Thanks for the replies so far.
Berlingo is an idea, as is the Octovia, which are both likely to be in budget.
I'm sure she'd love another Legacy, only they don't come in diesel, and are likely to be well out of her budget range. As I understand it, 2nd hand ones are v rare as owners tend to run them into the ground!
Any other suggestions? As said before, 4x4 not really necessary so should be plenty of options. What about the Mondeo as I originally mentioned?
Thanks
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What about the Mondeo as I originally mentioned?
Have a petrol Mondeo estate - 51 plate. Certainly in budget. Ours is petrol (2 litre) and does ~35mpg. Just over 3 years old and never missed a beat or had anything done to it except servicing. Diesel appears to have been sorted after early probs (perception, rather than 'fact').
Estate is massive - don't know how much stuff a vet needs to drag around, but I am sure it will all fit in. Certainly larger than a Legacy Estate. Only annoying thing with the car is that the top of bumper is colour coded, so as you drag things in and out, you generate scratches / chips. Intend to run our car for a good few years (now that we have solved how to get three car seats acros the back), so not a problem, but may be to you....
I would buy another, and if I was doing highish mileage, would buy a diesel
Jono
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Thanks Jono.
If buying something like a Mondeo, say 2 years old, where would be the best place to try?
Franchise dealer?
Supermarket?
Any pros and cons of each?
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Bought mine from Ford Direct - www.ford.co.uk/forddirect# - which was a very straight forward process. Went and test drove one, worked out what I wanted, and then rang round a couple of other dealers to say what I was looking for. Dealers can see a 'Ford only' database, and can offer cars that they can then 'bid' to extract on your behalf. I believe that you have to commit to purchase the car if they extract the car for you - as it turned out, the dealers bidding against each other drove the car I wanted down to my target price.
Advantage of Ford Direct is that you get a fresh 2 years warranty, cars usually <2years old and will have been checked by the RAC. Having bought a lemon in the prior six months, this peace of mind was worth quite a bit to me.
Never purchased from a Supermarket, but plenty on this site have. If I were going to buy another, I would probably buy from auction - either in person or using an auction buyer.
Jono
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The Mondeo is truly a big car - bigger than the old Granadas. Why not a Focus Estate?
All car experts rate them very highly, including Honest J himself.
They have enough room for several dogs, being as wide as an Audi A4, will be cheap to run, with a proven predigree of not having annoying late-life problems, spares will be cheap too.
Huge choice of engines/spec/colour and the estates are much rarer than the hatchbacks. For her moeny she'll get a top of the range one hardly run in!
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Is the car for a small animal vet or a large animal vet, (Forgive me, I've read James Herriott). If it's for a small animal vet then it will be used in the best part of town, and any estate will do. If it's for a large animal vet then it will be used on farms in weather like we are having now, and a Subaru or a Skoda 4WD will be best.
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If it's for a large animal vet then it will be used on farms in weather like we are having now, and a Subaru or a Skoda 4WD will be best.
Ah, but if it's for a small animal vet, it will be used in the suburbs. And these a large go-anywhere 4X4 is de rigeur there -- so she'd need a Shogun or a Toyota Amazon rather than the mere Subaru which'd do fine in the countryside ...
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Mixed practice!!!
Will be a mixture of farms and town. That said she's been advised by the current vets in the practice that 4x4 isn't necessary. You'd suprised - even in the wilds of New Zealand she's only ever used the 4x4 capabilities on v rare occassions.
Given the advice something like a nearly new Focus or Octavia estate is looking good. (purely out of interest but does the Octovia come in a 4x4 guise???).
Anyone anything else to add?
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Previous model had a awd variant, current one doesnt yet (I think, but stand to be corrected if wrong)
StarGazer
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The beauty of the AWD is that you don't know that it has operated. That is, until you pass someone who is stuck. Have you thought of the Mazda6 Sport, and the Passat?
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>>I'm sure she'd love another Legacy, only they don't come in diesel, and are likely to be well out of her budget range. As I understand it, 2nd hand ones are v rare as owners tend to run them into the ground!
If you want a used Legacy go to www.subaru.co.uk and use the used car locator. They're not difficult to find. By far the best option IMHO, despite being petrol. An Outback or Forester would fit the bill.
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One of the good things about my Forester is that it is a little higer than an ordinary vehicle but lower than your usual 4WD. That means it is very easy to get into and out of. This is important for someone like me who gets in and out of their car several times a day in the course of their work. So it would be a good choice for Twizit's relative.
It is juicy though. My experience is with automatics only, but turbo or non-turbo, the best mpg we see on mostly urban motoring is 23mpg.
However, for reliablility, ruggedness, ride comfort, ease of access and occasional slipperly surfaces, it is excellent.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Sorry Twizit, but your sister in law has missed my Legacy 2.0 litre GLS estate which I have just sold. On an R plate, with 12 months T & T, 4 new tyres, load liner, electric sunroof and full history, it went for £1900. With 88k miles, it was as reliable as ever, in fine condition, and boy am I sad to see it go!The fact that it never did more than 35mpg has hit values hard (I averaged 33mpg)so looking at the economies of the matter, why spend many thousands on a workhorse, when a few thousand will get you a beaut.Far better to spend the money saved on bungys,sky diving, skiing & kayaking around NZ's South Island.
Due to a change in business circumstances, I am now 'red van' man.Off on a tangent, my brand loyalty is such that when my Premium Bond comes up, (it will, it will)I would be down the auctions looking for a newish Legacy tourer (sad but true). In 30 years of car ownership, I never thought I could be so loyal to one particular marque. Only sorry it's not British.
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Off topic & picking up on Legacylad's comments - can concur as I have just taken delivery of a Sport Tourer :o)
Back on topic - used to have a diesel Focus Estate - would certainly seem to fit the bill.
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I've just done a 'cost/benefit analysis' on my Legacy '04 Sport Estate, auto box, before it goes in for its first service (12000 miles).
29.5 mpg, 12.42 pence per mile. Mostly suburban driving.
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