Big cheap car suggestions
Tom Butcher
Posts: 3,830
Planning to do some camping abroad with the family before the kids get too old to want to come with us. Thing is our car is getting a bit a long in the tooth so I'm thinking of replacing it - but money is quite tight - maybe 3.5kish - and with 3 kids and two dogs we need something with a lot of space and not too heavy on running costs.
Got an early Fiat Doblo at the moment and that does the job - thought about just getting a more recent Doblo but they aren't the most inspiring car to drive and it's had quite a few niggle little problems over the years - electrical stuff, bits of trim falling off etc etc. Alternative is just spend the money on keeping the current thing on the road.
Any suggestions ?
Got an early Fiat Doblo at the moment and that does the job - thought about just getting a more recent Doblo but they aren't the most inspiring car to drive and it's had quite a few niggle little problems over the years - electrical stuff, bits of trim falling off etc etc. Alternative is just spend the money on keeping the current thing on the road.
Any suggestions ?
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
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VW Passat estate, no contest !!Tom Butcher wrote:Planning to do some camping abroad with the family before the kids get too old to want to come with us. Thing is our car is getting a bit a long in the tooth so I'm thinking of replacing it - but money is quite tight - maybe 3.5kish - and with 3 kids and two dogs we need something with a lot of space and not too heavy on running costs.
Got an early Fiat Doblo at the moment and that does the job - thought about just getting a more recent Doblo but they aren't the most inspiring car to drive and it's had quite a few niggle little problems over the years - electrical stuff, bits of trim falling off etc etc. Alternative is just spend the money on keeping the current thing on the road.
Any suggestions ?
I've got a 2003 1.9TDi estate (4WD version) and it's been fantastic. Bags of room (two bikes and luggage for me & the Mrs for a week away easily fitted in the back !), reliable, economical and reasonably quick.
Have a look on Autotrader, there are loads in your price range. Note: put a minimum price in the search parameters, otherwise you'll get hundreds of returns on your search.Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved0 -
I've got a Fiat Doblo as well, I've had a few minor niggles with it in the 7 years I have owned it, but considering the amount of abuse it has suffered due to it load carrying ability, it's a sal price to pay!
I love the fact I can get two completes adult bikes and a kiddies bike inside, just by folding down a single seat.
Mine is the 1.9tdi engine and on a run I get about 58mpg.
If I had the money, I'd buy another one tomorrow!0 -
Diesel Mondeo Estate?
I've never driven one but the saloons handle okay, they are huge and shouldn't be overpriced second hand.None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
I was about to suggest the Mondeo diesel.
I had the saloon for over six years and it was a fantastic car, over 50mpg on a run and not much less pootling about.0 -
Mondeo looks like a possible - would need a roof box or a trailer. Passat would be nice but they look a bit pricey.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
the gf has a 51plate mondeo ghia x estate and cant fault it apart from being petrol but as a big car it is great 2 bike luggage etc fine, boot is bigger than an A6- will look for a diesel mondeo next time. my car is exactly the opposite seat arosa 1.4TDi - i love it 60mpg and £30 to tax for a year and i can still fit my bike in the back with the seats down and a passenger (just incase you want a little one too)i need more bikes0
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What's the mondeo like for headroom in the front - or more specifically how low does the roof come at the front - I tend to sit fairly high and being tall I find that in some cars (like my dad's Focus) my eye level is pretty much level with the top of the windscreen which restricts my vision.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
im not that tall (6ft) but im long in the body- or you could say short in the leg??- anyhow plenty headroom in the mondeo f+r. mine 52 reg, v. reliable , bike room and comfy in back.
it doesnt have the "name" of the passat or say an A4, which gives you the bonus of good price.Death or Glory- Just another Story0 -
What about a Citroen C5 Estate?
The 1.6 HDi version is very frugal on running costs. Its no rocket ship, but a very capable car none the less!
There's a good example here, its a bit above your budget, but nice car with all the bells a whistles none the less
There's plenty on autotrader for around your budget too!0 -
I'm 6'1" and the Mondeo was the most comfortable car I have owned, plenty of room all round and great driving dynamics.Tom Butcher wrote:What's the mondeo like for headroom in the front - or more specifically how low does the roof come at the front - I tend to sit fairly high and being tall I find that in some cars (like my dad's Focus) my eye level is pretty much level with the top of the windscreen which restricts my vision.0 -
My serviced and sensibly driven passat got to 8yo and pretty much fell to pieces. So many wear and tear and costly age related failures really soured my perception of that marque. It got to the point of spending more to keep it running than buy a new one.0
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I have a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 diesel. Very frugal, quick enough and I can get my bike in (upright! - though I'm a short@rse) plus 3 passengers. Seven seats, back 5 fold in any way needed. Not sure of UK prices (I'm in Dublin) but you can't go wrong if you find a good one.Visit Ireland - all of it! Cycle in Dublin and know fear!!
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Have a look for a 2003 or earlier passat, I've seen them from £1k up. In fact, there's loads on autotrader.Tom Butcher wrote:Mondeo looks like a possible - would need a roof box or a trailer. Passat would be nice but they look a bit pricey.Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved0 -
shouldbeinbed wrote:My serviced and sensibly driven passat got to 8yo and pretty much fell to pieces. So many wear and tear and costly age related failures really soured my perception of that marque. It got to the point of spending more to keep it running than buy a new one.
Um, 8 years sounds not bad for getting to that point. The problem with old cars is an awful lot of parts seem to manage to have almost exactly the same service life. I've probably spent around 6 grand on my now MY1983 SAAB I bought 7 years ago. Considering it only cost £100 to buy... (The shell is still sound, the engines is still in good condition, it's probably not far off needing the 3rd exhaust change since I got it (although 1 was entirely my fault) and I just bought the Weber Twin 40 Manifold for it...)Do Nellyphants count?
Commuter: FCN 9
Cheapo Roadie: FCN 5
Off Road: FCN 11
+1 when I don't get round to shaving for x days0 -
+1 for the Mondeo Estate TDCi. Wife's company car 04 reg did 90k in four years and only had one problem with the fuel injectors just before it went back. Comfortable, economical, reasonably quick and great handling for such a big car. Could get tons of stuff in the boot too.
Looked at Passat estates before choosing the Mondeo but they didn't seem to have much more room internally than the Focus estate that we were replacing at the time.
As we somehow managed to go from 2 to 3 kids while we had the Mondeo, we replaced it with a very low mileage used VW Sharan with our own money. It's great for carting the kids and bikes about in but has been an absolute money pit. It cost £2k to get it through it's first MOT which was a bit of a disappointment. Had to spend another £500 on it today in prep for looming MOT. Been told that it needs a new drive shaft gaitor so that will probably be the best part of another £100. Makes me weep when I think what bike related goodies I could have bought with that money. Can't help thinking that VW being a quality brand is a bit of a myth.0 -
I dunno, look at Golfs I've had 5 (mks 1-3) all 5-15yo when I got em and they were all bombproof, barely as many faults between them as the passat ended up with, they run forever and were dirt cheap (in comparison) to fix. I do think VW put more into them than their other marques though and live off the Golfs deserved reputation for fun and invincibility that the other VW models generally don't match.
anyway thats OT as it'd be too small for OP's needs.0
