Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Thu 2 Aug 2012 16:23

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

Hello all

Another one of "these" threads I'm afraid.

I'm after an estate car for little money, which will be our second vehicle. I'm looking for something suitable to transport 2 dogs, and I figure an estate would be a useful thing to have anyway so I'm fairly set on that, at least.

I do about 750 miles a month in 20 mile chunks for work - half motorway, half country roads, no town driving.

Looking for something a bit fun, but not too uneconomical to run.

Currently considering:

Saab 9-5 - 2.0, 2.3 or HOT (probably not...) or the big diesel

Vauxhall Signum - 2.0T, 2.2 direct, or the big diesel (had a vectra 1.9 150 before, would consider but want something a bit more... fun)

Volvo V40 1.9 T4 (if I can find one)

Mondeo (probably a 2.5 V6)

MG ZT-T (again, 1.8T or 2.5 V6)

I'm probably borderline on distance/route between a petrol or diesel being more suitable, but as I say I'm looking for a something a bit grumbly or pokey or both, as long as it isn't going to cost the Earth I don't mind spending a bit extra on fuel. I also like gadgets and luxury!

Any thoughts much appreciated!!

Joe

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Thu 2 Aug 2012 16:38

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - jamie745

Finally somebody looking to buy a car with an actual engine in it. No more 1.2litre this or small 3 pot diesel that.

The best car on that list is the Mondeo and the V6 engine is pretty bombproof. Its also a huge car with a massive boot. Saab's are losing their value faster than Facebook shares so you may be able to find a good bargain somewhere.

I'd say consider the bigger Volvo, the V70. You might not get a T5 for that kind of money but you can get one with plenty of toys, leather and some go.

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Thu 2 Aug 2012 17:10

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - GavoTheSane

Volvo or the Mondeo.

Or get an Accord, bulletproof.

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Thu 2 Aug 2012 17:33

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - veryoldbear

Saab 9-5 estates are good for comfort with the standard seats, better ride with the 16-inch wheels. Good bargains to be had, but beware of the 3-litre diesels which tended to have sudden ferminal engine failures.

They have the best comedy cupholders in the world, and a lot of commanilty of spare parts with GM.

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Thu 2 Aug 2012 17:42

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

I have a diesel Accord saloon at the moment - it was good until the VSA light came on - now it's a £2k repair to pass its next MOT. I know I shouldn't let that put me off Honda, but it's hard... :P

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 21:38

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - corax

I have a diesel Accord saloon at the moment - it was good until the VSA light came on - now it's a £2k repair to pass its next MOT. I know I shouldn't let that put me off Honda, but it's hard... :P

You might want to look at this thread

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=87798

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 12:35

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

Thanks for that - I'm aware of the warranty but sadly my car is well outside it on mileage (100k) - Honda weren't interested. I think my best bet is to try bb-reman or ecu-testing and hope it can be repaired. Need the second car first though, as going to have to have the Honda off the road for a week or so.

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Thu 2 Aug 2012 17:52

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - craig-pd130

The old Volvo V40 is a good car, I had the 2.0T (low-pressure turbo version of the T4) for 3 years. There are quite a few of these around as well as the T4.

160bhp, loads of torque, water-cooled turbo and a truck-sized intercooler. Motor is based on the T5 so very robust. However, not economical at all. 30mpg if you're lucky.

Usual Volvo benefits of excellent seats and practicality. They don't seem to be too troubled by rust. Downside is that the ride is a bit crashy and you can get a LOT of torque-steer, which is entertaining once you're ready for it ;-)

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 00:44

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Jase

Volvo V70 2.4T are more plentiful and cheaper than T5's. They are quick and very comfy and loads around for £2k or less.

Saab 9-5 HOT's are fairly common on autotrader for less than £2k. They look super value at the moment but a good local indie will be required.
The 2.3T is also a good car.

Mondeo estate V6 may be the best overall car but is not quick and is thirsty.

Honda accord estates aren't down to £2k yet.

This is a great thread. Right up my street!

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 00:46

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - jamie745

I very much approve of the idea of carrying lots of stuff around really quickly.

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 09:34

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - TeeCee

>> MG ZT-T (again, 1.8T or 2.5 V6)

Do not, under any circumstances, go anywhere near a 1.8 Turbo "K" series engine. The "K" series units are prone to head gasket failure anyway and forced induction does exactly what you would expect it to on an engine with this weakness :-O

The KV6 in both 2.0 and 2.5 guise is OK, although the CDTi models with the BMW diesel lump are most reliable and usually considered to be mechanically bulletproof.

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 10:02

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

Thanks for all the comments so far, appears to be a certain amount of agreement on the Saab being a good bet. I'll check out the V70s but they appear to mostly have spectacular mileage. I suppose that could be taken as a good thing.

No-one thinks much of a Signum?

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 11:30

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - NARU

Of your list, I've owned the Saab HOT and Mondeo estates, and a work colleague has the MG 2.5 V6 estate.

The Saab looked classy, but really struggled to put the power down, and was a big disappointment. The Mondeo was worthy, drove well, very comfortable, but had low image. Colleague's MG 2.5V6 is lovely to be in, but he's had a number of engine fan/ECU issues which have left it running hot, knocking our head gaskets. Don't know if that's common, or he's been unlucky.

I also had a peugeot 3.0V6 estate which had a lovely engine - so smooth. Shame the rest of the car wasn't that special. Seats were especially poor.

Might also be worth considering one of the 5-series estates? I've seen a couple of 540 estates at cheap prices and been tempted.

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 11:42

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - davros

Also worth being aware the the(potentially fatal) oil sludging problems suffered by Saab 4 cylinder petrol engines (Google it - not pretty).

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Fri 10 Aug 2012 19:12

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - SteveLee

Also worth being aware the the(potentially fatal) oil sludging problems suffered by Saab 4 cylinder petrol engines (Google it - not pretty).

Yes, a fairly common problem - strangely not shared by the Vauxhall Sigma (2.0t) models fitted with identical SAAB engines - must be an exhaust routing problem or something similar.

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 19:01

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Bobbin Threadbare

Might also be worth considering one of the 5-series estates? I've seen a couple of 540 estates at cheap prices and been tempted.

There's a few decent large engined Audi A4s and A6 Avants for around the £2k mark on Autotrader along with the BMWs. My F-i-L runs them and has done for years, with no issues at all. He needs an estate for his business but doesn't want a van.

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Fri 3 Aug 2012 23:10

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Avant

As we often say on here, at this end of the market condition matters much more than make or model. If you can find something that appears to have been properly looked after, and a service record if possible, so much the better.

If you still want advice re make/model, think about a petrol Toyota Avensis or Mazda 6 - Bobbin, is your 6 still for sale? If you must have a diesel, the best one to go for is the VW-Audi group 1.9 TDI, which you can find in various VWs. Audis, Skodas and SEATS. An Octavia estate with this engine could be good value.

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 11:56

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - DeejayP999

Volvo V70 all day long.

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 12:37

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

I have to admit I like the V70s, but there's a scary amount of warnings about them on the reviews section (don't turn on the car heaters on an 8-year old car, seats can catch fire!?!)

You think worth the risk on a high mileage car, if I can find one with good service history?

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 13:10

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - gordonbennet

Forester/Legacy?

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 13:32

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

I like Legacys actually. Also now thinking about an Octavia VRS - couple around under 2k with about 100,000 on the clock. Too risky?

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Thu 9 Aug 2012 17:06

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - DeejayP999

Actually, the list of known faults on V70s is remarkably small. Compare this to Ford, BMW or VW, for example, where anything and everything can (and does) go wrong.

You see a lot of high mileage Volvos because they're capable of doing such mileages with little trouble.

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Sat 4 Aug 2012 22:05

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Bobbin Threadbare

As we often say on here, at this end of the market condition matters much more than make or model. If you can find something that appears to have been properly looked after, and a service record if possible, so much the better.

If you still want advice re make/model, think about a petrol Toyota Avensis or Mazda 6 - Bobbin, is your 6 still for sale? If you must have a diesel, the best one to go for is the VW-Audi group 1.9 TDI, which you can find in various VWs. Audis, Skodas and SEATS. An Octavia estate with this engine could be good value.

It is. You could definitely do worse than a Mazda 6 - mine isn't an estate so I can only imagine the sheer size of the boot because the hatchback boot is mahoosive.

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Fri 10 Aug 2012 19:08

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - SteveLee

If you want a car that's fun to drive the MG ZT-T is pretty unbeatable at this price - in fact can you beat it at any price when it comes down to fun on the twisties?

There are a few Skoda Octavia 1.8T estates about within your budget.

Finally if you can find a well looked after Alfa 156 (plenty at that price - it's just a matter of finding a good one) - what a looker - but no hot-rod.

Those three would top my £2K sporty estate choices - consciously ignoring the excellent Mondeo to "keep it interesting".

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Mon 7 Jan 2013 16:26

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

Hi all

Resurrecting this thread as its time to buy (house fell through once and now finally about to complete). Have increased budget to £3000, but other requirements remain the same. Missus hates the look of the MG so that's out, but the following look like possible options:

Mondeo St220 (she doesn't like these either but I think I can win her round)

Octavia Vrs (2003ish)

Volvo v70 t5 (or i did find a very high mileage but lovely looking v50 t5...)

Saab 9-5 HOT

BMW 320, 325, 330

Impreza wagon...

Any and all of those cars are likely to be 8-10 years old with around 100k on the clock. Assuming decent service history, 12 months MOT etc do you think they're all a similar risk or are there any you would really avoid?

Thanks again for all the help, really appreciate it

Joe

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Mon 7 Jan 2013 18:40

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - countryroads

Every car will have their own foibles but the 2 clear winners for me are the Octavia and the Volvo...you can get massive power from either if you want to but the Octavia can be made incredibly rapid very easily, also a bit more youthful?

Im very fond of the 20vt engine, its strong and reliable but make sure timing belt done and gearbox is quiet and smooth.

As mentioned though, buy on condition and service history.

Edited by countryroads on 07/01/2013 at 18:41

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Thu 10 Jan 2013 05:08

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Vyncenze

Thanks for your advice. So do you think then that a 55 plated Volvo V50 with 130k on the clock would be worth considering, if the servicing has been done and it sounds clean?

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Fri 11 Jan 2013 16:57

Any - Choosing an estate (probably) for £2000 - Ed V

You mentioned the Signum earlier. I've never understood how it got such a mediocre press, when essentially its an Insignia hatchback - which gets decent reviews. Apparently, "we" don't buy / like executive hatchbacks, so that's that. Rather an indictment of lazy (or misguided) motoring journalists IMHO.

But what are you getting with a Signum - loads of car for small money; parts a cheap as any; flexible internal space and a car which is, to my eyes, more attractive than many estates.

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