[Closed] Car question, no longer have co car

Unimog?

vectra\insignia estate would be the best value for that spec, insignia's a bit smaller. or saab 9-5, volvo v70, mondeo, etc.

Not discreet enough for dogging.

vectra\insignia estate would be the best value for that spec, insignia’s a bit smaller. or saab 9-5, volvo v70, mondeo, etc.

Thought that, yeah, thanks.

What car do you want people to tell you to buy? Not a personal dig but usually these threads are when someone knows what they want or precisely what they should buy, but isn't sure it is cool/big/economical/reliable/insert random adjective enough.

Soulless, but the bigger engine ones shift, huge space and reliability.

Avensis estate

Or

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1889560&d=0#seperator

The newest Golf that meets your budget. Avoid the 1.6 diesel.

Possibly unless you want to put the kayak inside.

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skoda superb estate

What car do you want people to tell you to buy? Not a personal dig but usually these threads are when someone knows what they want or precisely what they should buy, but isn’t sure it is cool/big/economical/reliable/insert random adjective enough.

Now I remember why I don't come on here often.

They've got a point though. Your OP is vague, you want a "decent" space and a "decent" spec, what does that mean? You'll get a couple of bikes in the back of a Golf with the seats down; if there's Manic, Mrs Manic and three Manic Minors then you're into Mondeo estate territory.

Answer really is old-skool rep-mobile - Mondeo...

Big, comfy, decent spec, bit of poke, cheap parts...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009033245155?price-to=3500&radius=50&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&advertising-location=at_cars&make=FORD&sort=price-desc&model=MONDEO&postcode=de43au&page=1

There's a lot of crap about at that price though and usually 10+ years old.

Yeah buy a Toyota.

Oh, if like me you find yourself out in the cold without a Co Car for a while, consider insurance costs.

I've never had an accident, never had a car stolen, live in a low risk area yadda yadda yadda - £800 a year because my NCD is long expired and the old "oh just get your company policy people to tell them you've not had any claims" doesn't seem to work anymore.

So you're looking for an estate, probably petrol given what I presume is 15 mile journey each way.

Hard to find a big petrol car these days...

Legacy 3.0R B spec tourer....

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.autotrader.androidconsumersearch&referrer=utm_source%3DApp%2520Share

One more thing to do is try and find out who your decent local car dealers are. No point buying this sort of car from the other end of the country.

Splendid, some helpful stuff there. Annoying how clueless I've become after 16 years of co cars! Not helping myself here, I think either want some daft lairy mini or some huge estate. Thanks to those that helped though!

three Manic Minors

It's OK, you can compress them to fit just about any vehicle.

probably petrol given what I presume is 15 mile journey each way.

Unless straight onto a traffic free motorway/DC, 15 miles is likely to be about half an hour, well into normal operating conditions for a modern(ish) diesel.

There seem to be a fair few Jaguar X-Type estates around for that sort of money - something different and Ford underpinnings.

Unless straight onto a traffic free motorway/DC, 15 miles is likely to be about half an hour, well into normal operating conditions for a modern(ish) diesel.

Is there not an issue around not getting up to temp for a DPF regen though?

Mundano of 2010 would be by choice. I’ve the 1.8TDCI (truly the dullest car in the world, much pokey-er models are available)

Picked mine up in immaculate condition, FSH, timing belt done, 95k miles for under £3k and that was 2 years ago. It’s needed an only an engine mount and tyres in that time (and 23k miles)

It’s economical, comfy, relatively cheap to fix . Also, the ones pre 2011 I believe don’t have DPF (mine doesn’t anyway), this something to consider as £££ to replace from what I’ve read.

My previous car (before I became a student again) was a 2012 BMW 320D. Whilst the mundan-o is obviously completely different to drive, it’s not caused me to sob quietly into my corn flakes as much as I thought it would.

Ex X-type estate owner here (see what I did there?)

Based off previous model Mondeo, interior plastics not up to Audi standards, boot smaller than a Mondeo.

Drove well, I sold it at 155k, parts cheap and village garage could do all the servicing cheaply.

Just bought a 2014 Mundane Mondeo Estate for my 60 mile round trip commute. Titianium X. Bloody cracking car. Massive! comfy as anything and quick. For MTBing, and family duties it's spot on. I got p*ss ripped in the office "old man car" blah blah. But Don't care at all, it does ticks all the boxes.

I was really impressed with the amount of space in my 2010 Civic (dh bike in the back with 1 wheel off and space to spare), especially considering I thought they looked tiny from the outsite.

Certainly not estate levels of space, but a fair bit more than the competition. The 1.8 was nice and revvy and had enough poke. I found it a good combination of practicality and performance.

Is there not an issue around not getting up to temp for a DPF regen though?

seems the internet is divided on exactly how long to get up to temp - there are several that agree on the 15-20 minutes worst case which would have been my guess.

I've got a 2013 audi diesel, going by when it turns itself off at traffic lights, can be as low as a couple of minutes in the summer, up to about 15 in winter.

I get bikes, camping gear and dogs all in a Mini Clubman (2008). Which is fun to drive and that was an important factor, but obviously more space would make things a bit easier.

A quick note on linking to Autotrader listings - the URL usually shows where you live. When there aren't many residential properties at your postcode, it could perhaps make your shed or garage a target. So best to use a random postcode as a starting search parameter.

I use my work post-code! 🙂

A late supercharged Mini Cooper S with a roof rack.

I have had a supercharged Cooper S since new - it's now 17 years old and its great! Saris Bones rear rack works better than a roof rack in my experience 🙂

OP - probably not that helpful. Sorry.

I've also got a mini cooper s for local & commuter duties. It is fun to drive. But at sub 3k you'd want to be pretty sure of its mechanical history - they aren't the most robust, simple option. They also have a bit of a price premium second hand compared to other options. I've never even tried to put a bike in mine, it is really really small. Even our two year old barely has leg room in the back behind me.

As you haven't mentioned economy, a legacy 3 litre, or twin turbo.

With only £3K to play with I'd prioritise a punt towards reliability (through brand choice and mileage) over poke, spec or cache as I'm guessing capability to afford repair is equally sparse.

A dullish low/medium spec mondeo. Or a Toyota Avensis only your grandad would have bought new.

The Mondeo is a good shout. Excellent cars, good spec, great to drive, comfortable and loads of room.

However I'm going to second the Honda Civic. The wedge shaped ones 06-12 (I think). Both the 1.8 petrol and the 2.2 diesel are excellent engines. They're fast, fun and reliable. Best in class boot space and the properly fold flat rear seats mean tons of room. Had one for a few years and would buy one again in a heartbeat if it wasn't for numerous long legged kids. You'll find a cracking model for that money if you shop around

insignia’s a bit smaller.

Not checked dimensions, but the Insignia is a pretty big car. My Octavia fits neatly onto my parking space out front, without poking out over the footpath or overhanging the path round the front of the house, the Insignia I had as a loan car while mine was in being looked at for insurance damage barely fitted it over-hung at both ends. Lovely drive, though, I had it for a month, it came with a full tank, and when I handed it back it had just gone onto the reserve, and I’d done a shade under 900 miles, just on my daily commute - just over thirty miles a day. It did cost £72 to fill up, though! The Octy costs just over £50, and I get roughly 500 miles from a tank. Insignia was an SRi diesel, 170bhp.
I think an estate might be about the same capacity as an Octavia, which is pretty roomy.
The Insignia is definitely worth a look, comfy long-distance mile-muncher, and has a decent turn of speed for overtaking when necessary.
Nice looking car, too. Only reason I didn’t get one to replace the Octavia is I just don’t want or need such a big car any more.

Mazda 6?

Or get brave and an alfa 159 sport waggon

Octavia Estate Mk2 would be my pick (in the spirit of recommending what you have), dull as dish water but mine's been reliable and has a decent amount of space. I have a petrol 1.8TSi which is actually OK to drive once the turbo kicks in but can't see any around £3k so you might be looking at a high mileage diesel instead.

Not checked dimensions, but the Insignia is a pretty big car.

sorry, I was (unclearly) referring to the boot size. The Insignia is styled as a 'sports brake' or whatever marketing junk they chose, so there are swoopier lines and a smaller, more compromised boot, compared to the old vectra which had an old-school, squared off boot - the capacity is (from memory) 540l, which is ~10% down on some competitors

it does seem that most estates are now of this nature (I would guess for aerodynamics?) - the superb and octavia both have very slopey rear windows - but as the OP was focussed on space, I thought it worth mentioning