What's the best estate for £4k?

I'm looking to replace my rather tired 2005 Ford Fiesta 1.4 LX. I want something larger, like an estate, but only have £4000 to spend. I will be covering around 15,000 miles per year and (as a pro drummer) I have quite a lot of equipment to carry around.

What's best out of the Volkswagen Passat, Skoda Octavia and Ford Mondeo? I'm looking for reliability, comfort and performance/economy balance. Are there any cars worth looking at that I have missed?

Asked on 16 October 2014 by plant1983

Answered by Honest John

I'd avoid 2005-2011 Passats altogether. Too many problems. A lot of people swear by Octavias, but they aren't 100%. Mondeos drive and handle nicely but are big cars. Avoid Focus 1.6TDCIs and Golf Mk 5s. Find out more about anything you are thinking of buying at www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar

Tags: estates buying a used car reliability

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