Estate cars: opinions please...

Byker28i said:
I bought one of these :)
mazda6-wagon-gallery_exterior_uk.jpg
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Very nice, seen a few of these on my motorway travels and they look nice, much more elegant that the saloon version.


miker said:
V70 with the D5 is very reliable…..
V50 isn't really big enough to count as an 'estate'. It's not square enough at the back!….
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I really do love the V70, always have, especially in the post 54-reg versions that ditched the black plastics on the exterior and went for colour coded and chrome bits (like my current S60). The interior is brilliant for the driver and front passenger, although the rear seat space on the S60 isn't gargantuan and the short seat belts make fitting child seats a bit of a fiddle if you're in a rush. Love the D5 engine - my 163bhp version is on 156,000 and feels like new.

As for the V50, I really do like the look of them, especially the sport version with those 18" wheels, but as with all Volvo estates they seem to hold their premium, unless you happen to find an early version for around 2004/2005. Still, I trust Volvo and it's one of the main contenders for me….


daugirdas said:
Personally - Skoda Superb or Seat Altea XL diesels. Octavia is a little on a smaller side but can be a good choice for some.
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Superb is too new for my budget… majority seem to be above £8,000, which for a high-miler just doesn't sit well with me. Looks like a lovely motor too, very nice cabin and lots of space length-wise. I've had a SEAT before and loved it (a Cupra R225) but with regard to the Altea, the standard version is just a tall Leon so no spacious enough for what i want and the XL version is as ugly as sin, a bit too much of a 'bus' for my liking.
 
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I will be going with the Honda offering very soon......The Key to Honda is Keep it serviced every year and IF you feel like a fresh oil and filter change half year will ensure mahoosive mileage from the engine....Not much breaks on them.
 
The boss of Ferrari once said "Honda suffer from excessive build quality"

I believe Honda also still standby the fact they have never lost a V-tec engine whilst in service.
 
tris101 said:
I would give VW a wide birth they have lots of common faults across there model range.

ESP faults
Duel mass flywheel failure
Cruise control faults
Injectors failure
Cam chain tensioners on the CR
EGV faults
Broken rear suspension springs
Fuel pump failure
Sensor and wiring issues, these can be real pain to track down and fix.

As above DCG are a money pit when they go wrong. VW reputation of building reliable cars is not what it was. I will not be owning another.. I have touran golf based 1.9tdi pd

Audi part prices are not too bad but the main dealer labour rate is a killer £110 per hour. Audi use a lot of VAG common parts so some of the VW faults above are common to Audi, seat and skoda. if you have one of the above faults Vag may discount some of the repair as good will if MDS and book is stamped.

Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDI (2003-2008) are not bad but check the cast manifold for cracks as its a weak point, I think there is revised part now being fitted.

toyota avensis estate might be boring but a reliable buy.

Other ideas: seat exeo which is an older Audi a4 rebadged or X type jag which has lots of ford parts
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Every time some one makes a list of VW faults they always forget about door mechanisms and window regulators lol. I've had nothing but problems with windows and doors on both my passats. I've had no other problems though apart from the injector recall for my B6 model. The only thing I've had to do to it over the last 4 years is service and tyres. It was the same with my older B5.5 model as well. They don't make them like they used to.
 
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Not to mention dodgy electronic handbrakes that stick on.
 
CaveDweller said:
Every time some one makes a list of VW faults they always forget about door mechanisms and window regulators lol. I've had nothing but problems with windows and doors on both my passats. I've had no other problems though apart from the injector recall for my B6 model. The only thing I've had to do to it over the last 4 years is service and tyres. It was the same with my older B5.5 model as well. They don't make them like they used to.
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lol it was not a definitive list mainly what had broken on mine. vw do seam to trade on past reputation. take a look at the jd power list all japs mainly at the top. If reliability is the main reason to buy get a Honda or Toyota
 
Unfortunately no car maker is reliable, just look at the constant stream of recalls.

Yes I'm a jap fan myself and have had the avensis estate, albeit petrol which was underpowered and not overly economical. However the d4d isn't a great engine either lots of HGF reports and also not economical when compared with others.
A friend has the a4 2.0tdi estate and his mpg is brilliant
and it's on over 150k.

Take a look at honest john (Google it) for honest reports, recalls and reviews on cars.

Avoid the Laguna like the plague, nice looking car but you'll wear your wallet out keep opening it to pay the garage for repairs lol
 
I got bored of either missing cars or travelling to see ones that weren't anywhere near the 'immaculate' description in Autotrader.

I did settle on a 58-reg Citroen C5 that had only done 60k but I decided against it; beautiful car with great cabin build but it was the 1.6 deisel and I was a worried that it just wouldn't handle what I was going to throw at it.

In the end I plumped for a local car; 57-reg Passat 2.0 TDi SE 140 with FSH, recent cam belt change, full tan leather, Bluetooth, new tyres, new pads, taxed until Feb 2015 - fell well under budget at £5,000.

Seems a nice car and the space is immense, especially in the back for the kiddy seats. Fishing kit goes nicely in the boot.

Now to replace the standard 16" alloys with some suitable 18s
 
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Just check the price of tyres first.
We've just had to replace both front tyres (19" low profile) at £210 each!

Passats are good though - I couldn't afford the premium they seemed to attract
 
specialman said:
I got bored of either missing cars or travelling to see ones that weren't anywhere near the 'immaculate' description in Autotrader, so plumped for a local car; 57-reg Passat 2.0 TDi SE 140 with FSH, recent cam belt change, full tan leather, Bluetooth, new tyres, new pads, taxed until Feb 2015 - fell well under budget at £5,000.

Seems a nice car and the space is immense, especially in the back for the kiddy seats. Fishing kit goes nicely in the boot.

Now to replace the standard 16" alloys with some suitable 18s
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sounds good. Sadly that year of passat has had some trouble with injectors. There was a fault with the ones that came with the factory and they just suddenly "gave up" with no warning. My 56 passat stopped dead on the fast lane of the M5, causing massive tailbacks and a lot of abuse. I managed to get it sorted under warranty about 4years ago and they fitted better injectors by Bosch. Also there is a tailgate rust issue but they have a 12year corrosion warranty. If you have any signs of rust around your numberplate lights take it straight to a VW bodyshop, don't take any crap from them. I got mine sorted under warranty only last year. The numberplate screws cause corrosion to the tailgate and it starts to rust. They replaced my whole tailgate and replaced the numberplate light unit with an upgraded plastic mold. They know it's a common problem but they tried to wiggle themselves out of it.

apart form those two problems the car has been great with only average services every year. 150K miles now and still strong.

Get a Ravo remap ;)
 
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Byker28i said:
Just check the price of tyres first.
We've just had to replace both front tyres (19" low profile) at £210 each!

Passats are good though - I couldn't afford the premium they seemed to attract
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Mine has done 90,000 miles so that was one if the reasons it was probably a bit cheaper.

RE: tyres - I had 18s on my Volvo and used to get Falkens/Avons and other mid- range tyres that came in about £100-110 each. Never had any issues with them and they lasted well. Even had a pair of budget Evergreens (£50 each) that were fine. The majority of my driving is the 50 miles to Redditch along A46/M40/M42 so not taxing in tyres really.
 
CaveDweller said:
sounds good. Sadly that year of passat has had some trouble with injectors. There was a fault with the ones that came with the factory and they just suddenly "gave up" with no warning. My 56 passat stopped dead on the fast lane of the M5, causing massive tailbacks and a lot of abuse. I managed to get it sorted under warranty about 4years ago and they fitted better injectors by Bosch. Also there is a tailgate rust issue but they have a 12year corrosion warranty. If you have any signs of rust around your numberplate lights take it straight to a VW bodyshop, don't take any crap from them. I got mine sorted under warranty only last year. The numberplate screws cause corrosion to the tailgate and it starts to rust. They replaced my whole tailgate and replaced the numberplate light unit with an upgraded plastic mold. They know it's a common problem but they tried to wiggle themselves out of it.

apart form those two problems the car has been great with only average services every year. 150K miles now and still strong.

Get a Ravo remap ;)
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It's been back to VW for a recall on something to do with Piezo injectors, so kind of feel assured that it's going to be okay.
 
specialman said:
It's been back to VW for a recall on something to do with Piezo injectors, so kind of feel assured that it's going to be okay.
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Passats have an injector wiring loom problem. Piezo injectors should never be unplugged when the engine is running as they remain energised and run unchecked by the ecu, the looms had a problem where they broke down, if this happens whilst the engine is running the revs can just continue to increase unchecked to the point the engine will explode. Sounds like yours may have had the loom replaced.
 
nilagin said:
Passats have an injector wiring loom problem. Piezo injectors should never be unplugged when the engine is running as they remain energised and run unchecked by the ecu, the looms had a problem where they broke down, if this happens whilst the engine is running the revs can just continue to increase unchecked to the point the engine will explode. Sounds like yours may have had the loom replaced.
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Mine got the whole works done when I had the problem. They sorted it easily and not had a problem since(y)
 
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