Next car advice. Large, comfortable, €15k - 20k

RonanG86

Thinking about my next car, my budget is €15k. Could stretch to €18k - €20k.

I'm currently driving a 2011 Saab 9-5 diesel, which I've had for nearly 6 years, and it's developing little niggles. I've dropped €800 on small repairs this year and now I think the gear linkage is acting up. Getting the car into 4th gear is proving difficult. It's not the clutch cos a) I changed the clutch last year and b) there's no other sign, slipping etc. that the clutch is in trouble. If it's just the linkage and not the box itself, it mightn't be too bad to fix, but I suspect my mechanic will get indigestion when I ring him about it.

That aside, the odometer is also not displaying, a not uncommon problem with that generation of Saab, and it has little electrical gremlins - rear seatbelt warning lights coming on with no one in the back from time to time, three or four times a year the alarm goes off randomly and so forth. With all that going on I'd say I'd get €2500 if I sold it, tops. With all that fixed, I might get €4,000 - €5,000. Might.

Anyway that has me thinking about changing. I need something relatively large cos I'm a musician and need to carry gear once in a while - so think Estate or large saloon / hatchback with fold down rear seats. Getting my bike into it would be nice, but is not essential. I also don't want to take a step down in terms of refinement from the Saab. It is a nice car to drive, when you don't have to use 4th for a long period. I don't need a diesel specifically cos I don't do enough mileage, but I'd still want a fair amount of power (the Saab has 160hp, although it is heavy) and reasonable road tax (€500 per year or less).

Options I'm considering:

Audi A4 Estate / VW Passat Estate / Skoda Octavia Estate. A lot of Passats for sale are 1.4 petrol, which even with a turbo is surely underpowered as hell in a car that size?

BMW 4-Series. I like the look of these cars a lot. The disadvantage is I think foldable rear seats (which I need) were an option rather than something they all come with, and even with that I'd have to actually see does my stuff fit in it when test driving one. They're also on the more expensive side with 2014/15 ones with low mileage (under 200k km) coming in at closer to €20k than I'd like.

BMW 3-Series / 5-Series Estate. Definitely more practical. Have the same premium pricing problem as the 4 series though.

Ford Mondeo. More cost effective, although more boring.

Mercedes C-Class Estate. Most of these I see are hybrids and I know one person who traded her 2018 C-Class saloon cos the battery was giving trouble. This an issue with these cars anyone know?

Mazda 6 Estate. I like the looks of these and I could get a 2017 or 2018 one in budget. Did they ever stop the 2.2 SkyActiv Diesels from breaking though? That's kind of important since there are sod all petrol models of them for sale. I can't seem to find out for certain by searching the internet.

Any obvious misses I could be looking at too?

Buddy Bubs

I don't know how the 4 series made it in there with the rest of the options!

Nice to see someone looking at things not SUV though.

Just one notable omission which might be perfect for your budget is the Skoda superb.

My personal favourite is also missing the Audi A6 but it would be the c7 which is getting old at this stage.

hoodie6029

My left field suggestion was going to be a Citroen C5X but they are still double your budget but with Citroen depreciation you should be able to get one next year!

Seat Leon FR estate might be a bit on the small side for you but worth a look.

Volvo V60 hybrid 2.4 diesel is within budget and a good alternative car.

Alkers

What sorta mileage and pattern of use?

Was going to suggest you look at an outlander PHEV.

RonanG86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122139303#Comment_122139303

What are the regular Petrol / Diesel V60s like? Seeing as I can only find two hybrids in budget. I know you should stay away from D2s if you want actual power, but that's about the limit of my knowledge.

Appreciate the suggestions also Buddy Bubs. Fyi, I'm not looking at SUVs cos I consider them somewhat pointless unless you need the ground clearance or 4 wheel drive, which I don't.

RonanG86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122139385#Comment_122139385

Not a lot of mileage. Only about 10k km a year. I commute about 20 minutes each way on a national primary route into work. Get a few gigs a year, most of them are local enough. And a few times a year I'd go on a long trip - say 150 km or more.

Outlanders are certainly in budget, but as above, I'm not really interested in an SUV.

kirving

Just be mindful that the C-Class Estate isn't all that big, and the interior isn't really either.

I have a GLC, and it's quite a lot smaller than my old E-Class in both boot and cabin space, as it's a class down in size really - even if does have a higher side profile.

trindade

What about Corolla TS?

Rows Grower

Lexus RX Hybrid.

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122139418#Comment_122139418

The D2’s are fairly lacklustre by all accounts. I see a few 1.6 petrols on donedeal. Listed as 150 and 180hp so they might be worth a test drive.

Stallingrad

Passat, Octavia and Superb are where I would be looking. All comfy and refined. Superb estate or hatch versions, both will swallow almost anything. All the others are too bland, unreliable or small.

Don't discount the 1.4, assuming it is the turbo. It is a great engine and well able for the size of car. (We have two)

RonanG86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122139707#Comment_122139707

TS models are out of my price range. Can't find one for less than 26k.

There are a couple of 2019/2020 non TS Corolla wagons in budget and I'll consider them. Thanks.

_Kaiser_

I'd throw an A7 in there too. Happy with my 2012 model and it has plenty of boot space. With the back seats down I've managed to get 4 18" alloys with tyres in there!

"Sportsback"/hatchback, very comfortable, plenty of power, higher base spec than the equivalent A6 (and good spec generally), and while there's more of them about now than when I bought 3 years ago, they are still fairly rare on the roads too. I regularly get appreciative comments about mine.

goochy

Volvo v50 you used to Swedish prestige models

circadian

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2019-192-kia-optima-plug-in-hybrid-2-0-auto-esta/36564729

I had one of these for years, imported from UK. Was a great car, nothing exciting but comfortable and drove well. Massive boot.