Car that is, not your country residence.
Not in litres as the manufacturers quote, but feet and inches, metres or yards.
It's not water I want to transport after all. Need the dimensions as got to get something that the girlfriends harp will slide into. Ultimately need to know the width at narrowest poin (between arches?) and length from boot to average height driver
Obviously if it fits a harp, it will easily take bikes 😀
My budget will be £3-4k max. so no point measuring up your new 5 series or Audi as I just won't afford that. I know it will fit in a van, but that is what I'm getting rid of.
Cheers in advance
Don't know in feet and inches, but of the estates I've had, the Astra was a big boxy job, with no awkward sticky outy bits.
ford mondeo and the VW Passat have big boots
Yep, what singletracksurfer said...my old Mondy could take two metres. Much better than most of my ex girlfriends who coould barely manage 12 inches!
Renault Laguna is meant to have one of the biggest boots for its class, with the Mondeo following close behind. I'll try and remember to measure our Mondeo estate tomorrow.
Estates will be much better than hatches as the boot opening is wider and doesn't have a lip.
Used to have an original model Focus (02 plate) - very little intrusion into the boot space. Don't have it any more so can't measure it. You could get a standard sized bath into it though (don't ask!) with not much room to spare if that's a guide. I'll measure the bath if you want!
Current model Passat is bigger overall but has more wheelarches so a narrower "pinch" - will probably over budget but will measure it up if you want. The previous Passat has a better shape boot and might be in your budget.
My Octavia is quite small for an estate (narrow as Golf floor pan and shallow as 4-wheel drive) so I'd avoid it. Passat is OK, but not massive.
Volvo!!!!
Citroen C5s are bluddy huge!
To be honest, most stuff fails on the arches, the too small list includes 307, berlingo too short, octavia, can't remember what else we've measured so far
An astra is reputedly the smallest estate it will fit in, but if I can find something more exciting - lovely.
Had an old mondeo and was a quality barge.
42" x 72" would be ideal, but can be a little smaller with wiggling.
a friends c5 really put me off unfortunately
Conor - it does keep heading back to a Volvo, it's probably the inevitable
Perhaps [i]the[/i] dream CFH question...
Just measured mine - Mk3 Mondeo Estate.
44.5" between arches (maybe 45" just), 80" long.
Plus as I've mentioned before on here, 4 bikes fit in the boot with the rear seats up if you take wheels and pedals off and straps the mechs to the chainstays 🙂
Cheers spooky, that was one I'm after but not been to measure up yet, shall put it on the list of goers
GF just said the previous astra was too small
Saab 9-5 Estate? They go down in value quite quick so they make good bargains. I really like mine and it is huge in the back.
We have had most of the estates, no doubt C5 huge but prob bet avoided, next are the Mercs, your money could buy a good one and they can be OK to run - we have had one good and one not so good, next biggest is Pug 406 nearly huge, very cheap HDI engines good, worth a look if you can put up with the image etc.. Volvo pretty big (only the realy old ones are really big) but still too expensive to run. Mazda 5 not bad alround, Mondeo big-ish good value, can be a hoot to drive best of this list for driving. We have owned or borrowed from work all of the above. Now with a Passat Ok for size, smallest in this list but great build and pretty cheap to run, and a Citroen Xantia yep an old heap which is 3rd largest here keeps going on and on (and cheaply), carrying bikes and kayaks every weekend and dogs all week. So if it was me a Ford or VW..... good luck
Oh, this is about cars, not one's country property. I see.
If you really want it big, seek ye a good quality, low mileage Volvo V90. Rarer than rocking horse sh1t, but superb cars.
Just measured our laguna2 estate and the boot is 42 at it narrowist (which is the boot opening) and 69 ish to the back of the seats but that was a bit harder to tell as it is a pain to drop them with the child seats in as you have to take them out.
Laguna's have sloping back windows which limit their capacity though.
I'm not going out to measure it, it's too cold, but my Mondeo boot is huuuuge. Swallowed 3 full suss bikes, plus kit, plus tools, and bike stand down to Morzine a couple of years back.
A Volvo 940 will be the biggest you will get, mondeo close second. I've fitted 4 bikes, 3 people and kit for a season in mine.
Slight tangent, but harps are amazing!
😀
Your girlfriend plays a harp, is she an angel?
Old volvo or Mondeo...
I've recently done a lot of looking at estates...
Old shape Passats are huge (better than the Focus), as are Mondeos. The new one's aren't so good. I didn't want a car that big though.
My new shape Focus is plenty big enough for a 'smaller estate'. Bikes in with wheels on easy. It's 11 at night and it's snowing though, so I ain't measuring it.
I very nearly got a Megane Estate. They have by far and away the biggest boot of the Focus/Megane/Gold size estates.
Octavias - nice cars, but small boots with a sill on the lip and a massive step when the seats are folded down. No thanks.
A herse
My octavia doesn't have a sill on the lip?
I have a similar problem - 7piece drum kit, two bags of stands & a bag of cymbals.
oh and at least 2 guitar players - with amps & guitars - that can't drive
my current BMW 3series tourer is just not big enough
My mistake, I meant the Megane has the biggest boot in class, not Laguna 🙂
most of my ex girlfriends who coould barely manage 12 inches
HUh! Huh!
[i]Much better than most of my ex girlfriends who coould barely manage 12 inches![/i]
Post of the day.
I've got a new Passat and with the seats down it is huge, that said it can be a little tight around the opening for the boot, before that I used to have a Sharan and when the seats are either folded or taken out it was ****ing massive but then you are in people carrier territory.
Coupes rather than estates but :
Mercedes CL - Have to strip the bike down to get it in the boot. Anything with long forks won't fit.
Intergra R - You can pile 2-3 bikes in easily with the seats down and still have two people up front.
I've got a W reg Volvo V70 2.4T , paid about £3500 for it and can put my Epic in sideways, wheels off and seat post still up without putting the seats down. I reckon i can get another 2 bikes on top of that too.
I've managed to get a 50" TV in flat with the seats down and a 42" TV in upright. It'll swallow a harp no problem.
If you get a late model 850 or early model V70 they have a slightly bigger tailgate.
Old style E-Class Merc, this shape:
[img] 
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Father in law has one, e-****in-normous boot. You'd get a high mileage one for the money you've got, but they'll run and run.
Pic of my Country Estate:
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Oh, you mean? Sorry. My bad!
MTFU and buy a Transit?
citroen xm, is the biggest of big estates
it is absolutely massive, my brother has one and it gobbles up everything
they are cheap aswell, fuel consumption isn't the best, adequate for an estate though,
[img] 
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Cheers for the posts, will centre on the Mondeos and Volvos I think, not a fan of French cars. Was after the smallest estate that would take the harp as I'm fed up of barge driving.
Like the Mercs too, used to run the saloon as a staff car in last job, 5 up, loaded, going uphill and on the limiter in a diesel!
Olly - I already have a van, but want to go FASTER, that and the extra seats would be useful, no point being able to carry 30 bikes if you can only get 3 people in the cab
and for Rich:
[img] 
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one like this
Another vote for the Mondeo Estate Mk3. I previously had the older mondeo and definately wanted a change, but reading up on the reports the MK3 got top marks for everything but 2nd hand value. So, hey ho, I got another. It's been faultless. It's a cheap car to maintain aswell, spares are not silly money.
I've used a Citroen XM estate as a bike transporter for the last two years. Paid £600 for it. Driven to the south of France twice in it. Done 40k in two years. Best car I've had.
Bought a C5 hdi estate from here a couple of weeks ago and loving it.
I'd say a pokey mondeo. The boots are freaking huge on the estates, you can get them with nice gutsy engines and if you can stretch to a newer one, they come with an amazing amount of toys.
Volvo V70's have a huge boot. Also check out the new styls vectras. 🙂
The space in the back of my Alfa Sportwagon estate is smaller than a previously owned Mondeo saloon boot...
My niece used to play the harp and her parents needed a Volvo to move it around! They tried a number of 'smaller' cars but it would not get in.
One of my students is a harpist. She says that when Harpists have their gatherings, they all arrive in Volvos.
What about an older Audi A6? Look pretty massive to me!
[img] http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=829805977 [/img][url= http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/AUDI+A6/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-19-42-55-240-4294966848-4294966997/advert.action?R=200838319306137&distance=44&postcode=TN1+2LU&channel=CARS&make=AUDI&model=A6&min_pr=&max_pr=5000&max_mileage=80000&vehicleYearOfManufacture=1999&vehicleRegLetter=V ]click[/url]
I can recommend a B5.5 (2001-2005) Passat Estate after having 2. Basically the A6 chassis, but more for your money. Should be big enough and the arches don't take up much of the boot. No lip either. I comfortably slept in it!
For that money you might pick up a V6 TDI Sport model full of leather and toys...alternatively there should be loads of nippy 1.8T petrol versions in that price range. Or go for the 2.8 4motion/syncro if you want some real fun!
adding A6 to list and a fast Passat
anyone got measurements to prove them capable?
This is harder than I thought, at least bikes just fit. The GF has ruled out any dismantling or hinges.
Just meaured my A4 Avant, 40" width 80" length.
Black 2002 52 plate TDI going for 4k if anyone is intereted. email me for more details.
Timber, I reckon you're best off calling the manufacturers (or a decent dealers?) direct for those dimensions - they aren't easy to find online at least!
old Audi ('01) A6 Quattro sport 2.5 tdi estate me,big as **** boot,goes round corners like a really good at going round corners fast thing.180 bhp, mid range grunt is just silly.Makes me smile.
That money will buy you a nice Volvo V70 with the superb D5 engine (35mpg).