price point that floats my boat. The equivelents from Mercedes look dated, Same with Audi. BMW wouldn't be bad but the 3 series is smaller than my options above. Mondeo's seem to be closer and above £10k which I'm not seeing the benefit of upping the budget to go for above the two options.
So. What would you pick? I'm edging closer to the VW than the Vauxhall, but not sure if that's the right direction to go.
At the mo, we've got an XC60 - the posh car, and a VW Caravelle - the workhorse.
The workhorse however needs some work! We do love the ruddy thing but it needs time to have the work done, and as a daily driver it's just not working. I'm putting close to £100 a week into it in diesel and that's getting old real quick.
So plan is, leave the van on the drive, use it for mountain bike trips and days out, and I get a new workhorse.
As much as I'd like something punchy and fun, I think I need to be sensible. I don't want to spend a fortune, it's going to have a messy 6 year old (a messy 40 year old! haha) and 2 labradors. It'll do the dog taxi, the school runs and my trips to the office each month which is 120 miles each way. SO i'm keen to have it be comfortable and reliable above all else.
So far, i've narrowed it down to 2 options that i'm torn between:
A 2014 VW Passat 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Tech Alltrack DSG 4Motion
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503120...
I like the fact it's 4WD, some of the dog walks are a bit rugged so being able to cope with that is handy, I don't drive off road but I like the 4WD regardless. Tax isn't too bad, economy isn't too bad, interior looks good and my all time fav, heated windscreen. So from a spec point of view it's great. Dealer is known to me, we've bought from them in the past so I know i'll get a good car, there's a VW main dealer in my local town so handy for any issues should I need main dealer support.
Option 2 Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi Elite Nav Sports Tourer
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/167394307737?_trkparms=...
Obviously there's loads of these about, but this is a really good spec, low mileage and from a dealer i've used before and trust.
So i'm torn. The £1000 difference isn't too much of a concern. In the local (ish) area i've not seem much else around this price point that floats my boat. The equivelents from Mercedes look dated, Same with Audi. BMW wouldn't be bad but the 3 series is smaller than my options above. Mondeo's seem to be closer and above £10k which I'm not seeing the benefit of upping the budget to go for above the two options.
So. What would you pick? I'm edging closer to the VW than the Vauxhall, but not sure if that's the right direction to go.
Id lean toward the Passat as the prices are not that far away.
Just make sure the servicing is up to date especially the transmission and 4wd system.
Not sure if its a Haldex 4wd system on that which is basically 2wd until the front loses grip, I have recently found out that mine on a 2012 Audi A3 does not work properly due to a Haldex pump fault.
Cool story and all that but it does not flag a fault indication on the dash and was only noticed when i did a code scan for something else.
Just make sure the servicing is up to date especially the transmission and 4wd system.
Not sure if its a Haldex 4wd system on that which is basically 2wd until the front loses grip, I have recently found out that mine on a 2012 Audi A3 does not work properly due to a Haldex pump fault.
Cool story and all that but it does not flag a fault indication on the dash and was only noticed when i did a code scan for something else.
I spent three trouble free years and 30,000 miles with that drivetrain in a Skoda Octavia Scout.
It was decent on the unmade tracks around Salisbury plain in all weathers to our various dog-walking sites.
A VW specialist will be able to do a proper haldex service for not too much money.
The infotainment is a bit old-hat but is easily to update.
As you already have confidence in the dealer I'd be swaying towards the Passat.
It was decent on the unmade tracks around Salisbury plain in all weathers to our various dog-walking sites.
A VW specialist will be able to do a proper haldex service for not too much money.
The infotainment is a bit old-hat but is easily to update.
As you already have confidence in the dealer I'd be swaying towards the Passat.
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