moving sideways - bigger car suggestions

voxpop

My wee golf is starting to feel a little cramped, now the second kid has arrived, so Im looking for suggestions for a bigger car that will cost very little extra over what I'll get for selling ( or trading in) the golf. The golf is an 03 gt tdi (130) - so im thinking 7k maybe for it ??? and at most another 1-2k - though a straight swap would be better.

Dont want a bland car, which means Im looking for something with a bit of power (on par or better than the golf) and not base spec. Probably stick with an oil burner to keep running costs down (although I only do about 10-15k miles a year).
So far im thinking of a zetec mondeo (03/04) or a4 avant (though they seem a bit pricey). Looked at a 156 before, but they dont seem to have much extra space over the golf.

Anything Ive overlooked ? Suggestions appreciated. Also to anyone in the know, is the private market still dead. Would I be better trading in the golf rather than selling privately ??

kuro_man

Diesel Golf should be fairly easy to shift, so I would sell it privately and then buy the replacement with cash to give you the best bargaining position.

Estates are great for kids, really underrated.

No doubt, the Skoda Octavia will be recommended by boardies because of its ample boot size but its not exactly a looker. There is the usual list of good, reliable cars in the class that are not very exiting: mondeo, passat, avensis, primera, A4.

I'd take a look at a Honda Accord 2.2 diesel estate and see if one can be got for your budget.

Eoin

You're right about the 156; it's not a roomy car. I think the estate is a great looking car though, but you might still suffer from cramped back seats.

voxpop

Not really interested in an Octavia - really dont like the look of the car, and I know it has a huge boot :P

I'll have a look at the Accord and 156 estate - anything else Ive overlooked.

bazz26

No offence but I cannot see you getting €7k for a 7 year old Golf.

I'd have a look at the Saab 9-3 1.9 TiD, same engine as the Alfa Romeo and the spec is pretty high on them. They are reasonably priced these days:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200950196128111

voxpop

Cheers bazz - whats the space like in the back and boot of those saabs ?


On the Golf - from looking around a bit, 7k, maybe a bit more seems about the lower average for a well looked after 130 gti spec tdi. I know the base spec golfs would be a few grand lower than that again. Alot of the 130 golfs on sale are before vrt or mis-advertised.

Atomic Pineapple

bump on this, would like to know more about the Saab's myself now that you've posted that one Bazz

Marlow

What about a 3-series or 5-series BMW diesel ?

'03 320d goes for 4k£ and up in the UK and VRT for a 320d would be 1865 EUR, SE model would be 1671 EUR. The 320d has 150 bhp, so you'd get a bit more poke, too.

/M

daveharnett

voxpop wrote: »

Not really interested in an Octavia - really dont like the look of the car, and I know it has a huge boot :P

I'll have a look at the Accord and 156 estate - anything else Ive overlooked.

If the tax doesn't rule them out, it might be worth including
525d
Accord (2.2 CDTI)
S60 (2.4T)

All of them are in the price range (2003/2004)

Marlow

Marlow wrote: »

What about a 3-series or 5-series BMW diesel ?

'03 320d goes for 4k£ and up in the UK and VRT for a 320d would be 1865 EUR, SE model would be 1671 EUR. The 320d has 150 bhp, so you'd get a bit more poke, too.

Forgot to mention, these figures were for touring models (stationcar).

/M