Occasional long distance estate ~£3k

Soldato
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With the Zoe now gone, we're down to a 2008 Fiesta as a family car, fine for local trips & days out, but for anything longer distance we're going to need something bigger to cart around all the paraphernalia associated with a couple of kids.

Not particularly high annual mileage, but any trips will tend to be longer (50 miles+)

Needs to be:

Big enough to stick a load of camping stuff + kid stuff in the boot
Can take a roof rack to stick a surfboard on top
Isofix compatible
Reliable (as much as a ~£3k car can be!)
Cheap parts/simple to work on

Not bothered at all about what make it is (although preferably not a BMW/Audi/Merc)
Decent fuel economy would be nice, but if it's a choice between MPG or reliability, I'd rather err on the side of reliability
Performance isn't too much of a big deal, although more would obviously be better!
Preferred manual, but happy enough to go auto if it's the best option

The old motors favourite of Mondeo seems to tick all the boxes - is that still the one to go for?
If so, which year/engine should I be looking for

Other options I guess would be:

Honda Accord
Volvo V70
Toyota Avensis
Vauxhall Vectra or Insignia

Slightly smaller, but possibly still suitable:

Skoda Octavia
Ford Focus
Volvo V50
Vauxhall Astra

Cheers!
 

Dup

Dup

Soldato
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Mondeo. I paid 2.5k for my 2.0 Titanium X although it is hard to find a decent petrol estate for this kind of model year no matter the marque. It's also high milage but the condition was far better than all the others I looked at. So far it's been super solid, much more comfortable & relaxed drive than my old Civic and Titanium X spec has everything I care about given the age and cost.

The MK4 is isofix but not universal (IE, the manual states you can use the luggage hooks for the top tether but they're not official isofix fixing points) . If your seat doesn't have a top tether it's no problem but mine does however I don't see the issue using it that way, the manual states it after all. After 2010 onwards I believe all isofix cars have the top tether anchor. The Mondeo was one of the few cars that officially catered for it. The Focus and V50 do from a certain age, V70 doesn't and neither does the Octavia. Worth researching the manuals if your seat has a top tether.
 
Soldato
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No top tether, so that's not an issue. My car previous to the Zoe was a 2006 Civic, so good to know it's an improvement on that :)

Would you recommend a MK4 then? Or am I likely to get a "better" MK3 for the money.

Are the diesels worth avoiding at this age/mileage (turbo/DPF/DMF issues?)
 
Soldato
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Bit of a leftfield option, but depending on how often you make these long trips. Is hiring a car potentially a better option?

No insurance/service/maintenance/tax costs, and you get something nice and new everytime.

Obviously doesn't work if it's often, but if you're talking only a few times a year it could be an option.
 
Soldato
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Bit of a leftfield option, but depending on how often you make these long trips. Is hiring a car potentially a better option?

No insurance/service/maintenance/tax costs, and you get something nice and new everytime.

Obviously doesn't work if it's often, but if you're talking only a few times a year it could be an option.

I did consider this option, but with a couple of kids in the back spilling drinks and driving down narrow twisty roads to beach car parks, across muddy fields, and with damp/sandy wetsuits & towels etc. in the back I don't know if it would be a good idea! (and going for the 0 excess option adds a chunk to the cost :()

Also I'm not sure the availability of roof racks for hire cars?

It's definitely worth considering, depending on the circumstances, but it looks like more than 5-6 long weekends/weeks away would end up covering the cost of the car
 
Soldato
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I did consider this option, but with a couple of kids in the back spilling drinks and driving down narrow twisty roads to beach car parks, across muddy fields, and with damp/sandy wetsuits & towels etc. in the back I don't know if it would be a good idea! (and going for the 0 excess option adds a chunk to the cost :()

Also I'm not sure the availability of roof racks for hire cars?

It's definitely worth considering, depending on the circumstances, but it looks like more than 5-6 long weekends/weeks away would end up covering the cost of the car

Ah, i missed the surfboard option. You can get soft roofracks which fit through the car (i use these for my paddleboard), but they're not as good as hard bars, and you're right, they're not as regular on hire cars and would probably come with a hefty premium if you were to spec them.

Agreed if you're going for more than 5-6 long trips though. Was just a thought as some people go down this route and then only actually use it twice a year!
 
Associate
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Out of the cars you have listed I would say the Honda Accord or Volvo v70 would be better choices. But this seem to be a expensive choice, for the amount of time it will be used?
 
Soldato
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Well, obviously it all depends on what happens with this covid nonsense, but in a normal year, realistically we'd be doing 2-3 trips from Birmingham to Carlisle to visit family (400 mile round trip) for 4 - 7 days, 2-3 camping trips (roughly same distance, same duration), and the odd long weekend here and there. A rough calculation would suggest maybe 4-5k or so.

A quick look at car rental looks like ~£2-300 for those kind of trips (possibly more at popular times of year such as half term, summer, Christmas etc.?), so would cover the cost of the car in a year-18 months (although obviously insurance etc. would need to be taken into account).
 
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Volvo V70 D5, great for lugging crap about, supremely comfortable, good economy, reliable, £3k will get you a very good one.

I have one currently and have to say it’s a great distance cruiser, not the best handling wise, but far more “chuckable” than you’d perhaps think!

I’m getting ~50 mpg on a mixture of town/a road driving and one of my favourite bits about it, despite being a diesel, because it’s a 5 cylinder engine it sounds great when you give it the beans! :D

Mine is a 54 plate, iirc ones built after this point have dpf and egr ones built pre 05 don’t which is why I specifically sought out one of this age.

Couldn’t recommend one highly enough.
 
Soldato
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Volvo V70 D5, great for lugging crap about, supremely comfortable, good economy, reliable, £3k will get you a very good one.

I have one currently and have to say it’s a great distance cruiser, not the best handling wise, but far more “chuckable” than you’d perhaps think!

I’m getting ~50 mpg on a mixture of town/a road driving and one of my favourite bits about it, despite being a diesel, because it’s a 5 cylinder engine it sounds great when you give it the beans! :D

Mine is a 54 plate, iirc ones built after this point have dpf and egr ones built pre 05 don’t which is why I specifically sought out one of this age.

Couldn’t recommend one highly enough.

This sounds promising, thanks
 
Associate
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Hard to beat the Mondeo for an all-rounder. An 08/09 Avensis would be decent too. Costs less to maintain (no cambelt) than the Ford, and if you got one from around then it should be sans DPF. Very reliable. Maybe an i30 estate also? Again, cheap to run, low tax, reliable.
 
Man of Honour
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Bin the Vauxhalls if you even slightly care about your spine.

Yeah :s my dad was given a Zafira for awhile for business use - horrid for any distance absolutely nasty ride if you were spending hours on end in it. Knocking about town I wouldn't really fault it but hours on the motorway you'd really feel it by the time you got to your destination.
 
Soldato
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Octavia for me - I've had 2 Octavia's now and would take them every day of the week over a Mondeo I had (and this was the top-spec "business/Titanium/X" class vehicles, not the lower end spec!)
 
Soldato
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Yeah :s my dad was given a Zafira for awhile for business use - horrid for any distance absolutely nasty ride if you were spending hours on end in it. Knocking about town I wouldn't really fault it but hours on the motorway you'd really feel it by the time you got to your destination.

Thanks, Vauxhalls definitely off the list then!

Octavia for me - I've had 2 Octavia's now and would take them every day of the week over a Mondeo I had (and this was the top-spec "business/Titanium/X" class vehicles, not the lower end spec!)

The Octavia is quite a bit smaller though - more Focus sized, this is possibly not an issue though depending on the internal length, rear window to dash (will a 9ft board fit inside it overnight? :p)
 
Soldato
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Volvo V70 D5, great for lugging crap about, supremely comfortable, good economy, reliable, £3k will get you a very good one.

I have one currently and have to say it’s a great distance cruiser, not the best handling wise, but far more “chuckable” than you’d perhaps think!

I’m getting ~50 mpg on a mixture of town/a road driving and one of my favourite bits about it, despite being a diesel, because it’s a 5 cylinder engine it sounds great when you give it the beans! :D

Mine is a 54 plate, iirc ones built after this point have dpf and egr ones built pre 05 don’t which is why I specifically sought out one of this age.

Couldn’t recommend one highly enough.

What he said.

Although it's generally 55 plates when all the emission crap came in on these models.

So the 04, 54, 05 plates are the ones you want. D5, manual with fsh/ frequent oil changes and you'll be dandy. One of the few remaining truely reliable diesels around, and just so happens to be in a well built and well galvanised Volvo. What's not to like.
 
Soldato
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For ultimate reliability as the car ages, an Accord or Avensis will probably be your best bet. Although an Accord in that price bracket is likely to be the old ~2005 generation, where things are likely to wear out due to age as well.

I can't help but feel the Mondeo is the best option here. You should be able to get a ~2010 estate for around £3k. The mileage might be a bit higher, but at this price bracket you can't really be too picky. The 2.0 TDCI is fairly reliable. It'll be newer than all the other options and no doubt more dependable than a 16 year-old Volvo. If you can find a 2008> V70 that would be a good shout. It shares the same platform as the Mondeo while being more comfort-oriented.
 
Associate
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I moved from a 1.8 petrol 2006 civic to a 1.8 petrol 2011 avensis a few months ago. The two problems we've had with it was the boot would shut, but not lock (and so the whole car wouldn't lock) and the air conditioning knob wasn't doing anything. Both were replaced by the Toyota dealer we bought it from in my case.

The car itself is nice, the ride is good, it's not to loud, fuel economy isn't particularly different to my civic which is impressive considering the size difference.

One thing I regret is not buying an automatic because the car is so dull though. Manual just feels like a chore in this because it's the most boring car I've ever owned. Other than that I'm reasonably happy with my choice.
 
Soldato
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I’d second Scania. A half decent V70 would be pretty hard to beat especially if you do your own maintenance. A 4 wheel drive XC70 might be worth considering too.
 
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