Petrol vs Diesel: Big Estates?
Discussion
This is a two part question so bear with, hopefully the first one's pretty easy:
Estate
Manual
Goes a bit
Not ancient
£8-9k
Replacement for a 2002 Alfa 156 V6
Petrol vs Diesel, if I'm doing less than 5k mileage a year I shouldn't be anywhere near a diesel right? Only the car market seems to tell me if I want a big family estate it can only be a diesel engined one?
So if it's petrol with the requirements above there seems to be extremely slim pickings out there, they just don't make big petrol estates anymore, its all diesel or SUV or diesel SUV!
My options seem to be:
Another Alfa But for some reason I'm not sure about the 159 plus VED is a little much
Mazda 6 Looks great, probably reliable, 2.5 isn't actually quick
Mondeo Standard pistonheads answer when it isn't MX5, quick? reliable cheap, boring?
Other options? Volvo V50? Skoda V6? The big three from Germany all seem to be diesel.
Any other left field suggestions*?
Estate
Manual
Goes a bit
Not ancient
£8-9k
Replacement for a 2002 Alfa 156 V6
Petrol vs Diesel, if I'm doing less than 5k mileage a year I shouldn't be anywhere near a diesel right? Only the car market seems to tell me if I want a big family estate it can only be a diesel engined one?
So if it's petrol with the requirements above there seems to be extremely slim pickings out there, they just don't make big petrol estates anymore, its all diesel or SUV or diesel SUV!
My options seem to be:
Another Alfa But for some reason I'm not sure about the 159 plus VED is a little much
Mazda 6 Looks great, probably reliable, 2.5 isn't actually quick
Mondeo Standard pistonheads answer when it isn't MX5, quick? reliable cheap, boring?
Other options? Volvo V50? Skoda V6? The big three from Germany all seem to be diesel.
Any other left field suggestions*?
- Must not click on the X5 V8 thread again.....must not....
Some alternatives, probably of no use but fun to browse the classifieds.
Passat R36, although DSG and quite rare.
BMW 330i M Sport E91, again rare in manual.
Audi S4 Avant B8, the supercharged one.
Subaru Legacy Twin Scroll, JDM Import.
Mini Clubman Cooper S, late N18 engine variant.
Passat R36, although DSG and quite rare.
BMW 330i M Sport E91, again rare in manual.
Audi S4 Avant B8, the supercharged one.
Subaru Legacy Twin Scroll, JDM Import.
Mini Clubman Cooper S, late N18 engine variant.
E91 330I seems to be getting rarer and rarer, moreso in manual but is a well put together thing with a nice soundtrack. Despite the naysayers who say the 3 series is small, we went from an Octavia vRS estate to the BMW and didn't notice a huge drop in capacity even with 2 young kids.
Prior to the Octavia I had a Mondeo ST (albeit the TDCI) but was just this morning looking at ST220 estates. I just think they're ace - massive, loads of toys (for the ages) and a decent (albeit not massively powerful) engine.
R36 would be a really leggy one (and as mentioned, DSG only) for the budget.
Prior to the Octavia I had a Mondeo ST (albeit the TDCI) but was just this morning looking at ST220 estates. I just think they're ace - massive, loads of toys (for the ages) and a decent (albeit not massively powerful) engine.
R36 would be a really leggy one (and as mentioned, DSG only) for the budget.
It's got to be a Mondeo.
If you want a manual petrol, then it needs to a Mk4 - the 2.5T to be exact
Otherwise, go for a Mk5 - 2 litre petrol turbo - but it's auto only.
The space and refinement are outstanding, and they are fun to drive. FYI - I also have a 2002 3.2 V6 Alfa 156 SW, and for convenience and practicality, the Mondeo runs rings around it. The Alfa remains very special, but I find the Mondeo an acceptable alternative.
There is no reason for any sane person to consider buying a diesel. None whatsoever.
If you want a manual petrol, then it needs to a Mk4 - the 2.5T to be exact
Otherwise, go for a Mk5 - 2 litre petrol turbo - but it's auto only.
The space and refinement are outstanding, and they are fun to drive. FYI - I also have a 2002 3.2 V6 Alfa 156 SW, and for convenience and practicality, the Mondeo runs rings around it. The Alfa remains very special, but I find the Mondeo an acceptable alternative.
There is no reason for any sane person to consider buying a diesel. None whatsoever.
Pica-Pica said:
The low-annual-mileage, mustn’t be a diesel thing, is nonsense. The questions to me are really: do you want torque or not, then, are your journeys regularly longer than ten miles, with occasional longer trips?
No, all short stuff, especially this year. It’s 5 miles to work and back every day. Occasional longer but it’s mostly short journeys hence why I’d prefer petrol. Even on the most boring and mundane of runs home just one blat of that Alfa V6 makes my day. omniflow said:
It's got to be a Mondeo.
If you want a manual petrol, then it needs to a Mk4 - the 2.5T to be exact
Otherwise, go for a Mk5 - 2 litre petrol turbo - but it's auto only.
The space and refinement are outstanding, and they are fun to drive. FYI - I also have a 2002 3.2 V6 Alfa 156 SW, and for convenience and practicality, the Mondeo runs rings around it. The Alfa remains very special, but I find the Mondeo an acceptable alternative.
There is no reason for any sane person to consider buying a diesel. None whatsoever.
Now that is interesting. One of my main concerns is that whatever I replace the Alfa with just won’t be able to replace that smile factor. The engine is just stupendous. If you want a manual petrol, then it needs to a Mk4 - the 2.5T to be exact
Otherwise, go for a Mk5 - 2 litre petrol turbo - but it's auto only.
The space and refinement are outstanding, and they are fun to drive. FYI - I also have a 2002 3.2 V6 Alfa 156 SW, and for convenience and practicality, the Mondeo runs rings around it. The Alfa remains very special, but I find the Mondeo an acceptable alternative.
There is no reason for any sane person to consider buying a diesel. None whatsoever.
Unfortunately the rest of it falling apart around it.
Just been in the exact same boat.
Have a big dog and only 4 miles to work with annual mileage around 7K.
Went to look at an Octavia VRS but for what it was it was alittle too much money and couldn't find another that fitted all our criteria.
Ended up with a Ford S Max 2.0 Turbo Titanium X (240bhp version). Plenty of poke, loads of toys, comfortable, great visability and more than enough room for everything we'll ever need.
52K, full history, 2011 and ended up costing £8K. Alot of car for the money! Worth a look.
Have a big dog and only 4 miles to work with annual mileage around 7K.
Went to look at an Octavia VRS but for what it was it was alittle too much money and couldn't find another that fitted all our criteria.
Ended up with a Ford S Max 2.0 Turbo Titanium X (240bhp version). Plenty of poke, loads of toys, comfortable, great visability and more than enough room for everything we'll ever need.
52K, full history, 2011 and ended up costing £8K. Alot of car for the money! Worth a look.
If you can live with an Auto then there are a decent amount of estates in budget:
V60 T6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011025...
V70
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008273...
S4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009013...
C350 Elegance
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010024...
New shape Mondeo Titanium probably the best answer
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010245...
530i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011055...
525i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...
3.2 A6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...
Spec B Legacy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010014...
335i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011146...
330i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010155...
Octavia VRS
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010044...
V6 Superb
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011085...
Leftfield:
Vectra VXR
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007091...
9-3 2.0T Aero
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...
2.8T
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011105...
V60 T6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011025...
V70
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008273...
S4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009013...
C350 Elegance
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010024...
New shape Mondeo Titanium probably the best answer
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010245...
530i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011055...
525i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...
3.2 A6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...
Spec B Legacy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010014...
335i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011146...
330i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010155...
Octavia VRS
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010044...
V6 Superb
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011085...
Leftfield:
Vectra VXR
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007091...
9-3 2.0T Aero
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...
2.8T
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011105...
If you don't mind a Petrol SUV then things get interesting you're only doing 5k a year:
BMW X5 48i SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009294...
30si
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
4.8is
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
ML500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009123...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...
In that vain:
C55
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006130...
E500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006130...
Infiniti FX 3.7 S Premium
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009244...
BMW X5 48i SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009294...
30si
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
4.8is
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009143...
ML500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009123...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...
In that vain:
C55
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006130...
E500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202006130...
Infiniti FX 3.7 S Premium
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009244...
If you go for a MK5 Mondeo, then make sure you buy one with Sync3 and not Sync2 - that way you get Android Auto / Carplay. I think the change over was around 2015 / 2016. This gives you Waze / Google maps and full spotify integration - absolutely brilliant - it's a real step down getting into the Alfa and going back to a windscreen mount for my phone.
As for the rest of the toys - I love adaptive cruise - it works really well and is brilliant in average speed zones. The heated steering wheel is nice. They look better with the "dress up kit". Things like lane departure and blind spot warning are not worth fretting over. Heated windscreen is standard (I think)
Whilst it will never match the sound of an Alfa V6, there is actually a bit of a sporty note to it when pressing on.
If you get one with 19" alloys, you're going to be paying more for tyres than you do on the Alfa and you'll probably find that they last about the same mileage.
As for the rest of the toys - I love adaptive cruise - it works really well and is brilliant in average speed zones. The heated steering wheel is nice. They look better with the "dress up kit". Things like lane departure and blind spot warning are not worth fretting over. Heated windscreen is standard (I think)
Whilst it will never match the sound of an Alfa V6, there is actually a bit of a sporty note to it when pressing on.
If you get one with 19" alloys, you're going to be paying more for tyres than you do on the Alfa and you'll probably find that they last about the same mileage.
Okay, jumping back in, apologies for the delay, trying to avoid playing the disappearing OP trick but life and work have been draining!
Since posting this I've realized this might a next spring purchase rather than something further down the line. The Alfa is due an MOT and once it has a ticket I'll start to think about moving it on. I'm also realizing that I'm going to be rather picky for this purchase and there's not a lot of choice out there so I need to be ready to go when the right car comes along. Budget has firmed up around £9k.
Sifting through the kindly posted links I've managed to whittle a few down...
1) No SUV's. I love the idea of the V8 X5 or XC90 I really do but it's not going to happen, it's too big for where we live and future ruinous bills are not what this purchase is about. Also see point 2.
2) No BMWs. Surprised me but the wife said no, I never realized but she is really rather firmly against owning one. I'll admit they don't do a lot for me either so they're out. Audi's too, everyone owns one, I find them dull so no. Saab's out, too old, hate the interiors. No Vauxhalls, personal hate, no rational reason why, I just don't like them.
3) I think the Mazda 6 is going to be too slow for me, it's less than 200bhp and that's not going to cut it, which is a shame because its a good looking car to my eye.
4) No silver cars and I'd love a sun-roof/panoramic roof. But now I'm getting really picky.
At the minute I'm sort of between a Skoda Octavia VRS and the Mondeo 2.5T X
VRS
Mondeo
Really like the look of the VRS and the interior, maybe a smaller vehicle though?
Mondeo seems the sensible choice, slightly better toys, maybe slightly duller?
The problem will be finding one to try out (I live in the deep dark south-west). I suspect I may need to drive some saloons to try the petrol engines and some diesels to see what the estates and interiors are like......
Since posting this I've realized this might a next spring purchase rather than something further down the line. The Alfa is due an MOT and once it has a ticket I'll start to think about moving it on. I'm also realizing that I'm going to be rather picky for this purchase and there's not a lot of choice out there so I need to be ready to go when the right car comes along. Budget has firmed up around £9k.
Sifting through the kindly posted links I've managed to whittle a few down...
1) No SUV's. I love the idea of the V8 X5 or XC90 I really do but it's not going to happen, it's too big for where we live and future ruinous bills are not what this purchase is about. Also see point 2.
2) No BMWs. Surprised me but the wife said no, I never realized but she is really rather firmly against owning one. I'll admit they don't do a lot for me either so they're out. Audi's too, everyone owns one, I find them dull so no. Saab's out, too old, hate the interiors. No Vauxhalls, personal hate, no rational reason why, I just don't like them.
3) I think the Mazda 6 is going to be too slow for me, it's less than 200bhp and that's not going to cut it, which is a shame because its a good looking car to my eye.
4) No silver cars and I'd love a sun-roof/panoramic roof. But now I'm getting really picky.
At the minute I'm sort of between a Skoda Octavia VRS and the Mondeo 2.5T X
VRS
Mondeo
Really like the look of the VRS and the interior, maybe a smaller vehicle though?
Mondeo seems the sensible choice, slightly better toys, maybe slightly duller?
The problem will be finding one to try out (I live in the deep dark south-west). I suspect I may need to drive some saloons to try the petrol engines and some diesels to see what the estates and interiors are like......
XF Sportbreak?
I was in a similar position to you. Had a Passat TDi wagon on a 2007 plate. Was getting old & TBH boring (the car, not me!)
Usually lots of local miles but like to go to France.
Found a 3.0 Premium Luxury on a 63 plate with 83k miles at a trader for about £11k 18 months ago. Have put on about 6000 miles since. I love it - good build quality & goodie count. With 240bhp it moves nicely. Would love a panoramic roof but a light interior makes it a nice place to be. Very minor niggles are that being a Ford design it ought to have better interior storage (coin box would be nice & better door pockets), a ski hatch is a surprising omission on what was a £45k car. Quite rare too (most Sportbreaks are the 2.2 4 cylinder - by all accounts these are a different proposition)
I was in a similar position to you. Had a Passat TDi wagon on a 2007 plate. Was getting old & TBH boring (the car, not me!)
Usually lots of local miles but like to go to France.
Found a 3.0 Premium Luxury on a 63 plate with 83k miles at a trader for about £11k 18 months ago. Have put on about 6000 miles since. I love it - good build quality & goodie count. With 240bhp it moves nicely. Would love a panoramic roof but a light interior makes it a nice place to be. Very minor niggles are that being a Ford design it ought to have better interior storage (coin box would be nice & better door pockets), a ski hatch is a surprising omission on what was a £45k car. Quite rare too (most Sportbreaks are the 2.2 4 cylinder - by all accounts these are a different proposition)
MiniMan64 said:
Okay, jumping back in, apologies for the delay, trying to avoid playing the disappearing OP trick but life and work have been draining!
Since posting this I've realized this might a next spring purchase rather than something further down the line. The Alfa is due an MOT and once it has a ticket I'll start to think about moving it on. I'm also realizing that I'm going to be rather picky for this purchase and there's not a lot of choice out there so I need to be ready to go when the right car comes along. Budget has firmed up around £9k.
Sifting through the kindly posted links I've managed to whittle a few down...
1) No SUV's. I love the idea of the V8 X5 or XC90 I really do but it's not going to happen, it's too big for where we live and future ruinous bills are not what this purchase is about. Also see point 2.
2) No BMWs. Surprised me but the wife said no, I never realized but she is really rather firmly against owning one. I'll admit they don't do a lot for me either so they're out. Audi's too, everyone owns one, I find them dull so no. Saab's out, too old, hate the interiors. No Vauxhalls, personal hate, no rational reason why, I just don't like them.
3) I think the Mazda 6 is going to be too slow for me, it's less than 200bhp and that's not going to cut it, which is a shame because its a good looking car to my eye.
4) No silver cars and I'd love a sun-roof/panoramic roof. But now I'm getting really picky.
At the minute I'm sort of between a Skoda Octavia VRS and the Mondeo 2.5T X
VRS
Mondeo
Really like the look of the VRS and the interior, maybe a smaller vehicle though?
Mondeo seems the sensible choice, slightly better toys, maybe slightly duller?
The problem will be finding one to try out (I live in the deep dark south-west). I suspect I may need to drive some saloons to try the petrol engines and some diesels to see what the estates and interiors are like......
The Octavia is actually the more dull steer out of it & the Mondeo, with your budget you''l be looking at the 2.0T with 240 bhp:Since posting this I've realized this might a next spring purchase rather than something further down the line. The Alfa is due an MOT and once it has a ticket I'll start to think about moving it on. I'm also realizing that I'm going to be rather picky for this purchase and there's not a lot of choice out there so I need to be ready to go when the right car comes along. Budget has firmed up around £9k.
Sifting through the kindly posted links I've managed to whittle a few down...
1) No SUV's. I love the idea of the V8 X5 or XC90 I really do but it's not going to happen, it's too big for where we live and future ruinous bills are not what this purchase is about. Also see point 2.
2) No BMWs. Surprised me but the wife said no, I never realized but she is really rather firmly against owning one. I'll admit they don't do a lot for me either so they're out. Audi's too, everyone owns one, I find them dull so no. Saab's out, too old, hate the interiors. No Vauxhalls, personal hate, no rational reason why, I just don't like them.
3) I think the Mazda 6 is going to be too slow for me, it's less than 200bhp and that's not going to cut it, which is a shame because its a good looking car to my eye.
4) No silver cars and I'd love a sun-roof/panoramic roof. But now I'm getting really picky.
At the minute I'm sort of between a Skoda Octavia VRS and the Mondeo 2.5T X
VRS
Mondeo
Really like the look of the VRS and the interior, maybe a smaller vehicle though?
Mondeo seems the sensible choice, slightly better toys, maybe slightly duller?
The problem will be finding one to try out (I live in the deep dark south-west). I suspect I may need to drive some saloons to try the petrol engines and some diesels to see what the estates and interiors are like......
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010245...
Other options:
C250 Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011166...
C350
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010024...
T5 V60 SE Lux
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012106...
Golf
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009264...
Sortie 10 said:
XF Sportbreak?
I was in a similar position to you. Had a Passat TDi wagon on a 2007 plate. Was getting old & TBH boring (the car, not me!)
Usually lots of local miles but like to go to France.
Found a 3.0 Premium Luxury on a 63 plate with 83k miles at a trader for about £11k 18 months ago. Have put on about 6000 miles since. I love it - good build quality & goodie count. With 240bhp it moves nicely. Would love a panoramic roof but a light interior makes it a nice place to be. Very minor niggles are that being a Ford design it ought to have better interior storage (coin box would be nice & better door pockets), a ski hatch is a surprising omission on what was a £45k car. Quite rare too (most Sportbreaks are the 2.2 4 cylinder - by all accounts these are a different proposition)
I’d absolutely love an XF estate, they look absolutely stonking but I’m pretty sure they are outside my budget still. The Merc is an interesting option, I’ve had the Autotrader filter set at 2.0L or higher so it slipped through. The blue one is nice but I can’t deal with pale interiors. That Golf is a particularly bad combo. I was in a similar position to you. Had a Passat TDi wagon on a 2007 plate. Was getting old & TBH boring (the car, not me!)
Usually lots of local miles but like to go to France.
Found a 3.0 Premium Luxury on a 63 plate with 83k miles at a trader for about £11k 18 months ago. Have put on about 6000 miles since. I love it - good build quality & goodie count. With 240bhp it moves nicely. Would love a panoramic roof but a light interior makes it a nice place to be. Very minor niggles are that being a Ford design it ought to have better interior storage (coin box would be nice & better door pockets), a ski hatch is a surprising omission on what was a £45k car. Quite rare too (most Sportbreaks are the 2.2 4 cylinder - by all accounts these are a different proposition)
Interesting to note that prices on 3.0 Sportbreaks have hardly moved in the 18 months since I bought my car! Never thought I would have depreciation-free motoring on a car of this nature!
OP if you can find a 3.0 near you, take a look/test regardless of the interior colour. The dark grey contrast leather with the light (to my eyes it could be a few shades darker) kind of works on mine with the aluminium dash & grey wood (I don't think I could cope with fake walnut though - that's too old fashioned for me). You may be tempted to make a compromise to drive something that isn't the usual German fayre. Today I drove 80 miles on a mixture of motorways & A & B roads and it is just a nice place to be (I use my MX-5 ND for fair weather fun!)
OP if you can find a 3.0 near you, take a look/test regardless of the interior colour. The dark grey contrast leather with the light (to my eyes it could be a few shades darker) kind of works on mine with the aluminium dash & grey wood (I don't think I could cope with fake walnut though - that's too old fashioned for me). You may be tempted to make a compromise to drive something that isn't the usual German fayre. Today I drove 80 miles on a mixture of motorways & A & B roads and it is just a nice place to be (I use my MX-5 ND for fair weather fun!)
Sortie 10 said:
Interesting to note that prices on 3.0 Sportbreaks have hardly moved in the 18 months since I bought my car! Never thought I would have depreciation-free motoring on a car of this nature!
OP if you can find a 3.0 near you, take a look/test regardless of the interior colour. The dark grey contrast leather with the light (to my eyes it could be a few shades darker) kind of works on mine with the aluminium dash & grey wood (I don't think I could cope with fake walnut though - that's too old fashioned for me). You may be tempted to make a compromise to drive something that isn't the usual German fayre. Today I drove 80 miles on a mixture of motorways & A & B roads and it is just a nice place to be (I use my MX-5 ND for fair weather fun!)
It’s not the interior that stops me on that one, it’s the budget! OP if you can find a 3.0 near you, take a look/test regardless of the interior colour. The dark grey contrast leather with the light (to my eyes it could be a few shades darker) kind of works on mine with the aluminium dash & grey wood (I don't think I could cope with fake walnut though - that's too old fashioned for me). You may be tempted to make a compromise to drive something that isn't the usual German fayre. Today I drove 80 miles on a mixture of motorways & A & B roads and it is just a nice place to be (I use my MX-5 ND for fair weather fun!)
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