Eglu Go With 2m Run For Sale

[Willow]

I hate thinking about cars so I'm hoping for some good ideas from you folks

 

We currently have a Zafira which is not the most comfortable quiet car but is wonderful at shifting people, rubble, furniture for Ikea etc. For the last couple of years we've been able to manage with only one car which is great but job changes mean we really need to get a second car again.

 

We need the next car to be large enough to carry teens but it doesn't need to be a people/rubble shifter as we'll still have the Zafira.

 

It needs to be more comfortable and quieter on long drives as my OH will need to do quite a bit of motorway driving - this is the most important requirement really.

 

We'd be looking to buy it 2nd hand up to 3 years old and ideally not too expensive.

 

So any suggestions ? (My previous car was an Audi A4 which I loved and was nice to drive but we're hoping to not spend that much.)

[Redwing]

I had a Volvo S40 which was wonderful, I drive an awful lot of miles a year and that was certainly the most comfortable, and well set out car I have driven, it was a 2l diesel, big but nippy and great on the motorway, everything was so effortless - I miss that car!

 

Also very good for comfort, quietness and driving pleasure but smaller (though more economical) was my Renault Megane 1.9l Diesel, amazingly comfortable for a smallish car and so quiet

 

Another nice one was a Vauxhall Insignia, lots of gadgets for your money and another good motorway drive, it was a hatchback type saloon (if that makes any sense) and massively practical

 

I'd always recommend a 6 gear car for motorway/distance driving, it really makes it a much nicer experience

[clucker1]

I love my mercedes B class. Fabulous visibility from it, especially if you are small. Great for teenagers too and great for motorway driving too. MPG is @40 on average. Plus mine is a gorgous girly lilac colour!

[majorbloodnock]

Well, I fairly recently got a Seat Altea XL, and I've been really impressed with it in lots of different ways. Even with the front seats right back, two adults can sit comfortably in the rear with plenty of knee room, and although you can move the rear seats forward to make more boot space, there's absolutely no need to do so under normal circumstances, since you could easily get the luggage for all four adults in there. I got the two litre diesel, and it normally gives about 48mpg (push it a bit and it'll drop to around 42 - 44, drive carefully and I've had it up to around 52 - 54) whilst giving plenty of grunt to safely overtake. All this is on what's basically a VW Golf base, so its footprint is exactly the same as the Seat Leon, making it small enough to park comfortably, and it shares most of its mechanicals with the Audis, VWs and Skodas.

 

So far, I haven't been able to fault it apart from fairly thick pillars meaning I have to be a little more cautious when observing at junctions.

[Willow]

Thanks - some cars I hadn't thought of so I'll take a look at those. More ideas welcome!

[chicken bark]

I'd agree that Seats are a good option.

 

My load/people lugger is currently an S-max and I love it. Not as smooth as my 3 series BMW was but we need two rows of rear seats to fit the car seats in. Although this is no so critical now one is big enough for a booster seat.

 

So as I seem to like Fords how about a Focus? Avoid Fiesta's if you want a quiet drive.

[craftyhunnypie]

Citroen Berlingo - good, roomy, airy, economical, chuckable. We have one with the modutop & we love it. Or Nissan Xtrail - our other car which we think is the ultimate. It might be a 4x4, but it is comfy, roomy & just fab!

Emma.x

[Pipichick]

I know I've posted this before but I really don't think you can beat Skoda Especially if you loved your Audi.... why spend the extra money for the circles when you can have the same car effectively. My hubbie had an Octavia VRS Estate, ample room for teens and quick on the motorway too. He has just traded in for an Octavia Scout, still a fab family car loads of room, a great motorway work horse AND a 4x4 capacity... What more can I say ??

[chuckmum6]

I change my car every couple of years, my last three cars were : Saab 9.3 great to drive but thirsty and expensive to service, a golf plus well put together, but basic spec, underpowered (1.6) and surprisingly thirsty, I now have Toyota Prius, surprisingly good fun to drive, lots of toys (satnav, reversing camera, computer) and good fuel return of 55 mpg. The Prius is a head car not a heart car, with motoring cost going ever up I will be sticking with it for a while, oh yes a years road fund tax is £10!

[stoice]

I'm with you on the skoda vote Pipichick

I have a Skoda Fabia Greenline 1.4 weasel.

I love it. It's like a tardis, can fit four adults in it with plenty of leg room, does 75 mpg on a motorway run and only costs me £20 a year tax. It's basically the VW Polo without the price tag.

[majorbloodnock]

I'm with you on the skoda vote Pipichick

I have a Skoda Fabia Greenline 1.4 weasel.

I love it. It's like a tardis, can fit four adults in it with plenty of leg room, does 75 mpg on a motorway run and only costs me £20 a year tax. It's basically the VW Polo without the price tag.

 

Well, for obvious reasons I'd extend the recommendation from just Skoda to the whole of the Volkswagen Audi group given Seat is another member. However, I'd agree that almost all German cars seem to have a very good build quality and reliability record.

[Daphne]

For 15 years I had 3 Mondeos - boring car but oh so useful. Great on long drives (the first was a company car when I used to slog on the motorway), massive boot, masses of room, powerful (although the 2.0 is noticeably more thirsty than the 1., air con etc, very comfortable, like an old armchair and incredibly reliable. My first one I sold on with 114k, other than wear and tear the only problem it ever had was one flat battery. The 2nd died with high mileage but no problems prior, the 3rd I have given to my BIL with over 100k on it but no problems. My BIL had an estate version with over 200k (petrol) on it. Quite a few friends and family have bought them on my recommendation I currently drive a sporty little coupe, but in a few years I expect I will switch back. Its not the most exciting 'drivers car' but other than that I can't fault them.