£2,500 estate: cheap, reliable, big boot, engaging to drive?

[RoVoFob]

Estates can be cheap, huge, reliable or fun to drive, but are there any that properly combine all of these factors for around £2,500?

I have a BMW 130i as my main car so I have a revvy engine, agile handling and small size/light weight covered off, but I’d like a practical second car for taking stuff to the tip, Ikea sprees and cross country road trips.

Hence I’m looking for something with a big boot, decent comfort and an enjoyable drive - I’m talking relatively precise steering, reasonable body control, good enough punch to be able to overtake easily enough on a country road etc. rather than sportiness here, but I’d like an interesting sounding engine - a five or six cylinder one would be perfect.

And it must be relatively solid and reliable enough to not need money pouring into it constantly.

My lockdown daydreaming has brought me to an odd shortlist of:

• BMW 530i/530d (e39)
• Volvo V70 T5/2.5T/2.4T/2.0T/D5 (2000-2007)
• Ford Mondeo ST220
• Vauxhall Vectra 2.8 V6 (invisible police-spec one not the VXR)

Thoughts? Anyone run any of these/other suggestions? Thanks.

[RoVoFob]

ZX10R NIN said:

You won't get the sweetest steer for that budget but there are some good estates that you can have some fun with.

You won't get an ST220 for your budget but you will get a 2.5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102209...

Omega Elite (check for rust) 3.0i

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011035...

2.3T Saab 9-5

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101228...

Aero 9-3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102128...

C230

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102078...

Thanks for the suggestions.

Interestingly, I bought a Subaru Legacy 3.0R Spec B estate for £2,250 just over a year ago, and that was a very decent steer, but the ones around now are far more expensive.

I have found a £2,750 ST220, but it’s a little suspect...

Should have said, I really don’t want an auto, unless the car is spectacular. Omega is weirdly tempting, but the auto box puts me off. Have toyed with 9-5s but the prices seem to have gone up a lot and boot seems to be surprisingly small.

[RoVoFob]

namastebuzz said:

You can still get 9-5 Aeros for reasonable money. Get the auto with paddleshift - it's stronger than the manual.

Amazingly rapid and comfortable plus you can get a N00btune ECU upgrade for £90 or so.

Small boot? Don't quite get that. You can fit a washing machine in the boot without folding down the rear seats......

A vast majority of new cars are automatics - there’s plenty of time to drive autos when petrol and diesels are outlawed!

Have toyed with a 9-5 before, but the boot seems to be substantially smaller than V70, Mondeo, Vectra etc. Having transported Ikea Billy bookcases in new CX-5, Q5 and Kodiaq and seen how much difference relatively small variations in boot sizes can make, if I’m getting a big car, it feels like the boot should be biiig.

Would still be tempted with one for the right money, but manuals that were £1k a year ago seem to be £2k now. For that money the V70 feels more appealing. Drove a tired £990 S60 2.0T 9 months back and was amazed how much I liked it - even with smoky interior, creaky suspension etc. Imagine V70 would feel similar...

[RoVoFob]

W201_190e said:

One thing an E39 will require is lots of money pouring into it.

I’ve heard some people swearing that nothing ever goes wrong with them and others saying they cost loads to keep going...

Could it be a case of well looked after ones not needing much fixing and neglected ones becoming money pits?

[RoVoFob]

MiniMan64 said:

I’m just gonna go ahead and ignore your requirements for reliability and not needing to spend money

V6 MG

Go on, live dangerously...

Love it!

I have been watching this. The fact they’ve ‘just’ spent £2,200 on it and it’s worth £1,000 tells you how much the rest of the car is worth, right?

My dad test drove a MG ZT 190 saloon when they were new and I remember the sound - it was glorious.

[RoVoFob]

W201_190e said:

I can only talk in regards my 4 years experience with a 1999 528i then 3 years with a 2002 530i Sport which I never should have sold. Absolutely fabulous cars, I loved them but to keep them tip top was a lot of upkeep as a daily.

Hmm. Spending a little to keep them in good condition is one thing, spending lots of unexpected repairs is another. How much of that spending was unplanned?

I’ve watched the Top Gear Africa special with the 528i Touring, 850 R and WRX again and it’s completely selling me on the e39 - especially in pre-facelift, small-wheeled SE form.

I’m oddly attracted to a 530d for the torque. I imagine a 193hp 528i or even a 231hp 530i Touring would feel pretty gutless compared with the 265hp, short-geared 130i. What was the comfort difference like between the 528i (SE?) and 530i Sport?

[RoVoFob]

88LG said:

Owned a E39 530i saloon for a few years. Great car. Would buy another in the future that's for sure.

Look out for a rust as that's a common issue for them. Arches and sills.

Have a look here - a great example of a E39 530i - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Good to hear.

Yes. I looked at a couple last year - both manual 530is and with a price premium to suit, despite the seller having done nothing to get them up to scratch - and there was loads of visible rust. One of them is still for sale I think - 9 months on.

[RoVoFob]

meb90 said:

On the mondeo theme, I'd suggest a Mk4 with the 2.5T engine (5 cylinder as per the focus ST).

Mines been brilliant, and very reliable.

This is top of my maybe list. Makes a lot of sense, but the interior keeps putting me off. Hate the dials and bulkiness of the pillars (do things like this ever put anyone else off cars?). Think the drive would probably suit me very well though.

Might try one when such things as driving are allowed again.Good to hear it’s been reliable. If I remember rightly 2.5T Focus STs cost a lot to maintain (I think some of that is engine related)...

[RoVoFob]

MiniMan64 said:

I nearly bought a blue one years ago but ended up with a 156 V6 instead. Bullet dodged me thinks

You’re not seriously saying that an Alfa was the reliable choice are you?

[RoVoFob]

W201_190e said:

The majority of it was common issues, mostly cooling related. If either engine is cooked there is no going back, it's basically scrap. The 528i wasn't too needy but the 530i needed quite a bit. I also dropped £1300 on fixing the rust on one rear arch and two sill ends.

On balance the 528i, which was an SE with the shadowline trim, so very little chrome, was the better engine, the most comfortable and the most economic. The 530i Sport looked the part but seemed more fragile and whilst it was quicker the engine didn't sound as nice. The 528i ran on 16 inch turbine wheels so was very smooth and just glided along, the 530i Sport was on 18 inch staggered M Para's. It wasn't uncomfortable but definitely compromised. The 34 year old me would probably edge towards a 528i SE again, as comfort means more to me now.

There is a wealth of knowledge in the PH forums for the E39, but when I purchased my 528i in 2008 when I was 21, the rust issue wasn't that common and they weren't that old then. It would be like buying an F10 5 Series today. There was a member on here called Fox who was like an E39 bible, his posts helped me a lot and it would be worth seeking out old threads to properly read into them.

I think it I had £2.5k to spend I'd be seeking a lovely late SE with as little rust as possible and with nice service history.

Now sadly scrapped. The couple of owners after me didn't take the best care of it unfortunately.

Thanks for that. Very useful.

Do you have any idea how the 530d compares? I’ve read that the manuals avoid the swirl flap issue and think I saw something about cooling issues being less of a problem with diesels. Oof, that’s quite a big spend for rust.

An SE on 16s sounds very appealing - I like the idea of gliding along but without being in a slow barge. A big estate is never going to be super sharp (although I was amazed by how close my old Legacy 3.0R Spec B got), so I suppose Sport trim and 18s are a bit superfluous...

Interesting to hear that you preferred the sound of the 528i - I always preferred the sound of the e46/e39 530i to the newer 130i engine; the older engine sounds more silky and sonorous to me while the newer one is more ‘racecar’. The 2.5-litre in my old 325ti sounded even better though - beautiful musical sound.

Thanks. Will do some digging for Fox threads. Yep, a late SE with decent history would be great. Think I’ve narrowed the hunt down to an e39 or 2000-2007 V70. Would you steer clear of a pre-facelift e39 if a good one came up? Apart from design changes, I’m not sure how much changed...

That is lovely. Such a shame it was scrapped. Especially given what the current 5 Series looks like!

[RoVoFob]

MiniMan64 said:

Hey it did 7 years of trouble free (ish) service. I wonder if the MG is still alive or not?

Fair play. Think I looked at the MOT history for this MG previously and there were quite a few red flags. Especially considering that £2,200 had supposedly just been spent on it!

In comparison, I’ve been watching a £500 1998 V70 with 227k on it that has had no advisories for its last five MOTs bar one for the front tyres being low on tread and a fail for split windscreen wipers.

[RoVoFob]

namastebuzz said:

I've had 9-5 Aero, V70 D5 and MG ZTT diesel.

The V70 was by far the dullest of the three and I spent a fortune on maintenance. (HOW MUCH for a wheel bearing?)

The MG was fun to drive and amazingly equipped. I loved the webasto programmable heater. The Saab was a rocket and didn't feel any smaller in capacity than the Volvo. It was also the cheapest of the three to run.

Interesting. I always imagined the Saab would be duller than the Volvo with more of a comfort bias and a bland four-pot compared with the Volvo’s warbly five-pot. Did the V70 seem to have been well looked after when you bought it, or any obvious reason why it cost so much?

The Saab does appeal, but I think the price would be a factor in that rather than it being the car I want most - wish it had a more interesting sounding engine. MG would be a consideration, but boot is holding me back.

[RoVoFob]

carreauchompeur said:

As a general runaround, I loved my 2007 v70 d5 and it cost, overall, buttons. Nice growly Diesel engine and after a remap the throttle response and general power was excellent.

A fun car for surprising people with on twisty roads, steering not super ‘dynamic’ but absolutely huge boot too

Good to hear. I always think a five-pot warble works particularly well in diesel form - don’t really want a diesel, but decent diesel V70s seem much easier to find. T5s seem non existent at the mo or really expensive while there are barely any 2.5T or 2.4Ts around. A 2.5T would be ideal, though - practically T5 performance but much cheaper...

My dad had the original S80 2.5D - the ancient five-cylinder Audi diesel - and even that sounded excellent. I spent many weekends learning to drive in that around dad’s enormous work car park and loved that thing - apart from the handbrake that barely did anything!

[RoVoFob]

Jamescrs said:

If you are considering an MG ZT-T look carefully at the boot space.
I owned the saloon version a long time ago and the boot was a very awkward shape, I struggled with bulky items. The boot on the estate may be entirely different bot the boot floor shape on the saloon was awkward to say the least.

It does appeal, but everything I’ve read has said the boot’s tiny, so it’s not in the running. Had a back-to-back drive in a ZT 190 and my BMW 325ti years back, though and was amazed how similar they felt. Lovely sound but not too much in the way of get-up-and-go!

[RoVoFob]

craig_m67 said:

Alfa 156 Sportwagon.
Either the 2.4 5cyl derv or the v6

The boot is barely bigger than my 1 Series and that’s hardly big! Would love a Busso, though, and it still looks great.

[RoVoFob]

sjc said:

Had this V6 nearly a year, was less than half your budget.

Thread here ..

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Oof, that looks fantastic. Stop tempting me! Not big enough, I think.

[RoVoFob]

stevemcs said:

The MG is a good shout, but just above your budget you will find the Mk4 Mondeo

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-09-FORD-MONDEO-2-0...

Although the Mk3 driver better, the boot is massive too. I've had a Saab 9-5 SE and that was a great wafter, the boot was massive too but the Mk3 Mondo just pips it.

Again a little over budget and auto, probably not as sharp as the mondeo but a lot of car for the money

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-Vauxhall-Vectra-2-...

Road tax needs to be checked though as some fall into the higher band

Mk4 Mondeo 2.5T is top of the maybe list. Doesn’t appeal on paper - the cabin is really ugly to me - but sure it’d win me over on a drive. Might track one down when test driving is possible again...

The auto box puts me off the Vectra, but an ex-police 2.8 V6 manual I’ve found really appeals - such a great Q car in white and the boot is gigantic. Lower tax on ex-police cars, too, I think. While a test drive might sell the Mondeo, I fear it might put me off the Vectra though.

[RoVoFob]

sjc said:

The bill for £2200 could easily just be a big 3 belt service every 90k miles or 6 years) waterpump,discs, pads, tyres and a bit of suspension refresh etc. If that’s the case, someone was prepared to spend big time future proof it, so it would be worth doing some homework. With all that stuff done, could be a great grand gamble. (Low spec car and aftermarket tailpipe aside !!)

True. Think I looked at the MOT history for this one and there seemed to be all sorts of problem areas. If they’ve addressed most of those could definitely be a good buy. It’s the boot that stops me looking into it.

[RoVoFob]

stevemcs said:

Or there is the x type...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-Jaguar-X-Type-Sove...

Yes. I have thought about these. Am always surprised at how good they look with the right spec.

Seem to have a surprisingly big boot but a very narrow opening, which cancels out the volume. Plus, my dad would tease me as I spent years slating his old X-Type - though that was mainly because it had a Transit engine...

[RoVoFob]

sjc said:

What is it you’re carrying?! All my work stuff goes in it.Alfa much smaller.The only thing I drove ( and I drove loads and ended back in another 75 based V6), which was significantly bigger was the V70, a car that other than the size is quite possibly the most overrated cult car I’ve ever driven.The D5 is gruff( 5 cyl or not), the petrols struggled to move the thing, the turning circle was horrendous, the pillars created dreadful blind spots and the allegedly comfy seats didn’t go high enough under thigh to offer any support.

All sorts. Taking stuff to tip, picking up furniture, taking in-laws to the airport - they always have dozens of suitcases...The main challenge would be occasional furniture. Managed to get a super king wooden bed frame into my old Legacy - just - plus maybe the occasional Billy bookcase - these are 2m tall.

Think I was probably spoilt by the Legacy - a thoroughly underrated car that managed to swallow everything I threw its way - that’s my benchmark. Hmm, didn’t realise the V70 was so divisive. Yes, the turning circle is rubbish and I’d try to avoid a non-turbo petrol, but I find Volvo seats from that era super comfy and I like the D5s, though I haven’t driven that specific 00-07 D5.