Best car for my new dog?..Hound Mobile
Discussion
Alex_225 said:
Yeah I had the estate and it looked great and the boot was great. I actually opted for an E Class (saloon) to replace the Saab funnily enough. A good E Class estate (S211) would be a fair bit more pricey to buy that's the only down side. I paid £4k for my E but £1,200 for my Saab.
I had a 9-5 Aero estate for dog duties, and have replaced it with an E-class estate. Both highly suitable.A friend of mine when I was a kid had (well, his parents did) Europe's largest Spinone. Had the amusing habit of putting it's paws on Douglas's dad's shoulders and then looking down on him.
They ran Volvos in either V70 or XC90 flavour, due to the useful shape of the boot. I also remember the smell of that dog... under no circumstances let it get anywhere near anything you value while wet. Thick boot liner essential to go with thick boot-lining dog.
They ran Volvos in either V70 or XC90 flavour, due to the useful shape of the boot. I also remember the smell of that dog... under no circumstances let it get anywhere near anything you value while wet. Thick boot liner essential to go with thick boot-lining dog.
In terms of new estates the Golf R looks a potential + Fast 4x4 - Looks a bit bland No Manual
Skoda VRS + Good Deals , Manual -
This is perhaps me not wishing to go full sensible estate Nearly New CLS Sports brake
LM322 Range Rover still not out of the running ,I have visions of me in supermarket car park man handling a large dog into the back
Old Saab E Clas or Skoda Estate all make sensible cases
OP whatever car you get, get a proper strong crash-tested dog crate for the dog to travel in. It's safer for the dog and safer for you. Plus it keeps all the mud and mess in one place. Don't be tempted to have the dog loose inside the car with you.
I have these and they are excellent - no association to the company other than a satisfied customer http://www.safedog.co.uk/
I have these and they are excellent - no association to the company other than a satisfied customer http://www.safedog.co.uk/
My wife could always tell when I'd had a spirited run in the 3 series Touring - Dog slobber on both side windows.
Never seemed to bother the old boy, and he was always wanting to go in the car, even towards the end when he was mostly blind, deaf and struggled to walk very far.
Sadly missed. I'd have swapped one (or probably both) of my kids to have kept him.
Never seemed to bother the old boy, and he was always wanting to go in the car, even towards the end when he was mostly blind, deaf and struggled to walk very far.
Sadly missed. I'd have swapped one (or probably both) of my kids to have kept him.
DamianQS said:
Mr Spock from brief internet research I had feared the LM322 might be a case of when not if in terms of it breaking down.
However they still remaining tempting an a unmolested one has a much classier image than a new one in my opinion .
Not wanting to go off-topic... if you're ok with spanners it's a reasonable DIY proposition except the gearbox. However, the problem of the tailgate height for a dog is still there! I'm considering a dog ramp, or a new car. However they still remaining tempting an a unmolested one has a much classier image than a new one in my opinion .
So D day is upon us we pick up our Spinone on Saturday.
Obviously no change in the car until March .
My Neighbour who owns a hyperactive Springer has just taken delivery of a New C Class coupe and very smart it is too.
I am at Goodwood on 3rd so I may take a gander at the new XF wagen .
Obviously no change in the car until March .
My Neighbour who owns a hyperactive Springer has just taken delivery of a New C Class coupe and very smart it is too.
I am at Goodwood on 3rd so I may take a gander at the new XF wagen .
GetCarter said:
Height of load space in an estate/SUV is important. Especially when they get old and can't jump!
This! Our neighbour has a 70-80kg Italian Spinone. They've got a new Civic Estate due to low load lip but because he's old and blind they've folded the rear seats down and decked the whole thing with mattresses, etc.Anyway, I'd be looking for a low boot lip and flat floor - although anything with Honda Jazz style magic seats would be ideal as could walk into the rear footwell. And for that size dog and the smell of dog I'd be tempted to buy something cheap for those journeys.
Lovely dogs and you really should pop a photo up so we can all coo over it
PS: Not an overly interesting car but the Pug 2008 has a low sill height and completely flat entrance to a very nice sized boot. Have driven one and whilst it's in no way amusing it's perfectly nice to drive, comfortable, well damped and seemed to have decent build quality. Enjoyable enough to drive too.
mikeyr said:
This! Our neighbour has a 70-80kg Italian Spinone. They've got a new Civic Estate due to low load lip but because he's old and blind they've folded the rear seats down and decked the whole thing with mattresses, etc.
Anyway, I'd be looking for a low boot lip and flat floor - although anything with Honda Jazz style magic seats would be ideal as could walk into the rear footwell. And for that size dog and the smell of dog I'd be tempted to buy something cheap for those journeys.
Lovely dogs and you really should pop a photo up so we can all coo over it
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...Anyway, I'd be looking for a low boot lip and flat floor - although anything with Honda Jazz style magic seats would be ideal as could walk into the rear footwell. And for that size dog and the smell of dog I'd be tempted to buy something cheap for those journeys.
Lovely dogs and you really should pop a photo up so we can all coo over it
So the more I think about the more I am out of the leasehold game come March.
Narrowed down a budget maximum 10k ideally 4wd .
I would favour a quick estate wife wants an suv.Enough space for dog and dog paraphernalia in the boot . Capable of doing the in law run to Germany a couple of times a year /holidays in Scotland .
The crazy option is an LM322 Range Rover probably TDV8 . How mad is that?
Glasgowrob said:
Ex police dog car. ?
We bought one (and still have it).Word of warning though. They butcher the electrics, tapping in lights and radios etc. Ours also has a switch so that you can take the keys out of the ignition and it leaves the car running. It will switch off the engine if you put it in gear and let the clutch out. Bit annoying if you accidentally hit the switch.
There were many, many bodges done to it by police mechanics to keep it on the road.
In the end I got a Disco TD5, a bit agricultural, but fine so far, had it 6 months so far:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
A L322 TDV8 would be a nice step up!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
A L322 TDV8 would be a nice step up!
I had to smile when I saw the ex-Police dog car suggestion: I'd just seen this advert!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-04-reg-Skoda-Octav...
We had 3 dogs for several years, now we have 2. Cleaning cars gets very boring and so I must agree with the suggestion above - you need an estate car. We have 2 estate cars with dog guards so that the happy, muddy, smelly, hairy dogs stay in the back. The rest of the car can stay relatively clean and only the dog area needs serious attention.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-04-reg-Skoda-Octav...
We had 3 dogs for several years, now we have 2. Cleaning cars gets very boring and so I must agree with the suggestion above - you need an estate car. We have 2 estate cars with dog guards so that the happy, muddy, smelly, hairy dogs stay in the back. The rest of the car can stay relatively clean and only the dog area needs serious attention.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff