Ok so following a slight miscalculation on my part last weekend it looks like i need a new car. So am looking for recommendations. The 3 i have in mind are the avensis, mondeo and the laguna. Requirements are to be a hatchback good sized. And as reliable and economical as possible. Will be diesel. So anyone got any suggestions other than those 3. And any experience of those 3. Cheers graham. Am on my mobile so excuse the grammar etc

Of those three, Mondeo all the way.

The Renault will break down.
The Avensis is as exciting as a dose of the clap.
The Mondeo is well made, drives well and has a big boot!

What's the budget? Can you stretch to a Passat or a V70?

The laguna has problems (and i own one) the mondeo whilst better is not with out its costly faults so the avansis whilst boring to drive will be th emost reliable to own.

and as long as you choose the diesel Avensis you should be fine, the petrol ones have a tendency to suddenly burn all their oil and seize up, but Shhh Toyotas never ever break down!!

Cheers all. Thought about the passat but most of them come in saloon and having had a saloon toledo they are a pain in the arse. Not looking at estates either.

Not looking at estates either.

Are you a cyclist? Do you want to carry lots of bikes and kit?

BUY AN ESTATE!

Only golfists drive saloons. 😉

good luck graham still havent sorted a new car hear yet but sandys dad has fixed the gearbox (he thinks)

Well thats a start mate. Ran into someone at the end of the cwmcarn road so waiting to hear if its a write off or not. Will see. I really don't like estates thats the problem. But you are right about saloons they suck

mondeo . i have the hatch but had the estate before twice infact. i never used the full boot space of the estate so thats why i went hatch this time . its a huge boot anyway i with the split seat in the back down one side ive had three blokes three bikes and all gear for a week in it easy

Golf?

Absolutely loving our Golf Plus…ticks all criteria IMO.

can't believe noone has yet said Octavia. VAG quality with budget costs.

And I forgot to say – their reliability is the reason that so many taxis are Octavias

mondeo all the way….the boots are huuuge(2 dh bikes fully built go straight in with room to spare), the lagunas have electrical faults…the mondeos do have there problems(mine hasnt) duel mass flywheel needs changing around 100k(or whenever it packs up) and costs a fair bit. early tdci's (02-52) sometimes have injector problems too.

saying that though….i have a 51 plate tddi and can easily maintain 55 mpg(roughly 670 miles to each tank..without driving miss daisy)

not as refined as my passat but cheaper to maintain

dont buy an octavia what ever u do…you loose ur respect…and most of ur wallet for it… ford mondeo all the way… although my dad has a 7 year old one and its showing its age know…but he shows it no mercy and cleans it once a year if its lucky…do that to a german car and itll last a year…

i dont understand why ford are struggling in america…they could sell the mondeo over thier and solve all their problems its such a brillient car…no one can ever fault it…apart from it being dull inside… and it maybe ageing more than its german equivelents

S-Max. perfect mtb car. 5 bikes & riders last w/e

Anything with a VAg engine in if you don't mind sounding like you're driving a tractor. Smoky and noisy but pull like trains. Skoda, Seat, Volkswagon, Audi. If you want proper build quality get the Audi, go for a golf or passat or you're not that rich, otherwise skoda.

You don't say how old the car will be but even so, out of those three I'd get the Mondeo.

My (old shape) 54 plate TDCi did 130,000 miles before I sold it without a hiccup . As it was more often than not on the motorway, it averaged about 56 mpg with motorway – the amount of town driving I did.

It was large enough in the boot too, hatch and could be thrown into bends with that nice feeling that you'd make it round.

Also consider an Octavia. Now I have a VRS hatch and I'm well pleased. Rapid, handling motor, not quite as large as the mondeo but more fun. Not bad on the jiuce either with it looking like returning 50+ at this stage.

Mondeo is huge but I dislike the lack of comfort for passengers (my backside finds the rear seats uncomfortable). My brother's brother-in-law drives a 2.0l Avensis estate, loads of mileage, plenty of comfort, no issues at all. Boring? With a 70mph limit motorways are boring, in Germany, where he lives, no limit – no boring.
I've spoken to a chap recently who says if you can afford the fuel bills go for a 407 estate with 3.0l petrol engine. Loads of glass around you, brilliant comfort and goes like a stink. I wish I was able to check it out.

Have a look at the Mazda 6, we've got an old one, done 108,000 miles with no probs, can fit 3bikes and 3 adults in it.

The Mondeo is a great car but as Mazda's owned by Ford you get all the benefits of the Mondeo but with a smaller price tag, there arn't as many of them on the road (which means it'll hold its value better than the common ford).

Octavia hatch. If your buying secondhand get a warranty on one those dodgy mondeo TDCI engines. 😉

Why an estate? Why do you need to carry more than two bikes max?

Ok looking at newer than 5 years, as new as possible for about 6k.
Mondeo is a front runner at the moment, guess I need to drive some really.
VRS octavia would not be good, especially as a new car would come due to me writing off the old one, dread to think what the insurance would be

I've had a laguna as a courtesy car and I certainly wouldn't buy one, although it was fairly nice. Parents have an Avensis and they are pensioners, enough said! I'd go with Ford or VAG.

Octavia can fit a de wheeled bike in the boot with the seats up which is a plus point, not sure Avensis or Laguna can manage that

I'm not convinced that the Mondeo is well made – I like the car in so many ways but [on mine] the middle storage compartment lid isn't fixed straight, the petrol cap doesn't fit flush without a push here and there, rear-washer pipe connector broke twice, the MP3 input socket connector is loose, digital display backlight now failing…all small stuff but my old Renault never had problems like this until year 5 or 6…this is 2 and a half years old (and most problems have existed since I bought it – 2nd hand). Not sure that I'd buy another Ford…also after noticing it on My Dad's I've now noticed how many have badly aligned / slanted badges…it's all a bit shoddy. [nice drive though]

p.s. I'm sure good ones exist

The Mondeo's dash is utterly gopping. From the grey plastic stereo dials, its pressed-slab flanks to its steering wheel boss. It looks cheap.

dont get offended Mondeo owners. You own one because of the savings/space rather than aesthetics. Its but-ugly. If you want an attractive practical Ford you'd have a SMax or new shape Focus.

Saying that, Ford is waaaaaaay ahead of Vauxhall who offer 'value' without design/aesthetics or handling/feel ability.