What car for the wife - £5-8k?

[anonymous-user]

As apparently a 15k 996 is 'not really a family car', I have to look for a replacement for my wife's slowly crumbling Mk2 Mondeo.

She does like the 'dulldeo' as she calls it, and would ideally want another newer one.

So I'm thinking of a 2.5T or 2 petrol Mk4 Mondeo - ideas for alternatives?

Main criteria are

1.) Decent size as it will be used to cart stuff around -ideally hatch or estate
2.) Decent(ish) build quality/reliability as the wife is not mechanically sympathetic (she mistook the temp gauge in my 328 for the fuel gauge and destroyed the engine)
3.) Not terrible to drive as I will have to use it occasionally
4.) Mpg not big issue as it wont do too many miles
5.) There will be a baby arriving shortly (a few hours I'd guess as I'm currently in the delivery ward)

thanks for any suggestions

[James Dean]

Alfa Romeo 159

wsurfa said:

5.) There will be a baby arriving shortly (a few hours I'd guess as I'm currently in the delivery ward)

Congratulations.

[blearyeyedboy]

I know I'm one of those PH'ers who always suggests his own car... but a Skoda vRS would give you the practicality of the Mundano with a little bit of fun. Cheap for what they are, reasonably reliable and very practical.

Want mine in 6 months or so?

And congratulations!

EDIT: At your budget, make sure the cam belt's been done at 4 years old.

[Nick3point2]

wsurfa said:

As apparently a 15k 996 is 'not really a family car', I have to look for a replacement for my wife's slowly crumbling Mk2 Mondeo.

She does like the 'dulldeo' as she calls it, and would ideally want another newer one.

So I'm thinking of a 2.5T or 2 petrol Mk4 Mondeo - ideas for alternatives?

Main criteria are

1.) Decent size as it will be used to cart stuff around -ideally hatch or estate
2.) Decent(ish) build quality/reliability as the wife is not mechanically sympathetic (she mistook the temp gauge in my 328 for the fuel gauge and destroyed the engine)
3.) Not terrible to drive as I will have to use it occasionally
4.) Mpg not big issue as it wont do too many miles
5.) There will be a baby arriving shortly (a few hours I'd guess as I'm currently in the delivery ward)

thanks for any suggestions

I'd say an A4 avant. Plenty around, plenty of choice on spec/engine etc

but, on the subject of item 5, you are a proper man.

"the wife is pratting around having a baby, I'm bored, so I'll go on pistonheads".

[andy-xr]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3112203.htm

Good luck for the rest of the evening

[Xavier259]

blearyeyedboy said:

I know I'm one of those PH'ers who always suggests his own car... but a Skoda vRS would give you the practicality of the Mundano with a little bit of fun. Cheap for what they are, reasonably reliable and very practical.

My first thought too...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

...this one looks like a tidy example. Engine from a Golf Gti and loads of luggage space for all the baby stuff = Winning combination

[blearyeyedboy]

Oh, and unless you're carrying a grand piano, you won't need the estate. The hatch has an enormous boot; I got a double mattress in mine with the seats flat.

[andy-xr]

blearyeyedboy said:

I got a double mattress in mine with the seats flat.

He's already admitted he's in a world of trouble, you're not making things easier

[anonymous-user]

Nick3point2 said:

I'd say an A4 avant. Plenty around, plenty of choice on spec/engine etc

but, on the subject of item 5, you are a proper man.

"the wife is pratting around having a baby, I'm bored, so I'll go on pistonheads".

Thanks, I had an old A4 (98 I think) avant and the rear was quite small, are newer ones much better?.

I did get a bit of a look when I got the laptop and 3G dongle out....

[blearyeyedboy]

andy-xr said:

He's already admitted he's in a world of trouble, you're not making things easier

Other good shouts would be a Mondeo ST220 or BMW 3 touring (but it'll be older and have less room than the ST220/vRS in hatch form).

[marcosgt]

Others have suggested my choice, but I loved my Skoda Octavia vRS (it was a mk1, but I'm sure the mk2s are equally good).

Seems a great choice for your criteria.

My wife likes her Citroen C4, although it's not as spacious as the Skoda (except the back seats, which were a little less capacious than you'd expect of a car of the Octavia's exterior dimensions).

M.

[badlands1]

OP I am selling my wifes blsck freelander 04 plate HSE this week if your interested.

Full Leather, under 50k miles, Sat nav, Hardon Kardon music and all the toys and a professional fit of dvd with two screens in the headrests.

£5999.00

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the suggestions,Octavia looks possible. The wife's not keen on 4x4 unless it's FFRR, and that's a bit out of budget.

Thanks for the ' good lucks', the little girl arrived at 1013 this am.

[marcosgt]

wsurfa said:

Thanks for the suggestions,Octavia looks possible. The wife's not keen on 4x4 unless it's FFRR, and that's a bit out of budget.

Thanks for the ' good lucks', the little girl arrived at 1013 this am.

Then you'll be needing all the luck you can get...

Mine arrived 19 years ago, so I know!

I took my daughter home in a Calibra. It was quite hard getting the top half of a Silver Cross pram in the back seats.

Congratulations!

M

[badlands1]

wsurfa said:

the little girl arrived at 1013 this am.

Big Congrats

[PH lurker]

I'd agree with the Skoda Octavia VRS option, either the hatch or the estate. Found a nice looking exapmle here: 2006 SKODA OCTAVIA HATCHBACK 2.0 litre FSI VRS 5DR £7,499 Lots of pictures in this advert.

Two of the pictures:



ETA: Congratulations on the new arrival.

Edited by PH lurker on Saturday 13th August 14:57

[VB]

Hatch will be plenty big enough unless you have a dog. Congrats.

[tonywilliams]

First of all Congratulations!

Secondly on to the car. How about an Audi A8 4.0tdi, fast, relitively economical and safe. The boots big enough to swallow a big pram (my nieces takes up less then half the boot) and large ammounts of shopping etc. You can get 2 adults and a child seat or 2 child seats and an adult comfortably in the back.

As if happens my one is for sale as I want a TVR.

My A8 4.0tdi

[car crazy]

Does she know your car shopping while shes popping one out
(i'd rather have an older audi A4 than a mondeo)

[andye30m3]

If you can get everything you need into the boot of a hatch back what about a megane 225

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

or a mk5 golf GTI.

Both 2.0 turbo hatchbacks which are fun to drive when you get the chance to use.