Splitting the family car in two...? A challenge
Discussion
Slightly cryptic title, but I’ll explain.
For years, We have been a one car household. Mrs doesn’t drive, we have a little one and two dogs, so car choices have been a compromise. I need something that’s big enough, comfy enough, practice enough to use daily, but want something fun/interesting.
My current car (a leggy Lexus gs450h) kind of fits everything, but also kind of misses a bit on each too. It’s supremely comfy, has everything you could want toys wise, and in a straight line is genuinely, surprisingly fast. It’ll keep a 335i honest in a straight line ( allegedly ...).
But... the boot is tiny, and if you drive it remotely enthusiastically down a back road, it’ll set fire to its brakes (again allegedly..). It’s also completely detached, everything is drive by wire.
So I’ve been looking for a fast, fun practical, sporty, comfy, well equipped, light, safe, great handling, interesting car to replace it for about 6 grand. And coming up a bit short... Until I figured, why not have both.
So that’s the challenge. Something practical, comfy and smart to ferry the child, dogs, Mrs and assorted luggage about, and a second car for me to use for fun. With a total budget of about 6k.
Some points;
•I don’t really care what the allocation of budget is, provided both cars are road worthy and not total sheds.
•The family car should be an auto.
•I’m 6ft 5. I’ve driven a z4 for example, and I don’t really fit..
•it would be helpful if I could get a baby seat in the back of the “fun” car, if I really needed to. Two seaters are probably not ideal, but would consider if it was interesting enough.
Any and all suggestions welcome!
For years, We have been a one car household. Mrs doesn’t drive, we have a little one and two dogs, so car choices have been a compromise. I need something that’s big enough, comfy enough, practice enough to use daily, but want something fun/interesting.
My current car (a leggy Lexus gs450h) kind of fits everything, but also kind of misses a bit on each too. It’s supremely comfy, has everything you could want toys wise, and in a straight line is genuinely, surprisingly fast. It’ll keep a 335i honest in a straight line ( allegedly ...).
But... the boot is tiny, and if you drive it remotely enthusiastically down a back road, it’ll set fire to its brakes (again allegedly..). It’s also completely detached, everything is drive by wire.
So I’ve been looking for a fast, fun practical, sporty, comfy, well equipped, light, safe, great handling, interesting car to replace it for about 6 grand. And coming up a bit short... Until I figured, why not have both.
So that’s the challenge. Something practical, comfy and smart to ferry the child, dogs, Mrs and assorted luggage about, and a second car for me to use for fun. With a total budget of about 6k.
Some points;
•I don’t really care what the allocation of budget is, provided both cars are road worthy and not total sheds.
•The family car should be an auto.
•I’m 6ft 5. I’ve driven a z4 for example, and I don’t really fit..
•it would be helpful if I could get a baby seat in the back of the “fun” car, if I really needed to. Two seaters are probably not ideal, but would consider if it was interesting enough.
Any and all suggestions welcome!
ingenieur said:
This is easy to do if you're okay with older cars. Which you would have to be if you wanted 2 for £6k.
I've been buying e-class estate for years (never as old and cheap as what you'd be considering) but they're nearly all automatics and do the family thing no problem.
For a cheap and practical performance car for about £3k there is so much to choose from.
More than happy with old cars. I am basically allergic to car finance for some reason, so I’m used to 10+ years, 100k miles plus.I've been buying e-class estate for years (never as old and cheap as what you'd be considering) but they're nearly all automatics and do the family thing no problem.
For a cheap and practical performance car for about £3k there is so much to choose from.
Prior to thinking of getting two, an e350 CDI was/is quite high on my list. Looks absolutely massive inside.
ZX10R NIN said:
Family Car Option.
3.0 Legacy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106183...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112020...
Fun car options, due to your limited budget & preference for four seats the fun car may not be as fun as you'd like but they'll still be fun.
CLK500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201030...
A bit of a brave pill but a very good car is the RX-8:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194704713963?hash=item2...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373853570832?hash=item5...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125090067292?hash=item1...
Loads of good options, thank you. Of the ones you posted, the legacy ( if I can find an estate) is a great shout.3.0 Legacy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106183...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112020...
Fun car options, due to your limited budget & preference for four seats the fun car may not be as fun as you'd like but they'll still be fun.
CLK500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201030...
A bit of a brave pill but a very good car is the RX-8:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194704713963?hash=item2...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373853570832?hash=item5...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125090067292?hash=item1...
Sticking with the Japanese, I’d forgotten about rx8’s entirely! Couldn’t give a monkeys about fuel efficiency on the fun car, so that’s fine, but finding one with a remotely decent motor looks... difficult.
FilH said:
Had a very similar list to that last year, but half the 6k budget.
So i bought a 2005 mondeo ST220, now it doesn't score top makes in all your criteria, it must come close
And I'm sure if you wait a few more years it will be closer to 6k!
I actually had an st220 for a while, it’s a lovely thing. Great soundtrack!So i bought a 2005 mondeo ST220, now it doesn't score top makes in all your criteria, it must come close
And I'm sure if you wait a few more years it will be closer to 6k!
RoVoFob said:
The 2.0-litre twinscroll is turbocharged, so probably works much better in automatic form than the beautifully revvy, but torque-light flat-six.
Strapping an auto to the 3.0-litre engine is like forcing a ballet dancer to wear rugby boots. It would limit how much you can exploit the Spec B’s two best features - the engine and the gearbox - and prevent the car from being a good sporty car or a cruiser. Some cars are great in auto form, but I don’t think the Spec B is one of them…
Do you have any one-car solutions in mind, OP, as a benchmark?
The one I keep gravitating back to is the b7 Audi s4 avant.Strapping an auto to the 3.0-litre engine is like forcing a ballet dancer to wear rugby boots. It would limit how much you can exploit the Spec B’s two best features - the engine and the gearbox - and prevent the car from being a good sporty car or a cruiser. Some cars are great in auto form, but I don’t think the Spec B is one of them…
Do you have any one-car solutions in mind, OP, as a benchmark?
Only problem is it’s a bit of a lard arse, and the prices seem to have gone a bit nuts recently.
The legacy is a great shout, I’ve looked at spec b’s before, but the Mrs is going for an auto license 🙄
RoVoFob said:
Interesting…you seem to have similar tastes to me.
I’ve really wanted an S4 Avant for a long time, but decided the boot was too small and the lack of Isofix points wasn’t ideal. So, I’ve ended up with a 2006 A6 Avant 4.2 V8 - it has the same engine as the S4, plus more space and is a generation newer, which means that it’s safer and has a better media system and other in-car kit. Values are also lower, typically.
My high-spec 06 SE, with 87k on the clock was less than your overall budget and has a very good service history (regular oil services are particularly important for this engine to keep the cam chain healthy). It’s less agile than the Legacy (and no doubt the S4, too), but feels luxurious, is very well equipped and is quick, comfy and satisfying to drive, if not sporty.
As a practical family car, it’s been a really enjoyable car to live with so far. It probably covers most of the same bases as your current Lexus, but is a lot more practical and more engaging to drive.
If you went for a two-car setup instead, even a 150k-mile E320 CDI estate costs around £3k, so would there be anything interesting enough for the remaining £3k for you to justify a second set of running costs? Seems like both cars might be high mileage and potentially costly to run/unreliable with this format. Could be a shock to the system after running one Lexus!
If an S4 appeals to you, maybe one V8 A6 Avant or E-Class is a good solution. There are two recent E500 reader’s cars threads on PH - both of which involve big bills, if I remember rightly. The equivalent 545i/550i BMWs are also supposed to be quite unreliable. Unusually, that could mean that the A6 is the low risk choice…
I’d say we have pretty similar tastes, given the car before the Lexus was....I’ve really wanted an S4 Avant for a long time, but decided the boot was too small and the lack of Isofix points wasn’t ideal. So, I’ve ended up with a 2006 A6 Avant 4.2 V8 - it has the same engine as the S4, plus more space and is a generation newer, which means that it’s safer and has a better media system and other in-car kit. Values are also lower, typically.
My high-spec 06 SE, with 87k on the clock was less than your overall budget and has a very good service history (regular oil services are particularly important for this engine to keep the cam chain healthy). It’s less agile than the Legacy (and no doubt the S4, too), but feels luxurious, is very well equipped and is quick, comfy and satisfying to drive, if not sporty.
As a practical family car, it’s been a really enjoyable car to live with so far. It probably covers most of the same bases as your current Lexus, but is a lot more practical and more engaging to drive.
If you went for a two-car setup instead, even a 150k-mile E320 CDI estate costs around £3k, so would there be anything interesting enough for the remaining £3k for you to justify a second set of running costs? Seems like both cars might be high mileage and potentially costly to run/unreliable with this format. Could be a shock to the system after running one Lexus!
If an S4 appeals to you, maybe one V8 A6 Avant or E-Class is a good solution. There are two recent E500 reader’s cars threads on PH - both of which involve big bills, if I remember rightly. The equivalent 545i/550i BMWs are also supposed to be quite unreliable. Unusually, that could mean that the A6 is the low risk choice…
My default is big, Bargy German tanks, so I’m used to them occasionally chucking stupid bills, it’s part of it. A 545i/ 550i touring would be ideal, but I think there are about 8 of them in the uk. Aware of Valve stem issues etc
I think for me, I’ve had 2 ton bricks for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a proper, chuckable car. That’s kind of where my head was/is at.
ZX10R NIN said:
Have people forgotten the OP want's two cars for his budget.
I’m looking at two, only because I can’t think of a single “have your cake an eat it” within budget. I always seem to come back to 2 ton German barges, quick went exactly drivers cars.
Legacy 3.0r and a clio 182 is close to spec though!
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