Car buying advice please...downsizing, or am I?

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Dear Hivemind,
I need your collected wisdom.
Need to buy a used car but completely unsure what to get. Need space for three adult sized children in the back when they are back from uni. and to go on holiday (yes, they still want to come with us!) as well as space for taking their stuff to and from. However, I only drive 4 miles to work each day so don't need a big car or a diesel (?) for that. Am downsizing from a Galaxy. Have thought about Mondeo estate, Mazda CX-5, VW Tiguan, Volvo V60, Octavia estate - but almost everything is diesel.

I need your advice, people!

many thanks,

J
 
Get something small and petrol for the commute and something bigger for ferrying the family. There's no rule that says a person can only have one vehicle.
 
Why not a diesel? If I only did 4 miles a day I'd have a big fat 4x4 burnin'coal :D, I do more than ten times that every day so economy matters.
 
Why not a diesel? If I only did 4 miles a day I'd have a big fat 4x4 burnin'coal :D, I do more than ten times that every day so economy matters.
No point with diesel for such a short journey, plus you'll knacker modern particulate filters pretty quick by only doing short runs and not getting the exhaust hot.
 
Any other journeys other than the commute and holidays?

I do more miles and downsized to an Octavia Estate from a CRV 14 months.The boot is surprising large and leg room in the back is good and has less roll. I use a roof box as we do not travel light.
 
Any other journeys other than the commute and holidays?

I do more miles and downsized to an Octavia Estate from a CRV 14 months.The boot is surprising large and leg room in the back is good and has less roll. I use a roof box as we do not travel light.
Thanks. Yes, obviously local stuff and occasional trips to see kids and relatives, maybe ten times a year - motorways and A303!
 
With the Mondeo idea, you don't need the estate version.
I have the regular saloon, and you can get several bodies in the boot. ;)
 
There are few I could think of but a Prius plus looks good or rav 4 hybrid. Me I m keeping my car till they settle on what is right. I am sure electric will have its down side soon. So maybe a horse and cart is the way forward. Think of the by product. Fertiliser
 
Okay - well, why not look at it a different way, get the car you want for everyday use for the 2 (?) of you - smaller petrol car / sporty car etc ... and then look to hire something for the holidays if required and depending on how many coming with you, dictates what you need to hire.

I moved my daughter from London to Edinburgh last year over a weekend - hired a Qashqui for the trip - went from Lancashire, down to London, collected everything and loaded the car (I was amazed how much stuff it swallowed) and went to Edinburgh, stopped over night, unloaded and come home - 4 miles short of 1000 in 2 days, got out feeling fresh, so very pleased with it. So, definitely worth a thought as an option ?

The CX5 looks a nice motor, the Mondeo (saloon or estate) is a large car as is the Octavia, I do like the look of the V60, but don't think it's as large as the Mondeo. A lot of the cars will be diesel as you're finding, due to the size / better economy / better torque (easier drive especially when loaded up).

Food for thought, but enjoy the process of car hunting, especially if you are open to other makes / models etc :)
 
Okay - well, why not look at it a different way, get the car you want for everyday use for the 2 (?) of you - smaller petrol car / sporty car etc ... and then look to hire something for the holidays if required and depending on how many coming with you, dictates what you need to hire.

I moved my daughter from London to Edinburgh last year over a weekend - hired a Qashqui for the trip - went from Lancashire, down to London, collected everything and loaded the car (I was amazed how much stuff it swallowed) and went to Edinburgh, stopped over night, unloaded and come home - 4 miles short of 1000 in 2 days, got out feeling fresh, so very pleased with it. So, definitely worth a thought as an option ?

The CX5 looks a nice motor, the Mondeo (saloon or estate) is a large car as is the Octavia, I do like the look of the V60, but don't think it's as large as the Mondeo. A lot of the cars will be diesel as you're finding, due to the size / better economy / better torque (easier drive especially when loaded up).

Food for thought, but enjoy the process of car hunting, especially if you are open to other makes / models etc :)

Thanks Andyred. Had thought about hiring but have got used to having a big boot for diy, tip runs etc so would have to get used to living without that...
 
Thanks Andyred. Had thought about hiring but have got used to having a big boot for diy, tip runs etc so would have to get used to living without that...

Fair enough - makes sense. I’d just keep looking - as petrol models won’t be that popular, I’d hope you’d stand a chance of getting a good buy / spec, but could just be a bit of a wait til one turns up...
 
Next to impossible to get a decent priced, family sized petrol car at the moment in the 6-12 months range.

For environmental reasons we looked at changing to one but it's not likely to happen anytime soon :(

A 4 miles commute screams petrol for all kinds of reasons but if you want a practical all-rounder, it may not be as simple as the tabloid-style "greens" might have you believe. The total cost of production (economic and ecological) of a current diesel, kept on the road and used, might well be below that of a petrol which will emit more CO2 etc.

An important factor is both your commuting environment - urban or rural, slow or fast- and the distance you drive on Uni trips, holidays, short breaks etc.
 
Thanks Andyred. Had thought about hiring but have got used to having a big boot for diy, tip runs etc so would have to get used to living without that...
I bought a Transit for the "move big stuff around" requirement, but they are funny about me taking it to the tip (I'm in I.T., not a builder, I don't see why they care, but it's the public sector so idiotic rules and jobsworths come as standard), and it only seats two, not five, so won't work for you.
 
I bought a Transit for the "move big stuff around" requirement, but they are funny about me taking it to the tip (I'm in I.T., not a builder, I don't see why they care, but it's the public sector so idiotic rules and jobsworths come as standard), and it only seats two, not five, so won't work for you.
Did you get special training for the obnoxious comments or is it a natural talent?

When I pay my council tax (I bet you complain about it) I don’t want to pay for unlimited amounts of industrial waste, so I expect my LA to have rules to stop businesses dumping their waste at the household site for free. Now there’s no ‘simple’ way for them to police that, so they ask you a few questions. Suck it up and act like a grown up, unless you have a simpler solution. ;)
 
My ex-boss used to have a trailer so he'd take all the trade waste to the tip in the trailer behind his car. I couldn't take my garden waste to the tip in my LandRover because the jobsworths couldn't be arsed to open the height restrictor gate to let me in but allowed signwritten pickups full of rubble through. Simple enough to stop signwritten commercial vehicles through!
 
Dear Hivemind,
I need your collected wisdom.
Need to buy a used car but completely unsure what to get. Need space for three adult sized children in the back when they are back from uni. and to go on holiday (yes, they still want to come with us!) as well as space for taking their stuff to and from. However, I only drive 4 miles to work each day so don't need a big car or a diesel (?) for that. Am downsizing from a Galaxy. Have thought about Mondeo estate, Mazda CX-5, VW Tiguan, Volvo V60, Octavia estate - but almost everything is diesel.

I need your advice, people!

many thanks,

J

What about a Honda CRV 2.0 petrol? No turbos to go wrong and Honda petrol engines are pretty much bullet proof. They are pretty economical and leg room in the back seats is great as they side forwards and backwards. The CRV is known for driving like a car rather than an SUV and it has very comfortable seats.
 
have a trailer so he'd take all the trade waste to the tip in the trailer behind his car.

Get the car you need for everyday use. Buy a trailer to keep the DIY and tip run stuff. Get a roof box for the hols and if it's really tight take the roof box and the trailer on hols.
 
Also

Arnold Clark filters on cars.

5 seats, 4 doors, petrol up to 1 year old

Avensis
Passat
S60
Mazda 6
Mazda 3
3 series
Alfa Guiuiuiuiuiuiuiula
5 series
Merc CLA
 
Mazda CX-5, VW Tiguan, Volvo V60, Octavia estate


We looked at these and ended up with a CX5 as the Tiguan is actually bloody small, my wife didn't like the quirky interior of the V60 and the CX5 was just a brilliant vehicle and usefully bigger than the others.

We got a facelift 16 plate and wondered what all the fuss was about re road noise and low rent interior, then I drove our company pool car which is a 14 plate and it was indeed noisy and low rent, so much so that I wouldn't have bought one if the test drive was like that. So if possible go for a facelift version. Also, the good thing with Japanese cars is that they come in a few trim levels and that is that - buy the top spec (Sport Nav for Mazda) and you get all the toys. I've just bought a nearly new Audi to replace my MX5 and the faff with trying to find one in the right spec was ridiculous as EVERYTHING is an optional extra, other German cars are the same.

However, lots of other good suggestions in this thread, I don't know your budget but I always think a Mondeo is a great buy for anyone looking for a good but wallet friendly family car.
 
Thanks All! Gman and Nawty CR-V vs CX-5 looks like a close-run thing. Can't afford too recent so will have a look at how the older models of these two compare.

J
 
what about thinking outside the box a bit and maybe a citroen Picasso or similar?
 
Just in the process of getting rid of a Volvo S60 ,lovely car but a bit to low for our advancing years ,as are a lot of modern cars ,needed something that we could get up into and also had a large rear load area ,rather than a boot .but also be capable of towing our medium sized caravan .over the course of the winter I have done more than a few tow car match followed by car reliability checks ,discounted most for one reason or another ,finally on Saturday we bought something that ticked all the boxes for both of us a Kia Sportage .take delivery next week after a tow bar is fitted
 
Buy something small and economical to run the 4 miles to work, then when you go on holiday spend some of the hundreds you saved on running costs to hire a big car for a week or two. Even a daily hire as required wot break the bank if you shop around and book long enough in advance.
 
4wd but it only uses it if the front wheels lack grip apparently . Picking it up sat so will know more then
 
If possible I'd double check that the AWD is working before taking it away. Kia (and Hyundai) AWD drivetrains are notorious for failing and the parts are extortionate. A failed rear diff carrier doesn't throw a fault code and it's a £2k part to replace. Tarmac front wheelspin test will reveal.
 
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Thanks All! Gman and Nawty CR-V vs CX-5 looks like a close-run thing. Can't afford too recent so will have a look at how the older models of these two compare.

J

Suzuki Grand Vitara is a good and reliable car and petrol versions also available. They have a very good AWD system, not as good as proper 4x4s but much better then the usual AWD crowd. Very reasonably priced as well.

UPDATE: Just noticed that there's quite a few TSBs for this car with upgraded parts designed to replace the originals. Surprising.

The CRV though has very few TSBs and they are all software updates to fix. The petrols do seem to have a lot of clutch juddering reports and the auto boxes were only 5-speed I believe with only the much newer ones being 9-speed.

Struggling myself to decide on a car! lol
 
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