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• Ford Ka, Fiat Bravo - Two car family - trade-offs 3 Jun 2011 (Forum)
    Hi all I'm after a little bit of advice on some new cars we're thinking of buying - these are as replacements for an ageing Audi A3 T-sport (200K and still going, although perhaps not for long!) and a far too big Citroen Zsara Picasso (60K on an 02 plate, decent but just too big). We really want to get down to 1 car, but work and home situations mean we need 2, with one as a ‘spare’ for occasional commute and around-town use.
• Ford Mondeo TDCi 130 Zetec - Replacement for poor Mondeo 26 Mar 2010 (Forum)
  I'm angling towards an Accord (2003 onwards) because my wife has a Civic which is a gem to drive and just feels that much better made than the Ford, but have also considered everything from Volvo V50/S60/V70 to an old BMW 5 series diesel (though I think there's some wish fulfilment there!), to a Passat (though I know they may not be great high-milers), to the old model Audi A6. I'd really appreciate it if Backroomers could offer opinions on those cars as sound buys, what it's like running an older high-mileage car (it would be a first for me), and any suggestions about other family-size vehicles.
• New Year, New Car 10 Jan 2010 (Forum)
  Then I had an idea completely from left field, and wondered about the Seat Exeo. The idea of a refettled Audi with a new VAG engine seems very tempting. Haven't gone to see one yet and don't know how it'll compare with the Golf. It's a tad bigger than I'd like and lack of a hatchback isn't totally ideal.
• Bulgarian Motoring Observations 2 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  Due to the road closure we had to stop off in Sunny Beach for a few hours and my first observation was the quality of the cars now. There is a total abundance of BMWs, Mercs, Audis, Range Rovers etc. whether this is from the property market or the renowned Bulgarian crimelords who knows! Also saw a Maybach, and Orange Lambo and a White Ferrari soft top! All the Bms are 7 series, have only saw one 5 series and no 3 or 1s.
• Mitsubishi L200 pickups (2000 - 2006) - How to replace a pickup? 23 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  So far I've found options in the shape of the Kia Cee'd SW - Diesel / Petrol choice, but no AWD, the Audi A3 Sportback - and if I go crazy available in a Quattro, the Saab 9-3 Sport Wagon, nice, but the base model starts at a good bit more than a base model A3, and finally, unless there are more suggestions - the Peugot 207SW and 307SW.
• Big car with good economy 22 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  All on this list are diesels Ford Focus Titanium Est 1.6 DPF diesel Peugeotg 307 SW SE 136 Saab 9-3 Linear Spt Est Diesel 120 Mercedes B180 SE Seat Altea XL 140 C4 Picasso Exec 1.6 Hdi Renault Scenic Priv 2.0 Dci Seat Altea XL 140 DSG VW Touran SE 2.0 140 Renault Scenic Priv 2.0 Grand Honda Accord Est Sport 2.2 Cdti Saab 9-3 Lin Spt Est 150 BMW 318d ES C4 Picasso Exec 2.0 Passat SE Est 140 Toyota Verso 2.2 T Spirit Ford S-Max 2.0 Zetec Reanult Laguna Initiale 2.0 Dci Audi A4 Avt SE 2.0 140 PS I know that this is quite a varied list and as good as Mondeo's are, I don't really like them.
• Diesel engines - dimensions & tech spec 21 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  Based on information gleaned from the CBCB and Parker?s, here are some of the diesel cars/engines I'm trying to find out more about: Audi 80 Mk1 1.6TD 80bhp (3speed auto?), 1986-1991 BMW 318 TDS 1.7 litre 90 bhp, 1991-1998 Citroen AX 1.5 D 58bhp, 1994-1997 Citroen BX 1.9 D 71 bhp auto, 1991-93 Fiat Tipo 1.9 TD 92 bhp, 1992-1995 Mercedes 190D 2.0 72bhp, 4-speed auto, 1983-1993 Mercedes C-Class C220D 2.2 94 bhp auto, 1993-2000 Nissan Primera 2.0 D 90 bhp auto, 1992-1996 (89 bhp 1996-1999) Seat Arosa/VW Lupo 1.7 litre SDI 60 bhp, 1997 on Volvo 440/460 1.9 TD 89 bhp (Renault engine!)
• family car ? 31 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  im 33, and i guess i need a car with a bit of image needs to be a hatch or estate, with roof bars, for family trips & hols but small enough to get more than 50mpg, as i get £300 a month & 18p a mile fast but really good on mpg. and xenons and excellent comfy seats with lumber support, would like red/orange interior clock lights this is my list audi a4 avant ? nice but small in the back a6 (dont like look of, like passat) bmw 525 d se touring (favourite, but 44mpg) volvo v70 (again nice, but low mpg) saab 9-5 estate/hatch/ or is it saloon? (nice but green clocks) mazda 6 ?
• New C-Class... 21 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  But see below. 9/10 -Gearshift smoothness is untouchable 10/10 -Orion grey interior not as good as VW/Audi, but definitely not low-rent 9/10. -Amethyst Violet looks amazing in direct sunlight. 10/10. -Overall: The Dogs pink fluffy dice . THINGS I LIKE -Bi-Xenon headlights ?sparking up? and the beam moving to its home position.
• Audi A3 - Driving Another Car, Uninsured, Possible Penalties 13 Nov 2012 (Forum)
  This happened to my 23 year old son over the weekend. He had arrived home around 3am parked along from our house, sat in the car listening to ...
• is there Lexus LS , very reliable alternative? 2 Jul 2022 (Forum)
    I know s-class looks great and have so many options including night vision but not sure how their reliable is, i am talking about used cars only s -class from year 2014 and up, also audi a8, and bmw 7 but i dont have experience with any of these cars... if you think of something else let me known.
• Where’s the joy? 10 Jan 2021 (Forum)
  I’ve sadly missed the boat regarding hot hatches as today’s electric steering rack equipped versions are utterly devoid of feel. They’re quick but numb. I’ve driven modern Golf GTi’s, Focus ST’s, Civic Type R’s and fast Audi’s and BMW’s yet found none very memorable. Fast yes, but fun no. Assuming a budget of under £8,000, what can I buy that’ll give me the fizz down the trouser front I’ve missed out on? It no longer has family duties beyond transporting junior to school on my way to work and my commute lasts a total of 5 minutes (yes I am a lazy sod) so it has to be petrol and economy isn’t important.
• Chrysler Sebring - Weekly Battery Drain!! Alarm issue?? 4 Aug 2017 (Forum)
  The alarm has been driving me nuts over the past few days, just going off for no reason at all, lock the car and 1 minute later alarm goes off. turn it off and another minute later off it goes again! I really suspect this could be the drainage culprit as I had something very similar with an Audi I had, however that was not a factory alarm and that got disconnected. I believe this is the factory alarm. Any advice would be greatly appreciated before I take it to an auto sparky and let them rip the wiring to bits and come up with nothing.
• Buying a car. Can you help with the 3Ws and H? 16 Nov 2009 (Forum)
  Hard to justify but partly because I use them as 'skip trucks' to carry endless amounts of junk and I like the driving position. Before that I always had Audi (A4s then an A6) or Mercedes (E320) estates. We've recently moved to the city but, having test-driven several, I can't get used to driving something the size of a Golf or smaller. Not fond of smaller 4x4s either.
• Selective BL marque revival - your ideas? 3 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  I'll start off by suggesting a Rover RWD exec saloon/estate based on the Jaguar XF's Ford DEW98 platform (after all, Rover is now owned by Tata), or using a new aluminium thingummy (ideally an Audi-style spaceframe - much like the incomparable P6) perhaps with some new engines, but definitely with a more blockish styling direction (edgy, stylish - either a reinterpretation of the P6 or a better, less gangsta approach to the Chrysler 300C).
• Motorway driving 25 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  And even when a BMW is a pain, its a 3 rather than a 5. Next to the Astra and Focus I think that Omegas and Audis are pretty frequent. I use cruise control a lot - therefore I am sure that most of the time my speed is constant. A typical speed for me would be 80mph; I don't have to spend all my time in and out of the slow lane, but neither do I keep catching up with stuff or panic about police.
• SEAT Ibiza Sport TDi 130 - opinions? 15 May 2003 (Forum)
  I've read around a bit and it seems well regarded, same engine that VW use in the Golf TDi 130bhp by all accounts, and even Audi use it in the A4/A6? I want the economy of a diesel, and looking at the figures it does seem to have a bit of poke too. It'll only be me in there 90% of the time, so 3-door isn't a problem. Is it a bit of a girly car?
• Czech Observations 20 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  Incidentally, the first and second times I started the car, I locked myself out whilst clearing snow from the glass (a broken door latch was to blame), and on both occasions, the auto choke worked perfectly during the five minutes it took to get back in to the car, which by then was ticking over at normal speed. 3) Nearly every dashboard switch in the Favorit had been replaced with one showing the Heated Rear Window symbol, which made simple tasks like turning the lights on (Daytime law in winter months in the Czech Republic), interesting! 4) In total contrast, a friend's newly acquired W12 (6 litre I think?) engined Audi A8 was awesome. With the stability and traction control software enabled, it appeared to accelarate in snow far harder than my Vectra GSi does on dry tarmac, with hardly any wheelspin, and in a dead straight line.
• Mercedes-Benz B-Class - B class review 6 Aug 2011 (Forum)
    There’s auto or fully on with no sensitivity for auto setting as with Audis.   It does mean on auto setting it can go from intermittent to full speed, to normal speed depending how heavy it is raining.   I prefer an intermittent setting rather than having wipers do mad things as they are very sensitive and full speed is often used when it is hardly raining.
• all makes - Antifreeze- Blue vs Orange/Red 8 Oct 2021 (Forum)
  BS 6580 is now a minimum quality standard for antifreeze / coolant that has been largely replaced by vehicle specific grades such as:   Audi TL774-D, Ford WSS-M97B44-D, ISUZU, Renault D, Jaguar WSS-M97B44-D, MB 325.3, SAAB 6901 599, Seat TL774-D, Skoda 61-0-0257, Vauxhall QL 130100 and Volkswagen TL774-D.   Most cars since 2,000 have specified Organic Acid Technology (OAT) based Antifreeze / coolant, commonly red in colour and with a 5 year life.