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We need a new dogmobile/bikemobile as we've had a mishap in our Accord and it's broken.
5.5k max budget ( I have another car for non dog and bike related duties) shortlist is as follows
E90 325i Manual
C220 1.8 Kompressor
Volvo V50 T5
Looks like I can get leather, all the toys and under 100k on the above no problem.
I'm quite into the BMW as it's a lovely engine and a nice drive but pricey when it goes wrong, I already never use my indicators so that's OK too.
Already had a T5 and I did like it but I'm not sure it's as good as the other two.
Fuel economy is not a big consideration as this car does 5k a year max.
Anyone had any experiences with the above or have any other interesting suggestions?
Thanks for any useful advice.
All of the above will feel small in comparison to an Accord.
My money would probably go on BM just for the engine
Yeah we are downsizing as one of the issues with the accord is it's just a little unwieldy and my wife doesn't like it.
Skoda Octavia. There, that wasn't difficult was it.
Skoda Octavia. There, that wasn't difficult was it.
Maybe not, but you have to actually [i]like[/i] the car you drive, and while this advice was given to me a number of weeks ago, the idea of an Octavia just never took.
An estate car is no guarantee of load carrying ability....i pranged my Hyundai Getz hatchback last year which was carrying all our dog and bike stuff, my other half in her A4 Estate came to pick me up and we transferred loads from one to other....the Audi barely took everything I had in the hatchback, it was full to roof yet in the Getz it only looked half full!
Tardis-like I tell you, it did have the rear seats down van style though but then so did the Audi?!?!
....that post wasn't helpful, get the BMW estate, something about them just looks 'right'...like you're going off on a bank job or a drug deal.
Silver with big alloys stuffed under the arches too...may affect the load carrying ability but looks awesome....you're welcome.
No Skodas! My good lady is not a fan.
I was surprised by how small the boot of a V50 was when I was looking. It was smaller than the Saab 9-3 we were getting rid of. Ended up with an XC70 , which is not as unwieldy as you'd thing - better turning circle than our Panda 100HP 😉
Subaru Legacys too ugly? There's diesels and big petrols around in your budget. That said I test drove an Outback the other week and thought the gearbox was awful.
So BM 😉
For me, it would be the beemer all day long
BUT - the 3 series is remarkably small in the back, the RWD eats into the boot space. I have a 5 series for this very reason
BMW=rear differential under boot.
Result is a higher floor in the boot which results in lack of doggie headroom & lack of handlebar/sticky out bit clearance if you want to put a bike in the back.
Even more noticeable when you compare with cars that don't have a spare or spacesaver wheel tucked under there either.
Old thing to recommend what you bought but....seat altea fr TDI nickname the minivan... 2.0 diesel 170 bhp 45 to 50 mph on my 70 mile daily commute carries 3 29ers and kit and people.
Different and in your budget easily usually FSH and low miles
Definitely try your bikes/dog in the back of the BMW 3 first, before you even think of driving it; they are remarkably small in the back, more like Astra sized at best. It'd be a shame to decide you like the way it drives, then discover that it's awfy small.
saab 9-5 for the win. Cheap as chips nowadays and very comfy
Skoda octavia vrs estate in blue. Perfect all rounder,good build quality,performance,cost etc etc
I have a BMW Touring. I can get lots of stuff in the back - Windsurfer and sails, or a load of 2400 x 600 boards. 1800x900 plasterboard sheets if you don't mind the seat being right forward. 2 bikes will go in with front wheels off.
Boot platform is quite high as has been said and the standard tyres are run-flat so there is no spare.
But it's lovely to drive.
OP: Don't you mean C180?
I have a 56 plate C220 (the diesel) - love it, great to drive and strikes the right balance (for me) between hatch and estate. Build quality is very good too - feels very solid, massively so compared to the Passat it replaced. Also if you do DIY on your own cars, they are good cars to work on ie lots of space in the engine bay and everything always strikes me as having been designed by an engineer rather than an accountant!
"I have a BMW Touring. I can get lots of stuff in the back"
No you can't.
You can in my estate though. Which is a proper one, not one of your namby pamby lifestyle "sport wagons".
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My glove box is bigger than the boot in a 3 series touring. 😉
[i]I have another car for non dog and bike related duties[/i]
Why? Just buy one that'll do all.
I know the BMW is smallish but the dogs fit and two bikes are OK with the wheels off so that's OK for me. I'm past the need for a proper huge family mobile and the 325i is apparently a cracking drive for the money the other BMW option is the 33Od but I've read that the turbo swirl valves can be an issue + they almost all have an auto box and I fancy a 6 speed manual. I do like the inside of the C220/C180 though and it is a big bigger. It's amazing what 5.5k can buy you so I'm thinking about avoiding big bills and having a decent car to take on the 4 or so long trips we do annually as well as the dog walks etc etc. I'm open to ideas but a bit of performance and a nice cabin are key to me.
The C220 certainly has a bullet proof diesel engine. Most C Class are autobox, so that may rule them out for you? It's my first autobox car and I can't say I miss manual.
Yeah Im OKish with an auto too but my wife has tried autos and the results are frankly worrying. She can't seem to get her head round the left foot flat on the floor thing so the 6 speed seems a good alternative.
I wouldn't get the merc, that's when they went through a rough patch and tried to reduce production costs as they thought they were over building and engineering parts = shit build quality
I have an Octavia and not a fan. Poor build quality, expensive running costs fro what it is, crap dealers and as an estate compromised.
If you want a good load lugger that's great value to buy, drive and cheap to run then get a Mondeo.
The BMW is small in the boot, but if you've already checked that out then it clearly works for you ! We looked at E90 & E60 but both have steeply sloping rear windows that eat into the useful headroom in the boot and the larger of our dogs needs the space. A4 & A6 seemed the same. So we ended up with a Passat.
Mercs have all the controls on a single stalk. Not really a big deal but it does my head in and for that reason alone I'd not buy one.
Volvos... my Dad had an older V70 and it was OK but incredibly dull. His previous car was an E39 540i. He's now got a Merc E500. Likes his V8s !
So from your shortlist I would 100% go for the BMW. Straight sixes are lovely.
Have a new merc which is small inside, have owned a Skoda which was good vfm. but at that budget and wanting space, I'd look at the Mondeo, even as a hatch, its massive
Love my Octavia vRS. Shame it's not a choice for you.
Erm wha about a Subaru?
I had an E91 320d
More than fine to put 2 bikes and gear for weekend in boot if thats all you need it for (done a few times), more than enough room.
If you need a tardis though, the BMW it is not.
At least with the Mondeo it'll be distinctive, brilliant cars you don't see as much of as you used to unlike the ubiquitous Audi/BMW crowd.
Seat Exeo - (never heard of them? No me neither until I was estate car shopping) got one now and it's great. It's an older Audi A4 with a SEAT badge on it and about half the price so you should get a lot for your £5.5k budget. I paid similar and got a 10 plate 2.0 petrol turbo with 55k on the clock and FSH.
Having owned a mk2 octavia vrs estate and an e91 330I, I can confirm that this "the boot in the bmw is tiny" is absolute bollocks. We comfortably managed to transport me, the wife, two young kids and all the related paraphernalia associated with a fortnight's holiday in our bmw no problem. And it pissed all over the skoda in build quality, ride, drive etc. You'll regret not getting a 330 though and find an auto. A lovely thing.
I have just got an E91 330i Touring to replace a Skoda Yeti and I can get the other halfs road bike in with both wheels on. My road bike fits with just the front wheel out too, so size is not really an issue in it in my opinion especially if as you have stated you don't want/need a massive estate car. I think it would be the best of those options.
My brother had a V50 T5 on a 55 plate for a good few years and he liked it, though ultimately missed much of his previous BMWs characteristics
You can in my estate though. Which is a proper one, not one of your namby pamby lifestyle "sport wagons".
#swedishbricks FTW!
CFH - I have a feeling you would approve of the fully appointed luxury interior too. 🙂
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The original spec list for the car that I have when it was ordered says it has "ruffled leather".
Raaaather!!
That's me sold it's a 325/330 then.
Cool I love buying cars!
Re merc having poor build quality is bollox.I've had a 05 plate for 7 years now and taken it from 30000 mile to 130000 with no issues at all. Has flown through all mot's with nothing but tyres and brakes needing done. I've now gone a bit bigger but it's still sitting on my drive as when I come to sell it I can't bring myself to . It's part of the family to me
Can't fault my octavia vrs diesel estate.
Dealers are w##k though!
[i]Re merc having poor build quality is bollox.I've had a 05 plate for 7 years now and taken it from 30000 mile to 130000 with no issues at all. Has flown through all mot's with nothing but tyres and brakes needing done. I've now gone a bit bigger but it's still sitting on my drive as when I come to sell it I can't bring myself to . It's part of the family to me[/i]
A lad that worked for me had a new 2006 E270d estate as his company car, great car with all the toys. Spent a worrying amount of time in the garage for 'warranty' work.
mg zt-t is pretty good (get the 4.6L rwd if milage isn't an issue).
the jaguar 4x4 x-type estate?
Was in a similar situation, got a Honda CRV. Happy with the choice.
get another accord. great cars, I miss mine.
[pedant] I think you mean E9[b]1[/b] 325i manual [/pedant]
I had an E46 touring 330d. Unfortunately it had to go to the breakers prematurely. I miss that car
I was looking at the E91 and V50 as you are
From what I could find out the V50s are prone to electrical problems after a few years
I decided I'd be paying another £1.5-2k on top for BMW E91, plus parts might cost more
I ended up with a mk6 Golf estate (while my insurance goes down)
Massive boot for a hatchback derived estate. Bigger than a V50 or E91 I'd say. Not miles off an A4 avant. Full size spare below the 'lower boot space' too (lid of which can be folded back flat out the way for more space)
Decided the mk5 (which the mk6 estate is closer to than the mk6 hatch) front was going to look dated, though have now fallen into the emissions thing, I thought a 59 plate non-blue-motion would be okay, but no.
In estate there is only one petrol though, the ~100hp 1.6. Tested and not bad but not powerful
Went for the 2.0 diesel
There were plenty of sportline mk5's about but very few mk6's. I think because the alloys on the mk6 SE were nicer than the mk5 SE's. S on steel wheels and no silver trim iirc, nor cruise control
Didn't come across any (even sportline) with leather either
Octavia I think only look good in ambulance livery, the earlier one is only 4* euro ncap where both golf mk5/6 are 5*. Later Octavia (dame edna-ish headlights) don't like look of either and wasn't cheap
VRS logos on white patches of leather turned me right off also
As an ex Passat driver & now on a Mondeo estate, if you want load capacity then you can't go far wrong with a Mundano. A while ago I had in the back of mine...
A fridge freezer
A washing machine
A microwave oven
An electric fire
A petrol strimmer
A large leather cushion from a chair
3 bin liners of assorted rubbish for the tip.
(If i'd juggled the load around I swear I couldv'e got another washer in)
Since then I've had a 3 seater settee in.
Not mind blowing to drive but hey ho.
Mondeo here - 2.2 TDCi. Huge boot space, and you'd get a newer model with fewer miles than a similarly-priced German car. Very economical and with an 8sec 0-60 time (if you're bothered about that).
Legacy spec b OBVs, ticks all of your boxes (even the crap fuel economy!)
What was wrong with the accord? I was looking for an s type, but couldn't find one near enough so have given up.
I love big volvos.. V70 5cyl turbo ..manual.. Petrol.. Decent amount of grunt and the seats are so comfortable for mile munching.
They are not go-carts though so don't expect razor sharp handling!
A lot of newer bigger cars seem to have over harsh 'sports suspension' great in a hatchback, not so great for a mile muncher.
I love big volvos.. V70
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/volvo-for-sale-3 ]I am also a massive fan of big Volvos. [/url]
The V70 was a valiant warrior, who died a noble death protecting my family and I. It also had 4WD, a massive turbo and went like hot shit off a shiny shovel. The seats in a V70 (leather and heated, natch) are the best car seats I have ever experienced. For reference, the chap who drives me to and from the airport has a lovely BMW 7 series, top spanky spec. My V70 front seats were better than his. Much better.
Had a 9 series Wentworth before that. Again with the turbo and an even bigger boot!
Now have a XC90. I could park a Mondeo in the boot. 🙂
As load lugging mule munchers, there's very little that's anywhere near as good as a Swedish brick!
Now have a XC90. I could park a Mondeo in the boot.
No you couldn't. Your XC90 is only 79mm longer but 114mm narrower.
http://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-models/all-new-xc90/specifications
https://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/ford-mondeo-dimensions-0249
I wasn't being entirely serious, you know.
Then again...
Mondeo boot;
[img] 
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XC90 boot;
[img] 
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Add in the fact that it's a taller boot, has much less of a sloping rear windscreen, the split seats options, and the third row of full size seats, and I reckon that's better than a Mondeo as a load lugger.
Subaru legacy 3.0 spec b.
[img] 
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End of thread