Help with decision! Estate car under £10k
Discussion
Hi guys im after some advice. Im looking for an estate car for under £10k. Dont care if its auto or manual. Wanting 35 mpg + and it needs to take a dog cage for a doberman and a large pram in the boot and 2 kids (which any can take).
I have spent hours and hours searching the net and finding cars then finding problems with them.
The shortlist is as follows
alfa 159 jtdm
st tdci estate
volvo v50
vectra elite estate
octavia vrs estate
320d touring
saab 9-3 estate
This is going to be my first expensive purchase ever. I have always driven <£2k cars and i want to make the right decision, here are the things im looking for:
I want something that has average/below average servicing costs. However i dont mind higher service costs if they are cam chain driven!
Economical, but also have some form of fun factor to it. I dont want a boring estate that has no future retail value. Im investing in this car aswell as driving it for the next few years.
Have as high a spec as possible, leather seats, air con/climate control, iso-fix, electric everything, heated seats etc etc
Who would like to help me make the decision cos my head hurts lol
My heart is totally set on the alfa 159 but also i could get the simpler st tdci estate with lower mileage and cheaper servicing. Then the rest of them are just sat there in the middle and cant make a decision
I have spent hours and hours searching the net and finding cars then finding problems with them.
The shortlist is as follows
alfa 159 jtdm
st tdci estate
volvo v50
vectra elite estate
octavia vrs estate
320d touring
saab 9-3 estate
This is going to be my first expensive purchase ever. I have always driven <£2k cars and i want to make the right decision, here are the things im looking for:
I want something that has average/below average servicing costs. However i dont mind higher service costs if they are cam chain driven!
Economical, but also have some form of fun factor to it. I dont want a boring estate that has no future retail value. Im investing in this car aswell as driving it for the next few years.
Have as high a spec as possible, leather seats, air con/climate control, iso-fix, electric everything, heated seats etc etc
Who would like to help me make the decision cos my head hurts lol
My heart is totally set on the alfa 159 but also i could get the simpler st tdci estate with lower mileage and cheaper servicing. Then the rest of them are just sat there in the middle and cant make a decision
spankywade said:
WoW that is nice. What sort of servicing costs will i see on the bmw and anything major been known to fail on those?
I'm no expert but cooling systems can be an issue I think on the first one I posted. Not too expensive though.As always, find a good independent garage in your area and you can run it for no more than a Focus being serviced at Ford.
Accord.
Not the prettiest car in the list, but a nice place to be inside, a decent diesel engine (not quite as refined as the BMW diesels or as punchy as the JTD, but still pretty good), and built/engineered properly.
If you can get the current-shape within budget (can't remember when they came out), then they're supposed to be a better drive, but the boot shape is compromised a little.
Not the prettiest car in the list, but a nice place to be inside, a decent diesel engine (not quite as refined as the BMW diesels or as punchy as the JTD, but still pretty good), and built/engineered properly.
If you can get the current-shape within budget (can't remember when they came out), then they're supposed to be a better drive, but the boot shape is compromised a little.
I have a 8 week old baby girl, and a staffy with a 330d touring. Great car but wished I went for the 5 series. However the 5 series is only a little bit bigger and nowadays you can get awesome roof boxes which double the size of any estates boot.
The 3 series handles very well, goes like a rocket and will hold it's value.
The 3 series handles very well, goes like a rocket and will hold it's value.
I think volvos make great sense as a second hand buy. I have a v50 2.4 SE which I really like. Focus chassis but less good steering. It has a solid and comfy feel, great leather seats, excellent stereo and little things I just like. Like changing a bulb takes 2 mins thanks to sensible design, footwell lighting etc all pointless but nice nevertheless.
Less good is the lack of internal storage- door storage can only fit a sunglasses case, but I guess that is the price for all the sipps protection. I looked at 3 series estates first, but preferred a newer car with less miles for the same price.
Less good is the lack of internal storage- door storage can only fit a sunglasses case, but I guess that is the price for all the sipps protection. I looked at 3 series estates first, but preferred a newer car with less miles for the same price.
Appreciate that my suggestion is slightly off your current list and you'll do flaming well to get 35+ mpg but if you are used to driving sub £2K cars then it might be worth considering a Discovery II which could be found for £5K
It's cam chain driven, can be found with all the extras you are considering, offers a dimension beyond your average estate car (though not as much fun as a Land Rover even on the road), will have a reasonable resale value.
It offers cavernous interior room even with the extra rear seats of the 7 seat version. (Would you get a Doberman in a cage and a large pram in any estate car at the same time ?)
Servicing need not be too expensive, particular if you are mechanically minded and able to do some work yourself.
Resale values tend to have a lower floor that is well above your average estate ... and the value rises everytime it snows.
The downsides are of course size (though you can get into most multistories these days) and fuel consumption.
However, buy a TD5 and you can get 30 mpg with thoughtful, economical driving, or 27-28 under normal "less deliberate" driving.
Insurance need be no more than an estate.
The principle unknown is your mileage.
Obviously the higher your intended mileage the more significant the fuel consumption.
Food for thought?
It's cam chain driven, can be found with all the extras you are considering, offers a dimension beyond your average estate car (though not as much fun as a Land Rover even on the road), will have a reasonable resale value.
It offers cavernous interior room even with the extra rear seats of the 7 seat version. (Would you get a Doberman in a cage and a large pram in any estate car at the same time ?)
Servicing need not be too expensive, particular if you are mechanically minded and able to do some work yourself.
Resale values tend to have a lower floor that is well above your average estate ... and the value rises everytime it snows.
The downsides are of course size (though you can get into most multistories these days) and fuel consumption.
However, buy a TD5 and you can get 30 mpg with thoughtful, economical driving, or 27-28 under normal "less deliberate" driving.
Insurance need be no more than an estate.
The principle unknown is your mileage.
Obviously the higher your intended mileage the more significant the fuel consumption.
Food for thought?
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