Advice on Estate - Alternative to Octavia - €17k budget

Clanc

Hi,

I'm looking to trade up my 2001 Octavia 1.4 Amb for an estate, prob 2004 or later. Budget is about 8-10k, plus my car - so total of say €16-17k.

I have initially been looking at Octavias as well, and that's still my first preference, but the choice seems very limited. My local Skoda dealer tells me that he only sells 1 Estate per 100 Octavias.


I've been looking at other estates below, but am a bit unsure of whats a good choice. I thought as well about importing from UK, but first of all I need to settle on the car I'm after.

Any advice?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&MakeID=&xMakeID=&ColourID=&xColourID=&xModelID=&Doors=5&BodyID=4235&Engine_Min=&Year_Min=2004&Engine_Max=&Year_Max=2005&Price_Min=1&Price_Min_integer=Minimum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&CountyID=&xCountyID=&Price_Max=16000&Price_Max_integer=Maximum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&BusinessID=&xBusinessID=&IsPrivateSale=&FuelID=&SortBy=MakeAsc&MaxRows=100&InsertPeriod=&ResultFormat=&submit=Find+%3E%3E

junkyard

The only one I'd even consider out of that list is a Ford Focus tbh, why not go back a couple of years and go for a better class of car? A BMW 320d estate would be worth considering, great on fuel, nice to drive and will hold its money well too.

Do-more

I bought a Zafira up North on Saturday and the dealer had an absolutely immaculate '03 Avensis D4D T2 for £6500 only catch is it has 88,000 on the clock! Would cost you around €14500 all in....

Lex Luthor

You looking for petrol or diesel?

I think the ratio of estates to hatchbacks is soon going to start changing in this country as people start to realise how practical estate cars really are.

I've 99% decided on a Mazda 6 estate for the new year. Been looking here and they are as rare as hens teeth but the selection in the UK is not as bad. You should be able to pick up a 2-3yr old TS2 spec car over there (2.o litre petrol) with the chance of leather with about 30k miles for about 8-8.5k stg. The VRT is about €5.5k. Considering the spec of the TS2, it kicks a$$ over anything you would get here. To clear it inc travel you could be looking at your budget, but you do get a lot of car for the money and the reliability to go with it.

peasant

Ok ...so up to now you've had an Octavia hatchback, which has just about the biggest boot of all hatchbacks and you want to go up one size and get an estate.

First off, you will have to ask yourself why you want an estate. Is the Octavia hatchback boot too small?

If so, that immediatedly rules out quite a lot of so called "lifestyle" estates.

BMW 3series, Audi A4, Alfa Sportswagon, Volvo V40 etc can just about muster the same amount of usable boot space as your existing car.

For a really big boot you'll have to look at he likes of: Ford Mondeo, VW Passat, Citroen C5, Peugeot 406, Volvo V70, (even that boot is a lot smaller than it looks at first glance). These tend to be rather big engined cars though.

Around or below the 1.6 litre mark you're really only left with: Octavia, Fiat Stilo Multiwagon (not a bad car but losing value like a stone), after measuring the boot a Focus, Golf or Astra might be found big enough (or not) ...and then there are the "popemobiles" Berlingo, Kangoo and Doblo (their loadspaces are deep rather than long)

Clanc

Hi,

yes, the Octavia boot is now too small. In order to be able to take our dog in the car (she really detests travelling in the car), we put her in a flight box which will only fit in the Octavia h/b with the seats down.
We're having a baby in the new year, so I need a car which can fit the box in the boot with the seats up.
The Octavia estate fits fine, and I agree with the point about "lifestyle" estates being out.
Regarding petrol or diesel, I'm open-minded. I'd love to get the Octavia TDI estate, but I've been looking for 6 months now and am running out of time.

colm_mcm

What about this 04 Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI Ambiente?

€16,950 with only 16,000 miles
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=538825


Here's another one with more mileage for €500 less.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=467789

peasant

ahhh ...that narrows it down somewhat.
So you really need a long boot floor and a rear window and door that is as upright as possible.

Octavia, Mondeo, Citroen C5 or Fiat Stilo Multiwagon ...all come in petrol or with pretty good diesels.

For resale and reliability take the Octavia, for availability the Mondeo (fair few ex rep cars about),for ride comfort and a certain degree of quirkiness the Citroen and for a cheap price the Stilo. (on some versions of the C5 and Stilo you can open the rear window seperately from the door ...which might come in handy with the dog)

colm_mcm

Not usually a big Octavia fan, but it's the (possibly joint) least ****e out of that shortlist!

peasant

Heres a 04 Stilo for 14 k in "Dynamic" spec which comes with said opening window and lots of other goodies
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=499963

Clanc

Unfortunately the Octavia estates are few + far between. I dont have the time to go to Galway, Donegal, Cork on spec. I've driven about 6 cars in the past months and all have been fairly rough and priced up due to the lack of them in the market.

peasant

colm_mcm wrote:

Not usually a big Octavia fan, but it's the (possibly joint) least ****e out of that shortlist!

Well ...show me a car with the same size boot that is less shoite then ...:D

colm_mcm

Yeah but look at the mileage on that first Octavia! 16,000. How bad could it be?

Do-more

Clanc wrote:

I thought as well about importing from UK, but first of all I need to settle on the car I'm after.

Clanc wrote:

I dont have the time to go to Galway, Donegal, Cork on spec.


Any advice?

No.....

peasant

@ the op

here's something that I stumbled across earlier today ...Japanese import Nissan 1.5.

Looks ok on the pictures and is reasonably priced (if the mileage isn't doctored) ...might be worth a look (in Dublin)

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=538831

02 though ....

colm_mcm

Jaysus, I shudder to think how slow a 1.5 Primera estate might be!

peasant

No slower than the 1.4 Octavia that the OP has currently.
And he didn't exactly say that ooomph is an issue

colm_mcm

It'd have to be slower, assuming it's the 1.5 out of the Almera? which itself is accepted to be heavy on petrol

The Primera is 150kg heavier than the Octavia - anyway there are loads of reasons not to buy this car!

zilog_jones

colm_mcm wrote:

Jaysus, I shudder to think how slow a 1.5 Primera estate might be!

It's not a Primera - it's a Wingroad. They are estate equivalent for the Japanese spec Sunny, which from what I can see is a kinda upmarket version of the Pulsar (which we used to get as the Sunny and 1st gen Almera).

According to this it's based on the N15 platform, which is what the 1st gen Almera was also on. So expect it to be somewhat similar to that. It was also available with 1.8 and 2.0 petrol engines - no diesel though

Specs here: http://specs.amayama.com/nissan/wingroad/

colm_mcm

Still can't think why anyone would buy one though.

peasant

...because it's Japanese and therefore could be less troublesome than some other cars plus its a tad cheaper than an equivalent Corolla or Avensis estate.

Anyhooo ...just a suggestion ...didn't mean to force it down anyones throat.

fits

I have an older Passat estate. The two mutts love it. Theres lots of space in there, the diesel engine is frugal and nippy enough for me and I just love it. The octavia estate is a good choice too... but less common.

Lots of em on carzone

peasant

@ clanc

That there citroen is from your neck of the woods:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=278185

It looks like its been up for sale for a while so you ought to be able to haggle a bit ...IF you could live with the idea of driving a french car it might be worth a looksee (if only to get an idea what else there is)

colm_mcm

All those toys would be tempting!