advice and opinion time

chiefwiggum

im thinkin of selling or trading my mk5 golf van for a car...we're looking at estates mainly(dunno why just love the shape) and have narrowed it to an a4 a6 or volvo v50 ,a passat at a push...all around the 05-07 mark.anyone any experience of these what to go for and what to stay well clear of

also the 407sw are quite attractive to me but the peugoet badge puts me off a little,should it? had woeful trouble with french cars before

thanks

Muckie

Love station wagons have an Impreza wagon myself, Father and brother

both have Volvo's though. Have to say from my own personel experience

Volvo make great wagons, hardy cars that last for years. Just make

sure you get one that has a good service history and receipts if possible.

Also bring a mechanic when viewing. Good luck

chiefwiggum

Yeah love the volvo's myself. I had an s60 2 ltr turbo. Best car I ever had but with the
Mileage I was doing (1000km a week) it was like havin a second mortgage.. Diesel all the way from now on.. Looked at a couple of impreza sportswagens a few yrs ago myself but couldn't find a good clean one

Thanks for the reply

R.O.R

Volvo V50 will give you the best interior specification for the money, but it's not a large estate - it's really more of a Sportback, but if you aren't buying an estate for load lugging then it's ideal. 1.6d is bit underpowered, 1.8 petrol is OK, but not the most frugal if you are doing big miles. 2.0d is the one to go for, in SE trim with the Winter Pack if you can find one (heated seats for a warm arse this time of year). We've had numerous ones on fleet and no real major issues. Alternator can go on them and costs anywhere from €150 to €700 depending on where you go.

A4 Estate is a cracking looking car, but most of them (original Irish cars) are really, really plain inside, and you are really paying for the badge. 1.9Tdi is reliable if noisy, 2.0Tdi is quieter and more powerful but prone to issues.

A6 suffers the same as the A4 - paying for the badge rather than the specification. It's also pretty damn huge so ideal for lugging wardrobes around, not great for narrow lanes and tight car parks.

Passat Estate has a huge load area, and if bought in the right spec is fairly decent. Avoid anything before about September 06 as they are a money pit, but MY07 onwards aren't too bad reliabilty wise. Highline is the way to go, but the same 2.0Tdi as the Audi's can be troublesome too.

I personally don't like the 407, and we've had reliability issues with many of them on our Fleet. Thankfully I think they are all off fleet now, except the mad person who went for one in 08. SW models should be reasonable to buy, as we are getting rubbish prices for all the 407's we've sold.

Mondeo 2.0Tdci Zetec Estate would be another one to consider, if you can find one at the right price. Either the old or new model.

bazz26

Renault Laguna III Touring should also be looked at, Renault's reliablility has come on leaps and bounds in the last 3 or 4 years. Due to their image though resale values are low meaning they are an excellent second hand buy. Loading area and spec are pretty impressive:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201040199773796

listermint

bazz26 wrote: »

Renault Laguna III Touring should also be looked at, Renault's reliablility has come on leaps and bounds in the last 3 or 4 years. Due to their image though resale values are low meaning they are an excellent second hand buy. Loading area and spec are pretty impressive:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201040199773796

Alot of car for the money, and very comfortable driver tbh.

chiefwiggum

@R.O.R...wow what an answer..great info in there,never considered the mondeo to be honest but will check them out..had the winter pack in the s60 ..loved it warm arse cold morning,cant beat it
@bazz and listermint....it was actually a laguna that broke my heart before...could i be tempted back to them...i dunno i'll check them out now

thanks lads