To ask if you bought a family car outright what was it?

[LilyPinkNoah]

2 adults two DC 8 & 5

Our car is 11 years old - it's 'ok' but has some issues (took it to a garage and they said not really worth doing all the work that needs doing). We bought it outright at 3 years old and have done over 100k on it so it's served us well.

A BMW 3 series it cost us £10k 8 years ago.

So kind of want to do the same again - what do you recommend and not really Aibu!

I'd say it's more a case of what money you have available, how stable your income is, how reliable you need your car to be and whether you expect to keep the next car you get for a similar length of time.

If you have savings, I'd look at a similar car, or maybe something a bit bigger seeing as I imagine there isn't much space in the back of a BMW 3 series and it won't be long before you're driving teens around.

If you don't have much in the way of savings, I'd be looking at spending a lot less on a car and work on saving up to buy the next one.

However much you end up spending, a Skoda Octavia will probably suit your needs, space in the back for growing teens, decent value for what you get and you can spend anything from a few hundred for an older one, up to £10k+ for a nearly new one.

Yes have plenty of savings but don't really want to spend loads on a car.

The teen question is right!! Didn't even think about that!

Also yes we would be keeping it again as long as possible.

A roomier car at the back is deffo what we need. There isn't much with the boot either in a 3 series. I suppose budget is 15-20k

Mercedes b. Class I've had mine years its still going well. Volvo xc90 same. If you look after them there's no reason not to go over 100k on them

We bought a Skoda Superb, the leg room in the back is amazing and the boot is vast. Good quality inside and we got almost new, petrol, for less than 20k.

Ford C-Max, bought a 3 year old top spec model for £8k

A second hand 4 year old Vauxhall Meriva. It had 20,000 miles and was £6000. I love it.

Toyota verso. Still going strong after 8 years. 2 extra seats in the boot are useful for transporting teammates etc.

Most reliable car we have ever had is our current one - Mazda 6( not the diesel) big boot, excellent all rounder really.

My car bought recently for 11k ish is too small for your needs.

If I were you I’d go Skoda Octavia. You can get a 2018 with around 10k miles for under £15k around here. I would probably not spend £20k on a car. I think you can get something spacious, comfortable and reliable that you can run into the ground for 10-15 mark.

We bought a Ford Focus estate 3 years ago, it was

I recently spent £4k on a Zafira Tourer that has an excellent service history, masses of space and is super comfortable.

I've also had a Superb estate that was fantastic too.

We have a Kia ceed estate. It’s hardly glamorous but a great car for the money, lots of nice features etc. and should keep going for ages.

I've never bought a car on credit, I've always considered that if I can't pay for it I can't afford it. It must have saved me ££££ in credit charges over the years, I buy new (highly recommend Drive the Deal) and keep them til they die,whilst saving for the next one..

The last one was a Land Rover Discovery but previously they've been more ordinary. Nissan Qashqai (don't!) VW Passat, before that Nissan Primera.

Skoda octavia estate, £10k, huge boot and plenty of room and very reliable

Have a look at the Dacia Duster. You get a lot for your money & reviews of the latest ones are very good. We love ours, bought new with cash, and plan to keep it 8-10 years.

My second choice would be a Skoda Octavia, or for reliability any Nissan.

Bought all cars for the most recent fews years outright. Most recent a Honda CRV which is 7 years old and has done 100k already. Bought from a family friend who had owned it outright from 3 years.

I would never buy a BMW as IMHO they are style over substance (and yes I have driven several) - they do poorly in reliability surveys for such an expensive car, they are very very common (as in everyone seems to have one) and poor value.

Will look at the Skoda Octavia estate thank you!! Very useful. DH is more brand aware than I am - I'd happy go for a Skoda - I like the new SUV they have the name has gone out of my head

Karoq. Or Kodiaq is the bigger one. I love my Karoq

Our Santa Fe was an excellent buy for us, roomy and practical for the countryside.
I'd buy a what car magazine and look at the costings and ratings of the cars in the class of car you want.

I have a civic type r, it’s fairly compact on the outside but very roomy on the inside.

Hmmm. BMW are are prestige make and plenty listed here are not. There are several to avoid. They won’t be going strong with a high mileage.

Older mercs keep going. You see plenty around. You see loads of older Golfs around in perfect condition.

I wouldn’t ever buy a family “van” of people carrier second hand. You know it won’t have been looked after. I’d rather have something smaller and not take half thx team to matches. Something classier.

I would definitely look at a 3 series touring, a Golf and bypass Ford, Vauxhall and Dacia. My friend has a Mazda 6 and the suspension is awful. It’s a cheap car for s reason and you will notice the difference between that and a BMW.

Also look at the Land Rover Discovery Sport. They will be around when others have called “enough”. Don’t buy French or Italian. Japanese are rather boring and Korean are functional but no fun.

A lot of reports are about unreliability are never accurate. They don’t adjust for high numbers sold. The reliable cars seem to be low sellers. Volvo are now Ford and not what they were.

Depends where you live - if you live in a city - no car

The best, most reliable car I had was a Seat Alhambra. Loads of room in the back, easy to drive, easy to park, seat removals/changing for teens, low cost maintenance and service, easy on fuel. I bought it in 2001 when it was 3yrs old with 36k on the clock and, very reluctantly, had to replace it in 2017 with well over 100k on it. A really comfortable car but a fantastic workhorse. Moved everything from people, to wardrobes with ease.

Another vote for a skoda superb. Ours is like a tardis inside!

I've got a Honda Civic estate, it's been absolutely brilliant so far. The boot is enormous. Or the CRV is higher and a bit roomier in the back with the same engine.