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If you're planning to keep it for a long time, look for Japanese/far east reliability and the Previa, Mazda MPV or Trajet. The Citroen C8 and its Peugeot/Fiat sisters can suffer from some odd electrical gremlins, including all windows opening of their own accord when locked and unattended (just read some of the motoring magazines long-term tests). Wonderful though the new Espace appears (and those slim windscreen pillars are a real boon when compared to some other MPVs), I am put off buying one for long-term ownership because of the fear of major engine problems due to the thrust washer failure on the crankshaft (IIRC) which has been widely reported here, if nowhere else. The V6 diesel, however, is a different proposition (who will lend me 30 grand?)
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Hope you're right about the MPV IET :)
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I'd second that, Ivor E Tower. *Nothing* could persuade me to buy an Espace.
My "zero'th order requirement" for any car is that it goes reliably. Neither the Citroen nor the Renault meet that requirement, as numerous surveys over the years have shown.
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Which MPV?
A decent estate, every time! :-)
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If your budget is £22k, I'd suggest the Previa as the only reliable MPV anyone makes. www.broker4cars.co.uk will give you the pick of the range for that (well, £22,216 anyway) and the T2 and T3 for less.
Otherwise, either of them is a good car but I can't see the point in going for the 'fully loaded' or 'nearly new' options when brokers have well equipped, brand new ones for under £20k .
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The kia sedona while oferingf alot for the money is prone to early life rust and poor safety.
The hyundai trajet is both safer and the clips and other components under the bonnet are plastic coated - plus there are some great deals around on them at the moment. - certainly worth considering.
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just noticed hyundai just upgraded engine (shares coupes highly rated 2.0 unit) and offering SE pack which incluides dvd player, air con, etc for bottom money.
very tempting - dont forget 5 year warranty.
plus hyundais came 2nd in usa recent reliability test and one of their biggest usa sales is the trajet.
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Thanks to all for the imput; DavidHM, what put me off the Previa was the appalling plastics in the interior. They may last, but the cabin is just plain dull and cheap. I would be prepared to sacrifice an element of reliability for something that makes me feel good when I get behind the wheel.
'What Car' have the C8 as their MPV of the Year, and 'Top Gear' mag the Espace as theirs. I have now looked at both, and test driven the Galaxy,Alhambra and Previa. Really do like both the C8 & Espace, and would welcome some more owners opinions.
Thanks to all to date!
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>> Otherwise, either of them is a good car but I can't see the point in going for the 'fully loaded' or 'nearly new' options when brokers have well equipped, brand new ones for under £20k .
What's the score with warranty work, etc on a broker supplied car? My instinct tells me that I'd get a healthy dose of cold shoulder from a local dealer for servicing/warranty work on a car not supplied by them or an 'official' source.
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How much your enjoyment of driving the car fades if/when it goes wrong is something to consider as is the potential complexity and cost of the repairs. If you haven't done so yet, do check out the Technical forum - many of the regular contributors to it don't look or post here. IIRC Andrew Moorey of Tune-UP has a newish Espace which he's had problems with. In the final analysis it's your decision though. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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The point about a broker is that it's not a retailer; it's a broker that introduces you to a supplier who is invariably a main dealer. In that sense, it is supplied by an official source.
If you really feel that you need to buy a car from the same dealer who will be carrying out any maintenance then don't consider:
a. they will be paid by the manufacturer for warranty work;
b. the car will be a UK car from a UK franchise dealer - would you not look at, say, an ex-rental from a non-franchise supermarket for the same reason?
c. if they are going to take that attitude towards warranty work from another UK dealer's car then why on earth would you expect them to be helpful and co-operative just before the car came from them?
d. how much is the 'free' cup of coffee while your car is fixed worth to you anyway?
I'm not saying that all dealers are always friendly and helpful towards owners of UK-supplied cars bought from a broker - I have heard stories like that - but then I've also heard of a dealer claiming that major electrical components are consumables not covered by warranty. My take is that if you're going to get bad customer service for one reason, it's highly likely that if that reason doesn't apply, there'll be another one along to put a spanner in the works.
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Thanks for that, and I'll certainly now look into brokers; not having bought a new or newish car ever I really don't know how to guage the market. I just tend to be naturally cautious about the ability of an independant third party to undercut a main dealer, but this explanation makes things clearer.
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