Any opinions on VW sharans?

mummy_dumpling · 19 May 2009 at 10:09AM

we're thinking about p/x our M reg audi 80 against a v reg vw sharan. hubby needs something reliable for 40 mile commute to work and we also use this car as our runabout as our other vehicle is a 13 seat minibus! (for when we go out as a family as we have 6 kids)

audi currently does 50+ mpg, it only cost £500 6m ago. dealer is willing to pay £500 for audi against sharan which is £3500. we have savings to pay for car so wouldn't have to take out finance.

we live in a really remote area and the nearest towns are 25-40 miles away so w're a bit limited for choice without having to travel nearly an hour or more.

thanks

MX5huggy · 19 May 2009 at 10:22AM

What's wrong with the Audi? why do you want to change? I would stick with the Audi.

Chippy_Minton_2 · 19 May 2009 at 10:26AM

Any opinions on VW sharans?

Only the name.

withabix · 19 May 2009 at 10:32AM

£3500 for a v-reg Sharan :eek:

That's probably about £1000 too much if you ask me.

What's the engine/trim/mileage/condition?

I had a diesel Galaxy from new to 3.5 years/120,000 miles, so I probably know more than a lot of others would.

They don't have many problems, but rectifying the ones they do have can be very expensive.

negg · 19 May 2009 at 10:32AM

Don't know anything about VW Sharons other than they are virtually identical to the Seat Alhambra, still part of the Audi group of companies. So may be worth checking out if there are any of those available at a cheaper price.

mummy_dumpling · 19 May 2009 at 12:34PM

my husband thinks that the brakes are playing up a bit (I think he said it looks like it might be leaking brake fluid? or using a lot of brake fluid?) and he's not keen on paying a lot of money to fix a car thats not worth very much - even tho it is very fuel efficient which is useful with an 80 mile round trip commute.

we were looking to replace the audi with an mpv so that when we use it as a run around theres plenty of space to pick up 3-4 kids and/or fit in a full shop (saloon boots are a bit small for us) - makes it a bit more versatile as I prefer not to drive the minibus unless we have to

the only mpvs at the local garage are this sharan and a citroen zara picasso (?) which is about £7k - but we only have £3k in savings and I don't really want to take a loan out to buy a car

the next closest garages are 45mins away so we've not looked at what they have yet

just hard deciding what to do for the best

anewman · 19 May 2009 at 1:36PM

Any brake fluid loss should be investigated. The level should drop very slightly over time as the pads wear in, but any leak would fail an MOT. Common places for brake fluid to leak are rear wheel cylinders, front brake caliper pistons (likely to be visible), or at the back of the master cylinder (feel across the bottom of the brake servo for any dampness). There is also a chance the brake fluid is leaking through a brake pipe, but generally the fluid would disappear very quickly then. Chances are it won't cost much to sort.

How about a Toyota Previa? For example http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1042699.htm It would seem to meet most of your requirements.

gaz_jones · 19 May 2009 at 1:45PM

Don't buy the expensive one just because its cheaper. Have a look on autotrader and see what you can find on there.

I used to drive a VW sharan when I was canvasing for a well known milk company. Our job was to drive around the UK knocking door to door signing people up to milk delivery. The Sharan I was driving was on over 250k miles and was still running smooth. It was a petrol engine. 2.0l or 2.2l if I remember right. It used to fly aswell. Such a quick car even with 7 of you in it, bottles of milk as samples and luggage.

Our manager was terrible at keeping his cars in decent condition too. That car would easily do 50k miles in a year without having a service done.

From my experience they are very reliable. Very few problems occoured with the car even though the owner wasn't great at looking after it.

Definitely don't spend £3500 on it though!! A quick check on autotrader and I've found a 2002 plate with 80k miles for £3400. Its a late 2002 plate too so almost 5 years newer than the one you were looking at.

vikingaero · 19 May 2009 at 1:53PM

My best friend has a Sharan. He also has a bag full of identified plastic interior trim that the kids kick/yank off or damage.

withabix · 19 May 2009 at 5:37PM

vikingaero wrote: »

My best friend has a Sharan. He also has a bag full of identified plastic interior trim that the kids kick/yank off or damage.

Speakers in rear passenger doors line up with your foot in the original Sharan/Alhambra/Galaxy and weren't shoe-resistant at all!!! Spring clips for seast belts seem too tempting to kids as well.

Expensive things which can go wrong include:

CV joints
Flywheel (in diesel cars)
Suspension
VR6 petrol cars eat front tyres (8000 miles typical)
Wiper motors fail and cost £500!!!
Aircon will have given up in a V reg and is very expensive to fix
ECU is under front passenger seat and can get wet from ventilation leaks . Very expensive and was relocated in newer models.
Turbos, oil seals and CATS very expensive to fix on diesel cars.

Plenty more here:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=458

a&akay · 19 May 2009 at 5:39PM

We've got a W reg TDi but only do about 4k a year. Does 40 mpg at the speed that all cars do in the outside lane of motorways these days and our Fox only does 42 mpg. A cracking 7 seater. Take the 5 back seats out and you can take most things to the tip. Like all cars there will be rogues. We've had to replace discs and brake pads but they are cheap at GSF Car Parts if you're DIY oriented. If it suddenly starts to flag on acceleration then it's likely the Air Mass Meter which is also very cheap to buy though them. The passenger side window also refused to work but this was a break in one wire of the wiring loom on the driver's side and a quick splice was all that was required. As posted, the radio speaker covers in the doors take a battering, but you can get these cheaply on Ebay. The TDi, if that's your buy, is highly stressed so ensure the cam belt is replaced at the recommended interval. Good driving if you get a goodun.

Any opinions on VW sharans?

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