Family Car 10K

John Electrician33

Looking for a family car about the 10K mark. At present we have a toyota corolla 2008 1.4 diesel - hate it - boring - no spec - anything over 60mph and it revs very high - just dosent feel like a solid car. I drive a golf everyday and love it.


Was considering - VW jetta, vw passat, audi a4 or audi a6 - about 2008 - 2010.
Would prefer diesel, low tax band, and all usual - reliable, nice to drive.
Any do's, dont's - yes or no or alternatives to above?
Thanks

I drove a 2010 diesel Octavia for a few years, and I'd recommend it highly. The trouble for me was that I was covering a lot of road when I bought it, but that changed not long afterwards so I ended up doing mostly city commuting, so I moved on to a petrol.

You'd get an Octavia of that age with a very decent specification for the kind of money you're talking about - a/c, cruise control, reverse parking assist and stuff like that - and the 1.9 and 1.6 diesels are very solid cars to drive. They have huge boot space but the rear legroom is a bit on the small side, so they'd work better for families with smaller kids (IMO).

I'm not sure what's wrong with a boring car, by the way. As a relative of mine who's a mechanic puts it "if you want an exciting car, don't have a family."

bazz26

Not sure on the OP's definition of boring is but a Jetta, Passat, etc are hardly exciting.

Eric Cartman

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-e-class-automatic-leather/10756075

E class merc, should be able to haggle to 11k , 2008 so only 636 to tax, nice enough to drive, more exciting than a passat or similar.

pablo128

The OP is listening to the internet too much. Toyotas are boring, dull, etc. I have news for you. So are most run of the mill German family cars.

Honestly? Buy a sports car if you want excitement, or biy a large hatchback or estate if you want a family car.

Eric Cartman

pablo128 wrote: »

The OP is listening to the internet too much. Toyotas are boring, dull, etc. I have news for you. So are most run of the mill German family cars.

Honestly? Buy a sports car if you want excitement, or biy a large hatchback or estate if you want a family car.

different brief in building them though. Avensis is built to hit a price point, get people from a-b, be reliable and reasonable value. Similar story with kia, hyundai etc..

BMW 5 series, Audi a6, mercedes e-class are built to drive enthusiastically , be comfortable, have a flare of luxury about them and for the most part use up market materials, and they work out what it costs after then make adjustments.

honda are probably the only japanese manufacturers I can think of that even use the words "exciting to drive" in a design brief when building the accord, but then the accountants step in and put an end to some of that

pablo128

Eric Cartman wrote: »

different brief in building them though. Avensis is built to hit a price point, get people from a-b, be reliable and reasonable value. Similar story with kia, hyundai etc..

BMW 5 series, Audi a6, mercedes e-class are built to drive enthusiastically , be comfortable, have a flare of luxury about them and for the most part use up market materials, and they work out what it costs after then make adjustments.

honda are probably the only japanese manufacturers I can think of that even use the words "exciting to drive" in a design brief when building the accord, but then the accountants step in and put an end to some of that

What kind of a 520d can you get for 10k, and are you trying to tell me a 520d is exciting to drive? The same with a 10k A6 2.0tdi.

I do get what you're saying, but the OP wants a family car with cheap tax for 10k.

Eric Cartman

pablo128 wrote: »

What kind of a 520d can you get for 10k, and are you trying to tell me a 520d is exciting to drive? The same with a 10k A6 2.0tdi.

I do get what you're saying, but the OP wants a family car with cheap tax for 10k.

hence why I linked a perfectly good 08 merc e200. 636 in tax which really isn't that much and while your not going to bring it to mondello , it will certainly excite a lot more than a corolla, avensis or passat will.

in the years OP is looking for the 520d timing chain issues crop up so I left that one out.

also : https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a6-2-0-tdi-s-line-138bhp-auto/10962772 a6, half leather, 08, S-line, auto, in budget with haggling.

bigroad

Eric Cartman wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-e-class-automatic-leather/10756075

E class merc, should be able to haggle to 11k , 2008 so only 636 to tax, nice enough to drive, more exciting than a passat or similar.

No advantage buying that 08 merc for cheap tax as its based on the old cc rate.An 06 facelift model will be the same to tax and cheaper to buy.

pablo128

Eric Cartman wrote: »

hence why I linked a perfectly good 08 merc e200. 636 in tax which really isn't that much and while your not going to bring it to mondello , it will certainly excite a lot more than a corolla, avensis or passat will.

in the years OP is looking for the 520d timing chain issues crop up so I left that one out.

also : https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a6-2-0-tdi-s-line-138bhp-auto/10962772 a6, half leather, 08, S-line, auto, in budget with haggling.

You were the one who brought up 5 series in the first place, along with linking petrol Mercs, and an A6 with big miles.

Eric Cartman

pablo128 wrote: »

You were the one who brought up 5 series in the first place, along with linking petrol Mercs, and an A6 with big miles.

I brought it up in the context of you saying that some german family cars were boring. I simply pointed out that the big 3 as it were are more exciting than their japanese counterpart from toyota. I didn't notice the mileage on that a6, ill take your point on that one.

bigroad

What about a Volvo s80 d5.I think they put out about 185bhp and are a good car and nice to drive.
The tax is around 570euro which might be too much for the op.
A lot of car for the money and a 2.4 five cylinder diesel with loads of torkssss.

The Sidewards Man

Only one hing for it is buy a motorbike, only way to feed the mid life crisis.

pablo128

There is a serious amount of diesel Mondeos on the Double D. You would find a well specced example handy enough, and they are not mad money.

colm_mcm

There are other cars in the same class as the corolla that offer more space, comfort, spec,less basic interior.

George Dalton

colm_mcm wrote: »

There are other cars in the same class as the corolla that offer more space, comfort, spec,less basic interior.

Or to put it another way, there are few cars in the Corolla class that offer less comfort, spec or a more basic interior :pac:

John Electrician33

I will clarify what I am looking for.

A car in the tax bracket approx €300. Diesel, reliable, relatively big boot/interior, decent spec, nice car to drive/handle like a golf & something solid/good reputation hence why I assumed jetta or audi

I found driving the corolla very bad on anything over 60mph, the only spec it had was electric windows, very dull interior. As I said I drive a golf everyday and find the handling good, also its very reliable and has a decent amount of specs, cruise control, etc.

I was thinking Vw jetta or passat as I assumed fairly reliable, good size, look tax bracket and relatively cheap/easy to repair and good handling/comfort and longer journeys.
Never drove an Audi but I was also considering an A4 or A6 & was wondering on peoples opinions.
Note - My dad had a mondeo, I dont like them - boring & seem cheap and was troublesome.

colm_mcm

If you like the Golf then a Jetta would be an obvious choice. they're not exciting but they feel more solid than the corolla, they have better seats, better standard equipment and a wider range of engines.
It sounds like theyd suit what you want.

another possibility is a seat exeo, which is basically a slightly wonky looking old model a4 with the up to date common rail 2.0 tdi engine. it would have to be considerably newer or cheaper than a new model 08 A4 though.