Large family car recommendations
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm looking to get a larger family car as our current 2013 Ford Focus is getting on a bit but also is a bit too small for our needs - it was bought over a year before our (now) 10-month old baby was even planned! Therefore the Focus' boot space isn't sufficient for our Joie DLX pushchair and Britax car seat. The latter has meant the front passenger seat has had to go forward so much so that bascially noone in the house can fit in the front seat anymore haha
I've had a look into Mondeos, Insignias, Octavias and Seat Leons - both hatchback and estate but I'm still undecided what to go for. My budget is £12,000 which is made up of both a loan and Part Exchange on the Focus (have been told that trade exchange is £4,350 but am going to try for at least £4,500 as it's in near-perfect condition with only 44,000 on the clock. The Focus has also just had a fresh MOT which it passed without any faults or even advisories, as well as a minor service.
Ideally I'm looking for a car that will last us 5-6 years at least until we decide to upgrade again - e.g. plenty of room for a pushchair and potentially of camping gear and/or holiday bags.
So far I haven't had much luck tracking down many of the examples I listed above without resorting to higher mileage examples (60,000+) or going somewhere further afield to look at them (1 hour+ drive).
The bottom line is I'm looking for something:
- Not too old
- Plenty of space for baby things (car seat, pushchair etc.)
- Under £12,000
- Under 50,000 mileage
- Climate control would be a big plus but not essential, as would cruise control
Thanks in advance!
I'm looking to get a larger family car as our current 2013 Ford Focus is getting on a bit but also is a bit too small for our needs - it was bought over a year before our (now) 10-month old baby was even planned! Therefore the Focus' boot space isn't sufficient for our Joie DLX pushchair and Britax car seat. The latter has meant the front passenger seat has had to go forward so much so that bascially noone in the house can fit in the front seat anymore haha
I've had a look into Mondeos, Insignias, Octavias and Seat Leons - both hatchback and estate but I'm still undecided what to go for. My budget is £12,000 which is made up of both a loan and Part Exchange on the Focus (have been told that trade exchange is £4,350 but am going to try for at least £4,500 as it's in near-perfect condition with only 44,000 on the clock. The Focus has also just had a fresh MOT which it passed without any faults or even advisories, as well as a minor service.
Ideally I'm looking for a car that will last us 5-6 years at least until we decide to upgrade again - e.g. plenty of room for a pushchair and potentially of camping gear and/or holiday bags.
So far I haven't had much luck tracking down many of the examples I listed above without resorting to higher mileage examples (60,000+) or going somewhere further afield to look at them (1 hour+ drive).
The bottom line is I'm looking for something:
- Not too old
- Plenty of space for baby things (car seat, pushchair etc.)
- Under £12,000
- Under 50,000 mileage
- Climate control would be a big plus but not essential, as would cruise control
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the helpful replies everyone!
I went out today and tried an Insignia 1.6 CDTi hatchback which certainly had plenty of grunt for our needs (tested up some steady slopes and proper inclines too). My first time using an electric handbrake too which was interesting but I'm sure I'll get used to it - most cars aside from the Mazda 6 seem to have them these days.
On the face of it I think an estate would be too much car - even for the odd camping trip! Also, interestingly I found out that the Ford Mondeo hatchback has slightly more space than an estate.
The boot space easily took our Joie pushchair and even with our bulky car seat in place, there was still plenty of room for both my wife and myself to sit in the passenger seat (not at the same time, you understand
haha).
Thinking more about it, I'm unsure if I need a diesel (though that is what seems to be coming up for the most part in my searches). I think the risk of clogging up the DPF would be too great as we only tend to go on relatively short journeys (25-50 miles each way maximum) as well as quick runs to the shops which are only a short drive away.
The Insignia I tried was very comfortable and a reasonable price at just under £8,700 but it was under-specced as it was only a Design Nav (ideally I want a car with dual climate control so that the front and back can both have independent temperatures). I'm going to hold out for now anyway and try to track down a few of your suggestions to view and test drive.
In my latest searches I have found a Mazda 6 estate up for about £10,500 - a D Sport Nav 2.2 estate with 56k on the clock and from 2016 which could be worth a look but again it could be too much car really when "just" a hatchback would do!
Any further thoughts?
I went out today and tried an Insignia 1.6 CDTi hatchback which certainly had plenty of grunt for our needs (tested up some steady slopes and proper inclines too). My first time using an electric handbrake too which was interesting but I'm sure I'll get used to it - most cars aside from the Mazda 6 seem to have them these days.
On the face of it I think an estate would be too much car - even for the odd camping trip! Also, interestingly I found out that the Ford Mondeo hatchback has slightly more space than an estate.
The boot space easily took our Joie pushchair and even with our bulky car seat in place, there was still plenty of room for both my wife and myself to sit in the passenger seat (not at the same time, you understand
haha).Thinking more about it, I'm unsure if I need a diesel (though that is what seems to be coming up for the most part in my searches). I think the risk of clogging up the DPF would be too great as we only tend to go on relatively short journeys (25-50 miles each way maximum) as well as quick runs to the shops which are only a short drive away.
The Insignia I tried was very comfortable and a reasonable price at just under £8,700 but it was under-specced as it was only a Design Nav (ideally I want a car with dual climate control so that the front and back can both have independent temperatures). I'm going to hold out for now anyway and try to track down a few of your suggestions to view and test drive.
In my latest searches I have found a Mazda 6 estate up for about £10,500 - a D Sport Nav 2.2 estate with 56k on the clock and from 2016 which could be worth a look but again it could be too much car really when "just" a hatchback would do!
Any further thoughts?
Edited by Shoxt3r on Monday 6th July 19:24
Has anyone had any personal experience of having an Insignia, Mondeo, Leon or Octavia?
For example what are the running costs of these cars and are there any particular issues I should be aware of to look out for?
Also, any recommendations of websites I can use for buying guides on these cars?
I'm already thinking I will steer clear of diesel for the simple reason I don't like the concerns about DPFs as I don't do a huge mileage on a weekly basis - our longest trip is 300 miles each way and that only happens maybe 1-2 times a year. My average annual mileage is about 5,000 as I commute to work by train so the car is sat still for most of the week.
For example what are the running costs of these cars and are there any particular issues I should be aware of to look out for?
Also, any recommendations of websites I can use for buying guides on these cars?
I'm already thinking I will steer clear of diesel for the simple reason I don't like the concerns about DPFs as I don't do a huge mileage on a weekly basis - our longest trip is 300 miles each way and that only happens maybe 1-2 times a year. My average annual mileage is about 5,000 as I commute to work by train so the car is sat still for most of the week.
Thanks everyone!
I'm already moving onto my next test drive which will be a 2018 diesel Mondeo. It's an automatic and about £4k out of price range but it's more to get a feel for visibility, space and some features I can expect on older models.
In the meantime I've managed to track down a couple of Mondeos relatively locally after much searching - one being an auto, the other a manual. Both have the same tax band I've currently got with the Focus which isn't ideal but I guess I'll just have to make a compromise somewhere at this budget!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
I've given getting a Focus estate some thought but even on the newer models nothing has changed with the interior so it will still be cramped I think.
Next on the list is to test drive an Octavia.
Other than that to be honest I'm rapidly running out of ideas as the supply just doesn't seem to be there locally (London/Kent seem to have a massive drive for SUVs and small hatchbacks for some reason). The other option is to buy online on a whim from a faraway dealer which seems like a recipe for disaster!
I'm already moving onto my next test drive which will be a 2018 diesel Mondeo. It's an automatic and about £4k out of price range but it's more to get a feel for visibility, space and some features I can expect on older models.
In the meantime I've managed to track down a couple of Mondeos relatively locally after much searching - one being an auto, the other a manual. Both have the same tax band I've currently got with the Focus which isn't ideal but I guess I'll just have to make a compromise somewhere at this budget!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
I've given getting a Focus estate some thought but even on the newer models nothing has changed with the interior so it will still be cramped I think.
Next on the list is to test drive an Octavia.
Other than that to be honest I'm rapidly running out of ideas as the supply just doesn't seem to be there locally (London/Kent seem to have a massive drive for SUVs and small hatchbacks for some reason). The other option is to buy online on a whim from a faraway dealer which seems like a recipe for disaster!
Ok so after quite a bit of searching around I've managed to find a Seat Leon estate which looks pretty good - I've dropped my budget down after reviewing everything.
The only trouble is, this car has a mileage of 110k
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
There is only one other Leon estate example within price range and without travelling miles and miles. The mileage on that one is only 62k but looking at the MOT history for it, it's been pretty ragged (both the front suspension and tyres are on the way out).
Comparison of the MOT histories attached.
The only trouble is, this car has a mileage of 110k
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
There is only one other Leon estate example within price range and without travelling miles and miles. The mileage on that one is only 62k but looking at the MOT history for it, it's been pretty ragged (both the front suspension and tyres are on the way out).
Comparison of the MOT histories attached.
Starfighter said:
Mark 3 estate. Better engines, equipment and styling.
Rear door access is very good and masses of legroom even with ISO fit seats in place. The boot is huge. Plenty to sub 50k 2017 models out them with the facelift on 66 and 17 plates.
Is it worth getting a high mileage example?Rear door access is very good and masses of legroom even with ISO fit seats in place. The boot is huge. Plenty to sub 50k 2017 models out them with the facelift on 66 and 17 plates.
ChrisH72 said:
I wouldn't say a car has been ragged because of advisories on front shocks and tyres. They're both maintenance items which do wear over time. All that MOT is telling you us that they will need replacing soon but they're not urgent enough to fail.
Are the shocks usually something that would wear on a 5-year old car? Also the mention of the undertray being insecure is a bit suspect, no?alfabeat said:
I just bought a 2012 Octavia Scout Estate (2.0 tdi and 4x4). 64,000 miles, FSH - £6k.
Good sized cars for a family, very easy to drive, plenty of power and returns high 40's on a run.
Been well looked after (despite being an ex police car).
Very pleased with it and I would highly recommend.
Wow great! Good to know you can get decent mileage cars pretty cheap, especially for a 2012!Good sized cars for a family, very easy to drive, plenty of power and returns high 40's on a run.
Been well looked after (despite being an ex police car).
Very pleased with it and I would highly recommend.
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