Time to get a new car, I currently have a 2007 Citroen C5 but as it has 90.000 miles I want to change. Was thinking about going for the newer C5 as I have been happy with the old one but is there anything else to consider will also look at Passat. Ideally no more than 2 and half years old less than 30.000 miles and do not want a people carrier. needs to have a low entry to boot as I have a lab, with a budget of 12 -15000. the lower the better.
Cheers Mark

I bought an alfa 159sw from a main dealer was less than 2 years old, had less than 15k on the clock, still under your budget

most impractical estate you can by > practical than a non estate.
and then youll own an alfa!

Octavia vRS estate? The boot looked to be quite low last time I saw one. Maybe a Passat?

Mercedes?

I think the alfa has a high shelf into the boot (will nobody think of the lab) Octavia estate could be a shout ( though I have an orange 5 would that make me more of a STWer)

DP

If you put a Lab in the boot of a 159sw the RSPCA are going to hunt you down for animal cruelty!

Passat estate sounds like the way to go

Can’t go far wrong with a passat estate IME. Had two of them previously and only sold as I needed something with at least 6 seats.

Volvo v50 or s50 can’t remember, skoda vrs, c class merc, Mazda 6 estate, Saab 9-3.
Currently looking at all these shit cars to replace my impreza. I hate getting old, I hate children, I hate camping, I hate 4 26″ bikes, in fact I now hate everything including the fact I can’t afford an rs4!!

subaru forester?

in fact I now hate everything including the fact I can’t afford an rs4!!

Likewise. Actually, I hate it more that I can’t afford an RS6.

Not sure of the current Passat, but the ones I looked at all had unneccesarily high boot entry, and surprisingly small boots because of all the encroaching parts. Seems to be a VAG trait, only the monsters have proper boots.

Mondeo, obviously, or Focus. I know they’re not cool but they’re good. You could park an Octavia in the boot of my Mondeo Proper flat tailgate (all estates with a raised tail are rubbish). Your budget should get you good spec and engine.

I had this dilema whilst looking for my current car.

I really liked the look of the alfa 159 but the boot was smaller than the one on the vectra I was replacing.

current mondeo is nice but its a BIG car, way bigger than anything else I looked at.

Octavia looks dated and doesnt have much leg room in the back.

I would avoid the insignia as its a pile of crap.

I even looked at a 5 series bmw but they cost to much money for a good one.

Eventually after a good test drive I settled on this …….

Its a Mazda 6 2.2 diesel sport model.

Had it just under a year now and it cost me £13500 from a dealer, one owner car with full history.

boot is big(not as big as mondeo) but big enough for us.

It also comes with roof rails as standard which I dont think the mondeo does.

cheers

Steve

EDIT… I also have a springer and he has no probs at all jumping in and out.

It has a flat load bay and the way the rear seats fold down is amazing.

Also has a dog guard /net thing built in.

EDIT AGAIN …

looked at the passat too but it was the most boring car I have ever driven… looks nice though.

If you can find one with right mileage & condition, I think the Passat is a good bet (was chatting to someone on monday who has a Passat that’s done over 300k miles, and the car really doesn’t look like it’s done that mileage).

The Octavia’s are a very good alternative (& the 170bhp diesel goes like stink), but might be worth bearing in mind that there’s still a bit of a boot lip, as the boot floor is recessed a bit – back seats also don’t fold completely flat if that’s gonna be an issue for you.

A bit of a left field alternative might be the Seat Altea XL. Might be a little too people carrier-ish for you, but if you’re passing a Seat dealer it might be worth a quick look. The Altea are sort of part way between a normal estate and people carrier, and the styling on them is quite sporty (…relatively speaking!). We hired an ‘XL’ version for a fortnight whilst biking in Italy and it was very good (pretty much a VW with a different badge – it took two big 29er bikes in the back with no problem – didn’t have to remove front wheels or anything like that.

p.s. Oh, just seen the Mazda 6 post – yeah, good suggestion. Had one as a loan car whilst MX5 was being fixed, and was very impressed (almost tempted to dob the ‘5’ in for one 😉 )

wrightyson – Member
Volvo v50 or s50 can’t remember, skoda vrs, c class merc, Mazda 6 estate, Saab 9-3.
Currently looking at all these shit cars to replace my impreza. I hate getting old, I hate children, I hate camping, I hate 4 26″ bikes, in fact I now hate everything including the fact I can’t afford an rs4!!

Just done the exact came swap – ended up with an Octavia estate 2.0 diesel, not the vRS though. Hardly the last word in speed or handling compared to the Scoob, obviously, but saving vast amounts of cash every month will more than make up for that 😀

I’ve currently got a Golf Estate, but that goes back in March, I’ve gone for a Volvo V40 this time.

That Mazda 6 above is 180bhp and goes like stink when I havent got the family in the car too!!

Audi?

Recently gone to a Peugeot partner teepee – went looking for the biggest, most economical car I could find for mainly round town stuff.

It replaced a V70, and that replaced an Avensis estate.

I am impressed with the partner – worth a look I think!

Cheers for replies, I am quite tempted at the look of the Audis but do not fancy anything rwd (merc beemer). Mondeo and Focus as well as VAG stuff looks like worth viewing. Not looking for anything particularly fast 100/120 bhp is enough (rather keep the cash than buy a car I could not use to its full potential and pay a fortune to boot)

On that note- worth mentioning that the big diesels aren’t necessarily expensive- I went for a 2.2 Mondeo over a 2.0, and it added a small premium to buy, and is IIRC one tax band higher, but isn’t any more expensive to run (can be more fuel efficient in fact, but unfortunately I drive like a goon so mine isn’t). Not all about the speed/acceleration, it makes for a really lovely trundling-about engine, very biddable.

Seat Exeo? The old A4 but with newer engine, could get a very low mileage one for your budget. Maybe a bit small for you as defo at the smaller end of the mondeo, passat size.

I had an accord tourer demonstrater a while back and really liked it. Boot not huge though. Mazda 6 is good shout too

Depending on what your driving involves, bear in mind the Mazda6’s tendency toward massive DPF failures if not used on the motorway a lot.

Agree with the Mazda6, ive got the sport saloon and my 29er fits in the back of that with the seats down. Theres a 2ltr TS diesel version too if the 2.2 is a bit much?

That was the older 2.0 Mazda engine with dpf failures

The new 2.2 is a new design and loads better.

My 2.2 is cheaper on tax than my old 1.9 vectra

Chrysler? 😉

What is dpf failure?

Diesel Particular Filter Failure.

I had mine removed, as it caused nothing but issues.

Not an estate as such but lings cars got some good deals on S-Maxs

BMW or renault and Peugeot
But Peugeot make one of the best Diesel engines

Wife has an s-max, coming up to a year old now and I hate it. Loads of luggage space or seven seats, but not as big as a galaxy and doesn’t drive like a car. Neither one thing or the other.

Had a Mazda 6 estate – top motor, but a little dull. Also had an Insignia which was just as good despite others’ comments. Probably the best two “non-premium” estates.

Saab?

I can’t believe you call the Mazda 6 dull??

Every test or review comments on the sharp handling and ride!!

The insignia has been overtaken now by other brands and has slowly been slipping down the ratings for a while now.

Also with the insignia the load lip to the actual boot is massive and with a dog jumping in and out all the time it will get scratched easily.

Op you can get the Mazda 6 estate with a lower power version of the 2.2 engine in either 163 or 129 bhp models look at the ts2 as it isthe model below the sport and comes fully loaded to.

Cheers

Steve

Erm – it’s not diesel but how about a Skoda Fabia VRS estate?

180bhp, DSG and a bigger boot than a 3 series touring? You could get a new one right now for £15k….

Skill probably cost you no more in girl than many of the cars mentioned above, too

Rachel

Left field – X-Type?

FWD on the 2.0/2.2d

If you go for a Passat B6, check the rear tyres for the characteristic sawtooth wear on the insides of the treads that comes at around 40,000 miles. It’s caused by incorrect alignment of the rear wheels, which run slightly on their inside edges.

I had a battle with VW over this and in the end they offered a free alignment. Dunno if it worked because the car got passed on soon afterwards.

I bought a 6 month old mondeo 140 tdci (hatch) with 8k on it for £13k last year. If you’re not hung up on image then you should be able to pick up something pretty new with your budget.

Mazda 6 is nice. Seemed to carry an unreasonable price premium over its blue-ovalled competitors though. The good spec ones seemed scarce too- lots of TSs with the low power engine.

current mondeo is nice but its a BIG car, way bigger than anything else I looked at.

Would the Mondeo hatch tick your boxes? The boot really is cavernous. (I’ve just got rid of one, but can’t fault it. Great motor.)