powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

looking for a nice family car now ive got 2 daughetrs to carry around so im looking for help and suggestions. £8k limit..no silly suggestions please

thanks

nickwrxstiV2

y preference if I had £8k to spend would be a BMW 520D or even stretch to the 530D.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

yes i do like the 5 series but finding a newish example with low miles isnt going well.. i dont want to splash out £8k on a high millage bmw

cjquicksilver

iTrader: (23)

Got a 60 plate civic for 7k?

nobafett

I've owned some decent cars, type r Hondas, 2 scoobys (currently hawkeye sti) and through my job, get to drive loads of different cars.
My current family car is an Octavia vRS estate (actually described as a combi to be exact). It's the best all round car I've owned and easily one of the best I've driven. 200bhp as standard, 40mpg on a run, nice and spacious and comfortable, absolutley huge,massive boot.
Mines currently closer to 300bhp with some other choice mods and it destroyed plenty of other more expensive marques at Castle Combe. It's essentially a Golf Gti in a different shell for a fraction of the price. I genuinely don't think there's a car under £20k that can come close.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

i like that vrs mate very much, is that how it looked from standard?

cjquicksilver... any more spec of your civic please, pics and millage ect

nobafett

The top picture is standard mate. Bottom picture has anthracite alloys and tints. Middle picture has a milltek fitted. It's had loads of mods now, but still looks pretty standard from the outside. Truly great car.

nobafett

Here you go, it's the newest one on Pistonheads and shows you what you can get for your money. It's the hatch version which is almost identical in size, the only difference is the sloping rear window. Boot has the same floor plan (nearly 600 litres!).

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/c...rs-5dr/1017387

nobafett

This is a belter too. Very low miles.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi.../vrs?logcode=p

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

cheers for that nobafett

Saxo Boy

What kind of MPG does the standard car actually return Noba? I know that 38mpg is claimed by the manufacturer. For example, what would be your guess for 65% motorway at 70-80mph and 45% hacking about in towns?

I ask because I've shortlisted cars with the 170TDI CR engine next but I'd consider the 2.0T if the mpg is somewhat sensible - not least because they are normally far less of an initial outlay like-4-like.

nobafett

I really don't pay attention to mpg figures to be honest but on a run you'd be getting 38-42 and 25-30 around town.
I used to have a PD vRS and it was ok. Massive issues with the DPF though, the petrol was a godsend in comparison.

nobafett

The CR vRS has less issues with the DPF Brigid be surprised I you could get a good one for 8k

Matteeboy

This section is turning into the vRS lovers forum...

Yes they are okay but they are FWD and powered by a very dull engine (petrol and diesel).

Get something more interesting. ;-)

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Just been in this position, and opted for a 58 plate Astra CDTi SRi 150.

For the same money, anything else was two years or so older, or 80,000 miles. The atra has done 41000.
Another £95 spent equipped it with Vauxhall's cruise control for better mpg on a run.

It comfortable, looks decent, five doors, MP3 CD radio with I-Pod socket, climate control, X-pack etc.

Prices aren't bad, plenty to choose from, and parts are widely available and dirt cheap.
I paid £7500 for mine.

Test drove a Leon FR, (too old for the price), and a focus TDCi (gutless), as well as a VRS (felt plasticky).

I like the seats and the way the Astra drives, plus it's nippy but frugal. You could do a lot worse.

Saxo Boy

Noba, from what you've said and what I've read elsewhere I'd recon on about 33mpg for me. A marked improvements on the 26 I get in my T5 but still some way short of the 46/7 I would bank on from a CR TDI Leon.

DPF shouldn't be an issue for me as I regularly drive 20 miles each way on a motorway and I semi-regularly (once a month) drive Edinburgh-Aberdeen or further.

Alcazar, what were your thoughts on the Leon overall. I appreciate you were looking at PD versions and felt you could get more for your money elsewhere. For a number of reasons I'd only be looking at the 2009+ CR versions. Thoughts on feel, driveability, performance, comfort, ambiance, toys, etc?

Matteeboy

I ran an estate for four years from new (2005) - "Design" spec so quite well equipped. I had swirl flap failure at 38k miles fixed under warranty (Vx were dire in handling it) but other than that a pretty nippy, good handling, super spacious estate (we slept in the back twice!) that cost not a lot to run - except on front tyres and the oil was pricey too. Cheap to insure too.

A good looking car IMO too.

reef67

My missus has recently returned her Golf Bluemotion mark V company car, ran it from new
went back with over 90k on the clock, ran with absolutely no issues.

Was absolutely boggo poverty spec, but very comfortable, kids loved it
and the fuel economy was !!!...best I saw on a run was 83mpg average...you could drive it all day with foot welded to the floor and it wouldn't dip below 64!

Only problem is it's a bit of a predictable choice...

Oh and the stereo was cack!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I liked the drive, it was probably more engaging than the Astra we went for, but not as comfortable. Performance wise there was little in it, even with the FR bumped up to around 200 bhp and running with the DPF delete.

You got cruise control as standard, but the CD/Radio wasn't as good as on the Astra, (It's a Blaupunkt with MP3 capability and i-Pod in), and I preferred the seats in the Astra. For some reason, even viewing similar year cars, NONE of the Astras I saw were suffering the side bolster crushing apparent on the FR's, and almost ALL the FR's were, except for one at 25,000 miles.

I gather from my lad's mate that his FR has been reliable, but that parts aren't the cheapest. Both cars are similar on tyres and both are on 18's as an extra. (Mine has the X-pack, £900 fitted for 18's, rear spoiler, front splitter and two side skirts).

If you want toys, buy a Renault...my lad's 197 Sport has them all. About the only thing it didn't have was Xenons.

WRXrowdy

iTrader: (2)

My brother has a 56 plate Octavia vRS petrol hatchback. My boss has a 58 plate Octavia vRS Tdi DSG estate.

My brothers has had no issues whatsoever. He loves it, and the boot for a hatchback is vast, fits all he wants in it, push chair etc. He lives in a town and the car is mostly used around town so mpg wise he gets around 28 to the gallon. He had the cam belt replaced recently at a decent price of around £200 and was told it was a lot easier to do than a Passat with the same engine, therefore a lot cheaper.

My bosses car however has had a few problems. He has had trouble with the turbo, which I have heard is not uncommon on the VAG 2 litre diesel cars (170bhp models), and also needed a new air con condensor, for which Skoda wanted to charge £1500 for, although he got it replaced for around £500 by an independant air con specialist. This too is also a common problem with these cars. My brothers has had no trouble though but his car has bog standard air conditioning, this was replaced by climate control on post 08 cars so not sure if the condensor is the same. The bosses car also has a rear electric window that doesn't work but sounds like machine gun fire going off when you press the switch. Again, earlier cars only have electric front windows.
My bosses car runs on 18" wheels and he moans about the ride quality. My brothers pre 08 car has 17" wheels. Having driven both of these cars the ride is better on the 17" wheels but I personally could live with the ride on the 18's, its ok.

If it was my choice I'd probably go for a late 07 model petrol manual hatch (cheaper) as still plenty of room.

Saxo Boy

Wow!? Are you saying that a mapped FR TDI with 200bhp isn't really any faster than standard? I was kind of hoping that it would be quite nippy with a remap as the stock 170bhp is a little bit weedy compared to the ST220 and Volvo T5 I have been driving for the last 5 years.

I can get a CR TDI for about £10k with the low (sub 50k) mileage I desire. Obviously I could get a PD TDI for less but there are too many worries with that engine variant. However, I could get 2006/7/8 TFSI based cars (Leon, Octavia) for anything from £5000-8000. Less of an initial outlay but more expensive to run. All in all, very hard to call.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

TBH, there was little in it against the Astra with the Sport button in and 150bhp. Maybe the Astra is lighter**?

Ditto handling, both scrabble for grip on wet roads etc, but were about the same round bends. Not that I drive like a loony anyway.

I don't know much about the CR engines, but the ONLY problem I've come across with the PD engines is the DPF and once deleted it's a better engine anyway. Delate is from £250 inc remap.

** The Astra is almost 100 kg lighter. Source: towcar weights.

nobafett

If I had a choice between a 10k diesel or a 7k petrol, having owned a pd vRS and petrol, it would be petrol every time. I just don't think you'd save enough in fuel to warrant the larger initial outlay and the petrol is a far nicer, more refined engine with greater modding potential in the future.

Also, my mate has a 57 plate tfsi Fr Leon. Nice car but the suspension is rock hard. It's the only car other than an old Capri when I was a kid, that has made me feel sick. I'll quote from one review I read "when it comes to the ride, Seat could learn a thing or two from Skoda". The vRS really is that much nicer.

Saxo Boy

I thought the PD engine also had problems with injectors and weak camshafts that don't exist in the CR engines. I've seen quite a lot of reliability criticisms directed at the PD that don't transfer over the CR. Ordinarily I dismiss a certain amount of such concerns as noise from disgruntled owners, but in this case there seemed to be quite a lot of noise suggesting there was a real problem. Over the last few months it has been enough for me to write off the idea of getting an PD variant.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

so..... anyone got any car suggestions for me

Saxo Boy

I think you need to give more variables in order of preference. For example, you can argue an e46 M3 is a family car and you can get those for £8k. Alternatively you could get something with 90bhp that does a zillion miles to the gallon.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

im hardly going to buy a 3.2l m3 am i... i may aswell get another impreza... i want a practical, economical yet good looking car... ive got a family to ferry around now so my fun 'so to speak' has took a back seat for a while

nice looking
spacious
5 door
big boot
good mpg
lowish tax rate

5cooby1

iTrader: (18)

I'm looking at Audi a4 estates seem pretty good any thoughts on them?

Saxo Boy

How would scoobynetters know that unless you tell us? Unless I've missed a previous thread your OP was a little short on specifics.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

fair point well made barbera!