Practicality vs I love this... the struggle within.

Mr. Larson

Here's the situation, replacing my beloved car out of necessity for something with more space for a child and everything that comes with said child. So wanting some manner of Diesel Estate. I've become accustomed to a pretty high level of comfort but my car is a 02 so I reckon pretty much anything recent will be able to match that.

The problem is, my head and 1,000 other reasons are steering me towards something uber practical like a 2010/2011 Skoda Octavia/Superb estate, 2012 Kia Ceed SW, a Mondeo Estate etc. etc. But I really, really, like, really want a V70 2.0d R-Design.




I'll need to go back in years a bit (2009) to afford one as the upper limit of my budget is low 20's. I know the reasons why this is probably a bad idea but if anyone out there can represent the "ah feck it" side I'd like to hear from them . Don't know why I love them so much but I took one for a spin (2.0d) and the trim, the interior, exterior, everything just screams buy it to me. If I get this it's the type of thing that I would spend hours looking at and feeling great in, the others, will probably just get me from A to B albeit for less money and more security (warranty etc.)

colm_mcm

Hang on. 1 child?

Bigcheeze

Trust me, you don't need to worry about estates, mpv's etc until you have more than two kids. Sounds like you have one child.

Mr. Larson

colm_mcm wrote: »

Hang on. 1 child?

Yes, one so far . Now I know where you're going with that and it may seem stupidly overkill but circumstances are that I tend to have to ferry a lot of stuff (even excluding all the bits for child) and am tired playing boot Tetris.

Mr. Larson

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Trust me, you don't need to worry about estates, mpv's etc until you have more than two kids. Sounds like you have one child.

Yeah fair enough, I should have pointed out I would like more space full stop, not purely because of one child.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Buy it. If you buy one if the others you'll probably end up regretting it and getting bored with it quickly. I have bought mundane cars on a few I assigns telling myself I don't need anything special or fast and got utterly bored of it within weeks, sold it and lost money and bought what I really wanted in the first place.

166man

A well known poster R.O.R has one I think, although its not a R design model. He might pop by to give his thoughts.

It seems you have your heart set on a Volvo so buy a Volvo, anything else will feel like second place. If I wanted a R-Design, I'd look to the UK, much better choice and spec cars even if its more hassle.

Mr. Larson

166man wrote: »

A well known poster R.O.R has one I think, although its not a R design model. He might pop by to give his thoughts.

It seems you have your heart set on a Volvo so buy a Volvo, anything else will feel like second place. If I wanted a R-Design, I'd look to the UK, much better choice and spec cars even if its more hassle.

Looked into a few in the U.K. alright. The one in Ireland I currently have my eye on is a swimmer. If the few garages in Ireland who currently stock R Design won't play ball and negotiate a wee bit, I'll get the ferry... but it's looking like it's more or less the same financially. Perhaps that's what you're implying when you say 'even if it's more hassle'.

166man

Mr. Larson wrote: »

Looked into a few in the U.K. alright. The one in Ireland I currently have my eye on is a swimmer. If the few garages in Ireland who currently stock R Design won't play ball and negotiate a wee bit, I'll get the ferry... but it's looking like it's more or less the same financially. Perhaps that's what you're implying when you say 'even if it's more hassle'.

Yeah, if you find one in Ireland you're happy with then that should be the first port of call. By more hassle I meant doing the online checks and flying over etc etc. Tbh even if the car was more expensive in the UK I'd give it thought if its the car you really want.

Best of luck though, but buy the Volvo!

R.O.R

Not sure they sold the R Design in Ireland until recently, so most, if not all ate likely to be swimmers.

You will probably lose less money on the used V70 over the next 3-4 years than you would on a new, small estate. Running costs aren't going to be that low, tax is pricey enough - band D, and fuel economy isn't spectacular.

If there is any way you can stretch to a D3 model, do that. The 2.0d engines isn't terrible, but the gearing feels a bit off and it isn't a patch on the newer D3.

Ours is an Irish 10 reg 2.0d SE. Looked at a UK 09 R Design but the dealer didn't bother talking to us. Eventually this one came up at a reasonable price.

Bought ours as we have a 14 month old, and another on the way on the next couple of weeks. The V50 we had wasn't big enough for a double buggy so we went for this. Just back from a big shop with 9 full shopping bags, that. Fit no problem along with the lightweight buggy, I'm the boot. Massive amount of leg room on the rear and one of the few cars that will fit 2 child seats and an adult in relative comfort.

djimi

I cant comment on that car in particular, but in general Id take a high spec 2009 car (provided its been well looked after) over a new basic model car any day. The reg plate is only a number at the end of the day; I understand the concern over the warranty (you can buy an extended warranty if this is an issue for you) but if the car has been well looked after and properly serviced then its not exactly a dealbreaker.

langdang

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Trust me, you don't need to worry about estates, mpv's etc until you have more than two kids. Sounds like you have one child.

I like estates - I have no children! or dogs!
Subaru Legacy/outback, forester, or a V70 could definitely feature as my next car...