Really struggling to find a cheap (£3-4k ish) second hand deisel estate that I like the look of. Mrs Squad doesn’t like the look of Skoda’s and I’m not that keen on Mondeos.
I’m now looking at basically anything that might fit the bill. Have looked at Saab (know nothing about them), BMW 3 series touring, and now Volvo V50’s.
Currently driving a van so anything will feel better than that I suppose? Anyone have any views on any of the above?

i think they’re bloody great, but then i like volvos.

(i’d rather have a V50 than an A4)

If it matters, Volvos aren’t as nice inside as Audi.

I’ve just converted to V from A and while it’s OK, it’s a bit underwhelming.

This might help as I have had V50 and two 3 series estates.

V50 on a 60 plate. Drive model with the underpowered but very economical 1.6 d engine. Very good build quality but not the biggest estate. Averaged around 50mpg or high 50’s on a run. However fully laden on a family holiday with 4 bikes on the roof it was below 40mpg.

320d Es on a 53 plate. Great fun to drive, quick and averaged 46mpg at its worse. Once got 62mpg on a run to Scotland.

My current car is a 318d Exckusive estate on a 11 plate. 45mpg around town and 62 on a run. £30 road tax too!

My opinion is that the 3 series are bigger than the Volvo and hold their value better but we’re dearer when new anyway. Both are good cars and I would happily drive either but the BMW is my favourite.

Had a v50 drive as well, the boot size is really disappointing, try a Peugeot 308 sw for more room and diesel

Volvos suck. It’s like giving up on life. They are so boring to drive.

This will see you right:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Romeo-156-Sportwagon-1-9JTD-140-Veloce-/261604220467?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3ce8d39e33

I looked at the V50 years ago but like others have said, the load space is underwhelming and the interior is too Saab-sequel for me. Stuck with my A4.

Started looking at alternatives a year ago as really wanted a change from Audi. Decided on a Passat once I’d found the spec right required (Highline Plus with loads of extras). Enough space but more involving to drive (2.0Tdi auto) as the 18s give more feedback than the standard 16s. The tyres have phenomenal grip too, even in the wet, so it feels proper safe a a family wagon. I reckon your budget will get you a good example and quite probably offer more car for your money vs Audi/BMW/Volvo.

Got an 05 320d touring here.
Great car. Really is 114000 and still feels very solid. Nice to drive as well.
By all accounts the Volvo is well put together, smaller engines are a big gutless and it’s not “fun” to drive. However I think you’ll get a much newer, lower mIlage Volvo for the budget.
I had a very quick look at bm’s the other day and you’ll be looking at 150000+ for 3-4k money.

A bloke down the road from me selling his V50 for £1500..

Used to have a 2.0d V50, not a lot better than a van around corners, but nice to travel a long way in and I quite liked some of the design. Bugger to work on it you are planning on that, tight engine bay with the oil filter buried behind the fuel filter. Not massively big either, but at least it is a square back. Economy was disappointing coming from a Mk3 Mondeo, never expected the V50 to be anywhere near as large though. Only experience of A4 is an older one owned by an ex girlfriend parents, pretty small inside everywhere, not been in one of the newer ones though, pretty big cars to overtake.
BMW is the one I didn’t have but wanted, seems to tick the boxes of economy and well built.
Didn’t need a diesel anymore with wife getting a company car, so replaced it with a cheap petrol turbo octavia that can be tinkered with later as well as releasing a couple of grand back for a new bike 🙂

How about a legacy?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-Legacy-2-0-RE-4X4-FULL-SERVICE-HISTORY-/231379363780?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35df48e7c4

Does it matter what it looks like, given that you’ll be in it, and therefore can’t really see it most of the time?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410138167127/sort/pricedesc/fuel-type/diesel/page/1/usedcars/postcode/kt89lg/radius/1500/make/honda/body-type/estate/model/accord/price-to/4500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew?logcode=p

This. If your clinging to the idea of a performance estate then not that but if you want comfort, reliability and all the toys get one.

I’ve had a 95 Aero, V50T5R and now have an accord and the Accord is a cracking SH buy, is massive inside and the boot is huge ideal for dogs, boards etc etc.

I wouldnt buy any of em in diesel flavour at 3-4k if i was looking to get any sort of meaninful life out of them. Id buy petrol.

Bottom of the market for diesel cars with those badges on.

Mid market in fords and frenchies cars though – just avoid all the fancy electrics – c5 or is it c6 tourer – cheaper than a poke of chips id still be inclined to buy a petrol though.

And as much as folk will come on and slate both for electrical issues – my vw was a pile of shite too.

I used to have an old shape Honda Civic which was slow but ultra comfortable and reliable. Not overly keen on the newer shape ones but will definitely go and have a look at one and see if my mind changes a bit?
Had shed loads of trouble with Frenchie cars in the past so not going that route. BMW is something I might need to look into a bit more, and not even considered a Subaru Legacy. God I miss my WRX Sportwagon.

New shape Passat 140 Tdi
Smart , well built and plenty around so prices low and choice high. Plus you dont pay for the Audi badge.

I had a van and nowI have a V50 and love it, 2.0d se and build quality is excellent and the SE has great standard kit, heated leather seats , climate,built in dog guard and very good audio, in fact there is nothing I dont like about it.I dont think you can beat it for comfort and all the seats fold down in a jiffy.
Its ok on fuel get about 50mpg on a run but im not to bothered about that as I do less than 10000 mile a year.
I was going to buy a 320d but I preferred the interior on the volvo and got a lot lower milage for the same money so that swung it would have bought a bmw if the right one had come up.

Dont miss the van at all

Had a V50 on a 57 plate for four years. It’s the 1.6D engine before they badged it drivE. Bought it on 70k miles and now coming up to 145k. Only issue has been the DPF filter needed replacing (£600) but otherwise, faultless. Did 50mpg when I bought it and still doing the same. I like the interior, especially the extra wide door panels. Feels more solid than most cars in its class.

I can’t pretend my accord is not gopping to look at but it’s such an easy car to live with and you’re getting a car with better than German build quality for Ford money.

joolsburger – Member

I can’t pretend my accord is not gopping to look at but it’s such an easy car to live with and you’re getting a car with better than German build quality for Ford money.

A friend of mine has a 2.0 petrol accord, fairly high spec and it’s lovely, I like how looks. Full leather interior, lots of toys.

Bregante

How about a legacy?

MK4 Legacys are lovely cars. Great looking imo, very nice to drive and absolutely cavernous boot space. One of the biggest estate cars out there in terms of load space. However, you might as well buy the 3.0 because the 2.0 is totally gutless. Zero torque, and peak power is way up in the rev range so to get it to go anywhere you’re thrashing the nuts off it, when you combine that with permanent all wheel drive you have a car that really drinks fuel..

Mark 7 Honda according estate

Loved mine remap and get 190bhp or if it might not have a clutch left though

Tempted by the Accord estate, but my God, it’s ugly.

I am told the Civic boot is huge for what seems a modestly sized hatch. Is it true?

Owned a Accord diesel estate…… so bland , I sold it
Owned an Audi estate……..nice solid car, fortune to fix, which was often.
Owned a V50. Nice car. 2ltr diesel was reasonable. Cheap bits, as from Fords parts bin.
Now own an XC60, as got a dog and needed a bit more space than the V50 had. Do miss the Audi and V50.

This thread is convincing me to keep the paid for Kuga I’m about to inherit…

A car without finance is a great thing 🙂

It’s a massive argument for not buying a new car which is hard to see last tbh. All those shiny new things twinkling at you but then the monthly bill comes into view…l

I’d vote for the op on a 3 series btw. So much more of a pleasant experience when getting to places, and the boot size being not as big as the class leaders is only an issue of you can’t get your bike – or whatever you want to put in it – inside.

I don’t get the whole the 3 series thing. I think they are OK but not this amazing, über built experience that I keep reading about. My mate had one of the newer diesels and yes it looked nice and I really wanted to like it (as I was considering a car swap), but I was underwhelmed after being in it. Overpriced and overrated IMHO.

OK will a cello in a hard case fit in a 320 tourer with the back seats up? It only just fits in a Passat estate.

I used to get my 9ft surfboard inside my civic if I folded the passenger seat down. So much nicer (and less nickable) than on the roof. Didn’t fit inside the Subaru, but funnily enough you didn’t really notice the extra drag.
Mrs Squad seems very set on an Audi but I’m really starting to look at others now.
The boot doesn’t need to be cavernous, but it’d be nice to fit my bike in there without removing anything.

+1 for the legacy, the best estate car ever.

These are cheap, mostly ford bits (it’s a mondeo), decent reviews on Honest John and they look alright.

Started looking at alternatives a year ago as really wanted a change from Audi. Decided on a Passat

Living it large!

+1 for mk4 legacy estate, great car to drive, takes a susser or 29er ht with the wheels on no problem (seats down)
Avoid the 2.0 though . . .

Loved my accord tourer. For 3-4k don’t see how you can do better. Mine had silver roof rails which helped to not make it look so long and I put old model Type R Civic alloys on, I liked how it looked

I bought a 95k 320d for 2400 (02 plate), had it remapped, now does 55 on a long run 40-45 knocking about and pulls like a train (well, only 180bhp but enough to overtake on a/b roads).

An audi for this price means either getting a BLB coded newer shape 2.0 (b7) (i.e. your fuel pump is going to fall apart and kill you) or generally, a very high mileage B6 1.9. The BMW’s were almost, when I looked, always cheaper for the same mileage and age.

Also don’t be put off by the idea of “parts costs”, as so many of these are around being broken that eBay is literally a gold mine for parts.

The volvo’s are a lot heavier, smaller inside and less fun to drive and be in, but cheaper still. Mondeos hold their price and are ugly. Passats are fine, but unpleasant to be inside and look like a hearse (and drive like one too – we have a 1.9 passat in the same garage)

If I had to go back and do it again I’d be very tempted by an alfa sportwagon, OR an e39 530d, or an e46 330d m-sport for a little more.

If you go bmw, just make sure you have the swirl flaps and the oil breather done and check the injectors, suspension and arches for rust. The rest is bombproof.

Thanks everyone.
Nice to get some real world reviews.
Will spend my entire Christmas having a good look around I expect?
Definitely some food for thought.

Do you need a diesel? Do a excel spreadsheet and add on ‘possible 1k extra’ next to the diesel. Most traders noe only offer 3mnths comeback.

A good friend of mine had a V50 Auto, he and his wife really loved the car but as they where not car people at all I think that says something. Functional but dull is the V50, the XC 60/70 models are more interesting but much more expensive. As posted above I don’t see Volvo as a diesel manufacturer, perhaps just prejudice but most people seem to buy petrol Volvo cars. I am a loyal VW/Audi owner, I like the styling, technology and reliability and aside from the XC models would favour those over an V50 (which in my mind doesn’t have much more luggage space than a Golf.

After a 20 year diet of VW/Audi V6’s, the Volvo D5 is not a bad engine. It’s not as smooth as a 6 but makes 215bhp and goes really well. MPG’s are similar between the two types at low 40’s on a mainly 75mph run.

Not sure why Volvo would be discounted as decent diesel engine maker?

Not sure why Volvo would be discounted as decent diesel engine maker?

Just my prejudice I suppose, all the people I know with them have petrol engines.

Volvo make very good diesel engines for boats and trucks but that’s a separate company