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Fiat Qubo

Thank you for all the ideas! Off to research :0)

I can also reccomend the latest shape Berlingo multi space / Peugeot partner tepee.

I do think you would be impressed with a Fiat Qubo, masses of space in a relativly small package.

All of ours have proven 100 percent reliable so far.

I also have found the latest Doblo to be good and a massive improvement on the previous Doblo.

We has DPF problem with our Doblo, gearbox a bit "difficult" but other than that we really like the car....looking for a similar but in an Auto...

Just seen an 08 1.3 diesel family Doblo, it is lovely!! Double the budget though so would require finance which I'd prefer not to get really. Difficult decisions.

Have no idea about this particular car but the one you mention sounds way overpriced unless its barely been used, have a look at ebay 360826567291 for comparison purposes.

Zaly, not being critical here, but have you driven a 1.3 Diesel?

I found them OKish but with such a small engine even in a Panda they have no torque whatsoever until the turbo spins up to put some air into the engine, therefore anything below say 1800rpm forget it, nothing wrong with that as such so long you don't expect the lazy drive offered by a 1.9 Diesel (Your Multipla?) and are prepared to drive it to suit continually, thay can be frustrating if your're lazy like me..:-)

You have to drive these small Diesels in the power band, just suggesting that you try and get some test drives in these different vehicles and make sure its a proper test drive not the nice easy route the sales bod will try to use, and do some manoeuvering too.

Best of luck, i hope you find a good one whatever you choose.

All i can advise you is to read as much as you can, both here and on indpendent make/model specific forums.

No amount of research is ever wasted before you've parted with your hard earned, indeed its those who fail to research prior to buying who live to regret their car choices.

Don't get too tied up on VED, the difference between £30 and £130 is nothing in the annual running costs of a vehicle, indeed the £100 difference you would gladly pay ten times over to have the right car.

Similarly, try putting your details into the Meerkat or one of the other comparsion sites for a likely candidate car, then simply substitute the bigger engine and resubmit, you might find there's not such a difference after all.

Not suggesting the 1.3 won't be good enough, but unless its been driven well IMO there is a possibility that the clucth may have seen harder use (more slipping) than the 1.9, which will pull from stall revs (but may equally have been thrashed, who knows?), there thats just another thing to think about...helpful aint we...:-))

Feel free to ask any questions here, we might know the answers we might not, and do find the relevent make/model specific forums, you'll find some good knowledge there.

Oh yes, if you substitute politician for salesman, you won't go far wrong, they all tell you what you want to hear.

Edited by gordonbennet on 15/04/2014 at 13:54

Research is my middle name, I hadn't realised there were separate sections of the forum for specific makes - good to know.

Dublo or Berlingo in the lead at the mo.

Hope i haven't misled you, i didn't mean in this forum i meant to find specific info in other forums for Peugeot/Citroen owners (remember Berlingo has a twin suster called Partner under the Pug banner) and Fiat owners forums.

If you find a well cared for example of either and continue that good care i think you could do far worse, good hunting.

Lots of petrol qubos on auto trader.

You should get this for 4,500 or less if your paying cash.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20140318260...p

Go to a fiat/Citroen/Peugeot dealer and sit in a qubo/nemo MPV/ bipper tepee

These van derived cars can be a very good value deal, provided you can accept what it is, i.e. a van with windows and some extra seats in.

They don't drive (and in particular "go") anywhere near as well as a car derived MPV such as a Scenic or a Zafira, though do give you something very practical with loads of room.

I had a Kangoo (van form) for work a couple of years ago, and drove about 15k miles in it over three months. It needed a completely different driving style to my car (mid-range Octavia). It went round corners pretty well, but I often found myself driving it nearly flat out just to keep up with the traffic, and also needed to work it through the gears much more on hills.

To see if this is something you could cope with, I'd suggest hiring one in van form for a weekend, loading it up a bit (10 bags of cement is a similar weight to three passengers) and driving your normal routes. It wouldn't cost you much more than about £50-£60, and will be better than any test drive you're likely to get out of a used car dealer.

No negatives from me I assure you - I'd rather have a C-Max than any of the Fiats you were thinking of. And the 2.0 TDCI engine has a much better repuation for reliability and long life than the 1.6, not to mention more oomph.

Good luck with it.