A what car/suv/4x4/whatever pickle...

[//dean]

I never thought I'd have to create a what car thread but I just can't find anything I really like. Situation is as follows:

My S3 is now too small to carry all my photography gear in comfort and it's also costing me a small fortune on my 100 mile daily commute in petrol and maintenance. So, I would have £7k MAX. It must be diesel (or possibly LPG), must be big enough to fit all my camera gear, must be my only car so nothing too big and must be fairly reliable. In an ideal world I'd spend 3k on a 4x4 and then 3k on an MX5 but I just can't have 2 cars. I don't have to spend 7k, ideally the less I spend the better.

I have ruled out: Merc (horrid in my price bracket), Audi (I've only ever owned Audis and I want something different), Vauxhall (no ta) or Volvo (I just hate them).


So I'm thinking:

BMW e39 530D M Sport - Galactic miles, but at least it's a car and RWD.
BMW X5 - Super galactic mileage, would probably bankrupt me in consumables.
Nissan X-Trail - Can be picked up for peanuts, but just look at the interior
Land Rover Freelander - One doesn't have any hairdressers accessories, possibly short on headroom and luggage space
Honda CRV - Looking like a good contender
Toyota RAV-4 - Almost acceptable (4 door)
Nissan Navara D-Cab - Spot on but bloody massive, probably too big for an only car.


The obvious answer is 530D M-Sport, but I'm worried about the costs of running one due to the age.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

[anonymous-user]

what about a subaru legacy estate or forester?

agree that BMW estate is probably the most logical choice but what a out a 3 series. a friend has a 320d estate and its alright, its no rocket ship but it trundles along well enough, its big enough for all his bike gear but not as big as other estates? alfa 156 probably too much to run but a nice alternative.

things like the qashqai et al are surprisingly small and terible to drive. i would stick with an estate.

[HellDiver]

You might be able to get an early Freelander 2 - they're a very nice car for the money, and use the 2.2 PSA engine which is reasonable.

[RobM77]

Do you need four wheel drive? It's useful off road and in the snow, but most people (me included) find two wheel drive much better on fuel economy (drivetrain losses and weight make 4WD less economical), which you said was important to you. Also, a lot of 4x4 off roaders have quite small and awkwardly shaped boots, plus an inaccessible roof rack if you ever need that.

If I were you I'd be looking at an estate car, probably diesel - perhaps a C Class or 3 series if you prefer RWD, and if not then maybe a Volvo V70? All three of those should prove reliable and pleasant to drive long distances. A friend of mine's C class estate is on 186k miles and he's only replaced a few things (dampers, which any car needs by about 100k miles, and the odd hose and obviously brake discs). If you're not too fussed about handling then you can get a newer car for your budget by not paying for a "premium" brand, and I'd look for a Volvo V70 D5.

Your requirements of "nothing too big" "comfortable" "economical" and "spacious boot" definitely rule out a 4x4 off roader; they're inevitably a compromise between off-road and on-road, and for such a big road mileage I'd certainly be looking at a car instead, such as the Volvo.

Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 15th June 11:57

[The Wookie]

I wouldn't bother with an old Freelander. If you're going to get something slow, unwieldy and potentially unreliable you might as well have something that's comfortable, looks half decent and get a diesel P38A Range Rover. You could get quite a nice one for that money

[300bhp/ton]

//dean said:

I never thought I'd have to create a what car thread but I just can't find anything I really like. Situation is as follows:

My S3 is now too small to carry all my photography gear in comfort and it's also costing me a small fortune on my 100 mile daily commute in petrol and maintenance. So, I would have £7k MAX. It must be diesel (or possibly LPG), must be big enough to fit all my camera gear, must be my only car so nothing too big and must be fairly reliable. In an ideal world I'd spend 3k on a 4x4 and then 3k on an MX5 but I just can't have 2 cars. I don't have to spend 7k, ideally the less I spend the better.

I have ruled out: Merc (horrid in my price bracket), Audi (I've only ever owned Audis and I want something different), Vauxhall (no ta) or Volvo (I just hate them).


So I'm thinking:

BMW e39 530D M Sport - Galactic miles, but at least it's a car and RWD.
BMW X5 - Super galactic mileage, would probably bankrupt me in consumables.
Nissan X-Trail - Can be picked up for peanuts, but just look at the interior
Land Rover Freelander - One doesn't have any hairdressers accessories, possibly short on headroom and luggage space
Honda CRV - Looking like a good contender
Toyota RAV-4 - Almost acceptable (4 door)
Nissan Navara D-Cab - Spot on but bloody massive, probably too big for an only car.


The obvious answer is 530D M-Sport, but I'm worried about the costs of running one due to the age.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

How about one of these, should be capable of 45mpg. Really very nice interior and comfy, pretty decent drive, as in always rated as sharper and more fun than Audi and with a better ride.

Reliability is good too:


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1769242.htm

JAGUAR X TYPE 2.0D EST SE (2004)
53,000 miles £7,995


Or maybe a TD5/V8 LPG one of these:


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1781880.htm

Discovery td5 x/s 62000 miles fsh metalic blue (1999/V)
62,000 miles £5,995


I also quite like Suabru's, but I think MPG would be issues for you.

[excel monkey]

Mondeo, Octavia or Accord estate?

Boring repmobiles, but if you're doing a 100 miles a day, they'll look after you. Plenty of space in all three.

Diesel if you want max economy, petrol if you worry about DPF/EGR/DMF issues.

[Gafferjim]

I can recommend the Honda CRV diesel. It's 2 wheel drive for 99.9% of the time, and puts itself into 4 wheels drive electronically if it senses slippage on a drive wheel. MPG is good, and Hondas are reliable.
I can also recommend the 2.2tdi diesel accord, I have one, had it now for 5 years and apart from serices and tyres it's been great.
For a daily drive I wouldn't get a Landrover, either a TD5 Disco or a P38 Rangy, yes they're lovely to drive, but are thirsty and are notorious for electrical problems.
The jag is a Mondeo with a different body, doesn't ring my bell anyway...........

[300bhp/ton]

Gafferjim said:

The jag is a Mondeo with a different body, doesn't ring my bell anyway...........

What a silly thing to say.....

[braddo]

Consider a mint W124 Merc estate - they don't build 'em like they used to. Example:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1681322.htm

www.w124.co.uk for more examples (including diesel)

[Typhon]

Patrol, or Land Cruiser?

[RobM77]

Typhon said:

Patrol, or Land Cruiser?

Hardly "small" or "economical" though The Volvo D5 V70 that I suggested would do twice as much to the gallon, cost far less to service, and probably has as much interior space, if not more.

[Willy Nilly]

Why not put £3k into a van for work and spend whatever you think you need/can afford on a car?

[Highway Star]

Octavia VRS estate?

[pacoryan]

Saab 9-5 Aero, saloon has a massive boot and they are cheap, but estates are a total bargain, 30 mpg and you'll surprise a lot of "performance" car drivers....

£3-4k should do it.

[jbi]

as previously mentioned either a volvo v70 or a land rover discovery should be perfect.

My money would be on the discovery though, since you are a photographer it allows you to go all sorts of places for those interesting shots.