Does anyone have any advice on the best nearly new family estate to buy?
I would really like one with the pull down seats in the back (like they have in the V70) but if possible I'd prefer to get a car that wasn't quite so expensive. I would steer away from MPVs if at all possible. Thanks for any thoughts on this matter
Tom.
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Why does it have to be nearly new? If you quite like the V70, why not get an older Volvo and save a packet?
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For nearly new and if you're minted, the Merc E Class is definitely "large". If you're like me and not, a nearly new Vectra estate is a big car with a huge loadspace. The Mondeo is nearly as big. I've just been looking myself and £10K will get you either on a 54 plate.
Alternatively if you aren't averse to the odd extra risk or two, a 3 year old Peugeot 406 estate (best looking of the lot IMO) for £5K which of course gets you into a Mondeo and an old style Vectra (not anywhere near as big as the new one).
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For regular reat-seat folding estates, I think the Mazda 6 is one of the best...
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Zafira II perhaps ?
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I am the only Pole over here.
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OOOoooppsss, just noticed "...I would steer away from MPVs if at all possible...".
A6 Avant then ;)
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I am the only Pole over here.
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Signum or the incredibly handsome Vectra.
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Signum or the incredibly handsome Vectra.
Face-lift just around the corner, in Frankfurt this fall I guess.
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I am the only Pole over here.
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What you want is a Peugeot 504. Completely bombproof. Will go about a million miles on no maintenance whatsover if North Africa is anything to go by. My uncle had one, and it could seat 9 comfortably in the days before rear seatbelts.
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You can buy them brand new in some African countires, check out Pug's websies !
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Citroen C5 2.2 hdi Exclusive ,you will get a two year old one peanuts compared to ther cars and they are superb.
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Radical option: MB W124 estate. You could pick up a good 'un for £5-7.5k with less than 100k on the clock. Tuck away a couple of thousand for the unlikely eventuality of serious maintenance expense. Find an independent specialist to service it and get them to crawl all over it on first encounter; better still, get them to inspect pre-purchase. Buy an after-market warranty if you are inclined to be cautious.
Perhaps the best-built large estate ever made, it should last half a million miles if properly looked after. They are not so easy to find because their owners are so satisfied with them and reluctant to part company (I know two such individuals).
I wouldn't trust the later MB E-class because of known corrosion problems and electronic complications.
Whatever you choose, beware of towbars.
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SAAB 9-5 3.0 TDI HUUGE inside, 35mpg, fabulour ride and comfy seats
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Nearly new Pug 407 estate?
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SAAB 9-5 3.0 TDI HUUGE inside, 35mpg, fabulour ride and comfy seats
Excellent seats - yes... but fabulous ride ??? In a SAAB ?
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I am the only Pole over here.
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He wants rear seats, so that rules out several suggestions.
Peugeot 504's are almost extinct now, either corroded to death or ended up in Africa. You may, if you hunt long enough, find a 505 family estate which had the extra row of seats in the back. But even 505's are a rare sight now.
I would go for a Volvo 700 or 900 estate with the extra rear facing seats if you don't want to spend too much. Or I think the Peugeot 406 had them as well on some models.
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