Saloon vs Estate - Is the saloon still king in Ireland.

MaxFlower

I want to get some feedback on the following.

I am going to get myself a new car (2-4 years old) possibly after the VRT July thing as I plan on a diesel and bring it in from the UK. I have decided on getting one of the following - Audi A6 or Honda Accord.

But no matter what way I weigh this up my feeling is the estate version would be way more useful to me. I also think in some instances the estate is the better looking car (Audi A4 for example). I currently have a saloon. My concern is when the time comes to sell on, am I really being wise. What is the market like for estate cars in this country. If I take a look at my local Audi dealership they never have estate. Is that because the market is non-existent or they ship them as fast as they come in?

What is your opinion on this? Please don't concentrate on 'the one that best suits your lifestyle' argument. I would like all aspects to be taken into account e.g. price, handling, maintenance, desirability etc. If you were looking at 2 cars of same spec and mileage but one is a saloon and the other an estate, which would you go for - all things considered?

LuckyStar

In my opinion, saloons are horrible!!! There's more and more estates/SUVs on the roads.

E92

Nobody buys Estates here. Saloons comprehensively outsell estates. If you can't live with a saloon, you really have to get an SUV or MPV in terms of financial sense, though personally I never saw what MPVs and SUVs did that an Estate car didn't, and don't mention seating capacitry. a Volvo V70 and a Merc E-class both give you the option of 7 seats.

murphaph

Yeah it's an interesting one. Estates are much more popular in Germany and are more expensive. Wonder why we prefer saloons here. Estates are obviously more useful.

E92

Estates are very popular in the continent, then again continentals don't like saloons unless it's like a 3 series BMW or bigger, hatchbacks are what the Europeans prefer, whereas we tend to follow the Americans when it comes to bodystyles for cars.

Personally I don't like hatchbacks in Mondeo type cars, I just don't think they look right.

blastman

The market for estates here was swallowed by SUV snobbery. Most estates offer similar load-carrying ability to a comparable-wheelbase SUV, but people here will nearly always buy the SUV because, well, you've probably all seen the thread by now...

_Kaiser_

I have to say I prefer saloons myself. Besides, if everyone was driving estates just think of all the extra damage that'd be done in shopping centre car parks :rolleyes:

kevmac

I went for the Subaru Legacy Spec B over the saloon.







I'd find it really hard to go back to a four door - on the trips around Ireland with her-indoors and the little fella the estate has been a godsend.

Cionád

I prefer the styling of saloons, (or hatchbacks) to estates. I'd only get an estate if i really needed the space, or had a Labrador.

Only if i was a farmer would i get an 4x4 off-roader.

So all things considered, with same spec, it would be the saloon. (and diesel )

colm_mcm

I think the problem is that if you see an estate, you think "painter/decorator"!

MaxFlower

E92 wrote: »

Nobody buys Estates here.....a Volvo V70 and a Merc E-class both give you the option of 7 seats.

The Audi A6 also comes as a 7 seater although as far as I can see it is extremely rare. Like kevmac I know I'd find an estate very useful on the odd family outing. I don't want to drive a 7 seater MPV and herself doesn't like them either but thats more of a 'percieved' size issue.
I don't go off road or pull anything so that rules out a jeep (I know I know - that doesn't stop most people)

A 5 or 7 seat estate seems like a viable and sensible option. Clarkson and Co. did a piece recently on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate 55 AMG and the BMW M5 Touring. He specifically pointed out that they were better to drive , more fun, practically supercars and had the same load carrying capacity as an SUV but when asked wheither he would have one he said he would still have a Range Rover. I guess its the SUV snobbery that was mentioned.

TomMc

Nice car kevmac - great choice! The estate version too will hold it's value much better than the saloon and be far easier to sell when the time comes. A Q-Car.

It is funny all this SUV snobbery, since the majority of the people who drive them in Ireland are the yuppie/nouveau riche types. Most prestige estates on the other hand whisper old money and good taste.

In Continental Europe people are just more cultured and appreciate the practicalities of an estate, and don't pander to such conspicuous consumption as vulgar suv's.

ninty9er

being realistic, there are only 3 cars I consider better looking in the estate form:

Subaru Legacy
Volvo V70
BMW E30

If you are getting a family estate from the UK, do yourself a favour and get a Volvo, cos it's the only one likely to be more in demand than the saloon come selling up time.

Lex Luthor

keithers911 wrote: »

If I take a look at my local Audi dealership they never have estate. Is that because the market is non-existent or they ship them as fast as they come in?

The reason for this, is that Audi A4 estates are like hens teeth over here and once they come into dealerships, they go out just as quick. Guy I work with has a 04 1.9TDi A4 estate. Lovely car and great spec with leather but it was not cheap and very hard to get.

kevmac wrote: »

I went for the Subaru Legacy Spec B over the saloon.

Super choice kev. This would be my first choice estate if I was to get one. I love the Saab 9-3 looks but thats about it about that car. The Subaru is #1

RedorDead

The current ratio in Ireland for Audi is out of every 10 cars sold for A4 or A6 9 will be a saloon and one will be the avant (estate).

High&Low

ninty9er wrote: »

being realistic, there are only 3 cars I consider better looking in the estate form:

Subaru Legacy
Volvo V70
BMW E30

If you are getting a family estate from the UK, do yourself a favour and get a Volvo, cos it's the only one likely to be more in demand than the saloon come selling up time.

I would add the A4 Avant to that list also. The A6 Avant is also a nice looking car.

ednwireland

cantdecide

Haven't read the whole thread but I agree that an A6 S-line estate is a fine choice. I'd advise buy it for you and don't be worried about the next fella. It only takes one person to see what you see for it to sell on.

I quite like estates. Had a '98 A4 Avant Quattro Sport a couple of years ago and I still regard it as the best car I've had so far. I have a '98 A6 quattro sport saloon and I wanted the Sport Avant again but I couldn't find one for my budget so I compromised on a Sport saloon.

E92

The current shape 5 series is a much better looking car in Estate form too.

Lex Luthor

E92 wrote: »

The current shape 5 series is a much better looking car in Estate form too.

wouldn't be hard and the 3 series estate is also better looking than its saloon.

E92

Lex Luthor wrote: »

wouldn't be hard and the 3 series estate is also better looking than its saloon.

+1. The present 5 series is hideous looking. The 3 series looks more like a proper BMW IMHO though.

Deliberator

Currently looking for a 2nd car for the family. I was originally looking for another 5 Series or even a 7 Series, if I could convince the wife, but have now settled on getting a 3 Series (Touring) Estate. We've only one child, but when we load up the car with everything we need in order to stay overnight anywhere, we end up filling the boot, and using the back seat also. If it was my choice, I'd have the 5 Series Touring, but the wife thinks it would be too big to drive...

Had been eyeing up UK petrol (318-330), auto, leather models, and hoping for good spec, reasonable mileage, maybe SatNav, electric seats, parking sensors etc. The July VRT rules have stalled me a little, as I had started to consider a diesel (320D) more recently.

High&Low

The boot in the E46 BMW 3 series touring is smaller than the boot in the coupe (with the exception that you can go up higher in the touring), I think its a pretty poor example of an estate.

JohnBoy

estates rock.

despite the fact that the coupe has a bigger boot than the estate, the estate can fit more arkward objects, which is to me one of the major points. its not just the size of the boot, its the shape too.

ninty9er

High&Low wrote: »

The boot in the E46 BMW 3 series touring is smaller than the boot in the coupe (with the exception that you can go up higher in the touring), I think its a pretty poor example of an estate.

How is that??? the coupe boot would harly fit a weeks shopping, and don't get me started on the convertible!!

copacetic

E92 wrote: »

Estates are very popular in the continent, then again continentals don't like saloons unless it's like a 3 series BMW or bigger, hatchbacks are what the Europeans prefer, whereas we tend to follow the Americans when it comes to bodystyles for cars.

Personally I don't like hatchbacks in Mondeo type cars, I just don't think they look right.

not sure I agree with this, we always hear the statement that estates are much more popular on the continent, but whenever I go all I see is high powered saloons all over the place.

Deliberator

I currently have a '99 5 Series, and when I need to load suitcases along with a child's buggy, a travel cot and a chair, it's a no go...

Didn't a wise man once say "There aint no substitute for cubic inches...".

MaxFlower

Thanks for the input. A lot of people here who share my sentiments.

ednwireland - thanks for the pic. There are only so many cars I would consider trading newer to older but the T5 is one of them.

Esel

Deliberator wrote: »

Didn't a wise man once say "There aint no substitute for cubic inches...".

"There's no replacement for displacement.."

spagbol

If there is an estate that doesn't cost as much as an MPV, takes 4 adults (parents and grandparents) 3 kids, a baby buggy and change bag..... for a family day out .......without having to put on the roofbox.... I'll be first in line to buy it!

High&Low

ninty9er wrote: »

How is that??? the coupe boot would harly fit a weeks shopping, and don't get me started on the convertible!!

In my E46 coupe, i can fit a buggy plus the week's shopping, when I had the 3 series touring for a couple of days the only way i could fit the buggy in was by putting it on its side, resulting in it being visible when you looked in the mirror.

The coupe is longer (nose to tail) than the estate and it has a longer boot, but i assume it has less leg room for people in the back.