Car Recommendations Again

[xane]

I did this before but the day it fast approaching for me to at last change my car, the old one passed an MOT today so I can give it a few months.

#1. My existing car is a crunchy little Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 5-door Swing 1994/M, the interior is how you'd expect from kids, and the exterior is a bit battered with one door having a large dent, mechanically it is fine, apart from a clutch starting to wear out, it has been serviced regularly and never failed an MOT, I suspect it has a leak in the driver's foot well.

Online evaluations say I should get about £650 for this, but I reckon that is wildly optimistic, but what do the automotive-gods of Freddyhouse say ?

#2. The replacement car is a family job, not a saloon car. I want something bigger than a hatchback but ideally smaller than a people carrier, basically a modern day estate car or a small MPV, it needs to be smaller than 2.0L Petrol as it would be 90% in town running, as long as I can hit 70mph with a wind behind me I don't care, and I don't like Fords or japanese cars and no stupid fashion accessory 4WDs either. The shortlist is as follows:

Vauxhall Meriva
Renault Scenic
Citroen Xsara Picasso
Fiat Uylsse
Seat Alhambra

Any suggestions, recommendations, comments, all welcome, what not to get etc.

TIA, I bow down at the alter of what is Freddyshouse Motor Emporium.

 

[DaGaffer]

I did this before but the day it fast approaching for me to at last change my car, the old one passed an MOT today so I can give it a few months.

#1. My existing car is a crunchy little Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 5-door Swing 1994/M, the interior is how you'd expect from kids, and the exterior is a bit battered with one door having a large dent, mechanically it is fine, apart from a clutch starting to wear out, it has been serviced regularly and never failed an MOT, I suspect it has a leak in the driver's foot well.

Online evaluations say I should get about £650 for this, but I reckon that is wildly optimistic, but what do the automotive-gods of Freddyhouse say ?

#2. The replacement car is a family job, not a saloon car. I want something bigger than a hatchback but ideally smaller than a people carrier, basically a modern day estate car or a small MPV, it needs to be smaller than 2.0L Petrol as it would be 90% in town running, as long as I can hit 70mph with a wind behind me I don't care, and I don't like Fords or japanese cars and no stupid fashion accessory 4WDs either. The shortlist is as follows:

Vauxhall Meriva
Renault Scenic
Citroen Xsara Picasso
Fiat Uylsse
Seat Alhambra

Any suggestions, recommendations, comments, all welcome, what not to get etc.

TIA, I bow down at the alter of what is Freddyshouse Motor Emporium.

Scenic is the 'best' and will give you the best resale.
Picasso is cheap, good finance deals, but there's a depreciation downside at the back end
Meriva's look OK but it is the smallest on your list
Ulysse & Alhambra are big old buses that don't fit with your 'don't want a people carrier' requirement.

Have you considered the new Volvo V50? Its an estate rather than an MPV but its supposed to be very good and will keep its value well. Of course Volvo is owned by Ford, so it depends how awkward you want to be about your 'no Fords' rule

The only other car not on your list but worth considering would be the VW Touran (as you won't look at the better Ford C-Max). Ugly as sin (IMHO) but rock-solid VW qualities and resale (probably).

 

[Ivan]

Out of the all the modes i would go for Opel/Vauxhall. With maybe Seat as second option, but ever since its moved to the same production line as VW they became of rather lower quality, it does however offer good value for money imo.

the following was my bias :

Renault --> sometimes has fuel injection problems
Fiat --> do not even bother with this brand
Citroen --> decent car yes, this would be the third choice, depending on the testdrive of this particular model <i have only driven Citroen ZX, ages ago>


Also, have you considered test driving a Pegeaut 406 ?

 

[Ivan]

btw Renault are in middle of their Promotion/Ad boost you may be able to get a good deal, although i would not recommend getting Renault at all.

 

[Tom]

You haven't mentioned your budget Xane. If it were me, I'd give a serious look at any car with a VW group diesel engine in. Something like a 2nd hand Passat estate, with a 1.9Tdi engine. Absolutely stonking reliability, and much cheaper to run than a petrol varient.

Another option is a Volvo, if you really want the space, find a 2 litre petrol 940 estate (huge carrying capacity), or if you have a bit more cash, a 2nd hand 850 estate with the 2 litre petrol engine (diesels are like hen's teeth) would be a superb car, I used to own one, and they are one of the most comfortable cars to drive ever.

Perhaps also you should look at 405/406 estates with diesel engines, again, very reliable, only thing about the 406 I didn't like was the seat was too soft, a bit uncomfortable if you do a long journey.

 

[Ivan]

.
Another option is a Volvo, if you really want the space, find a 2 litre petrol 940 estate (huge carrying capacity), or if you have a bit more cash, a 2nd hand 850 estate with the 2 litre petrol engine (diesels are like hen's teeth) would be a superb car, I used to own one, and they are one of the most comfortable cars to drive ever.

Be carefull with the 2nd hand 850s <which are better than 940s imo> make sure you have a look at complete diag list before you buy it < or alternatively make them diag it at one of Volvos service centers >. Oh, and do not buy the leather interrior version, it deteriorates pretty fast and chunks of leather start peeling off the seats.

But seriously, have a peek at 406.

 

[DaGaffer]

406 is about to be replaced (new model is due May/June), which means good deals on the outgoing model but crappy depreciation.

Would agree with Tom about VW diesels, they're the best 4 cylinder diesels around at the mo (BMW make the best six), and the best 'package' they're in on a value for you quid basis is probably the Skoda Octavia - once again, there's a new version of this out soon.

 

[GDW]

You will be lucky to get more than £350 for your Corsa. It will be extremely difficult too sell privately with a poor interior and exterior, given that there are so many of them about.

If you are looking a new replacement then out of your list I would go for the Scenic as the new model is out and have heard some good first hand reports on them. Someone said that Renaults suffer from fuel injection problems; this is a wild generalization to be honest. I have owned two 1.6 Renault Meganes and have only praise for their reliability

The best car for your need is probably the Focus CMAX, which you have ruled out. That’s a pity because it really does seem to be the best of the mini mpvs. You could also consider the Vauxhall Zaffira , although in my opinion Vauxhall are worse than Ford by a longshot.

I’m not entirely convinced of the safety of MPVs, particularly from a rear shunt and for that reason I go for the estates as safety of my kids is paramount.

I can personally vouch for a Passat, but possibly too big for your tastes. Don’t go for the 110 bhp diesel as it’s a bit underpowered. The 1.8 petrol (125bhp) is much better although fuel consumption is considerably higher than the diesel (30mpg versus 50mpg) so the better compromise is the 130bhp diesel.

 

[xane]

Thanks for replies so far.

I suspected the Fiat and Seat would be too big, I've not seen them close up, I did actually think about the VW and I have seen one and they are more "Ford Galaxy" class, i.e. too big. The problem with something like a Galaxy and Zafira is although they come in sub-2.0L versions they are badly underpowered, and 2.0L or more would kill me in running costs, because you don't get a chance to see Mr Fourth Gear very often in these parts.

The MPV format is more ideal for me, as parking is an issue in part of the world, having a "smaller" car is a bonus, and by "smaller" I am referring to the wheelbase. Most MPVs, like the Scenic, are big because they are tall rather than wide/long. This counts out the V50, which is a great car but too long for on-street parking here, I'd have a serious problem, same with the 406 Estate, besides if I was in that category I might consider a Merc Estate.

So we've narrowed down to Meriva, Scenic and Xsara-Picasso ? I've had a really good look at the Meriva and I am okay with Vauxhalls, I've only been an occasional passenger in the others. My next door neighbour has the 4WD version of the Scenic and its a bit crap really.

Don't worry about budget, I want to decide on a few possible models and then massage the finances to fit the specs and condition of the car

 

[DaGaffer]

His 4wd Scenic is the old model - the new one's completely different. NB. The Touran is the small(er) VW MPV - based on the new Golf, the Sharan is the Big 'un (sister car to the Ford Galaxy).

 

[throdgrain]

You wont go wrong if you remember not to buy any Fiats, or any French cars.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

You wont go wrong if you remember not to buy any Fiats, or any French cars.

Why not buy a motorbike!

 

[xane]

HThe Touran is the small(er) VW MPV - based on the new Golf, the Sharan is the Big 'un (sister car to the Ford Galaxy).

Yeah, actually I am going to revist the Touran, thanks for bringing it up, add that one to the shortlist then, anyone had any experience with it ?

 

[mank!]

I'd be surprised if you managed to sell your Corsa, we got £100 for my Dad's old Vauxhall Cavalier and it's not as old as your Corsa. Probably done a few more miles though. We replaced it with a 2002 Skoda Octavia Ambiente 1.6 Estate. It's a bloody nice car, the shell is the same as an Audi A3 and obviously most of it is VW. It's spacious and has all the mod cons. It's quite big though so it may not suit your needs, but I felt the need to plug Skoda because they're really not as bad as people think. I haven't driven it yet but my Dad is very very happy with it and he's fairly fussy.

Ignore my advice anyway. Skoda good.

 

[Insane]

Peugeot 206 SW

its an estate, in the size of the 206 itself.. but with a bit of a bigger boot area... decent space 'n all for it.

its around 12k brand new, but seen a lot of irish imports cropping up in dealerships here in northern ireland that date about a year old for around £6k~7K and are in mint condition...

 

[Frizz]

Jeremy recommends this car!

Edit:// Or even this one!

 

[Bodhi]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the excellent Fiat Multipla. It scooped a whole fist of awards when it was introduced, and still makes and excellent if quirky MPV choice. If you really don't want a Fiat (I see no reason why this should be the case - I ran a Cinquecento for 4.5 years, and it only let me down once - ironically, whilst I was trying to sell it) then the Touran would make a far better investment than the other cars mentioned. It's a VW, so reliability and brick-shithouse build are guaranteed, along with bombproof residuals. It's based on the new Golf, which seems to handle pretty well, so its a fair bet the Touran does aswell. The diesel powertrains are excellent (altho not quite on the same level as BMW's excellent 4 cylinder diesel engine) - powerful yet frugal, even if they do sound like boy racers taxis from the outside.

 

[xane]

I know you're a VW fanboi Bodhi, so any suggestions on a good place to look for VWs ? I am having a problem getting a decent price on one, seeing as it is only about a year old model.

 

[Tom]

www.autotrader.co.uk

 

[DaGaffer]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the excellent Fiat Multipla. It scooped a whole fist of awards when it was introduced, and still makes and excellent if quirky MPV choice. If you really don't want a Fiat (I see no reason why this should be the case - I ran a Cinquecento for 4.5 years, and it only let me down once - ironically, whilst I was trying to sell it) then the Touran would make a far better investment than the other cars mentioned. It's a VW, so reliability and brick-shithouse build are guaranteed, along with bombproof residuals. It's based on the new Golf, which seems to handle pretty well, so its a fair bet the Touran does aswell. The diesel powertrains are excellent (altho not quite on the same level as BMW's excellent 4 cylinder diesel engine) - powerful yet frugal, even if they do sound like boy racers taxis from the outside.

Only one reason not to buy a Fiat. Fiat dealers. Unremittingly shit. Every one of them. I had three Alfa Romeos in a row but I'd never buy another, purely because of the crappy Fiat dealer network. It takes a lot for me to let my head rule my heart when it comes to cars, but Fiat dealers managed it.

 

[Insane]

It takes a lot for me to let my head rule my heart when it comes to cars

Mazda RX8

 

[~Yuckfou~]

www.whatcar.co.uk lets you input your specific requirements and read full reports on the cars it chooses.

 

[DaGaffer]

Mazda RX8

Actually, Nissan 350Z (I hope)

 

[Tom]

Reminds me of Clarkson's review of the Chrysler Crossfire:

"You know the shape of a dog's back as its taking a poo?"