Family sized diesel car.. any advice?

RoboRat

I am looking at getting a decent family sized car as I currently have an A3 coupe (petrol) and I need to get a diesel as my commute is now much longer plus I have a child on the way. I have about 7K to spend and I am looking for reliability & economy but I also need to take into consideration the price of parts for servicing etc - I know this can vary depending on the car. I have shortlisted the following cars, but any extra advice would be most appreciated:

Audi A4 (can get an 06)
Honda Accord (can get an 07)
Mazda 6 (can get an 07)
Ford Mondeo (can get an 07)
VW Passat (can get an 07)
Lexus is220 (can get an 06)
Volvo S40 (can get an 07)

I have been looking at the Irish market but I have a friend of my brothers who will go to the UK if there is anything there but I think there is better value here than in the UK. Also, I have been told about Merlin auctions, are they any good? I have a mate who is a mechanic who could go with me and I have a reasonable understanding of cars so would I be better to go to Merlin or buy privately?

Any advice is most appreciated.

Tea 1000

I'd go with the Accord. Most reliable and nice engine, good economy and nice to drive.
I'd probably have the A4 last on that list.
In terms of the best to drive then it'd probably be the IS followed by the Mazda and Mondeo followed by the Accord and S40. The IS is thirsty enough, the Mazda diesel has a known problem that can affect them, not definitely going to happen, but there is a risk alright. The Passat will need to be the 1.9 to ensure reliability, and then it's just a bit noisy and slow. The S40 is a bit small, better off with an S60, but they're a bit ugly! The Mondeo is fine, the diesel is reliable enough but a bit average.

drunkmonkey

There's not much room in the back of an IS but it's the best off that list, you'll get a lot of luxury for your money but will suffer a bit on mpg unless you drive it handy. Mine does about 38mpg with the cruise control set at 125kmph. Not bad for a 175bhp barge. I got 22,000 miles out of my last set of tyres and servicing costs are minimal.

RoboRat

Yeah I like the Accord but the missus isn't keen as she doesn't like the front! Also like the IS but I need good fuel economy as I am doing about 166km a day plus will need decent boot space as she is looking for an Estate and I want to stay away from them.

MuppetCheck

For €7k I would drop back in the years. Most of the cars mentioned will be high mileage for those years with your budget. I would much rather a well minded, lower mileage car rather than a higher mileage newer one. I am of the belief that if you are starting out with a high mileage car and continuing to put miles on it can be a false economy as parts will most likely wear out in quicker sucession.

Max Power1

RoboRat wrote: »

Yeah I like the Accord but the missus isn't keen as she doesn't like the front! Also like the IS but I need good fuel economy as I am doing about 166km a day plus will need decent boot space as she is looking for an Estate and I want to stay away from them.

Jaguar XType estate? Plenty of used ones in the UK for around your budget id guess!

damo244

why not check out skoda octavia 1.9tdi,citreon C5 hdi,peugeot hdi,renault dci,have had each of these cars and enjoyed driving them all, loved the megane sport tourer 1.5dci it was a miser on deisel as i drove 170km round trip 5days a week around €25/€30 a week,and that was not motorway driving either.check them out you might be surprised,and all these cars had the creature comforts too.happy hunting:)