Best "family" car for £25k, old/used does not matter

[dng992]

Criteria - a car for 2 older people (70+ in age) - occasional long distance trip, easy to access e.g. 4 doors, for shopping e.t.c, transporting friends around e.t.c, won't depreciate too much

Budget ~£25k or less

For the budget feel like the gimmick of electric cars wouldnt work well as much more expensive, even hybrids? best maybe to just get a high mpg petrol car

Was thinking maybe some older "premium brands" merc/bmws? as because dont mind older used vehicles could get a premium brand rather then a new electric/hybrid from the general brands

Edited by dng992 on Saturday 8th October 21:00

[dave_s13]

Define "older" as family car suggests kids, which contradicts the former.

If kids are involved rhe number is important, especially if greater than 2.

[dng992]

dave_s13 said:

Define "older" as family car suggests kids, which contradicts the former.

If kids are involved rhe number is important, especially if greater than 2.

yes edited.

its basically 2 retired people, who would use car for country trips, local errands, and want nice amount of space to store the usual shopping and bits of kit without having to be too aware

[edc]

So many options. BMW X1, 2 series active tourer, and lots from other marques too. Have you got a preference for SUV, hatch, saloon, estate?

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say the Kia XCeed ticks all the boxes & they'll have a fair chunk of warranty left for added peace of mind:

4:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209270...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209209...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210060...

First Edition

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209290...

[Pistonheader101]

volvo xc60 or skoda yeti

[ninjag]

'21 Honda CR-V 1.5 petrol turbo. The seats in the CR-V are designed to be the perfect height to just slide into the car rather than climb up or bend down into. Perfect for older people.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209229...


If too big then there's the HR-V as well. Both have plenty of legroom in the rear for when taking passengers.

'21 Honda HR-V 1.5 petrol turbo
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209149...

[dng992]

edc said:

So many options. BMW X1, 2 series active tourer, and lots from other marques too. Have you got a preference for SUV, hatch, saloon, estate?

thanks really any of suv/saloon/estate as long as its spacious and importantly economical to run !

[dmsims]

Can you define spacious ?

e.g. I had to suffer ther ignominity of sitting in an F-pace once - awful - cramped with bad visibility despite being huge

[clockworks]

Having run an old Citroen C3 Picasso for 15 months as a "business" and shopping car, my prejudice against French cars has been overcome. Relatively cheap to buy and run, lots of small, practical, touches, and a comfy ride.

I just decided that it was time to buy a "forever" practical car (replacing the Picasso) to use alongside my M140i.
I wanted a relatively compact but spacious, flexible and comfy car, and the C3 Aircross seemed like a good choice.

I looked at a few secondhand examples, around £15k for a 2019, but the features I wanted were options at the time, which nobody seems to have specced. I ended up test driving the latest, top spec, model. Pleasantly surprised. All the practical touches and comfort of the Picasso, but much more modern and refined.

Dealer had some pre-reg examples in stock, so I went for a 1.2 petrol in Shine Plus trim, 25 miles on the clock, for £22k.

Edited to add:

There are quite a few cheaper secondhand Aircrosses up for sale, but they mostly have the very lethargic 82bhp petrol engine. Too slow for me, but probably OK for city use.

Edited by clockworks on Monday 10th October 08:43

[Monkeylegend]

I agree re the C3 Picasso, we have had one with no issues and are now looking for another to replace it with.

I bought a 5 year old BMW 528i last year for £15k, only 29k miles being in the same position as the OP.

It is very spacious, very comfortable even with the 17" run flats, being the SE, averages mid 30's, is fast when you want it to be, and so far has been 100% reliable.

For £25k you can get a much newer model.

Oh and it costs me £185 FC to insure with Saga, being an oldie helps

[DodgyGeezer]

Skoda Superb for a non-SUV

Merc GLC for an SUV

both have way surpassed expectations

[Mammasaid]

Volvo XC40, you can even get the PHEV version for under 25k (albeit CAT S);

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210070...

Otherwise it's T3 petrol;

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=relev...

[clockworks]

DodgyGeezer said:

Skoda Superb for a non-SUV

Merc GLC for an SUV

both have way surpassed expectations

I wouldn't fancy running any complex German car without a decent warranty.
The turbo in my Superb went just outside the warranty, well under 30k miles. Cost nearly £2k, even with some goodwill from Skoda.
My C Class was throwing up all sorts of electrical issues - electronic steering lock, adaptive headlights, etc.
Touareg had issues with the adblue system.
Citigo needed a new power steering motor (warranty).

Could just be my bad luck, but the Fiats and Citroen I've owned in the last 10 years have been more reliable than the Germans.
Fords , Vauxhalls and Mazdas I've had in the past were reliable too, most going to well over 100k with just routine servicing.