I have about 4-5k to spend on a new car and would like a diesel estate. Something with a good sized boot space but also nice when it comes to my lengthy commute. Ideally would like an Audi A4 avant or s-line but struggling to find anything for fornthat money less than 90k miles on the clock. Next on the list is VW Passat TDI estate, any one on here got one? Are they anygood? Or any alternative suggestions?

Cheers in advance

I was always led to believe the Mondeo Estate was the one to beat?

I was always led to believe the Mondeo Estate was the one to beat?

Yeah but that’s a Ford!

i bought an accord last year and its not been quite what i hoped reliability wise for a then 4yr old car – Manifold, Calipers, discs and pads, bushings, now alternator or AC compressor gone, maybe unlucky.

Otherwise its economic and massive just expensive to insure.

All the Passats that i looked at for around 6K had been through a lot of owners, you might struggle at that budget so possibly best with a mondeo.

Think the Avensis is the one for reliability if you can handle the looks and/or afford

V50 sport wagons are okay, my missus has a 2.0Djust like this

Passat estate here. Done 80k miles in 3.5 yrs. No problems, long service intervals (20k), comfy, dull. But then I don’t want excitement, I want to get places un-stressed.

Great for piling all sorts of crap into. Bikes on roof if more than 2. Only trouble is I tend to end up the ‘designated driver’ for weekends away with the lads!

Yeah V50 looks nice, bit to much mileage on that particular one but one to bear in mind. As far as Passats go, i have found an 2006 TDI sport £4K (70k miles)only prob is it 2.5 hrs from my house and the recent service history and cam belt change is not documented so no proof of when or if it was done….

I got a 56 plate vectra estate 150 SRI two months ago for just under £4k. Brilliant car so far, a bit thirsty around town but will average 60mpg on the motorway. Overall returning 45-50mpg combined.

Massive boot – I managed to get a desk in the back without folding down the rear seats! with the seats down it holds a huge amount of stuff.

So far really impressed; built in sat nav & car bluetooth. excellent condition and low (75k) mileage. pretty chuffed with my purchase so far.

Something with a good sized boot

that rules out the A4, BMW 3-series Touring and Volvo V50. Trust me, I know a big boot when I try squeezing my drums into one, and these three don’t cut the mustard.

What’s wrong with Ford?
Mondeo, Accord, Vectra have the biggest boots AFAIK.

Or you could go for something like a Citroen Berlingo if boot space is paramount. It is basically a van with windows & seats, so not blessed with kerb presence

From what ive seen Mondeos look mahoosive but they all have mega mileage.

Golf estate…quietly understated, love ours.

Second Golf estate, have a mk3 tdi. Later ones look smaller esp mk5 & 6. Drove my dad’s 55 plate passat estate and it felt wallowy in comparison. Can get 3 people and 3 bikes in the mk3 but will be checking what I can get in a later one before I buy one.

Golf looks nice. Would like to check one out.

Passat on the Classifieds at the mo. (Not mine, or anyone I know).

john_drummer – Member
Something with a good sized boot
that rules out the A4, BMW 3-series Touring and Volvo V50. Trust me, I know a big boot when I try

Exactly this, I’ve got a V50 and the boot’s not as big as you’d think.

Mondeo is superb as a biker’s car- loadbay is collosal, wide long and reasonably tall. And they’re pretty well bolted together too. And good value- £5K should get you a very nice one.

They also drive surprisingly well, considering they’re massive. Mine is a ’55 plate with 100K on the clock, so it’s a wee bit baggy but still good fun in twisty roads etc, but the only word I can use to describe its motorway cruising is imperious :mrgreen:. That’s the 2.2 TDCI but the 2.0s are still good.

(on that subject- the 2.2 is a bit scarcer but there’s really very little drawback to it. Tax is slightly higher but my insurance quote was almost identical, and the economy’s only worse if you decide to use the extra torks.)

On the other hand it’s a bugger to park- physically doesn’t fit in many parking spaces!

VAG estates tend to suffer from inferior usability- stuff like encroaching wheel arches, high boot lips. We had a Passat for a long time, and it was great til it went senile (all the electrics schitzed out after it got damp one winter) but the boot was really unimpressive, you could get more stuff in my Focus never mind the Mondeo.

Actually that’s true of quite a lot of decent size estates. I think maybe having had a mk1 Focus has skewed my expectations a bit, since it was inexplicably vast inside.

An older BMW 5 series, I’ve had mine a yr now and I love it, done 104k and feels like a new car to be honest and on motorways heading for the hills the computer my amount of miles left I tank generally goes up!

Never been a Ford fan but must admit i like the more receny Mondeos. Whats reliabilty like ?

Saab 93!

My 2001 Passat has not been without its problems, one thing for sure is that it’s bloody tough; It is always overloaded and doesn’t seem to mind quarter of a ton on the roof! I need to replace it soon.
Maybe my perception of Fords needs updating from the 1980s ones where you could bend the whole roof with mere thumb pressure. Are they butch enough nowadays to pass the Chickenman test?

shanta – Member

Whats reliabilty like ?

Haven’t had mine long enough tbh. Service history says pretty good- no heroic measures. I replaced a split turbo hose (age related) and bypassed the EGR valve but that’s all it’s had from me other than oil changes. Handbrakes seize, though. And they have the usual diesel achilles heels with an extra dash of injector failure.

was always led to believe the Mondeo Estate was the one to beat?

Yeah but that’s a Ford!

Ford. More exclusive than BMW these days….. 8)

Mazda 6

Jaguar X type estate?

I have a 2006 Passat. I’ve spent 1500 quid getting the electronic brake fixed, the DMF is pretty much a consumable item, the electrics developed a fault that took the dealership a week to diagnose and the boot isn’t exactly massive.
Apart from that, it’s been smashing.

Yeah avoid passats…the golfs where its at…mkiv owner, great space, v cheap to run..getting 50 mpg average and even the 100bhp spec isn’t slow…great all round motor. Even got 53 mpg fully loaded back from scotland..kid plus missus plus whole heap of crap being transported after a week away…and o wasn’t crawling at 65 either.

Are you only looking at German Shanta?

93 sportwagon, the most comfortable seat I’ve ever sat in for piling in the miles, not the biggest loadspace but better than v50’s etc

@ pimpmaster- Initially was after an A4 s-line but after several weeks looking i am resigned to lowering my sights hence the Passat but even they are hard to find with good mileage etc so open to whatever i suppose…

Honda d’Accord

If it was my money i’d go with this: –

Audi A4 2.5tdi Quattro

A4 Avant isn’t an estate – boot is not much bigger than saloon. I have a 3 Series Tourer which is a similar sized ‘estate’ and the boot is not much use for big loads. Dunno in volume terms, but it holds about half as much stuff as a Mondeo Saloon boot.

My old A4 B6 Avant (Same as above) was fine for biking, regulary had 3 bikes in the back (Wheels removed of course!). As a measure I could fit more in the A4 Avant than I could in my A6 saloon. It’s quite a lot bigger than than the A4 Saloon version (Which did not come with 40/60 split seats until the face lift 2005+).

I was only joking about it being a Ford….which are very good cars. People are such badge snobs these days.

I’ve had a Mondeo Estate for 7 years and it’s been faultless. wear and tear parts are cheap. It’s a no brainer if you want cheap, reliable and a decent drive. It just depends if you can live with a ‘gray car’.

How about a good old boring Ford Focus estate TDCI good boot, wheels out and frame fits across with wheels in behind. purchased min with 91,000 (05 plate) now done nearly 140,000 and apart from running costs and services its never missed a beat. ave around 49mpg comfy, not fussy but has all the toys you really need.spends some time off road as I do farm work. cost be 4K
I will have another when I change this one next year and then I will get the £30 road tax bonus.

I was in a Skoda Superb TDI today – HUGE!!!!! It was like a limo

If space is what you’re after, worth a look.

Mondeo every time for me. I’ve got a 54 plate that does 50mpg at 80mph, drives better than most, very well screwed together compared to VAG’s I’ve driven. I’ve done 70k in it so far and only wear & test stuff gone

My neighbour has a diesel Passat estate as a company car.He does quite a few miles but the car has cost thousands to keep on the road.
Electronic handbrake faulty 3 times,and most recently an electronic problem in the steering column which was a £600 fix.Its off the road again at the moment with a worn out clutch and the replacement parts are £700 without the labour.
I’ve got a Mk3 Mondeo TDCI and its been really good.No DPF or cam belt,but the clutch is a DMF so could be costly.With the Haynes manual you can do most of the stuff yourself and parts are easy to get.
I’m looking to change it soon and i’m being drawn to the newer Mondeo or possibly something Japanese like a Mazda 6 or Toyota.

I’ve had a focus and an Astra est. both very good cars, the focus was the nicer drive, 1800tdi.
Recently bought a 2006 merc c220 cdi sport. Really good drive, comfy and a quite decent sized boot. It is doing about 34mpg on short journeys. The best value for money imo compared to the fords & vauxhalls ect. I think it was over £40k new, but only a grand more 2nd hand than £12-£20k new cars.