Another day, another what car?
Discussion
Ok, in a very short while I start a new job which comes with a car allowance and as a result the bangernomics leggy old mondeo estate will (*sob*) have to go and I'll have to get something 'acceptable'.
Car policy has no mileage or age limits on it and purely states that the intention of the policy is to fund either a new (for which I also take to mean very nearly new) or older more prestigious car.
Mpg ideally at or better than the current mondeo which has a claimed combined of 31 (and which I average about 34).
Handling as good or better than a mk2 mondeo (which is surprisingly good on the Ghia wheels and decent tyres).
No diesels. No autos. No People Carriers. No silly faux 4x4's or SUV's.
I have about £335/month to spend so I figure about 7-7.5k if I plan to keep it for two years.
I think a manual 2005-2007 E61 525i SE Touring would fit the bill perfectly. Except that everyone has sold their souls to Rudolf and there are almost none for sale. Quite apart from hating diesels I don't really see the point in the Common as muck auto 525d when it's slower, heavier, 2.5-3k more expensive (that buys a *LOT* of petrol) and only 3mpg and £20 tax/year better, I figure I'd need to run it for 270k to break even with the petrol!
So what else is there to consider?
Car policy has no mileage or age limits on it and purely states that the intention of the policy is to fund either a new (for which I also take to mean very nearly new) or older more prestigious car.
- Has* to be able to take a tow bar (as our other car can't) and (again as our other car can't) would have to either be an estate or have a decent boot with folding seats.
Mpg ideally at or better than the current mondeo which has a claimed combined of 31 (and which I average about 34).
Handling as good or better than a mk2 mondeo (which is surprisingly good on the Ghia wheels and decent tyres).
No diesels. No autos. No People Carriers. No silly faux 4x4's or SUV's.
I have about £335/month to spend so I figure about 7-7.5k if I plan to keep it for two years.
I think a manual 2005-2007 E61 525i SE Touring would fit the bill perfectly. Except that everyone has sold their souls to Rudolf and there are almost none for sale. Quite apart from hating diesels I don't really see the point in the Common as muck auto 525d when it's slower, heavier, 2.5-3k more expensive (that buys a *LOT* of petrol) and only 3mpg and £20 tax/year better, I figure I'd need to run it for 270k to break even with the petrol!
So what else is there to consider?
300bhp/ton said:
Why? Do you often do a lot of full bore standing starts to 60mph?
Yes. Couple of times a day at least, if nothing else thanks to the idiots that thought a set of traffic lights at the *end* of the motorway joining slip road is a good idea.I know it's flawed but I'm open to suggestions as to what else I can use to easily compare to get a car that is as quick or quicker.
Power and torque are useless as cars have ballooned in weight and all depends on how they make it.
Power to Weight is good but doesn't give the full picture as again it all depends on how the power is made and weight figures vary wildly as to how they are measured (with driver, without driver, fully loaded etc).
300bhp/ton said:
Will you be doing lots of miles? Personally I'd probably go older and more prestige than newer. How important is an estate? As in what sort of things do you need to fit in it?
~7k commuting. Maybe 3k 'social' above that. Unfortunately no idea yet as to how many business miles but I'm currently estimating 10k.As for contents, gearboxes, Engines
bits of kit car....
Enough kit for two riders and camping stuff for a trackday.
Enough stuff for 2 adults, two young children on a two week holiday.
Plus all the usual taking stuff to the tip etc etc.
Not totally essential but I can think of more reasons why an estate would be a good idea than why it would be a bad idea.
fathomfive said:
Legacy 3.0R Spec B estate?
Oooh, nice idea. Er 23mpg. Maybe not.Different legacy may be an option though.
AC43 said:
W211 E Class estate?
Nice idea. Just as rare in petrol manual as the 5-series. 
A straight E-class may be an option but I'd want something reliable that wont fall apart and MB do not have the best reputation.
300bhp/ton said:
Jag X-Type estate maybe?
I did have it on my short list but they're not recommended for towing and servicing costs look eyewatering.300bhp/ton said:
Must be a Volvo or two to consider as well I'd have though?
Meh, having driven a couple they fail on being in anyway fun to drive.Such a shame Autotrader has such a crap website, does make it a pain to sort through the dross.
Hmmm, how big is the boot on a 1-series?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
missing the VR6 said:
Octavia TFSI VRS Estate.
That would be an option, not sure if 'prestigious' enough to not be quite new, although seeing as a 3yo car can be picked up for 7k (admittedly in a hideous shade of yellow) should still be new enough for a couple of years.billzeebub said:
Legacy
I was considering one of these prior to buying the mondeo. Seem to be a bit slow or thirsty. Although saying that the impreza is also an option.Face for Radio said:
2.4 Accord Tourer Type-S.
Another good option. May be an issue to find a Type-S but I like that the 2.4 is only 1mpg worse than the 2.0.
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