Diesel Saloon, 13-14K

Gun_Slinger

Hi Folks, I got great advice here when buying my accord a few years back and was hoping to get some more

Baby no. 3 on the way so my wife is upgrading her 1.4 petrol golf to something that can hold 3 kiddies in the back. We have 13-14K to play with. She does about 15K miles a year.

She is think along the lines of an 08/09 Mondeo or a 09 supberb (diesels) or something along those lines.

I would rather go down in years and get a more luxury car i.e. BMW 5 series or an Audi A6.

Anybody have any recommendations on these? What are the alternatives, pros/cons of both. If we were to get a high milage Audi, BMW what are the risks things to look out for.

thanks a mil!

RoverZT

Meriva?

1.3 diesel, 60mpg, 156e road tax, roomy.

2008 6k

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201211207310579

Idbatterim

Hi Op, just checked, you would get an 08 i.e. low tax 3 series for that price...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-E90-/5713318156117080/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320D-SE-/6113333809018640/advert?channel=CARS

they have 3x3 point rear seat belts.

these 320d have 177bhp AFAIK

DubDani

I think a 3 Series would be far too small with 3 kids, especially if you have to carry around some equipment (buggies, some shopping etc.). There are only very few cars that would fit 3 seats in the back and have enough space in the boot etc.

MugMugs

Not being a parent and being brought up in a house with a Hatchback Kadett and three of us.... I am probably not very well qualified to make a call for you but I would imagine that any of the Saloons you've mentioned would be very difficult to negotiate three kids with.

Would you look at something a bit bigger / people carrier wise ?

Verso or the likes ?

cdb

What about an 08 S-max 1.8 Tdci.

Based on the Mondeo chassis it is really easy to drive and very economical to run in diesel form. More practical than a saloon with 3 independent seats in the back, higher roofline so easier to get in and out of when putting on kids seatbelts and it has a massive boot with an option to increase it by sliding the rear seats forward. Then there is the 7 seats. Like this

luckyfrank

new shaped crv

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/CR-V/CR-V-ESL/201209207138800/advert?channel=CARS

bladespin

luckyfrank wrote: »

new shaped crv

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/CR-V/CR-V-ESL/201209207138800/advert?channel=CARS

Petrol

Larbre34

+1 on the S-Max or even a hatchback Mondeo is cavernous and practical.

One of my faves is the Mazda 6, smart, roomy, reliable, efficient, Mondeo chassis so handles very nicely. Skoda Superb is enormous but good examples are rare and it doesnt look great.

Its easy to be tempted by a small exec, but repairing Audis and Beemers can be horrifically expensive. Brother in law got a lovely 07 A4 2.0 TDi 170HP from the UK and all was sweet until niggly problems arose. He reckons €6-800 average per incident. Passats too can be pricey fixers

Overall Id go with the Mondeo, plenty of choice so good deals easier to come by, cheaper to service and repair, a lovely drive, good running costs, more room than an old Granada and looks very smart with the right colour and wheels. Better specs to be had in the UK if you have time to import one, and the 2.0 TDCi is a better bet than the 1.8 for reasons of power, efficiency and refinement

Good luck and enjoy

Gun_Slinger

Thanks for the replies.

I think the Meriva might be a bit small engine wise, but might be worth looking into.

The 3 series is a lovely car but my sister has one with 2 kids and really finds it tight for space when going anywhere i.e. 1 bag for mam and dad and 10 for the kids!

I was wondering about the 7 seaters alright but was put off by the general high price of them. Definately worth considering though and the s-max is probably the best looking of them.

luckyfrank

bladespin wrote: »

Petrol

they come in deisel aswell

Gun_Slinger

Larbre34 wrote: »

Its easy to be tempted by a small exec, but repairing Audis and Beemers can be horrifically expensive. Brother in law got a lovely 07 A4 2.0 TDi 170HP from the UK and all was sweet until niggly problems arose. He reckons €6-800 average per incident. Passats too can be pricey fixers

I have heard this alright but for some reason I cant get the BMW 520 diesel out of my head! I read here that stuff can go on them around the 100K mark and when it does it gets very pricey but if you were to get one a few grand cheaper than the Mondeo (older in years obviously) might it be worth it?

I have test driven a 2L Mondeo and it is a lovely car to drive, I think its whether to go with the head or the heart

Oh yea, on the CR-V, its a lovely bus alright but the Diesel are mad expensive after 08 (pre this is nearly 1 grand a year in tax).

2ndcoming

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Touran/1.9-TDI-/201205206788819/advert?channel=CARS

Something like this would probably be a better suited machine for your needs than a basic saloon. Similar model from Seat worth considering as well:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/SEAT/Altea-XL/1.9-TDI-/413257856218580/advert?channel=CARS

Or as someone mentioned earlier a Corolla Verso:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Corolla-Verso/D4D-7-SE/5713323288843090/advert?channel=CARS

If all of these seem a bit naff going back a couple of years for a well maintained 5 series Touring or an A6 estate probably wouldn't be the worst idea either, but it's worth bearing in mind these mini-MPVs are purpose built for the job at hand in your case.

I know a couple of these ads are over budget but I'm just trying to highlight the car/model rather than the ad itself, and you should be able to pick any of them up in a private deal within budget.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Idbatterim

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520d-SE-/813258404313280/advert?channel=CARS

just going on carzone, that looks to be the best allrounder...

or from N.I

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/bmw/5_series/postcode/bt39jp/radius/100/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/sort/default/maximum-age/up_to_4_years_old

https://www.ros.ie/evrt-enquiry/vrtenquiry.html?execution=e2s4

Vrt is about €3065 according to the above. so there would be a saving in going north.

Gun_Slinger

A neighbour is selling the following BMW 525 and id say I would get it for 7.5. I know the tax is a killer but it is below budget and I know it is well maintained.

Do I go ahead and buy a mondeo for 12/13 or risk the BMW and the potential problems that come with it. I have read some horror stories regarding the 520 diesel but not much on the 525 so not sure if the same problems exist for both? Thanks again