New Car Advice..

The Northern Monkey

When we get back from Scotland, I'll be looking to replace my car (Pug 206) with something a bit bigger.

I was originally looking for a van, but I can't justify it so wanted either an Estate or big saloon that opens up with the rear seats down, but a bigger hatch with some roof bars and a few bikes or a towbar + mount would be ideal.

The car I want would be an 04/05 Megane 225 (the one with the big arse), but I don't know how big they are in the back or how suitable it would be for MTB'ing.

Any ideas or alternatives?

cat_with_no_tail

Why can't you justify a van? Not like you've got kids to cart about or anything. The way I see it, a van would be pretty much ideal.

bobpzero

you know you want to

paul.skibum

If you lived in Canada I'd say get a subaru legacy/outback - Possiby THE perfect car for a biker skier in this country - impecible winter handling and grip, enough 4 wheel drive and clearance for all but the roughest tracks to some of the trail heads, big boot (my bike goes in with the load cover over it so I can pretty much leave it in there full time) that can fit 3 bikes with 3 people in the car.

Downside is its not the most economical car but our gas is cheaper (I still dont understand how people can afford to drive the massive trucks so prevalent in this country). In UK I dont think you need the 4wd so the usual suspect estates apply probably in a TDi flavour.

The Northern Monkey

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Why can't you justify a van? Not like you've got kids to cart about or anything. The way I see it, a van would be pretty much ideal.

mainly because I don't think I could live with it as everyday transport for work etc.... I do like my cars, so I'd want a toy too which I cant afford

If the nrs could drive, I'd have the perfect excuse for a van... She'd have to buy the 225 lol.

I've looked at an imported legacy sports router thing, ok if I can find a nice one!!

djfleming22

Renault sorry not the best buy electrics a bit crap .... buy something Japanese the best built ... end of

YeehaaMcgee

djfleming22 wrote:

Renault sorry not the best buy electrics a bit crap .... buy something Japanese the best built ... end of

Japanese cars are fricking expensive though, even second hand. May end up being out of reach financially.

djfleming22

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

djfleming22 wrote:

Renault sorry not the best buy electrics a bit crap .... buy something Japanese the best built ... end of

Japanese cars are fricking expensive though, even second hand. May end up being out of reach financially.

Yes agree.... but next time you are talking to your mechanic ask him what he thinks of Toyota.... i was in the trade for 15 years and yes more expensive but if you sitting at the side of the road down it does not seem expensive anymore

YeehaaMcgee

I know, I was looking for a Honda when I got the Golf, but I just couldn't afford any Japanese cars in decent nick.

The Northern Monkey

Yeah this is true, Jap is more reliable but cost a bit more.

Seen an L200 double cab with low mileage and within budget which would be sweet... has the pickup cover on it so would offer some bike protection.

Or a Navara with an open rear.

Slightly swaying to a pickup if it gives the comfort of a car but benefits of a van.

cat_with_no_tail

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Yeah this is true, Jap is more reliable but cost a bit more.

Seen an L200 double cab with low mileage and within budget which would be sweet... has the pickup cover on it so would offer some bike protection.

Or a Navara with an open rear.

Slightly swaying to a pickup if it gives the comfort of a car but benefits of a van.

Seriously Ben, have you driven a new van lately? They're awesome. One of the guys at work has an 09 caddy (the sporty one) that he uses for his go-kart stuff and it drives just like a regular car, gets reasonable mileage, is comfy as a proper car and is cheap as a cheap thing to insure. Plus because it's still fairly small, it's easy to find parking in town.

That said, I REALLY want a crew cab pickup. A hilux would be top of my list (but out of my budget right now sadly) but the L200s are apparently excellent too. There is a guy who has one around here somewhere. Don't know who he is or anything, I've just noticed he's usually got a bright orange Niner strapped in the back on a stant-up rack.

Seriously dude, test a van, you'd be surprised.

The Northern Monkey

Yup, both a VW T5 and a Renault Traffic!

Both were excellent, but in my mind they'd be tooooo big for every day unless I wanted to kit them out camper style. Knowing me I'd just never do it!

Found a nice van centre not far from here, Transit Connect looks pretty good..

I've written off any Navara, the 2001-2007 models with the 2.5 have serious engine issues at about 50k (known issue not covered by an dealer recalls or anything).

bails87

Something like this?.

Spacious, dull to look at but goes like sh1t off a shovel as it's near enough an ST220.

stubs

Renault Scenic 2.0 16v plenty of room for 3 bikes with seats down plus 3 passengers. About as interesting as wet paper bag but very practical.

VWsurfbum

Hopefully this is a pic of my (now old) car and bike?

or you could do what everyone always suggests and get a mondeo estate, which is OK if you want a normal car with loads of room.

jndb72

In the same boat myself, want to change the current car for an estate so that I can fit the bike in the back. Seems the Skoda Octavia TDI Elegance estate is getting rave reviews. Mondeo seems to have the biggest boot, but the MPG is down on most of it's rivals (I gathered this by doing a comparison on the What Car website).

Alternatively, might stick with the current car and but a bike carrier on the back, the one that fit's onto a tow bar (not sure what they're called).

Laters

benpinnick

I've got an elegance Octavia and I love it. With the seats down you get a perfectly flat load are that swallows bikes whole. Recommended

angry_bird

Mate of mine got an Octavia estate thing about this time last year. It's got plenty of room for bikes in the back, seems a nice enough car, he's quite happy with it, he drives it all over the place round Europe towing a boat behind him, loads of sailing kit and a bike in the boot.

Considering he never seems to empty his boot either we never have any trouble getting 2 or 3 bikes in there with all his sailing junk.

jndb72

benpinnick wrote:

I've got an elegance Octavia and I love it. With the seats down you get a perfectly flat load are that swallows bikes whole. Recommended

Cheers for that.

What sort of MPG are you getting. The one I'm kinda interested in is the 1.6TDI CR Elegance Estate.

Also, are the servicing cost's reasonable?

Thanks

benpinnick

Ive got the 1.4TSI - I get around 36mpg general use. 50ish on the motorways. The service is pretty reasonable, which is why I went for the TSI - I dont do enough miles to justify the higher cost of the TDI (both purchase and service), and as I do lots of short journeys, I didn't fancy dealing with clogged filters etc.

The 1.4TSI is really nice to drive as well. Its very quiet and surprisingly quick (for a 1.4 - its not a rocket). Ive added some Whispbar rails on top, which you can leave on permanently so I can quickly add bike racks too, so it converts to a weekend wagon with 3 bikes on the roof + passengers very easily.

I did lots of research for an estate, and this was my top choice. It wasn't a particularly budget limited choice for me, so although I could have got pretty much anything else, the Skoda was the most practical, best laid out, biggest boot I could find... only on the Elegance though. The other models have a different boot configuration which I found a little annoying.

jndb72

benpinnick wrote:

Ive got the 1.4TSI - I get around 36mpg general use. 50ish on the motorways. The service is pretty reasonable, which is why I went for the TSI - I dont do enough miles to justify the higher cost of the TDI (both purchase and service), and as I do lots of short journeys, I didn't fancy dealing with clogged filters etc.

The 1.4TSI is really nice to drive as well. Its very quiet and surprisingly quick (for a 1.4 - its not a rocket). Ive added some Whispbar rails on top, which you can leave on permanently so I can quickly add bike racks too, so it converts to a weekend wagon with 3 bikes on the roof + passengers very easily.

I did lots of research for an estate, and this was my top choice. It wasn't a particularly budget limited choice for me, so although I could have got pretty much anything else, the Skoda was the most practical, best laid out, biggest boot I could find... only on the Elegance though. The other models have a different boot configuration which I found a little annoying.

Cheers mate, thanks for the feed back. Pretty much come to the conclusion that this may be the car for me. Seems to have a lot of kit on it for the price and comes with good reviews.

Thanks

Twelly

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Found a nice van centre not far from here, Transit Connect looks pretty good..

We have a couple of Connects at work. Horrible little boxes - uncomfortable on drives longer than half an hour, slow (1.6 diesel), so so so noisy and they are bad on fuel. On the plus side they are surprisingly spacious. You'd be amazed at the things I can get in ours (SWB, low roof flavour). Can get any of my bikes in, with wheels on, standing up. They are very cheap to buy if you go 4/5 years old.

YeehaaMcgee

We've had a few Peugeot vans at work, Experts and Partners. Awesome little things. Great engines, incredible fuel efficiency, good handling, spacious, and comfortable to drive.

The Northern Monkey

now looking at a Ford Connect with about 27k on it, 1.9d so should be better on fuel than my 206 and insurance is cheaper.

Good thing is, I think I can afford the van and keep the 206. I'll have the 206 as SORN an on the driveway so that the Mrs can have it when she's passed her test. Or sell it if needs be.

@twellysmat - Cheers for the info, wasn't sure if a SWB connect would be big enough to fit without wheels! As long as I can fit 2 bikes + camping gear I'll be a happy chappy!

I really don't want a hatch + roof rack. Feels like you're just advertising to thieves!

Northwind

Very pleased with my Mondeo estate... It's absolutely mahoosive with the seats down, drives well despite being a wee bit old and sheddy, has a nice flat boot (which makes it easier to use the space, and also you can sit on the back under the tailgate out of the rain...) Fantastic value. Big, though- doesn't fit in the local supermarket car park spaces!

Had a Focus before, it was quite a bit smaller outside but not so massively smaller inside (higher roof, I think, which is good for handlebars- it was easier to get a big dh bike into it with the wheels on than it is with the Mondeo funnilly enough. But they're a wee bit more expensive, and it's harder to find one with a nice engine (the little petrols are quite fun if you're trying to go fast but a bit grating at everything else, it's like you're propelling the car by stirring the gearshift).

The Northern Monkey

I think my only problem with having an estate is the muck and dirt again. I use a tarpaulin (sp?) in my 206 and it still get covered in crap inside.. In a van it wouldn't bother me!

There is a 2.5 v6 MG tourer thing in the garage down the road lol... its like a bloody hearse!

Tested a new shape focus before I bought the 206... was a lowly 1.4 or 1.6 model and was the single most dullest thing i've ever been in haha!

Northwind

Aye. And they're the most common too... My dad has a 1.6 petrol and to be fair, it's a good engine for that sort of use, though noisy at motorway speeds. But it'd drive me up the wall.

They're not too common but if you can find one with the 130bhp TDCI in it, they work really well- not fast fast, but quick enough and really nice usable power (and easy to unlock a bit more if you're so inclined). But I only found one for sale at a sensible price in all the time I was looking, and it was shagged

welshkev

i had a transit connect for a while and whilst it was OK to drive the max i could get was 34mpg. i have a 1.6 tdi skoda octavia hatch/saloon and i can fit 3 bikes in no probs..but only 2 people

but any car and roof bars would be my suggestion - i actually have 2 thule bike carriers for sale ben

jndb72

welshkev wrote:

i had a transit connect for a while and whilst it was OK to drive the max i could get was 34mpg. i have a 1.6 tdi skoda octavia hatch/saloon and i can fit 3 bikes in no probs..but only 2 people

but any car and roof bars would be my suggestion - i actually have 2 thule bike carriers for sale ben

How do you find the 1.6 TDI Kev? Im looking at the Skoda Octavia Elegance Estate but I'm not sure whether to look at the 1.6TDI or the 2.0TDI? The current car has 163BHP and I think the Skoda 1.6 has a little over a hundred. The 2.0 has 140ish. Still a big drop from 163

Cheers

Gazlar

what about a small crew cab van like a traffic/vivaro, proacticality of seats but in a van? the traffic tdi i had for the kaiser challenge was excellent and got mid/high 30s mpg out of it, but was very car like to drive

The Northern Monkey

Actually just spotted a peugeot partner... not the best looking thing in the world but cheap as chips and in mint condition lol.

Can't really afford a crew cab, they either seem to be really high mileage or cost too much

Current choice is:

Vauxhall Combo 1.2 td
Peugeot Partner 1.6td
Transit Connect 1.8td

All are ply lined and the Peugeot has a solid bulkhead. The Vauxhall is the only one with a side door, but the Pug and Ford both have tow hooks.

Lol... decisions! Transit has the least mileage at 27k but is most expensive, the others are about 40-50k iirc.