Just getting rid of my Citroen Picasso baked bean can I am on the look out for a new car.
I like the "high up" cars and would love a 4x4 but am a bit dubious about the tax increases on these cars.
It must be economical and reliable but I want something a tad more solid than the Picasso. That said, I need enough space in the boot to house a dog cage.
Quite like the look of the Santa Fe and X-trail but on the down side (and to my husbands disgust) I quite like the Kangoo!!
Opinions please on whether my desire for a 4x4 type car thats economical is unreasonable and suggestions for other makes/models
£5k to spend...
Many Thanks.....
subject line changed and volume turned down !
Edited by Pugugly on 27/10/2008 at 21:06
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I would suggest the Fiat Doblo. Not fasionable but huge space and I found it quite nice to drive. Actually one of the more reliable Fiats, very robustly made if not luxurious.
Very easy to park too unlike a 4x4 due to easy to judge extremities.
The Kangoo is much smaller inside, I looked at one but it just didnt seem to be the best solution.
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Don't buy a 4x4 unless you need to tow ponies/caravans or live in the wildest areas of Scotland/Wales.
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Don't buy a 4x4 unless you need to tow ponies/caravans or live in the wildest
Its not as simple as that, many people myself included factored in the robustness and simplicity of many admittedly larger more old fashioned 4x4's when we bought the pick up.
That obviously wasn't the only criteria but in these days of ever more complicated vehicles it was a very important consideration for us.
To live in the beautiful wilds of Scotland or Wales, hopefully soon.....
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Don't buy a 4x4 unless you need to tow ponies/caravans or live in the wildest areas of Scotland/Wales.
That seems a bit extreme. How about, don't buy a 4x4 unless you want to.
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"That seems a bit extreme. How about, don't buy a 4x4 unless you want to"
The OP has £5,000 to spend, and while she likes the driving position of the Picasso, there's no indication she needs 4x4. Older 4x4s are not cheap to maintain, and you've no idea how they have been treated. A friend bought one, for it to rot away in short order - it'd been used to launch/recover boats on a slipway, and had been literally immersed in sea water every weekend.
My guess is that an older 4x4 will lose value faster, and cost more to keep than a Picasso-type, and not so attractive a trade-in when she comes to change it.
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>>It must be economical and reliable but I want something a tad more solid than the Picasso.
This is the OP's key phrase. But what does "more solid than the Picasso" actually mean? And why must it be more solid than the Picasso? It is difficult to give advice unless we know the answer to those questions.
If 'solid' refers to safety in a crash, the Picasso gets four ncap stars, as does the Kangoo - and the Doblo only gets three. A Picasso is also likely to be more reliable than a Kangoo.
At £5000, a 4X4 is unlikely to be both economical and reliable.
Unless there is a good reason for getting rid of the Picasso, the best thing to do might be to stick with it.
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Has anyone mentioned the Touran? Looks like you'd get a 2004 1.9D for £5000, and the square-cut back end might suit a dog cage better than the rounded Picasso. Not sure it would be any more mechanically robust than a Picasso, but it might feel more substantial inside, which - in my view at least - makes a useful difference.
Your £5000 might just buy you one of the first of the current-generation Toyota Verso, and that will certainly feel more solid than a Picasso. My experience of looking at used Versos (as regulars here know, we eventually bought a new one this spring) is that you have to look at the plates to judge the car's age - the interior gives no clues at all.
Only problem I can think of with either of these is that the rearmost row of seats folds into the boot floor, which raises the loading height compared with a two-row Picasso or Berlingo; still nothing like as high as most 4x4s, though. How much that matters will depend on the athleticism of your dogs!
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Has anyone mentioned the Touran? >> Only problem I can think of with either of these is that the rearmost row of seats folds into the boot floor which raises the loading height>>
There are 5-seat only Tourans out there - these also have the advantage of a full spare wheel where the foldy-down mini seats are in the 7-seater. These are few and far between I expect, and I would imagine not as sought after as the 7-seat, so perhaps if one could be found it might be a bargain.
My missus has run a Touran 1.9TDi PD 105 since new (July 2004), we have a dog and two children and the interior has taken the knocks very well, it scrubs up nicely come valet time. Very robust car and a pleasure to drive. Apart form routine servicing (3 variable so far), we've had to spend a few hundred on front suspension top mounts and a broken spring on the back suspension in that 4 years. We're at 52000 miles and have been advised at the last service that there are still 5k miles left in the original brake pads. Although it goes through light bulbs like nothing else I've ever owned. In fact, I've never had to change a bulb ever in any of the 23 other cars I've had - this pops one every few months. Goodness knows why
I'm well pleased with it, and expect to keep it another 4 years at least.
Edited by Webmaster on 29/10/2008 at 00:25
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Just about anything will feel better built than the Picasso but that doesn't mean they will be any more reliable or less expensive to run. The Touran is a good call but you'll be looking at at very high milers or below average condition at £5K. My son has a seven year old Zafira and it feels noticeably better built than the Picasso I had; the 1.8 petrol (plenty about and cheap) is smooth and always gives him over 30 mpg. Staying French, Renault Grand Scenic - nicer inside than the Picasso and at least as comfortable to sit in and drive. If you fancy a 4x4 a Kia or Hyundai will be more recent than anything else at that price or slightly left of field an older Subaru Forester - built to last but like a drink!
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Thanks to all for opinons.
I always found with the Picasso that when you shut the door it went "tink" whereas with my husbands car, VW Passat, it went "thud". Odd way to describe it know but the Passat always seemed more solid.
Granted I dont "need" a 4x4 but Ive done the estates, MPV and Saloons and fancy a jeep type car.
Been looking at the Honda CRV's. Can pick up a 03/04 for around 5k but concerned about the road tax increase on 4x4's next year... does anyone have any clues as to how much they will sting us for??
Also, is the CRV economical. I appreciate its not going to be as economical as the Picasso but is it a juice guzzler?
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does anyone have any clues as to how much they will sting us for??
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=20
If you feel that the Honda CRV's fuel economy is acceptable, then it will probably meet your requirements about as well as anything. I take it that you are considering the petrol engine (Official combined figure: 31 mpg) rather than the diesel.
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My two cents is that the MPG on the petrol CRV has put me off buying one. I have read many posts online from people complaining they get only mid 20s MPG which, in this day and age, is just hopeless.
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Quite like the look of the Santa Fe and X-trail
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don't get the sante fe, they only come in petrol format, and our serivce engineers ran a fleet of 4 of these from new to 140k in 3 years....
they only deliver low 20s and even late teens mpg on the motorway but increase when driven in town. yes they came with leather and all the bells and whistles but the dealers struggled to fix problems and the cost of parts where crazy.
the service manager drove an x-trail td and apart from 2 turbos and 3 intercoolers over 140k it performed well....
they now all drive skoda 4x4 estate cars....
these cars are run by a traffic safety company and spend most of there time on motorways..
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I've got a Passat with doors that shut with a satisfying thud. The problem is that a bit too much time was spent designing the door catches/seals and not enough designing the suspension, electrics or assorted hidden ancillary elements (pollen filter, MAF sensor, ABS module, heater matrix, mirror switch, boot lock.......) The dash also creaks and rattles.
My wife has a mark 1 Zafira. Shutting the doors isn't as nice but everything else is far better than the Passat. I prefer the Zafira 100bhp diesel to my 150bhp petrol turbo. The dash doesn't creak either. It's been far more reliable over 4 years and still drives perfectly.
Be very careful about perceived "solidity" or "quality".
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