Sorry guys - this was meant to be just a question for general discussion rather than a request for personal, specific buying advice and a definitive answer. I appreciate all of the above are factors in any such decision, however, so let's take a max. budget of say £20k, mileage of up to 10k pa with a large proportion of non-motorway journeys and a family of 5 hence reasonable load carrying capacity for trips out/holidays etc.
It seems to me that that many people buy cars which really aren't best suited to their real needs and wind up shelling out far more than they might have done in terms of running costs, maintenance etc. I wouldn't deny the right to personal choice/preference of course, I'm just wondering what you guys think are the 'best' buys to suit the above factors.
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Choices are relatively simple - Estate or MPV; Diesel or Petrol.
Five years ago we bought a Hyundai Trajet Diesel Auto. It worked for us partly because one of our children is slightly Aspergic and the benefit of three rows of seats outweighed other issues (i.e. slow car, not as economical as we thought it would be, not great to drive).
The answers depend on specific need. How often are all five members of the family in the car at once. With hindsight, I may have chosen a large estate instead which would be more economical and comfortable for the 95% of the time the car was carrying just four people instead of five. I know a family of five (three daughters) who have never had a large car and rent superminis when they go on holiday. Whereas with our family of five, we need a minimum of a Mazda 6 and in reality prefer a Mazda 5, not for the luggage space but to keep squabbling children at bay, and to keep the Aspergic one happy.
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Large estate or full size MPV, petrol engine (not direct fuel injection, combined VW styel turob/supercharger), torque converter automatic gearbox (nto CVT or DSG), aircon, leather/synthetic leather trim, minimal other extras (less bits to go wrong).
I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of Mondeo, SMax, Vectra, Avensis, Estima/Previa, Octavia, Legacy, all using proven mechanical parts. Depreciation is the key factor as that'll cost more on a £20k car doing 10,000 miles a year than anything else, so probably buy nearly new rather than first owner.
For low mileage, the purchase cost and complexity of modern diesel doesn't make sense. Most people don't actively enjoy driving, hence automatic, which is most beneficial in town. Aircon keeps it comfy on warm days, when the dog is in the boot, and clears the windows on cold mornings. Leather seats so they're easier to clean off dog hair/spilled food/residue from a run to the tip etc.
But, how many of those 10,000 miles are done around town? If its the majority, then a smaller MPV and a roof box for the occasional longer run makes more sense. And of the mini MPVs, there's nothing more practical than the Citroen Berlingo.
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They could make a lot of money selling a stretched seven seat Berlingo.
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Ah, but would they? The Berlingo is popular largely because it's cheap; and it's cheap because it's made by adding windows and seats to a plumber's van. Adding length for extra seats would increase the costs substantially, so it would have to be sold at a price approaching that of PSA's own Grand Picasso or 308SW. I suspect the lack of a 7-seat Berlingo isn't because no-one at Citroën has thought of it.
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This is a great question, I could almost be the OP.
My requirements (I hope I don't fully hijack this post):
family of 4
it needs to be a car to transport the family in comfort (quite a few motorway trips, holiday)
therefore it should be fast enough (up to 120mph)
offer relaxed driving
it needs to do lots of short urban trips (school run, schopping..)
good over humps
but a large(ish) estate to be able to carry loads
hardly any A roads
10k miles/year
Regarding auto/manual:
Manual is fine as better on fuel with the short trips, and it sits in top gear on the motorway anyway.
Diesel/petrol
I went to a few dealers recently, and without asking everybody assumed we wanted a diesel. I also prefer the power delivery of a diesel, and the less frequent fillups (OK once a month in normal use). BUT: Can I copy with a DPF?
It is also very important that the car should be able to do the job reliably for 10 years.
Currently building a shortlist (new/nearly new, all current models)
Mondeo: Did not feel special enough when sitting inside, this was a TitX with everything!!
Passat,Avensis: Does not appeal somehow
V70: Very nice, but on the expensive side
Octavia: Just about big enough
Accord: Is the boot big enough?
5-Series,E-class,A6: hmmmm, seems overkill (but 3,C,4 are to small!)
Anything I forgot?
By the way this is to replace a 2000 VW Passat (on 80k), which actually does everything mentioned above. The problem is that I pretty much got the money, but I am struggling to find reasons to replace the current beast, so in the end I might just keep it for a few years longer.
Reason to change:
I want: faster car
Wife wants: electric tailgate
Kids want: a new car, something Jeremy Clarkson would drive on the racetrack, comfy in the back
Money is in the bank
Reasons to stay put:
Money stays in the bank
Car does everything
No worries about scratches appearing...
Yours confused...
DinUK
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Accord Tourer (03-08) is huge - can't see size being a problem. The 2.0 petrol is bombproof, the 2.2 diesel is lovely to drive and has no DPF. Mine had a very uncharacteristic unreliable spell when newish, but at 91k miles is still in great nick - looks like new inside and out, and no mechanical foibles since 40k miles.
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My requirements (I hope I don't fully hijack this post): family of 4
I had a similar dilemma and requirements the same as yours. I ended up with (not by personal choice) buying a brand new, unregistered Hyundai Sonata CRDT 2.0. It was £13,500 OTR with 1 years Road TAX, tank of Fuel and mats. This price was before any further discounts for scrap or trade were factored in.
It has cruise, leather, climate, alloys and is a manual and averages around 48 mpg, 55+ on a run. It has a reasonable amount of go, and a 5 year warranty. It's a large car with plenty of room for a family of 4 or 5 with luggage.
Main reasons for purchase were, price, reliability and warranty. I could find nothing that even came close for the money. e.g. a much smaller poverty spec Astra 5-door hatchback, Active, 1.4i 16v, Manual 5-speed is an eye watering £16365 rrp.
Edited by davecuk on 11/09/2009 at 17:03
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They could make a lot of money selling a stretched seven seat Berlingo.
That's probably why they offer the option of 2 boot seats for the latest Berlingo/Pug Partner. Not seem them in the flesh though to see how much room there is (or not).
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