Cheap Family Runaround
Discussion
With used car prices at an all time high, I've decided to sell our family 335d back to BMW for a good price, and use the cash to kick start my business after COVID
Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
Van with windows type mini MPVs like a Berlingo, Yeti, Partner or Roomster are always a good shout for Kinderwagons.
Surprisingly comfortable even on a big road trip and dirt cheap to run they'll swallow an astonishing amount of stuff and any village garage can fix one with off the shelf parts from your local motor factors. They're all tough enough to stand up to hard use and neglect and they'll hold their value well too as everybody wants one.
Your budget gives plenty of choice. What's not to like?
Surprisingly comfortable even on a big road trip and dirt cheap to run they'll swallow an astonishing amount of stuff and any village garage can fix one with off the shelf parts from your local motor factors. They're all tough enough to stand up to hard use and neglect and they'll hold their value well too as everybody wants one.
Your budget gives plenty of choice. What's not to like?
2007-2012 - Honda CRV 2.0 EX i-VTEC Auto
Very specific I know, but I ran one for 6 years/60k miles and it was absolutely bullet proof and ticked every box for us a family, with the exception of one - power/excitement, but that was accepted from the outset.
If your happy to waft around comfortably in safety, under the radar, with loads of space, super reliability, decent enough 4x4 system to get you moving on the slippy stuff and no rattles/clonks, all the toys, hard wearing leather interior blah blah blah, i think you'll be hard pressed to beat it for <£5k. Being one of the last of the 'basic' NA lumps Honda made, it's super easy to service and work on yourself. It cost me sod all in my ownership really, even tyres were good for 25-40k a pair.
The Partner/Belingo option above actually makes alot of sense too (haven driven and rented plenty), and are great for throwing stuff in and not worrying too much, especially if you might want to use it for your business? If not, bare in mind, they do drive like a van and the manual/diesel combo isn't for everyone - too much hard work for me.
Other options similar to the CRV would be the RAV4 of similar year, perhaps a Lexus RX300.
Very specific I know, but I ran one for 6 years/60k miles and it was absolutely bullet proof and ticked every box for us a family, with the exception of one - power/excitement, but that was accepted from the outset.
If your happy to waft around comfortably in safety, under the radar, with loads of space, super reliability, decent enough 4x4 system to get you moving on the slippy stuff and no rattles/clonks, all the toys, hard wearing leather interior blah blah blah, i think you'll be hard pressed to beat it for <£5k. Being one of the last of the 'basic' NA lumps Honda made, it's super easy to service and work on yourself. It cost me sod all in my ownership really, even tyres were good for 25-40k a pair.
The Partner/Belingo option above actually makes alot of sense too (haven driven and rented plenty), and are great for throwing stuff in and not worrying too much, especially if you might want to use it for your business? If not, bare in mind, they do drive like a van and the manual/diesel combo isn't for everyone - too much hard work for me.
Other options similar to the CRV would be the RAV4 of similar year, perhaps a Lexus RX300.
Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 15th June 09:03
Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 15th June 09:31
My Lexus Rx400h is currently doing that exact job...mine is a 2007, 123k but 1 former owner and full Lexus history. Super comfy, wafts along effortlessly, even with a 3.3 v6, it still averages 35mpg on my super short trips. Loads of space for the dog, kids, bikes...anything really.
Loads of kit too, the rear seats slide and recline, mine has the rear screens too. Build quality is something else.....nothing has ever gone wrong, apart from new tyres and an air con regas...just routine servicing.
Loads of kit too, the rear seats slide and recline, mine has the rear screens too. Build quality is something else.....nothing has ever gone wrong, apart from new tyres and an air con regas...just routine servicing.
CMacC said:
With used car prices at an all time high, I've decided to sell our family 335d back to BMW for a good price, and use the cash to kick start my business after COVID
Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
We have an E91 330D and it has consistently been useless as a family holdall and general provision of space for occupants and clutter Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
I assume yours is an F series so a bit better, but I get where you are coming from.So with the demise of our old CMax, I bought a 2012 Ford Mondeo Mk 4.5 Titanium X estate and now all of our comfort/capacity worries have disappeared. It's got masses of space, good to drive, quiet, comfy, has a decent stereo, touchscreen sat nav and "Windsor" pleather with heated and cooled front seats. I couldn't think of anything better for £5k (mine was £4.5k) at the moment. It is big though, but has front/rear parking sensors and a rear camera to help me docking it with the quay.
If you are in a ULEZ zone it is not compliant being the 2.0TDCi but there are a couple of petrol 2.0turbo engine cars you could seek out. Beware though for your budget they will likely be pre-facelift and will come with the powershift auto box. There is also a rare 2.5T (wait for FastDruid to turn up) but they are now 12+ yrs old
Like many others looking at this exact budget/car combo I also considered Skoda Octavia VRS, E-class E320CDI W211, V70 P3 D5, Skoda Superb and if I could have found one an Insignia estate with the 2.0T engine. There isn't a lot around at this budget at the moment and as you say prices are high. For me the Mondeo 4.5 in Titanium-X spec was the sweet spot.
You will have to adjust to the drop in performance compared to your 335D with any of the above. But other than acceleration and slightly more comfortable m-sport seats, I honestly don't think our E91 is better at anything else than the Mondeo. It's miles better as a family car.
If you are looking at SUVs then we also considered an RX400H a year or two back. The boot isn't great (batteries underneath it) but interior space is good. They are however right up there at the top of the league of most stolen catalyst converters and that put me off. For your budget you will be looking at one that is 15yrs old I think.
Good luck with your search.
All of the above suggestions are very nice, but also come with them the chance of some fairly pokey bills taking into account age and probable mileage.
I was actually in a similar position to you in terms of needing a spacious , cheap (and reliable car), and ended up buying a dacia logan mcv. It has air conditioning, sat nat built in, cruise, and is a relatively comfortable place to sit, although by no means luxury. Mine has the Renault 3 cylinder 900 tce engine. 20 quid a year to tax and the insurance is buttons too. It also has a boot space to rival a mondeo estate.
Its obviously not fast or luxury but if you want a cheap, spacious reliable car then you could do a lot worse. Mine was a 2016 plate (purchased 2.5 years ago) with 22k on the clock and I paid 6k for it with 2 free Renault services.
I was actually in a similar position to you in terms of needing a spacious , cheap (and reliable car), and ended up buying a dacia logan mcv. It has air conditioning, sat nat built in, cruise, and is a relatively comfortable place to sit, although by no means luxury. Mine has the Renault 3 cylinder 900 tce engine. 20 quid a year to tax and the insurance is buttons too. It also has a boot space to rival a mondeo estate.
Its obviously not fast or luxury but if you want a cheap, spacious reliable car then you could do a lot worse. Mine was a 2016 plate (purchased 2.5 years ago) with 22k on the clock and I paid 6k for it with 2 free Renault services.
princeperch said:
All of the above suggestions are very nice, but also come with them the chance of some fairly pokey bills taking into account age and probable mileage.
I was actually in a similar position to you in terms of needing a spacious , cheap (and reliable car), and ended up buying a dacia logan mcv. It has air conditioning, sat nat built in, cruise, and is a relatively comfortable place to sit, although by no means luxury. Mine has the Renault 3 cylinder 900 tce engine. 20 quid a year to tax and the insurance is buttons too. It also has a boot space to rival a mondeo estate.
Its obviously not fast or luxury but if you want a cheap, spacious reliable car then you could do a lot worse. Mine was a 2016 plate (purchased 2.5 years ago) with 22k on the clock and I paid 6k for it with 2 free Renault services.
Its going to be an older car for £5k....so bills of some sort are inevitable......however, I'd suggest you can at least minimise those by going with something properly Japanese and steer clear of French or Italian motors. I think Honda / Lexus / Subaru are probably the way to go, and take the bullet on fuel economy. Something owned by an older gent (as ours had been) with Full dealer history would be the sweet spot, IMO.I was actually in a similar position to you in terms of needing a spacious , cheap (and reliable car), and ended up buying a dacia logan mcv. It has air conditioning, sat nat built in, cruise, and is a relatively comfortable place to sit, although by no means luxury. Mine has the Renault 3 cylinder 900 tce engine. 20 quid a year to tax and the insurance is buttons too. It also has a boot space to rival a mondeo estate.
Its obviously not fast or luxury but if you want a cheap, spacious reliable car then you could do a lot worse. Mine was a 2016 plate (purchased 2.5 years ago) with 22k on the clock and I paid 6k for it with 2 free Renault services.
It may just be down to personal opinion, and i'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but i'd much rather have my family wrapped up in a decent spec Japanese SUV with all the driving aids and safety gear (our CRV had adaptive HIDS, parking cam, sensors all round, collision mitigation and 10 air bags for example) than a budget Renault, regardless of how fuel efficient or cheap on tax it was. Having been in a couple of 2017 onwards Dacia dusters, they really are a world apart from the sort of cars we're talking about above......and especially if you've got to contend with a wiggle stick and third pedal to worry about whilst you navigate the sainsburies supermarket in the rain whilst the kids are kicking off in the back etc etc
But that is just my opinion based on life experience with 2 little uns.
NOTE: Yes I am whole heartedly awaiting the gunning down for having owned/recommended a fuel heavy SUV. Sorry Greta / True PH'ers.
Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 15th June 11:51
MattyD803 said:
Its going to be an older car for £5k....so bills of some sort are inevitable......however, I'd suggest you can at least minimise those by going with something properly Japanese and steer clear of French or Italian motors. I think Honda / Lexus / Subaru are probably the way to go, and take the bullet on fuel economy. Something owned by an older gent (as ours had been) with Full dealer history would be the sweet spot, IMO.
It may just be down to personal opinion, and i'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but i'd much rather have my family wrapped up in a decent spec Japanese SUV with all the driving aids and safety gear (our CRV had adaptive HIDS, parking cam, sensors all round, collision mitigation and 10 air bags for example) than a budget Renault, regardless of how fuel efficient or cheap on tax it was. Having been in a couple of 2017 onwards Dacia dusters, they really are a world apart from the sort of cars we're talking about above......and especially if you've got to contend with a wiggle stick and third pedal to worry about whilst you navigate the sainsburies supermarket in the rain whilst the kids are kicking off in the back etc etc
But that is just my opinion based on life experience with 2 little uns.
NOTE: Yes I am whole heartedly awaiting the gunning down for having owned/recommended a fuel heavy SUV. Sorry Greta / True PH'ers.
That is all fair enough. I took the view that I only do 5000 miles a year and id rather it worked and didn't present me with an enormous bill at mot time rather than worrying about having nappa leather and a silky smooth auto box. It may just be down to personal opinion, and i'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but i'd much rather have my family wrapped up in a decent spec Japanese SUV with all the driving aids and safety gear (our CRV had adaptive HIDS, parking cam, sensors all round, collision mitigation and 10 air bags for example) than a budget Renault, regardless of how fuel efficient or cheap on tax it was. Having been in a couple of 2017 onwards Dacia dusters, they really are a world apart from the sort of cars we're talking about above......and especially if you've got to contend with a wiggle stick and third pedal to worry about whilst you navigate the sainsburies supermarket in the rain whilst the kids are kicking off in the back etc etc
But that is just my opinion based on life experience with 2 little uns.
NOTE: Yes I am whole heartedly awaiting the gunning down for having owned/recommended a fuel heavy SUV. Sorry Greta / True PH'ers.
Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 15th June 11:51
I've also managed to successfully reproduce and I wouldn't want kids aged 3 or 4 in the back of an expensive / luxury car. Its just way too much hassle, with the crumbs, filthy hands everywhere, ice creams being sloshed over the place. Hard plastics that wipe clean are depressing but very practical.
As an aside, my mate got himself a 2011 passat for about what my logan cost, maybe a year or so before. It had 80k on the clock when he got it, and whilst it was a nice car, he was very miffed when he presented it for its mot and he got walloped with a 2k bill for the following failures. It has passed no problems the year before. You pay your money etc...
MattyD803 said:
Its going to be an older car for £5k....so bills of some sort are inevitable......however, I'd suggest you can at least minimise those by going with something properly Japanese and steer clear of French or Italian motors. I think Honda / Lexus / Subaru are probably the way to go, and take the bullet on fuel economy. Something owned by an older gent (as ours had been) with Full dealer history would be the sweet spot, IMO.
It may just be down to personal opinion, and i'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but i'd much rather have my family wrapped up in a decent spec Japanese SUV with all the driving aids and safety gear (our CRV had adaptive HIDS, parking cam, sensors all round, collision mitigation and 10 air bags for example) than a budget Renault, regardless of how fuel efficient or cheap on tax it was. Having been in a couple of 2017 onwards Dacia dusters, they really are a world apart from the sort of cars we're talking about above......and especially if you've got to contend with a wiggle stick and third pedal to worry about whilst you navigate the sainsburies supermarket in the rain whilst the kids are kicking off in the back etc etc
But that is just my opinion based on life experience with 2 little uns.
NOTE: Yes I am whole heartedly awaiting the gunning down for having owned/recommended a fuel heavy SUV. Sorry Greta / True PH'ers.
I always start off looking at Focus tdci's, and end up looking at high mileage Ravne Rover TDV8's!!It may just be down to personal opinion, and i'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but i'd much rather have my family wrapped up in a decent spec Japanese SUV with all the driving aids and safety gear (our CRV had adaptive HIDS, parking cam, sensors all round, collision mitigation and 10 air bags for example) than a budget Renault, regardless of how fuel efficient or cheap on tax it was. Having been in a couple of 2017 onwards Dacia dusters, they really are a world apart from the sort of cars we're talking about above......and especially if you've got to contend with a wiggle stick and third pedal to worry about whilst you navigate the sainsburies supermarket in the rain whilst the kids are kicking off in the back etc etc
But that is just my opinion based on life experience with 2 little uns.
NOTE: Yes I am whole heartedly awaiting the gunning down for having owned/recommended a fuel heavy SUV. Sorry Greta / True PH'ers.
Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 15th June 11:51
Currently looking at an e250 bluetec estate, freelander 2 and a focus 1.6 - The thing is that it's not going to do many miles, so fuel economy isnt an issue, but I don't want to buy into big repair bills like I would with a 200k mile range rover v8 diesel!!
CMacC said:
With used car prices at an all time high, I've decided to sell our family 335d back to BMW for a good price, and use the cash to kick start my business after COVID
Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
5 Series?Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
Their depreciation fall off is steeper than the smaller models.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=price...
CMacC said:
I always start off looking at Focus tdci's, and end up looking at high mileage Ravne Rover TDV8's!!
Currently looking at an e250 bluetec estate, freelander 2 and a focus 1.6 - The thing is that it's not going to do many miles, so fuel economy isnt an issue, but I don't want to buy into big repair bills like I would with a 200k mile range rover v8 diesel!!
I really, really like Freelander 2's. They are great to drive and far more reliable than a lot of other Land Rovers... However, I wouldn't buy one for lots of luggage space. They have a fairly average sized boot. Currently looking at an e250 bluetec estate, freelander 2 and a focus 1.6 - The thing is that it's not going to do many miles, so fuel economy isnt an issue, but I don't want to buy into big repair bills like I would with a 200k mile range rover v8 diesel!!
I'd have one quite happily
The advantage of the Lexus with young kids is, big enough for car seats without needing the front seats being put forward (all tall in my house), wipe clean leather....so much better than attempting to get chocolate or other assorted things out of cloth seats, very smooth ride so no one ever gets car sick. Also it has plenty of power to get home quickly if they are really annoying!!
The concerns about the catalytic converter being stolen really depends on where you live i guess, never any issues here, also being bombproof there has never been any big bills either.
I will also burn in hell for promoting big engined, heavy suvs
The concerns about the catalytic converter being stolen really depends on where you live i guess, never any issues here, also being bombproof there has never been any big bills either.
I will also burn in hell for promoting big engined, heavy suvs
AceKid said:
The advantage of the Lexus with young kids is, big enough for car seats without needing the front seats being put forward (all tall in my house), wipe clean leather....so much better than attempting to get chocolate or other assorted things out of cloth seats, very smooth ride so no one ever gets car sick. Also it has plenty of power to get home quickly if they are really annoying!!
The concerns about the catalytic converter being stolen really depends on where you live i guess, never any issues here, also being bombproof there has never been any big bills either.
I will also burn in hell for promoting big engined, heavy suvs
To be fair, despite the cat thefts, if a good RX400H turned up locally I would still look to chop in our E91 330D for one and consider a CatLock. Having ticked family bus box with the Mondeo I would like to get away from a 2 x DPF diesel fleet.The concerns about the catalytic converter being stolen really depends on where you live i guess, never any issues here, also being bombproof there has never been any big bills either.
I will also burn in hell for promoting big engined, heavy suvs
CMacC said:
With used car prices at an all time high, I've decided to sell our family 335d back to BMW for a good price, and use the cash to kick start my business after COVID
Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
I think there's a simple answer to your conundrum & it's a rep car, you can get a nicely spec'd one with sensible miles for your budget & they have lots of space as well as being reliable.Now ploughing the Classifieds to find a cheap family runaround for less than £5k that will carry 2 young kids and all of their paraphernalia - The 335d was borderline too small......any suggestions welcomed - PS my wife prefers Automatic
2.0T Insignia Elite 220
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106113...
SRI 220
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106033...
2.0T Mondeo Titanium X Sport 200
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106153...
2.3 Titanium X
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008242...
Mazda6 Sport 150
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104191...
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