€5k budget... Badly need family car

newcastlefan

Hi all,

Need a good reliable family car with a bit of style and comfort!

My must needs:

Reliable
Good mpg
Can be either diesel or petrol
1.9L max
Nct

We're a young family and would like something nice!!

Worried about BMW, but really like the style.

Please help:(:(

Cheers,

Nufc

How many kids?

Akrasia

I'm in the market for a family car at the moment as well.
so far, i think the very best option is a ford mondeo hatchback.

1.8 petrol engine is not too bad on tax and average on fuel economy. they are very hard wearing cars, plenty of space in the boot, good equipment as standard and are proven to last well beyond the 200k mileage mark (but had bad enough depreciation to make them affordable as used cars with lower miles and higher spec...

Was thinkin about estates but a hatchback with the seats folded is just as big and easier to live with every day

newcastlefan

RoverJames wrote: »

How many kids?

1! 6weeks old!

Mondeo is bulletproof but looks pants to me!

I was thinking about a Honda Accord but the engine size is the big downer!

:mad:

Saab 9-3 diesel or 1.8 petrol perhaps
Risk if high (er) maintenance though if things go wrong.

2.0 Accord would be my pick.

japasca

I would recommend the Citroen C4

Mod Edit - if you wish to advertise have a look at adverts.ie

ronanphilip

volvo s40 ? something like these just as an example

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2014749

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2057270

bazz26

ronanphilip wrote: »

volvo s40 ? something like these just as an example

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2014749

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2057270

I had a S40, with an infant you will struggle to get a buggy into the boot of one as access to the boot is too narrow. A hatchback would be more practical than a saloon any day.

Mr Benevolent

Octavia TDI.

useless

bazz26 wrote: »

I had a S40, with an infant you will struggle to get a buggy into the boot of one as access to the boot is too narrow. A hatchback would be more practical than a saloon any day.

Depends on the buggy! Access to the boot in the S40 is poor though, although I can squeeze in the dbl buggy lenghthways after a bit of a struggle. Car is comfortable if a bit heavy on juice (25-30mpg urban driving) & has a great spec.

molequidgallus

Jap, definitely go Japanese. They are best cars out there regarding reliability. I've driven mazdas, toyotas, subarus & an Accord once, which was a great drive too. Had a loan of a friends for two weeks while he was away. Never given me any trouble or heard of any trouble from them, accept the subaru. But in fairness that's probably because its had the @rse driven out of it by the 3 previous owners. If I were you and on a tight budget go jap. Parts may be expensive if you crash, but the cars themselves are extremely reliable, well built & designed. You wont need to be worrying about a majority of the parts because they will not go in your lifetime. Maybe in you kids or gran kids, but I reckon the Japanese have the car market sewn up.

MrDerp

useless wrote: »

Depends on the buggy! Access to the boot in the S40 is poor though, although I can squeeze in the dbl buggy lenghthways after a bit of a struggle. Car is comfortable if a bit heavy on juice (25-30mpg urban driving) & has a great spec.

True, the gap is small, but the overall boot size is bigger than I thought originally. I 'aint no buggy pusher, but I have fit 2 sets of (standard sized) golf clubs side by side diagonally, and another one on top of them, with a good bit of space left in the remaining two corners. I'm not sure how that proportions to tools of parental oppression like buggies, but it's a damn sight more impressive than what I was able to fit into the glorious hatchback that was my Ford Focus. unless I took the cover down and blocked my back window.

You do have to be smart about the order you put things in though, which can lead to a 5 minute argument with your missus as she starts lobbing sh1t in willy nilly

wiger toods

Buy a Merc! c180 or something!
Go on man! Be an arsehole!:D

YouTookMyName

Avensis D4D. Get a lovely 2004 saloon for about 5k.

wiger toods

wiger toods wrote: »

Buy a Merc! c180 or something!
Go on man! Be an arsehole!:D

Brought a C180 Kompressor for a spirited run last week, a very nice drive. More comfy and impressive than a 320i too.

Ardennes1944

mazda 6?

VolvoMan

bazz26 wrote: »

I had a S40, with an infant you will struggle to get a buggy into the boot of one as access to the boot is too narrow. A hatchback would be more practical than a saloon any day.

The previous generation is much better in this regard and a bigger car in general.

This is a lovely one for the price and the diesel engine isn't too bad: http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1974481