Buying a second hand estate for £10k - any recommendations?

My wife and I are in the market for a second hand estate; we want a car that's three to five years old and costs up to £10k. We are happy to have a fairly high mileage car (up to circa 100k). We've just test driven the Mercedes-Benz C200 BlueEfficiency Exec SE (2012 plate, 93k, £9450), Audi A4 Avant SE 2.0 (2012 plate, 104k, £9750), and Skoda Octavia SE 2.0 (2013 plate, 77k, £8995). All three seemed reasonable to drive and each has pros and cons - which would you recommend? Are there significant differences in running costs and likely resale value?

Asked on 27 November 2016 by James Wallington-Smith

Answered by Honest John
Any high mileage diesel that has not already had a recent diesel particulate filter replacement is heading for one and that alone could cost £3000. Of the cars you list, the Mercedes at least has a well proven, chain cam 2.1 litre diesel engine that is fitted to millions of Mercedes cars and vans, so of the three that's probably your best bet.
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