Car

[xane]

My little Corsa is on its last legs, it no longer mixes well with rain water, but it's been a trusty old beast having survived five accidents and almost no mechanical problems, despite my dear wife who never explored the mystery that is fourth gear, let alone fifth.

I need a replacement, something a bit nicer and up-to-date, my heart was set on a Chrysler PT Cruiser, however, fantastic and sexy as it is, I could not afford to run a 2.0 litre car in an urban environment.

So, my conditions are:

• No Fords or Japanese Cars
• Five Door Hatchback up to a medium people carrier (small is everything where I live)
• Five seater, for five adults with two legs each, not three-adults-and-two-dwarfs
• Kid-proof, nothing fragile, subject to dents or rip-prone inside, fabrics that can resist vomit, chocolate, mud, etc
• New or used, doesn't matter
• Sensible prices please
• Nothing too powerful or sporty, that appeals to Mr ChavScam, I still want it in my posession every morning
• A model not more than three years old
• Economy and reliability are the watchwords
• Extras are not an issue, I do love heated wing mirrors but they are probably something I can live without

I know a lot of forum members are racer boys who only need one seat for the girlie and the back seats are just an extended luggage rack, so try and divert your attention from penis-envy to practicality for one second, you know who you are, kthx

 

[.Wilier.]

We have a Renault Megane Scenic 1.6 Alize as the "family car"
Does the job, nothing special but works well (easy to clean too, handy with 2 kiddies)
and I have a Clio 1.4rt as my work machine. Great little car tbh.

I am teh boring one.

 

[bigbb]

I'd say the new Megane Scenic is a good idea actually.

 

[RandomBastard]

You've ruled out many decent cars with the no japanese option.

However looking at your critera have you considered a saab? My parents have one (an old 9000turbo) which seats 5 adults. is rugged and durable but idk about prices these days and cant remember what engine sizes they come in (i do know that the older turbo ones are low pressure turbos and hence more economical than there high pressure equivalents)

 

[bigbb]

Thinking about it, a Picasso probably meets most, if not all that criteria for a good price. Not sure if they're still doing the 'No VAT' offer, but worth a look.

 

[xane]

Can you fit a roof box to a Scenic ?

 

[bigbb]

Can you fit a roof box to a Scenic ?

I'm sure you can.

 

[doodin]

Can you fit a roof box to a Scenic ?

Yep. One of Renaults accessories you can get for the Scenic are roof bars which most roof boxes will fit onto - my aunt has them for her roof box.

Also, I've driven a Renault Clio for about 7-8 years now (3 different cars) and have never had any major problems with them (even with the frequent amount of driving I used to do between Newcastle and London). I've stuck to Renault as I've found them to be pretty reliable and efficient.

 

[DaGaffer]

New or used? New Megane Scenics are hard to get hold of and you'll pay full list. I'd look at the Vauxhall Zafira; does everything you're looking for and may help you get favourable terms if you're trading a Nova. If you don't need the space, the smaller Meriva is just as good in its class (a sort of Nova MPV). Xsara Picasso is reaching the end of its life and is due for replacement soon, so if you're not bothered about having the newest and latest it may be worth a look cos Citroen are big on deals, just bear in mind it will have rock-bottom residuals at the other end.

Of course if you weren't anti-Japanese I'd suggest the next gen Toyota Prius; lowest tax rates, ultra-low fuel consumption, and you don't have to pay the congestion charge.

 

[xane]

Zafira's are a little too big for me, but I must admit I haven't looked at the Meriva yet, only the Agila which is way too cramped inside, or perhaps another Corsa ?!

Xsara Picasso, Megane Scenic, yes, these are the kind I'm looking for, probably 3 y.o. second-hand though, do Fiat or Renault have similar models ?

I'll give the Toyota Pruis a miss thanks, not because it's Japanese but if I was going for that price range I'd be way better off with a German car, a quick look at the MPG screens doesn't show that much improvement over a decent diesel.

 

[Insane]

i'd say the suzuki ignus if you wernt anti-japanise, its a nice wee motor for the price and i found it to be very nippy in around the place on my test drive, but i think i had the 1.5 under my foot.. im not certain the 1.3 5dr is around £7,995 OTR (check out www.suzuki.co.uk for more)

avoid the renault diesel range, their DCI engines have engine management issues and their electronics are very quick at messing up..
*looks at his dci clio*
they most definately dont like the cold, and renault know of an issue with the diesels but wont fix it.
same goes to Nissan diesels, as they are using the same powerplant

you thought about the new citroen C3? larger cousin to the saxo/c2 (which is identical size to your corsa) and has more space, im not certain if it'll fit 5 fully grown adults. £8,995 OTR for the 1.1 5dr

or if your really mad, citroen Multispace

how about a peugeot 307? my sister has one and its blooming massive! fits 5 fully grown adults in it no problem, comes with a massive boot and really easy to clean (she's married to a farmer)

id get you an OTR price for the peugeot but their site seems dead slow for me here... you can get them pretty cheap 2nd hand compared to similar sized vehicles over here in N.I.

 

[gmloki]

Zafira's are a little too big for me, but I must admit I haven't looked at the Meriva yet, only the Agila which is way too cramped inside, or perhaps another Corsa ?!

Xsara Picasso, Megane Scenic, yes, these are the kind I'm looking for, probably 3 y.o. second-hand though, do Fiat or Renault have similar models ?

I'll give the Toyota Pruis a miss thanks, not because it's Japanese but if I was going for that price range I'd be way better off with a German car, a quick look at the MPG
screens doesn't show that much improvement over a decent diesel.

Fiat do the Multipla. Hard to get a link direct from their website for taht specific model but try Fiat. As usuall they do not hold their price too well. On the plus side you will pick one up at a good price. They are very economical, low insurance and they usually fair well in safety ratings

 

[Insane]

dont forget to pimp www.euroncap.com for all your car crash fears 'n needs

Mazda 2 (the replacement to the Demios) is another car to throw into the fray, http://www.mazda2.co.uk but ensure you got audio turned OFF or you'll be stuck listening to "zoom, zoom, zoom" time and time again
1.25 is £8,765 OTR and im honestly interested in getting my mitts on one.

you might be able to pick up the Demios pretty cheaply these days now, their 1.1 and 1.3 engines arnt the best for performance and can seem slightly sluggish at times but theres ample space and the rear seats can be moved forward/backward to allow more space for legroom... its a small family van really with loads of room..

 

[Yaka]

why not take a look at an nissan primera, i just got an SVE model and its got sat nav, rear view, auto cruise+ fron senors for match the speed of the cra in front. not a jammy car by any means, but compared to me old e reg bluebird its the dogs bollocks

 

[DaGaffer]

dont forget to pimp www.euroncap.com for all your car crash fears 'n needs

Mazda 2 (the replacement to the Demios) is another car to throw into the fray, http://www.mazda2.co.uk but ensure you got audio turned OFF or you'll be stuck listening to "zoom, zoom, zoom" time and time again
1.25 is £8,765 OTR and im honestly interested in getting my mitts on one.

you might be able to pick up the Demios pretty cheaply these days now, their 1.1 and 1.3 engines arnt the best for performance and can seem slightly sluggish at times but theres ample space and the rear seats can be moved forward/backward to allow more space for legroom... its a small family van really with loads of room..

Since he doesn't like Japanese cars or Fords, and Mazda is both Japanese and Ford, I would have thought this was a bit of a non-starter tbh

NB. I hadn't checked the prices of the Prius; ouch! I thought it was going to about 12K not 18K!

 

[xane]

why not take a look at an nissan primera, i just got an SVE model and its got sat nav, rear view, auto cruise+ fron senors for match the speed of the cra in front. not a jammy car by any means, but compared to me old e reg bluebird its the dogs bollocks

I know Nissans are built in Sunderland nowdays, but they are actually still quite a little bit Japanesey, you know what I mean ?

Auto Cruise is great, maybe I could set it to 20mph when I'm negotiating all those speed humps and potholes

 

[Insane]

Since he doesn't like Japanese cars or Fords, and Mazda is both Japanese and Ford, I would have thought this was a bit of a non-starter tbh

NB. I hadn't checked the prices of the Prius; ouch! I thought it was going to about 12K not 18K!

least its better than a vauxhall

so he's left with a pick of a crap french car, a unreliable american car, or a rover

i'd give up and just get a Land Rover Defender 90 (or 110 if your daring) with the "cattlebox" rear end, its been the farmers friend for years.

 

[Trem]

You've ruled out many decent cars with the no japanese option.

However looking at your critera have you considered a saab? My parents have one (an old 9000turbo) which seats 5 adults. is rugged and durable but idk about prices these days and cant remember what engine sizes they come in (i do know that the older turbo ones are low pressure turbos and hence more economical than there high pressure equivalents)

My run-about car is a Saab 9000 turbo, absolutely fantastic(albeit ugly)cars.

 

[DaGaffer]

least its better than a vauxhall

so he's left with a pick of a crap french car, a unreliable american car, or a rover

i'd give up and just get a Land Rover Defender 90 (or 110 if your daring) with the "cattlebox" rear end, its been the farmers friend for years.

Don't shoot the messenger; he said he didn't want Fords or Japanese cars, not me. Personally I have no problem with either - my next car will probably be a Nissan 350Z or a Mazda RX-8.

 

[xane]

my next car will probably be a Nissan 350Z or a Mazda RX-8.

Keep saying it to yourself - "practical not penis, practical not penis"

 

[DaGaffer]

Keep saying it to yourself - "practical not penis, practical not penis"

Bollocks. When I get a practical car as my only transport it'll be confirmation that I'm dead.

 

[Nos]

Fiat do the Multipla. Hard to get a link direct from their website for taht specific model but try Fiat. As usuall they do not hold their price too well. On the plus side you will pick one up at a good price. They are very economical, low insurance and they usually fair well in safety ratings

Also they're officially the most god-awful looking cars, ever!

 

[Trem]

I got me an Imprezza STi now Noss0r, ain't parking that baby outside the shop though