I am looking to change my car in the near future. Now we have a little one and STUFF!! i am looking at an estate. My preference is something German, just had a drive in an Audi A6 today and both my good lady and me liked it i have to say. I have always liked the look of BMW Tourers if im honest *ducks*. I have considered other marques but i keep coming back to the above. I currently have a Focus which i have had for 51/2 yrs.

So what i am asking is what are your thoughts and experience of either of the above and/or other recommendations?

Many thanks to those who bother to post

Trussle and his babes

– just off outside to look at the pretty steam engines back in a bit 😀

Why not get another Focus as your current one has served you well for fifty one/two years? Sorry…

…On occasion I’ve borrowed a 335d touring from my girlfriends mum (much bigger than my car) when I’ve needed the space. I liked it, she doesn’t. The boot does seem an odd shape, the loading area would be better suited to being a rectangle. My dad had a Mazda 6 estate which swallowed bikes with ease, didn’t break, had a better BOSE stereo and was much cheaper.

double post

I have just ordered a skoda superb estate, basically an audi with a different badge, so much car for the money and huge, worth a look.

skoda superb estate, basically an audi with a different badge

They’re a VW Passat iirc.

… which is no bad thing, if it is.

3 Series Beemers are quite small – had a saloon as a company car and it felt very small compared to both the Mazda 6 and Passat I had before.

Ihave and audi a4 avant Quattro. Carries 4 bikes and all the family without any trouble. Also able to stick a 5 man tent and everything you could need in the back for a weekends camping no problems.
Great motor. I previously have a Mondeo V6 estate which was cavernous. But next car will be an Audi. Build quality is superb.

Are you buying new or second hand?

… which is no bad thing, if it is.

Exactly. If I was in the market for a large estate car, the Skoda Superb would be the one i’d have. Why pay a premium just for a ‘Volkswagen’ or ‘Audi’ badged car ??

EDIT: They do a Superb 3.6 V6 4×4 with 260bhp….hmm….

I have a 3 series tourer – lovely to drive, quite small inside though. Bikes go on the roof, but it’s a squeeze when we go on hol, with all the junk associated with 2 small boys (5 and 8). It’s a company car and very tax efficient – when it gets replaced in 18 months my current thinking is a 5 series tourer, or if I can’t get that possibly a Freelander or Q5, but they are tax heavy.

I had exactly this same question when I last changed cars….
3 series drives very nice – but surprisingly lacking in space.
5 series drives very nice with good amounts of room. (both BMW’s have intruding wheel arches in the rear).
A6 drives very nice with even more room.
The deciding factor was some of the running costs – primarily, tyres. BMW’s use ‘run-flat’ tyres….very safe and all that – but at least £200 a corner and as I do 25,000 miles a year that seemed a high cost to factor in.
The audi uses normal tyres (branded, budget or part-worns…take you choice).
In the end I went for the audi. Its not quite as firm a ride as a BMW – and lets face it “sporty” can get tiring, it swallows vast amounts of stuff and the interior is an extremely classy place to spend time.
6 years old and its still perfectly silent inside. Incredible build quality.
Plus, people let you out of side roads…

Mondeo, Superb, Mazda6; that’s what I’m thinking about.

I was very surprised by a 1 series I was in recently, I don’t know if the bigger bms are nicer but I wasn’t particularly impressed with the quality of the knobs and switches etc.

If I wanted a big car I’d get another diesel Avensis, vast, solid, trouble free.

Thanks all, I am looking at secondhand, a clients partner is the salesman and without even getting in one of the cars he said he’d be able to knock £1k approx off the price 😀

I had an Audi A4 saloon a few years ago well 8 really and loved it, felt really solid and nice to drive. A6 is really appealing i have to say as its mahoosive and nice inside, also the lad was saying you get a lot more for your money than you will with an A4 estate. We sat in both and i did prefer the size of A6.

I too have been in a friends 1 Series and it felt very cramped for space, i have read reviews on 3 series and it says boot is odd in shape and small, so think 5 series would be better.

Skoda just don’t have many Superb estates about secondhand in my budget from a quick search. I think Skoda’s are incredible value for money but i can’t help but feel that they look dated after 2/3 yrs from new. Although saying that the new Superb does indeed look Superb, very nice and it looks big.

oliverd1981 – Member

If I wanted a big car I’d get another diesel Avensis, vast, solid, trouble free.

I seriously hope you mean the very latest model, because I drove a couple of the slightly earlier models and I’m really struggling to think of a more uninspiring, dull, characterless and totally horrible car.

I seriously hope you mean the very latest model, because I drove a couple of the slightly earlier models and I’m really struggling to think of a more uninspiring, dull, characterless and totally horrible car.

Ah of course i forgot – I’m on auditrackworld… lets be honest you need a mondeo sized car, they’re all focus grouped to death to be dull as dishwater, you can pay the premium for a percieved better brand or go for value, the actual decision is pretty illusory.

I would have liked the 180bhp one though

I’ve had a 2004 320d tourer – lovely car but not big enough inside. Parts were expensive but you expect that with a BMW

When I was looking for a car which eventually became the beemer, I tried a few others.
a) A4 Avant. Really harsh suspension, and I could have had the same car for several thousand less with a Skoda badge, or even with a VW badge.
b) Freelander. Old model. Felt like, sounded like, drove like a van. c) Jag X-type – Saloon was nice but couldn’t find an estate in diesel for testing.
d) Rav-4 – local Toyota dealer could only find a diesel in 3-door shape for a test drive – which I declined as I assumed it would drive totally differently to the 5-door.

Reason for the 4x4s on test was, we live in the hills. OK it’s suburbia, but it’s hilly suburbia

I’ve since had a Saab 9-3 diesel Sportwagon – another lovely car, esp with leather seats, bigger on the inside than the beemer, but REALLY expensive for servicing, especially the cambelt change which was coming due at 72k – £600+. That & the regular service bill (£200+) and the 4 new tyres (at £100 each) it was about to need would have meant a service at 72k of well over £1000. Too rich for my blood.

So I sold it & now I’m driving Mrs_drummer’s Citroen C4. It’s ok but it’s too small for my needs & I think it’s just developed a leak…

I will be getting a new estate car in the next 12 months & I’m thinking Ford – Mondeo estate, Focus estate, S-max or C-max. Cheap as chips to buy, cheap as chips to service, allegedly. And they do seem to be actually quite good these days.

Or maybe a faux-by-four. but I’ll see what this winter’s like before I go down that route, as they’re not exactly frugal, even the diesel ones. needs a diesel for the 20k miles a year I do.

Subaru Outback? i’ve had one for 3 years and it carries plenty of bike stuff and holiday gear. The new shape is pretty ugly but is enormous, i have the previous model which is better looking but slightly smaller.
Outback

Bought my wife a 3 Series Touring when the small child arrived to replace the MX5. V nice to drive and v comfy even with sports suspension. However the boot is tiny and if like us you buy 1 of those massive pram things not much else fits in the boot.

I ended up with a 5 Series Touring and the boot is much bigger and a more useful shape too. Test drove lots and found the Audis to be dull and with poor steering feel. (I drive quite a bit on wee country roads). They did have nice interiors though. Also consider Seat Exeo which is essentially old shape A4 but much cheaper.

Friend has A6 and loves it, been pretty reliable and good in snow (Allroad)

All Audi’s have harsh suspension.
It makes me laugh when I see car snobbery, especially about VAG.
Look at the equivalent car, Audio, skoda, Seat, VW. Really, it’s the same car.

If I was choosing a new car I’d go A6. Absolutely loved the quality of the one I’ve driven. Solid, dependable car. Of course, there’s the servicing charges to deal with but anyone who can afford an A6 can afford those.

go and test drive the new shape galaxy or the smax. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. I settled on the new galaxy 😉

I got taken to the airport in a new Mondeo hatchback which swallowed – three large bags, a pram, three carry on bags with ease. Didn’t even bat an eyelid at all that.

Still in awe of how big the boot was. I imagine you could put a kitchenette in the estate version and camp in it.

when it gets replaced in 18 months my current thinking is a 5 series tourer, or if I can’t get that possibly a Freelander or Q5, but they are tax heavy.

You’ll be lucky… 🙁

I had a 06 plate Audi A6 Avant for 4 years and I would say it was great. Servicing and consumables were rather expensive but I guess that comes with owning an Audi. The main concern I had with the Audi were the electrics. I believe that Audi use a fibre optic loom and if something goes wrong with one item in the car it can effect many other things in the car, also the rear washer pipe runs above the computer that is found in the boot on the passenger side. This pipe perished and split three times on my car and water leaked into the computer. This totally knackered the computer but in all fairness to Audi they paid for a new computer twice and the last time it happened the car was out of warranty but Audi paid for most of the replacement costs.

I’m going to throw the Seat Exeo into the mix too. I know nothing about them, except they’re a cheap VAG estate and they’re not dreadful to look at.

The main cost of owning an A6 is depreciation as with all large ‘exec’ saloons.

If you have full Audi service history, Audi will pay for your MOT. Take this off the variable servicing costs (mine needs a service every 20k or 18 months/2 years) and the running costs pa are not that different from my wifes Focus.

I’d try and get one with chain driven cams as the cam belt change can be quite expensive. I had one of the 2.5v6 models that needed belts at 80k. This is a major pullava on that model and would have cost ~£600. I changed the car for a newer style 2.7v6 which has chain driven cams which obviously negates a lot of potential cost.

Apart from servicing, in 4 years from new, mine has had a window regulator (warranty), tyres and servicing. That’s all. It has lost about £20k in value though 🙁

If you are serious about an A6 look at the lease deals on the outgoing model (the new one is out in September I think).

I have just ordered an A6 SLine Special Edition (2l TDi) on a 2yr lease for less than a basic Mondeo/ Mazda 6/Insignia etc.

I ordered it 4 weeks ago though do not sure if the offer is still around.

volvo and honda not in with more of a shout?

Citroen C5 estate in HDi-cheap large load area and cheap-just so long as you dont want to sell it on-ever! 😀

rkk – you seen much about the new car policy yet ? Me and Pete have been asking, but no info, except cars seems better than current..

We have a ford Kuga as a family car. My “bike” car is a 10yo 3 series 330i saloon.

Seriously think of getting another Kuga for the bike. Not the biggest but very convienient, £42mpg and haldex 4wd for the odd day or two when we need it.

rkk – you seen much about the new car policy yet ? Me and Pete have been asking, but no info, except cars seems better than current..

Yep 😥

Will whizz a copy your way