Buying a petrol estate car

[DrFfybes]

We're looking for a large Estate Car, around 7 years old, up to about £9k and 80,000 miles. This limits us to Mondeo, Avensis, i40, Accord etc.

So we start looking around, and they seem to be all diesels. Given our tendency to keep cars for a while and the current attitudes, we're thinking diesel is best avoided.

Within 30 miles the only petrol large estate for sale on Autotrader is an Octavia VRs, and they aren't THAT large.

In fact there are only 2 petrol powered estates (1 Mondeo, 1 Avensis) meeting our requirements within 50 miles.

Still, it saves MrsF complaining about being dragged around for ages looking at cars.

Paul

ps - aren't Hazard Warning signs usually in a red triangle?

https://goo.gl/maps/D7vEnAxb5NE2

[ten0rman]

Hi Paul,

I'm not sure what you are asking, if anything.

Anyway, we bought an Avensis petrol estate almost 4 years ago for the same reason as even then the writing was on the wall for diesel, and have found it, so far, very good. Not the fastest around the block, but then we've left that sort of thing behind many years ago. Average mpg is 38.5 over 54000 miles and that includes caravan towing. Tyre life around 30K, new battery last October so the original was at least 3.5 years old, possibly more. Surprisingly good when towing, better than I expected in fact, but it does need a lot of gearbox stirring. Interestingly, it took 25K miles before it started to feel run in, and even at 30/35K it felt to have improved. Suspension is a bit hard with only two people in, but seems a lot better with some weight on board.

Yeah, we like it, and only wish we'd bought it earlier instead of that heap of junk that Ford has the effrontery to call a car!

Regards,

ten0rman

[bungeejumper]

I've had my petrol Auris "Touring Sport" ) estate for a year now, and no complaints yet. Yes, they're the world's best-selling car, but don't let that put you off. And the handling that used to be famously unresponsive on the first model is much improved now that the chassis has been stiffened and lowered by two inches. (That was mid-2013.) It still doesn't corner-thrill you like a Focus, but it's very sure-footed and comfortable.

The surprise is that the load space is in many ways better than on the Avensis. (Or so they say - I couldn't possibly comment...) Ours has almost exactly the same load capacity as our old Passat estate, which was 10 inches longer. As far as I can see, they've done this by taking two inches away from the rear seats and dropping the loading floor. Works for us, anyway. It gets to 62 in under 10, which is good enough really. 39 mpg would be about average for the last 12 months, rising to 41-44 on long runs.

If there's a problem, it's that the 132 bhp 1.6 petrol engine on our 64 reg model is no longer available. Shame - they've replaced it with a 1.8 hybrid, which is efficient (apparently) but noisier. Either that or a mighty-midget 1.3 petrol which just doesn't look to me like the kind of thing I'd want to be doing 600 miles of French motorway in. Or a diesel.

FWIW, I paid just over £10K for mine, 18 months old, 42 months' Toyota warranty still to run, but with a highish 30K on the clock. One of the higher-spec models ("Icon Plus", now called "Excel"). Enough toys, bucket seats, and drug-dealer windows at the back. It just isn't quite the thing in the executive car park.

BJ

[supremetwo]

An older Volvo 960?

You can get a decent one with ~ 120,000 miles for a lot less.

[Lootman]

An older Volvo 960?

You can get a decent one with ~ 120,000 miles for a lot less.

When our kids were younger my wife insisted on a Volvo estate. We had two, both bought used, and they gave good, reliable service for years.

But when the kids left, she decided she wanted an Outback, so we bought a new one and she has been very happy with it. I was just happy she didn't want a BMW or a Benz.

To the Doctor, have you considered a Subaru? All-wheel drive is standard and there is a 6 cylinder variant if you want more power. And they've been around for 20 years and are still being built, so plenty of used ones around.

[BT63]

Large petrol-powered cars (Mondeo, Insignia, Passat etc) almost became extinct in the late-2000s to the present as a result of diesel ticking all the right boxes for CO2, road tax/VED and mpg.
The larger the car the harder it tends to be to keep emissions and mpg to acceptable levels by modern standards and until the government realised it wasn't all about CO2, it was far easier to build a suitable diesel than a petrol.
In fact, VW stopped making petrol Passats two or three years ago - available with any fuel as long as it's diesel.

[Slarti]

Another happy Avensis driver here.

Search around, you should be able to get younger than 7 years for £9k

Only thing is, if you like auto, as I do, ensure that it is not the Toyota automated manual.
My wife has that in her Yaris and it is not at all nice and would be worse in a larger car.
The CVT gearbox on my Avensis is very nice, though.

MPG is very good on long trips, approaching 50mpg, servicing is not expensive.


Slarti

[DrFfybes]

Thanks for the info - the sparsity of petrol was more of an observation on the popularity of diesels in that class than anything else, but it does make me think it will be very difficult and quite some time before a UK govt could ban them from large areas.

Having another look later and I found this about 40 mins away...
http://www.centralmotors-subaru.co.uk/u ... y-ren-awd/

Hadn't even thought of a Subaru, but certainly an unusual and perhaps interesting car. MrsF has a hankering for 4WD too for some odd reason, although she wasn't keen on the Audi 4WD I took her to see.

Paul

[bungeejumper]

Having another look later and I found this about 40 mins away...
http://www.centralmotors-subaru.co.uk/u ... y-ren-awd/

33K on the clock? Deffo worth a look at that price. I once hankered for one myself, but my friend wouldn't sell it, worse luck. And another neighbour loves driving his Forester when he isn't in the Bugatti. (Seriously. )

I've heard that Subaru maintenance/spares can be pricey, so maybe get it checked out?

BJ

[Lootman]

[I've heard that Subaru maintenance/spares can be pricey, so maybe get it checked out?

My wife's Outback hasn't been expensive to maintain. She gets it serviced on schedule (or rather, I do) which is not cheap but it has prevented other problems from arising and hopefully kept up its resale value.

The one thing it is prone to (the 4 cylinder 2.5 anyway) is the cylinder head gasket blowing. Only happened once, at about 70,000 miles, but cost about a grand to fix.

[digitaria]

You could add a Skoda Superb to your list, also available with 4WD.