Family car for 3000 euro

Poncke

Looking for a family car for around 3k

Was thinking of v40 or vectra estate because of their long wheel base.

Need something reliable and affordable in parts.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-v40-1-9-d-sport-lux-estate-/10331385

Thanks

Nuw

A friend of mine had one of these V40, engine is a Renault block which is actually quite reliable, watch out for turbo though, especially if the current owner doesn't know about the 'cool down period'.

Other than that, pretty solid car, comfy, relatively frugal, parts are actually not bad price-wise, not that you will need a lot of them (well if everything goes well).

Go and have a look would be my advise

Poncke

The car in the add is gone, seller cant be bothered to take it down, has it up a few times. Looked like a good car though. Found a few more but on the other side of the country, thats tough.

Have to be patient. Any other makes I should look for? Space is important.

colm_mcm

Dunno if you'd get an accord 2.0 within budget.

Poncke

cheers, think 2 liter is too big, more looking for 1.8, dont want to splash out on tax

Atlantic Dawn

Poncke wrote: »

cheers, think 2 liter is too big, more looking for 1.8, dont want to splash out on tax

Difference is €74 a year between the 2, much better selection and pricing if you go up to 2 litre.

Mycroft H

Citroen C5 estate? Ticks a lot of boxes as a family load lugger

Cortina_MK_IV

I have an '03 Avensis saloon, never a minutes trouble. Here's a 2005 1.8 Avensis estate for €2,450. Owner emigrating so might even get it lower.

118000 miles on it and NCT till November next.



Avensis Estate

Cortina_MK_IV

Peugeot 407, 2009 estate. 160000 miles. 1.6 diesel and the tax is only €280 p.a.

€3,000.



Peugeot 407 Estate

unkel

What annual mileage do you do, Poncke?

If it is not very high, did you consider buying a petrol car? Much cheaper to buy, much more refined, more reliable and much less prone to very expensive repairs

Do you ever look at the bangernomics thread right here on this motors subforum? A superb resource for great value cars for very little money.

Cortina_MK_IV

Take the kids to school in style. :cool:

BMW, 3-Series, 2004. 2.0L diesel but just under budget at €2,900 o.n.o open to squeeze a few bob off.

Leather interior for the Capri Sun spills.

150,000 miles and NCT till March 2017.



BMW 320D

Poncke

Cortina_MK_IV wrote: »

Take the kids to school in style. :cool:

BMW, 3-Series, 2004. 2.0L diesel but just under budget at €2,900 o.n.o open to squeeze a few bob off.

Leather interior for the Capri Sun spills.

150,000 miles and NCT till March 2017.



BMW 320D

Yeah, I'd like to get a Mercedes estate, they're not expensive to buy, but very expensive to fix. Same reason why I wont get a BMW. And if I would be looking for something like that BMW, I will always prefer a Mercedes over BMW.

Poncke

unkel wrote: »

What annual mileage do you do, Poncke?

If it is not very high, did you consider buying a petrol car? Much cheaper to buy, much more refined, more reliable and much less prone to very expensive repairs

Do you ever look at the bangernomics thread right here on this motors subforum? A superb resource for great value cars for very little money.

Probably not many miles per year. I'd say max 5000, because I will be using the second car to go to work.

But isnt Diesel cheaper in petrol and has better mileage than a petrol car and the motortax is the same for smiliar engine sizes?

Poncke

Cortina_MK_IV wrote: »

Peugeot 407, 2009 estate. 160000 miles. 1.6 diesel and the tax is only €280 p.a.

€3,000.



Peugeot 407 Estate

I wonder why it is that cheap? Isnt the mileage very high on this car?

Poncke

Cortina_MK_IV wrote: »

I have an '03 Avensis saloon, never a minutes trouble. Here's a 2005 1.8 Avensis estate for €2,450. Owner emigrating so might even get it lower.

118000 miles on it and NCT till November next.



Avensis Estate

Yeah, thanks, I texted the person to see if it still available.

Poncke

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Difference is €74 a year between the 2, much better selection and pricing if you go up to 2 litre.

Cheers, will keep that in mind

Poncke

Mycroft H wrote: »

Citroen C5 estate? Ticks a lot of boxes as a family load lugger

Cheers, are they reliable cars?

Mycroft H

Poncke wrote: »

Mycroft H wrote: »

Citroen C5 estate? Ticks a lot of boxes as a family load lugger

Cheers, are they reliable cars?

As much as anything else. I'm on my second C5. First was a facelift 2006 model and the later a 2003 estate. The latter has covered about 30,000 trouble free miles this year (apart from me doing something to the immobiliser).

Parts are cheap enough. Got a timing belt and water pump kit on eBay with tensioners for 75 quid. Fitted by a local Citroen indie for another 130.

You should be able to pick up a later facelift petrol model for the 3000. Even the saloon has loads of space and the estate is bigger again.

If sticking with a diesel, the 2.0hdi is hard to beat. Engine is very strong.

kerten

I would aim 03-08 petrol avensis as suggested preferably a facelift one( 06+ and they have indicator lenses on side mirrors)

unkel

Poncke wrote: »

Probably not many miles per year. I'd say max 5000, because I will be using the second car to go to work.

But isnt Diesel cheaper in petrol and has better mileage than a petrol car and the motortax is the same for smiliar engine sizes?

At 5k miles, your fuel savings will be about €500 per year with the diesel (based on a petrol doing 25mpg and the diesel 40mpg - if you do a lot of short trips, you won't get anywhere near 40mpg in the diesel)

But there is far more that can go wrong and is very expensive to fix. Injectors, DPF, DMF, turbo. Things that simply aren't there / would not go wrong with a petrol car. And a car with a four cylinder diesel engine runs rough, is noisy and is not refined compared to a petrol (although most people don't seem to mind any of this)

Buying a bangernomics diesel car if you do a very small annual mileage = penny wise, pound foolish imho...

Poncke

Makes sense thanks

bazz26

Sounds like you don't need a diesel and in your budget you have more chance of buying one that will be a money pit. Your mileage is so small fuel economy really shouldn't be a deciding factor.

If you want something that's reliable then it's hard to beat something like a Corolla, yes it's boring and basic but running costs will be low and ownership effortless.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-corolla/12372997
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-corolla-terra-estate/12473175

Poncke

Thanks. What is the difference between avensis and corolla? Which car is bigger? What are pros and cons?

Cortina_MK_IV

Can only speak for my own Avensis. Pros are reliability, comfort and economy. Seriously can't think of a fault. Never let me down once in 13 years.

P.s. Avensis is bigger vs. Corolla.

bazz26

Poncke wrote: »

Thanks. What is the difference between avensis and corolla? Which car is bigger? What are pros and cons?

Corolla is a medium size family car similar to a Golf, Focus, Astra, etc. The Avensis is from the segment above that and similar to a Mondeo, Passat, etc which are bigger. Avensis estate of that vintage only came in 1.8 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel. Most Avensis estates also only came in base Terra spec which is not much better than a Corolla bar having air conditioning.

Poncke

Ok, I have decided to check this one tomorrow.

Toyota Avensis 1.8 VVTI T3 X EST 05DR

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-avensis-estate/12601106

T3 is similar to Luna right? So it would have extras on top of the Terra model?

Cortina_MK_IV

Just be aware that Avensis is a UK import. Not sure what difference that will make unless your insurance will find it an excuse to give it to you up the tailpipe.

colm_mcm

The basic Irish spec Avensis is the Aura model, the T3 is very similar to the Irish Luna spec (which isn't available on the estate).

Main differences would be

Rear electric Windows, alloys, fogs, auto lights, auto wipers, dual zone climate control, leather wheel and gearknob, armrest, auto dimming rear view mirror, alarm.

It might have cruise control and satnav too.

Just be aware the 1.8 has oil consumption issues sometimes.

Poncke

Cheers guys, calling insurance tomorrow and will ask the owner about oil consumption.

colm_mcm

If I was selling it I'm not sure if give an honest answer!

That said, it looks like the current owner has had the car a long time. There is only one Irish owner on it, and the reg number is quite low compared to most uk imports with Dublin regs.

Poncke

colm_mcm wrote: »

If I was selling it I'm not sure if give an honest answer!

.

I am sure you would! You are too nice of a person

What site do you use to check?

colm_mcm

Carsireland

iamtony

Just to mention saloons wouldn't really be a family car. For Value for money and proper interior family space with cubby holes galore and room for a pram plus shopping Id be more looking towards the likes of a Citroen C4 Picasso or a Opel Zafira they are much better suited to the family life than a saloon or estate which is more about boot size rather than functionality for family life.

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/11889467
Citreon c4 picasso 1.6 h.D.i

iamtony

And don't listen to people slating French cars that's only an Irish thing. Go to anywhere else in Europe and you will see lots of Taxi drivers in the likes of the Picasso.

iamtony

Or here's a low mileage petrol scenic for good money.

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/12581949 Renault Scenic 1.4 Litre Petrol

Poncke

Saw the car today, but not purchased it yet.

• The overall look of the car is fine, minor scratches but nothing major or indicating any accidents.
• All electrics are working
• Interior had seat covers so the upholstery is all looking great
• The shift stick cover had minor wear and tear, same as the steering wheel, matching the 118K miles
• 2nd owner, driven the car for 7 years
• Service logbook present, showed 5 services in the past 11 years, 2007 2008 2009 2012 2013 and he had it serviced Nov 2015 but not stamped
• I drove the car and it drove fine, responded well, shifting gears and steering felt decent, no funny noises
• Checked under the hood, engine looked good, sounded good, no visible oil splatters, but there was a light chirpy noise coming from the alternator on the left side from the block
• Owner told me they've replaced the clutch 2 years ago, no issues with it since then, new clutch went in (didnt have to tell me this, but he did, which is honest)
• Owner is a family man himself, has 2 daughters, told me he would keep the car for me so I could bring a mechanic, but we agreed we would meet Monday and take it to a garage to have it checked together. He would have the car serviced in that morning before he sells it to me. He knows the mechanic so he could tell him to tell me the car is great, but I trust the man to be honest.
• He is moving to the UK so hence he needs to sell it, never had any issues with it other than the clutch, the man and the story seemed genuine, nicest bloke you'll meet

So, I guess, if the car checks out on Monday, I will do business with him.

Thoughts?

colm_mcm

That all sounds good, the mechanics report is the most important bit, but it's looking good so far.

Poncke

Cool