Discussion
Hi, my partner and relocated to the UK two years ago for a temporary position in academia which now looks to be longer term. Shortly after arrival we purchased a Jaguar X-Type diesel (2.0, 2006) because we figured as long as we were in the UK we might as well have a JAAAAAGGG. It has has turned out to be quite comfortable, economical and (surprisingly) reliable. However, we have a new baby and are looking for something more modern and practical. Here are my requirements:
I'm willing to be flexible in terms of years and mileage and to consider something smaller and/or more interesting. Like...a Citroen C5!
Hoping for any suggestions!
- 2016 or later
- under 100k miles
- <£9k
- diesel or otherwise very fuel efficient
- no electric or hybrid
- manual transmission (you can pry the gear lever from my cold dead fingers)
- estate (preferably on the larger side)
- no SUVs, coupes or saloons
I'm willing to be flexible in terms of years and mileage and to consider something smaller and/or more interesting. Like...a Citroen C5!
Hoping for any suggestions!
Edited by NA-E36 on Sunday 7th December 18:46
NA-E36 said:
Hi, my partner and relocated to the UK two years ago for a temporary position in academia which now looks to be longer term. Shortly after arrival we purchased a Jaguar X-Type diesel (2.0, 2006) because we figured as long as we were in the UK we might as well have a JAAAAAGGG. It has has turned out to be quite comfortable, economical and (surprisingly) reliable. However, we have a new baby and are looking for something more modern and practical. Here are my requirements:
I'm willing to be flexible in terms of years and mileage and to consider something smaller and/or more interesting. Like...a Citroen C5!
Hoping for any suggestions!
You want the car to cost more than £9k? - 2016 or later
- under 100k miles
- >£9k
- diesel or otherwise very fuel efficient
- no electric or hybrid
- manual transmission (you can pry the gear lever from my cold dead fingers)
- estate (preferably on the larger side)
- no SUVs, coupes or saloons
I'm willing to be flexible in terms of years and mileage and to consider something smaller and/or more interesting. Like...a Citroen C5!
Hoping for any suggestions!
Edited by NA-E36 on Sunday 7th December 18:01
For three of you, you don't need bigger than a Fabia or Octavia (and even that's big).
IMO the Fabia estate I've got is excellent - 50mpg petrol, 110bhp, enough space and comfort, easy around town, but has a few times now take us from Scotland to south coast.
The Octavia is the same, just bigger IMO.
If I was buying again I would avoid VAG and go Kia Ceed estate or , (likely) ProCeed or even Corolla estate.
The other one would be Focus estate, but it needs to be the bigger petrol to avoid wet belt issues, and budget may be an issue.
IMO the Fabia estate I've got is excellent - 50mpg petrol, 110bhp, enough space and comfort, easy around town, but has a few times now take us from Scotland to south coast.
The Octavia is the same, just bigger IMO.
If I was buying again I would avoid VAG and go Kia Ceed estate or , (likely) ProCeed or even Corolla estate.
The other one would be Focus estate, but it needs to be the bigger petrol to avoid wet belt issues, and budget may be an issue.
POIDH said:
For three of you, you don't need bigger than a Fabia or Octavia (and even that's big).
Thing is, it's possibly not about not needing bigger. Sometimes more space than you strictly need is a bonus. To be honest, with a baby I'd be more interested in rear seat legroom as some rear facing baby seats are massive... unless you want the passenger sat wedged into the glovebox. The choice of what to buy is pretty vast... arguably any estate that fits the criteria will do the job therefore it really comes down to personal preference with regards to brand, spec, maintenance costs etc. I'd be taking the £9k budget and spending half that. A £4.5k estate will do everything a £9k one will bearing in mind, likely both will have no warranty plus when a baby is around, it's nice not to be too bothered about shiny and nice.
Skoda Superb would be my suggestion... or something proper SUV spec... or something like an S-Max. Really, there's a lot to choose from.
When we had small kids we ran a peugeot partner (citroen berlingo clone) which worked brilliantly.
sliding doors were a massive plus, getting kids into car seats in car parks.
you could step through from the front to the rear inside the car.
it was reliable and economical.
That was quite a long time ago now, but I'd certainly recommend checking out the current version.
When kids are older the skoda superb is a brilliant thing - its huge inside.
sliding doors were a massive plus, getting kids into car seats in car parks.
you could step through from the front to the rear inside the car.
it was reliable and economical.
That was quite a long time ago now, but I'd certainly recommend checking out the current version.
When kids are older the skoda superb is a brilliant thing - its huge inside.
I assume you mean post 2016 and under 9k? If so not a big pond to fish in.
Mégane 1.6 diesel avoids the belt change the ancient 1.5 needs, and the 1.3 petrol is far superior to the 1.2 which has problems I can't remember.
If you can find a petrol Astra Elite Nav you get 200bhp and a relatively nice interior, hard to locate though.
Mégane 1.6 diesel avoids the belt change the ancient 1.5 needs, and the 1.3 petrol is far superior to the 1.2 which has problems I can't remember.
If you can find a petrol Astra Elite Nav you get 200bhp and a relatively nice interior, hard to locate though.
Edited by macron on Sunday 7th December 20:11
Just about to put my Skoda Superb estate up for sale later this week due to getting a company car.
I would highly recommend one, very comfortable huge boot, loads of front and rear leg space, mine is a 2014 so doesn’t meet your criteria - but it’s a 2.0tdi manual - gets over 70mpg on a steady run and only £35 a year tax.
I would highly recommend one, very comfortable huge boot, loads of front and rear leg space, mine is a 2014 so doesn’t meet your criteria - but it’s a 2.0tdi manual - gets over 70mpg on a steady run and only £35 a year tax.
Why do you need a diesel? How many miles a year will your be covering? A more modern diesel will have more things to go wrong on it than one from 2006. For instance I'm pretty sure the 2.0 diesel in the 2006 X-Type didn't even have a DPF. Issues with diesels will be compounded by short slow journeys, e.g. city driving. You state you have a job in academia - usually universities are in cities, so it's more likely that you'll be making short journeys in stop-start traffic. The engine won't get warm enough, the fuel economy benefit of the diesel will be lessened and there is the potential for emissions control issues. Of course, i could be wrong and you have a 40 mile round trip commute every day, in which case a diesel will make sense. But if you have a short commute in heavy traffic, then a hybrid automatic would make more sense as it'd be much cheaper to run as well as being nicer to drive.
In any case, here are some decent diesels
Kia Optima Sportwagon 1.6 CRDi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512058...
BMW 320d Touring ED Plus
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510147...
Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511057...
VW Passat 2.0 TDI Variant
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...
In any case, here are some decent diesels
Kia Optima Sportwagon 1.6 CRDi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512058...
BMW 320d Touring ED Plus
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510147...
Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511057...
VW Passat 2.0 TDI Variant
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...
I’ve had had a 508, that was replaced by a mk4 Mondeo which was then replaced by a superb estate.
For ultimate space the superb wins, the 508 looked the best and had the most toys (just) the Mondeo was the best car. I wouldn’t buy another Superb, I just cannot get comfortable in it. After 1 hour I have back ache.
I wouldn’t buy another cheap vw diesel, no doubt you will end up with a few glow plugs, an egr, leaking shocks, broken springs and if manual a clutch and mostly a master cylinder
Personally I’d go with a focus, Mondeo, insignia, i40 Volvo or even the 2.2 XF but then it might just miss out on the 2016.
For ultimate space the superb wins, the 508 looked the best and had the most toys (just) the Mondeo was the best car. I wouldn’t buy another Superb, I just cannot get comfortable in it. After 1 hour I have back ache.
I wouldn’t buy another cheap vw diesel, no doubt you will end up with a few glow plugs, an egr, leaking shocks, broken springs and if manual a clutch and mostly a master cylinder
Personally I’d go with a focus, Mondeo, insignia, i40 Volvo or even the 2.2 XF but then it might just miss out on the 2016.
Davie said:
. To be honest, with a baby I'd be more interested in rear seat legroom as some rear facing baby seats are massive... unless you want the passenger sat wedged into the glovebox.
Buying a more compact seat is cheaper than buying and maintaining a much larger car like a Superb.Changed my estate recently, this is my 'old' one, still available.
https://www.bluemillmotors.co.uk/cars/kia/ceed/1.6...
Only sold as I wasn't doing the mileage anymore to justify a diesel and gone for a petrol Honda Civic tourer, couldnt fault the KIA, 100% reliable, very good on fuel, and a decent drive.
https://www.bluemillmotors.co.uk/cars/kia/ceed/1.6...
Only sold as I wasn't doing the mileage anymore to justify a diesel and gone for a petrol Honda Civic tourer, couldnt fault the KIA, 100% reliable, very good on fuel, and a decent drive.
POIDH said:
Davie said:
. To be honest, with a baby I'd be more interested in rear seat legroom as some rear facing baby seats are massive... unless you want the passenger sat wedged into the glovebox.
Buying a more compact seat is cheaper than buying and maintaining a much larger car like a Superb.
Dan_The_Man said:
LimmerickLad said:
Superb estate...........100% recommend.
Have one, used to transport 2 kids, awesome load lugger, 60-70mpg (TDI) cheap road tax, don't ever want to sell it.POIDH said:
Buying a more compact seat is cheaper than buying and maintaining a much larger car like a Superb.
You say that, however when mine were little they were in a Maxi Cosi Pearl which is / was amongst the most slimline of all they seats I looked at and despite this, once you factor in the isofix base and have the seat rear facing and angled back suitably... the distance to the back of the front seat rapidly disappears. I had V70 estates at the time, a perceived large estate car and my wife isn't exactly the tallest of humans but despite this, the NSF seat still had to be moved forward a few inches which meant her knees were nigh on touching the dash board. It's a pretty significant thing to consider... more so when you're in new dad mode.
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