I have to get a new car this January as my lease runs out at work and the scheme has now ended, so have to buy one again. Needs to be an estate with plenty of room. New would be great but year old is more likely. Currently have an Octavia vRS and fancy a change. What do you recommend?

Volvo 940 for class, Subaru Legacy for performance, Passat for STW approval, Octavia for a "I'm so unbothered by logos" sticker.
I drive an old Pug 406 and if/when I change it it'll be another Pug with an oil burner (or whatever I can comfortably afford then).

Octavia VRS estate. Or 4×4 turbo like mine.

Having had one for a business trip earliser this year, I'd have no problems with a mondeo, but then I'm not the kind of chap who cares about cars saying something about me. For me, a car is a tool, no sense spending more than I need to get a more "exclusive" tool if a cheaper or more common one is the best one for the job

Have the vRS now, and want to change. Don't fancy shelling out for tyres out of my pocket. Rear cabin is cramped too for the kids.

Mundano if buying 3+ yrs old, bit heavy depreciation at first.
V70 or Accord probably best if buying newer.
159 Sportwagon too small?

no idea what it's like but I bet there's some great deals second hand – citroens usually have mahoosive depreciation in first 12 months

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201025361632311/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-from/8000/price-to/15000/body-type/estate/model/c5/make/citroen/postcode/m113ba/page/1/radius/100?logcode=p

Totally agree with nbt regards a car being a tool, I have a C5 which is huge and chucks back 46 mpg

159 Sportwagon too small?

My Camelbak has more storage space!

skoda superb?

As much as I like my Octavia and the wife's Fabia, the Superb is bloody ugly and you have to like the looks of a car. Shame as it's a great car/ spec etc. C5 tourer looks good, not a Mondeo fan but worth a view I guess. V70 is also on the list but much higher priced.

Beemer 330d?

BMW? expensive to buy, not much bigger than Alfa sportwagon, expensive to insure. Surprisingly not expensive to run otherwise

And other drivers still don't let you out

for space & not too dear, try a mk2 Vectra. Huge inside & a couple of years since they were replaced so should be cheap. Not as pretty as an Alfa though

have a scan at the mazda 6 estate.

way underappreciated.

Would say Mondeo, but I have heard the TDCi has 'issues'.
Don't think you'd go wrong with the Passat.

VW Passat Estate

All the good bits of the Skoda, but more room, more refined and better looking too.

I've recently bought a 1 year old Passat TDi in excellent condition and it's gonna get me through for many miles yet, the new ones are really very nice cars. I do like the Octavia vRS a lot (even despite the ugly face), but when you can get the same engines and a lot more space/refinement and better residuals in a Passat instead… Well… That's what I'd get anyway.

Unless of course you want to spend a load more and get a BMW 3 Series touring (though it's not a big Estate, they're amazing to drive)…

Had a 3 series beemer………crap…….stupid run flat tyres with as much give as alu frame with no suspension(a blow out in france with no spare wheel is not great…cost £1k to get home) any way I have a white skoda supurbe estate and its great, comfy, fast (2.0tdi) will cruise at 80 and 50mpg, has proper tyres (£50 for a spare though), can get 2 bikes and all the wheels in the boot with the seats up. Best of all on the lease its much cheaper than Mondeo/C5/Vrs etc as these hold their value much better. For the same lease price I was looking at a Focus……ugly or not I know what i would prefer to be driving. Oh and no one will knick it!

Over the past few years I've had a Peugeot 405 estate (old), Nissan Primera estate (horrid), Mazda 6 hatch (superb, but slightly uncomfy on long drives), Passat saloon (best & biggest car I've ever owned – err…. had as a company car), Beemer 3 series saloon (ok, but bland – it was a very tame model though), Audi A4 saloon (see beemer).

Get a Passat – 170bhp diesel Sport if you can afford.

(currently have a 4×4 pick-up Ford Ranger, which I love btw)

for a company car i have a BMW tourer, guy who works with me has the Superb Estate. His is bigger, more practical and more toys. Mine is more economical, nicer drive,etc, but if it was my own money………

Octavia Estate without doubt

Passenger version of florists' van? (Berlingo etc).

Have a go in a Touran 140hp 😆
As good as Passats are I like the Touran better

Mazda 6 Diesel with the 185bhp engine. Might be rare second hand but the 'new model' is now 16 months old

SMax I reckon.

I've just got a Golf Estate as my company car… Went down a couple if grades and have saved loads in doing so..
Spot on, with plenty of room for everything.

Oh, and it's £0 for road fund license, so it means I pay buttons a month for it…

About £80 a month at 40%

Got to remember the Octavia is just based on the Golf floor plan so it is smaller.

The Superb is based on an elongated Passatt floor plan.

So when you look at going from an Octavia to say a Mondeo/406/Passatt/C5 you are essentially going up at least one car size

Seat Exeo ST. Very nice car, same basically as Audi A4.

Otherwise, can't beat mondeo for overall quality, drive, space. Just don't buy new!

Having said that don't buy any car new, your just throwing money away.

I thought my Legacy estate must be the longest. Then a few weeks ago in Sainsburys a C5 estate parked alongside… 😯

Mazda 6 is a great car and undervalued. I seem to remember that Top Gear recomended them at some point too in that segment.

Avensis also seems like a good option

get an avensis if you're 60+ and a bit boring. Not driven the new one but forgot to add the old one to my list. Awful , awful car.

If not the Aston, I'd go for the Mondeo, the one I had was perfect, no breakdowns, 45,000+ miles per year and always felt fresh at the end of the day. 2-300 mile drive and no aches or pains, got to count for something.

Pug 407 Est 2.7HDi

I've no real interest in flash cars. Just need something to stick the bikes in. Bought a C5 estate very cheaply off here a couple of years back. Getting on for 30k later, its still going strong.

Suspension is sooo comfy compared to Passat Tdi sport.

Smax is fine if you don't mind dismantling your bikes to get them in the car…it's not a great biking vehicle unless you stick the bikes outside (in which case it is superb) – the problem are the fold flat seats – once folded you loose about 4" of height in the car so unless you ride a BMX you need to remove saddle and wheels to get the bike in.

My wife owns one and it's a great car for everything but biking duties (unless bikes outside vehicle). Certainly plenty of space (but it would do it's a Mondeo sized vehicle).

Mate has a Mazda 6 and it's real nice…I'd have a proper look at one of those if it was my choice.

Another mate is selling his 330d touring – 190bhp and it's a real nice car…but I think I'd have the Mazda over a BM-troubleyou

Seat Exeo ST. Very nice car, same basically as Audi A4

It's the last A4 rather than the current one, with some very minor external changes and the A4 cabriolet dashboard. Smart buy all the same, however not particularly big/practical as an estate, or to carry passengers in the rear seat.

Bought a C5 estate very cheaply off here a couple of years back. Getting on for 30k later, its still going strong.

Glad to hear it's still going well 😀

I have a Volvo and my next car shall be a Volvo.

I'm on my 2nd old merc estate. Not very quick off the mark, but happy cruising at 85. Very quiet, comfortable, strong, safe, reliable, enormous load space, and the two extra seats hidden in the boot floor come in very handy now and again. Also quite cheap to buy and run, with parts being readily available. Best one to go for would be the 3 litre multivalve diesel (40mpg), don't worry about big mileages but look for merc service history. They also don't really depreciate much anymore !

Don't know anything much about cars myself, but my dad has a ford mondeo estate. We just got back from france, where we fitted 4 bikes and gear in with room to spare. Nice and quiet on the motorway, very comfy, tons of room up front, and I think we got about 50mpg.

And I think he got it second hand, where it had been an underused company car for a year. It only had a few thousand miles on it, still pretty much perfect. Not quite sure how much it cost him (~£11,000?).

+1 for the Subaru Legacy. If we have another winter like last, you will be fine and can laugh, as you drive by, at all the inferior cars on the road, sliding around/stuck in the snow. It has the best 4wd system of any car I have driven(read 'will go anywhere' trust me). Loads of space. Also can get a 2.5l twin turbo version if you want some fun

My V50 was brilliant, well worth a test drive. The D5 is pretty fun to drive and quite frugal, I had the T5 which was remarkably quick but cost me lots in petrol.