Advice on which estate to get

RobFowl

Ok, I've a fairly specific set of requirements soem evidence based, some preference and some pure prejudice..

I'm a cyclist and commute 90%+ on the bike. I also do lots of cycling events so lug bikes up and down the country very often.
Have 2 kids and we like to holiday here and on the continent by boat/car so the space is nice.
Dog too btw.

Love cycling but have also always loved driving. since 1994 have owned renault 5 and 19's, Citroen ZX Td and Xantia's, Ford focus and Mondeo (prob best value car as got it 9/12 old ald 13 years later and 150k miles is still going for us). Had an Alfa 145 (lovely car to drive but disaster to own though).
Since 2007 have had a 2004 V70 2.0 petrol which is ideal (but 25.9 mpg).

The boring back story is that basically i have 16k (pos +1) or less to spend and want to get another v70, audi A4 or A6 or BMW 3 or 5 series touring.
Want less than 85k miles and ideally 2008 at least.

Would appreciated advice directions, suggestions and yes don't mind slagging for being a cyclist.

Have bought mainly from dealers in past, imported the V70 from the UK and would not be averse to that again. Also clued in enough about cars and what to look for but also lucky as will have a mechanic to look over any thing before getting it as long as its not too far away from Dublin/Belfast sort of area.

Have looked through carzone/autotrader ni and not much thats not really high mileage or low spec..

Supergurrier

D5 V70

RobFowl

Supergurrier wrote: »

D5 V70

Would love one but trying get one with less than 140k seems v difficult......

colm_mcm

What about a citroen c5?

mathepac

Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 170 bhp. Review - http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/skoda/superb/first-drives/skoda-superb-estate-2.0-tdi

comanche_cor

Perhaps an x-type estate - am thinking of changing myself atm and have similarish requirements - mountain bike, dogs, family etc and this is what my choice has boiled down to.

Matthewjohn

Passat:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Passat/ESTATE-H/30913499611496800/advert?channel=CARS
Mazda 6

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/Mazda6/2.2-TD-*/32713584222266680/advert?channel=CARS

dmc17

Honda Accord is another option

ninty9er

RobFowl wrote: »

Would love one but trying get one with less than 140k seems v difficult......

What's the problem there? If its an ex-fleet example it will probably have a gold plated service history.

RobFowl

ninty9er wrote: »

What's the problem there? If its an ex-fleet example it will probably have a gold plated service history.

I kept the last one for 6 years and plan to do similar with this one. Reckon they are grand at 140k but at 200k + then repairs will be costly and won't be as reliable. If it was a car for 2 years or so though you're right.

pete4130

Subaru Forester? Rear seats fold flat really easily. Good spec, spacious boot, AWD, great handling, tough. If you're already used to paying the tax on a 2.0L then the Forester is going to be no different. May not have as much space as some of the others though?

RobFowl

pete4130 wrote: »

Subaru Forester? Rear seats fold flat really easily. Good spec, spacious boot, AWD, great handling, tough. If you're already used to paying the tax on a 2.0L then the Forester is going to be no different. May not have as much space as some of the others though?

Thats a left-field one. Interesting though agree the boot space doesn't look great. On occassion I've had 4 bikes and kit in the back of the Volvo :rolleyes:

RobFowl

dmc17 wrote: »

Honda Accord is another option

On looks alone thats a seriously good looking motor...
Thanks, very interested in that.

The tax man

RobFowl wrote: »

Thats a left-field one. Interesting though agree the boot space doesn't look great. On occassion I've had 4 bikes and kit in the back of the Volvo :rolleyes:

Well if you're taking bikes and kids in a Forester, the kids are going on the roof rack.:D
Rear seats down will accommodate a bike no problem,wheels still on.
Never tried more than one.
Four bikes,wheels off and a game of Jenga. You'll only have space for two people though.
Your welcome to scope out my Forester for space but looks are deceiving.

eddieham

5 series gets my vote, currently on my third and cant fault them.
With 3 kids, 3 dogs and 5 bikes we have managed, on occasions, to fit them all in and on, but it was like the krypton factor puzzle.

Here's what looks like a clean example from the ad and has being up for a while, so I reckon you should be able to move the price a bit ( no connection) Milage is slightly above your spec but not by much
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520-D-E6/201240210289024/advert?channel=CARS


Over the years I have looked at all the alternatives to the 5 and the only one I have ever considered as comparable is the superb, buts thats just my opinion

Popoutman

For ability to carry things, the A4 is a little small, ad I know from personal experience with my own A4. I carry mountain bikes as well as kayaks on a fairly regular basis, as well as heading to the Pyrenees or French/Italian Alps for a fortnight's kayaking with all the camping gear as well.

The OP's use case with long trips in Ireland and on the Continent, a decent diesel would be the recommendation.

The A6 or Passat would be good choices. The driving experience is comfortable but not that fulfilling, but beats the likes of the Octavia, any recent Volvo, or the like. Better driving experiences would come from the likes of the 5-Series BMW or the E-Class Merc and those have better load carrying capacity generally with more comfort. An Audi Allroad would make a great option for Irish use and conditions although the higher tax could be an issue.

I'll probably be changing the A4 at some point as the mileage is getting towards 200k miles and it feels a little tired. I'm looking at the likes of 530/535 touring, v6 E320 estate, A6 3.0tdi estate, Audi Allroad, with possibilities of the R-Class merc, ML merc, X5, and the Q7 is just out of my budget.. (I'd be happy for the tax difference for the increase in driving pleasure and carrying capacity).

langdang

RobFowl wrote: »

On looks alone thats a seriously good looking motor...
Thanks, very interested in that.

That model Accord estate is a lovely car, wish more people bought them new so I could find a nice one down the line. Feck all of them around Ireland, you'll most likely end up importing. Very few nice estates around compared to other countries unfortunately.

The total value of any bikes I'd have would often exceed the value of my car, I prefer to keep them inside rather than hanging off the back or on the roof.
If your priorities are the same I wonder will you have to go for a big bus of an MPV, with back row removed?

mathepac

RobFowl wrote: »

On looks alone thats a seriously good looking motor... ...

The Accord is a great car (I picked a '09 saloon for my daughter ) but if you're looking for an estate, post 2008 Accords have a good deal less carrying capacity than the older model. So maybe go up in age to meet your needs.

Another slightly unusual one might be the Avensis Estate with the D4D engine. This is a nice one, an import. http://46.20.118.12/~wwwwoodl/search/

Barry Barry

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4447468

Go for it OP, you know you want it..

RobFowl

eddieham wrote: »

5 series gets my vote, currently on my third and cant fault them.
With 3 kids, 3 dogs and 5 bikes we have managed, on occasions, to fit them all in and on, but it was like the krypton factor puzzle.

Here's what looks like a clean example from the ad and has being up for a while, so I reckon you should be able to move the price a bit ( no connection) Milage is slightly above your spec but not by much
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520-D-E6/201240210289024/advert?channel=CARS


Over the years I have looked at all the alternatives to the 5 and the only one I have ever considered as comparable is the superb, buts thats just my opinion

Thanks Eddie, am going to ring about that one and try to view. Have to say veering towards the 5 series at the moment with a bit of movement on the milege.

Appreciate all the sugestions btw, all so have have had me looking at the magazines, reviews and ads.

RobFowl

Barry Barry wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4447468

Go for it OP, you know you want it..

Meets the euro rules too

comanche_cor

Good luck with what ever you get OP - would be curious to know what you go for in the end and how it you get on!

galwaytt

...one of the things I notice about a lot of the newer estates, is that bar a few, the 'drooping' roofline to the rear, does make the shape inside a bit daft. My own 9-3 was guilty of that, as inside height wasn't great - had to take off wheels on kids bikes to get them in. I could be wrong, but the Accord looks like a similar situation, to me.

It's when you see a V70 or similar that you realise the difference between utility and pure style.
My current 9-5 estate (05) is more 'square' and so space more useful than our 9-3 was.

galwaytt

Barry Barry wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4447468

Go for it OP, you know you want it..

Nice choice: boot looks good and deep, too, which is useful for bikes. It's no accident they've been the car of choice on various Tour's for the last number of years.

RobFowl

Not confirmed yet but looks like I'm going to import a Dec 08 Volvo V70 2.0 diesel SE with 55k miles from the UK. It's going to come in well under budget even after vrt/nct etc. Will post pics once paid for and back home...
A bit boring but the BMW's i could afford just had too many miles on the clock for a car I will prob have for 4-5 years.
I gave serious thought to the skoda Octavia as well and TBH would have got that if this Volvo hadn't come up.
Agree galwaytt far too many of the "estates" had sloping rears which made the space much less practical to use.

Thanks to all for the comments which were very helpful and made me think outside the box. Effectively would have choosen something i hadn't even considered thanks to the advice.

Glad to see I'm far from the only cyclist who loves cars and driving as well

tinofapples

eddieham wrote: »

5 series gets my vote, currently on my third and cant fault them.
With 3 kids, 3 dogs and 5 bikes we have managed, on occasions, to fit them all in and on, but it was like the krypton factor puzzle.

Here's what looks like a clean example from the ad and has being up for a while, so I reckon you should be able to move the price a bit ( no connection) Milage is slightly above your spec but not by much
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/520-D-E6/201240210289024/advert?channel=CARS


Over the years I have looked at all the alternatives to the 5 and the only one I have ever considered as comparable is the superb, buts thats just my opinion

I just love the ad "Best value high spec 520D touring on the net-first to see will buy. "

As of today the ad is up 133 days, no-one seen it yet ??