Big Car - £2500 to spend

jeannieblue

Thought I would have a 'nose' on Autotrader..........

Lots like these...............

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/TOYOTA+AVENSIS/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-14-240-4294966384-4294967144/search.action?&postcode=ss6+9rl&radius=1501&showMoreOptions=&referrer=quick&page=1&googleQuery=TOYOTA%20AVENSIS%20for%20sale&adtype=autotrader-uk

Now, obviously not the real prices - and guess they advertise like this to hook people in??

I did a search on Auto trader and put a top price of 3k. Surely this is misleading, not to mention annoying and time wasting!!

boyse7en

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

at that mileage get a petrol, a diesel will be a waste of time

Why a waste of time? Is it the initial price will be higher (and I won't recoup because of the low mileage) or do they cost more in bits/servicing etc?

goldspanners

boyse7en wrote: »

Why a waste of time? Is it the initial price will be higher (and I won't recoup because of the low mileage) or do they cost more in bits/servicing etc?

a diesel,even a used one will cost slightly more than its petrol counterpart, if its a modern diesel then when things go wrong they usually cost a fortune to repair compared to a petrol car,and diesel engines are designed for high mileage heavy use,long motorway drives giving good fuel economy.
you wont be doing enough of this to warrant a diesel.especially at the kind of money your talking. you will get a better newer petrol car for £2.5k than you will a diesel. (generally speaking of course)

vaio

A4/A6 audi might be worth a look too

flyingscotno1

Volvo V70 is a good car and the best choice on the list.

Unusual with a big boot- Skoda Octavia vRS is fast, bit of a undistinguished rocket, might well be worth a look if you can get a good one for the cash.

mat777

have you considered a yank? there are quite a few lincoln town cars, ford crown victorias, cadiallac sts 's, chevy caprices etc. floating (quite literally) around - in fact any 5-10 or so year old american barge would be ideal, with its soft sprung suspension and creamy smooth v8 engine. it'd have a massive boot as well, especially if you went for a "station wagon" as theyre called over there

alternatviely, have you considered an old "P38" range rover with air suspension and a bigger boot than most people will ever need? theyre cheap as chips being the unloved mid 90's model and also super luxurious

the added bonus with any of these is that they are also "unusual" as you put it

Indout96

boyse7en wrote: »

Why a waste of time? Is it the initial price will be higher (and I won't recoup because of the low mileage) or do they cost more in bits/servicing etc?[/QUOTESaab 93

My wife has a Saab 93 and were going to go diesel, BUT my wife only covers 5,000 a year and Saab themselves said it would be madness to buy diesel (saving us over £1,500 so I cant see an ulterior motive) as the filters would block ??? and they are £400 per time to replace.

Volcano

V70.

On my 3rd Volvo estate (2.5 petrol), 147K (25K since buying it). Maintenance is easy, engine smooth, ride very comfortable. Stacks of car for little money.

stumpjumper

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

The Vel Satis is an unusual but lovely looking car, they're very cheap. Watch out for turbo problems and suspension issues.

The 9-5 - no, just no. Unrefined and horrible to drive.

:rotfl:

a 9-5 unrefined? Horrible to drive? really? blimey - i never knew - ours is rather lovely thanks

i'd say the saab's (leather) seats are among the comfyest i've ever sat in, and the the wife's Chiropractor recommended driving the saab while she recovers from a back injury as they are very good.

suspension isnt harsh, and very good at wafting along. (handling is good too, just you've got to get into the saab mindset to corners, as they like a particular driving style, but thats only when pressing on. normal driving they are docile cars that like to woosh you along smoothing out the bumps. rather than crashing overthem with overly harsh 'sports' suspension) Its also very quircky in a Swedish sense (a bit like citroens) but the interior is very well laid out for ergonomic - everything is arranged in order of how frequently you use the controls

tho i would also consider an old Citroen Berlingo for load lugging, of people and things, again good seats and no harsh ride. i miss ours which we sold to by the SAAB

(oh and go for the 2.0t petrol cars rather than a diesel for the milage your planning on doing - as its less to buy for same spec, plus less to fuel up, and less servicing costs - 4ltrs of fully sythetic oil and an oil filter every 6000 miles - so once a year for you.)

almillar

If you're used to XM comfort, everything else will feel awful. You could get a petrol XM or Xantia estate and have plenty of change out of £2.5K. Or even a C5 estate? Due to their suspension, I'd say these are the 3 comfiest cars you can buy. Nissan Primera estate would be my leftfield choice - reliable like a Jap car, but won't be as expensive as an Avensis or Accord.