Recommendations for BIG but economical estate pls.

carled

Hintza wrote: »

OP howold are your girls? If over 6' are they not getting to the age when they won't realy be takingtrips with the old man? I found that once they are 17-18 they are off. So do you reall need a car to transport al the family around regularly?

aha. My eldest hit 6'1" at the age of 13... she stopped growing and is now 16. The youngest, now 13, appears to have stopped at about 5'11" or thereabouts. They'll each/both need ferrying to & from school and numerous activities for several years yet. We also go on dog walks all over the county meaning we need to drive there with the dog first.

Yeah, I need space... ;-)

boyse7en

Left field choice - a Citroen XM 2.5TD Estate is absolutely huge. Loads of legroom in the back, and put the seats down and you could hold a party in the boot.
Not renowned for their reliability, but most parts are available cheap, and the car is certainly cheap to buy in the first place.

FakeIrish

An older MB E Class estate?

carled

I'm not hugely keen on going for too old a car. I know that any age car can go wrong but generally speaking the older the car, the more likely it is to go wrong. As I have to do cross country trips on minor roads to school, sometimes with a friend's young son in the car, I don't want to increase the risk of breaking down in the middle of nowhere really.

I think it's down, firstly, to finding the right size of car. Once I've done that, I can narrow down the list somewhat and then seek more advice on relative merits of specific cars I think.

rca779

Loads of room in the back? How about a Vauxhall Signum. From what I can remember about the JC Top Gear review, I think these were specifically designed to have loads of leg space in the back.
You can get a pretty good spec, low mileage one for under £5k

FakeIrish

So your criteria:

1) Big estate
2) Economical
3) Budget £5k
4) Reliable
5) Newish

I think a compromise or two will need to be made here. But my vote would be the previous Citreon C5 (although it's pig ugly) or a Mondeo (but not classed as "economical". My preference would be a 10 year old E Class estate though. Utterly reliable if you pick a good 'un and still look new when cleaned up.

wba31

SVM wrote: »

So your criteria:

1) Big estate
2) Economical
3) Budget £5k
4) Reliable
5) Newish

I think a compromise or two will need to be made here. But my vote would be the previous Citreon C5 (although it's pig ugly) or a Mondeo (but not classed as "economical". My preference would be a 10 year old E Class estate though. Utterly reliable if you pick a good 'un and still look new when cleaned up.

Going off this criteria - Honda Accord Estate.

The 2.2 diesel is a great engine and will go for miles. I think they all have cruise control. the boot is massive, although you'll need to double check the leg room in the back.

OR the 2001-2005 Honda Civic. It's a 1.7 diesel, which isnt lightning quick, or have cruise control, but it gets 60mpg on the motorway at 70mph, and 45+ around town. I am 6"3 and can "sit behind myself" in it, and there is plenty of head room. It has a decent sized boot for a dog. you can get a 54 plate for about £4000

carled

SVM wrote: »

So your criteria:

1) Big estate
2) Economical
3) Budget £5k
4) Reliable
5) Newish

I think a compromise or two will need to be made here. But my vote would be the previous Citreon C5 (although it's pig ugly) or a Mondeo (but not classed as "economical". My preference would be a 10 year old E Class estate though. Utterly reliable if you pick a good 'un and still look new when cleaned up.

Sounds about right Although point 1) Big Estate isn't necessarily true - just needs legroom and decent bootroom, doesn't have to be an aircraft carrier. Always a possibility to use trailer if needed.

Reliable and newish are relative terms anyway - I don't think anyone can guarantee reliability so it's a case of improving the odds as much as poss and I'd be happy going up to 6/7 years old for the right car.

FakeIrish

Does it have to be an estate? A hatchback will be cheaper if you can live with a sloping roof. A Toyota Avensis has massive legroom front & rear, as well as a huge huge boot. I reckon you could find a 5-6 year old diesel in that price range.

bigjl

After years of use in a Zafira they are fairly roomy, handle OK, brakes are very good, they do roll a bit when you really try but the diesel engines are so bad that I could never recommend one, though they may be fine with the DPF removed and the ECU remapped to suit.


But when it comes down to value and space, either any MK3 Mondeo estate or an older MK4 estate, they are spot on, though don't forget cars like the Octavia estate.

All these are good if not fashionable family estates.