Need a bigger car!

[Yollo]

So I currently have a 2017 diesel Astra. It's been really good over the last 4 years no complaints...but children and prams mean I need more space!

I'm happy with the car and wouldn't change if it wasn't for the space issue but I just need a much bigger boot.

Trouble is I don't have that much money to put into it beyond what my current car is worth

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look at?

I do 15 to 20k miles per year.

Cars I've initially considered include;

Mazda 6 diesel estate (I read somewhere Mazda diesels are awful?)
BMW 5 series diesel tourer
Skoda Octavia or Superb
Hyundai Tucson or Santa Fe
Nissan X trail or Qashqai

Obviously I'm looking at used motors given the budget but used cars seem really pricey at the minute 🤔

[P675]

We've got a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe for that sort of thing and it's great.

[Bannock]

If you like the Astra then maybe just get the best Zafira you can find for the same money.

[Jamescrs]

If running costs are an issue avoid the BMW, personally I love them but I can imagine for the value of your 17 plate Astra you are looking at a fairly old model whcih has potential to hit you with a big bill, I think as above you won't go far wrong with a Zafira, Insignia or even Astra estate. Don't bother with the Mokka as they are small inside

[LeeM135i]

If you like the Astra why not look at the Zafira or Insignia? Zafira is a tall Astra with 2 extra seats under the boot floor, the Insignia is huge inside.

Have driven a couple of Insignia's as hire cars and they were good and reliable. I would avoid the VXR line trim as it comes with rock hard suspension which is fine in a fast / fun car but didn't really work with in a 120bhp diesel family wagon.

[ZX10R NIN]

Yollo said:

So I currently have a 2017 diesel Astra. It's been really good over the last 4 years no complaints...but children and prams mean I need more space!

I'm happy with the car and wouldn't change if it wasn't for the space issue but I just need a much bigger boot.

Trouble is I don't have that much money to put into it beyond what my current car is worth

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look at?

I do 15 to 20k miles per year.

Cars I've initially considered include;

Mazda 6 diesel estate (I read somewhere Mazda diesels are awful?)
BMW 5 series diesel tourer
Skoda Octavia or Superb
Hyundai Tucson or Santa Fe
Nissan X trail or Qashqai

Obviously I'm looking at used motors given the budget but used cars seem really pricey at the minute ??

How much would you say your car is worth?

[mike9009]

As an alternative, hat about a roof box??

When our kids were younger our main car was a MINI clubman. On longer trips we would have a roof box with all the gubbins needed. Day to day we could fit prams etc. into the MINI.

[georgeyboy12345]

Estate version of your current motor? Vauxhall 1.6 CDTi Sport Tourer
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108256...


Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDIe
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110228...


BMW E60 525d Touring
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111049...


Mercedes E220 CDI Estate
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108196...

Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Tuesday 9th November 20:40

[Yollo]

Thanks for all of the suggestions...including the roof box, it is something I've thought of. I hadn't considered a Zafira. I'm not massively keen on them tbh although most seem to be 7 seaters which could be useful if even more space is needed in future 😂
I do like the Superb and hadn't considered an A6 or an E class but I do like them both and the load space seems huge!
I'd be guessing my current car is probably worth 7.5k to 8.5k and I'm likely to have to get something older but as long as it's solid, spacious and safe that's ok.
Are these older diesels usually reliable?

[ZX10R NIN]

Yollo said:

Thanks for all of the suggestions...including the roof box, it is something I've thought of. I hadn't considered a Zafira. I'm not massively keen on them tbh although most seem to be 7 seaters which could be useful if even more space is needed in future ??
I do like the Superb and hadn't considered an A6 or an E class but I do like them both and the load space seems huge!
I'd be guessing my current car is probably worth 7.5k to 8.5k and I'm likely to have to get something older but as long as it's solid, spacious and safe that's ok.
Are these older diesels usually reliable?

It sounds like you just need to go to the next segment up you'll get a very good (it doesn't need to be an estate) well spec reliable low mileage car that you can put the miles on.

Insignia Elite Nav 160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110148...

Auto

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108126...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110208...

Mondeo Titanium X Sport 160 the best FWD in class & a very good family car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111039...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111049...

508SW Allure 160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110088...

[Summit_Detailing]

Why not just get the estate variant of what you already have?
Or an Insignia estate if you want extra refinement on the motorway?

Cheers,

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

Out of the premium brands I'd look at the Mercedes with well proven drivetrains & sensible running costs you can get nicely spec'd low mileage examples for your budget.

CLS350cdi

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110288...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110268...

E350cdi Avantgarde

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107225...

350cdi Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110128...

E250cdi Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109227...

[georgeyboy12345]

Yollo said:

Are these older diesels usually reliable?

Depends which one you go for! The ones I suggested all are as long as you change the oil & filters on schedule. When test driving, check for judderyness from the clutch on manual gearboxes as they are often at the age clutches & flywheels need replacing. Your annual mileage will help with reliability as diesels like to be driven.

[RoVoFob]

Yollo said:

Mazda 6 diesel estate (I read somewhere Mazda diesels are awful?

The diesel engine in the 2013-on Mazda 6 is a fantastic engine, pulls really hard from very low engine speeds yet is impressively revvy, is smooth and quiet and surprisingly economical. It’s one of the very few diesels I’d personally consider buying.

I don’t think diesel 6s are the most reliable cars when only driven sporadically, but I believe they keep going well enough when regularly driven.

[RoVoFob]

Yollo said:

I do like the Superb and hadn't considered an A6 or an E class but I do like them both and the load space seems huge

I’ve recently bought an A6 Avant of that age and considered getting and E-Class.

The Merc has the much larger boot; the load space is long, wide and tall - and the rear seat bases fold forward (and can be removed completely), allowing the rear seat backs to fold completely flat.

The A6 on the other hand, has a very long load area, but the boot is not quite as wide and much less tall, so the overall capacity is lower and the rear seats don’t fold flat, making it less useful for carrying very large loads.

Both have big boots, but if you need maximum space, go for the E-Class…

[Yollo]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I still haven't actually changed cars as I wasn't sure where to head and Christmas kind of got in the way! Anyway I've been able to sort out an increase in budget and I've also thought that looking at an SUV might be the way to go; a solid, reliable and safe car to protect the kids if someone crashes into me is really important and I may be wrong but I think that's more likely from an SUV. Decent kit would be a nice bonus.

So I'm still looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson (possibly an IX35 if I spend a bit less) but also a Kia Sportage or Sorento, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 or maybe even a Nissan X-trail.

Does anyone have any first hand experience or good knowledge of these cars? Which would most likely be the safest and most solid and reliable? Looking at some CRV models, it looks like it might have 3 isofix child seat points in the rear - can anyone confirm?

[ZX10R NIN]

Everything you've listed will be safe & reliable so it'll come down to which one you like the best.

[RoVoFob]

Yollo said:

A solid, reliable and safe car to protect the kids if someone crashes into me is really important and I may be wrong but I think that's more likely from an SUV. Decent kit would be a nice bonus.

So I'm still looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson (possibly an IX35 if I spend a bit less) but also a Kia Sportage or Sorento, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 or maybe even a Nissan X-trail.

Does anyone have any first hand experience or good knowledge of these cars? Which would most likely be the safest and most solid and reliable? Looking at some CRV models, it looks like it might have 3 isofix child seat points in the rear - can anyone confirm?

SUVs are not inherently safe, just like blue cars are no safer than white ones. Euro NCAP has detailed safety rankings for several decades’ worth of cars, so why not look at the actual safety scores for cars you’re considering if that’s a big consideration.

If you’re only considering SUVs for the perceived safety benefits, I’d recommend looking at estate cars as more affordable, practical and better driving alternatives.

I wouldn’t think the CR-V has three sets of Isofix alongside each other. Only the largest cars or those with three individual rear seats normally do. Most cars with three sets of Isofix points normally have two in the rear, plus the passenger seat; that’s the case with my 2006 A6 Avant.

[wyson]

Yollo said:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I still haven't actually changed cars as I wasn't sure where to head and Christmas kind of got in the way! Anyway I've been able to sort out an increase in budget and I've also thought that looking at an SUV might be the way to go; a solid, reliable and safe car to protect the kids if someone crashes into me is really important and I may be wrong but I think that's more likely from an SUV. Decent kit would be a nice bonus.

So I'm still looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson (possibly an IX35 if I spend a bit less) but also a Kia Sportage or Sorento, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 or maybe even a Nissan X-trail.

Does anyone have any first hand experience or good knowledge of these cars? Which would most likely be the safest and most solid and reliable? Looking at some CRV models, it looks like it might have 3 isofix child seat points in the rear - can anyone confirm?

The trend used to be that Korean and Japanese manufacturers didn’t do as well in crash tests as European ones. We aren’t talking stark differences, and newer cars are much more competitive, but it’s best to look up your exact car from multiple sources, especially if you are buying second hand. I’d check Euroncap, IIHS and watch the moose tests on Youtube because the roll over risk during extreme manoeuvring is higher for SUV’s.

If crash safety is important, Volvo is the way forward. I think the old shape XC90 is the only car in the UK to have zero occupant fatalities recorded during its production dates, ie. over a long period of time. I can only imagine the new XC90 offers better protection.

And you are right, a SUV can be more protective as greater weight and size put you at an advantage when crashing with smaller lighter vehicles but not against inanimate objects such as trees, or a roll over etc. The crash engineering is really important.

Edited by wyson on Tuesday 25th January 05:06

[Yollo]

Really useful replies guys, thanks very much. I want to try to get it right with whatever I decide to buy as I intend for it to be something I keep for years.