Which family car should we buy?

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

Originally posted in Chat before realising there was a Cars section! (Sorry)

So...

2 adults, 2 school age children.
No dogs / bikes / prams etc. We're not campers and/or don't have excessive sports equipment etc (!!!) - the most we'd have in the boot is our weekly shop or a few suitcases when going away!

We never buy new - usually one about 3 years old and usually (though I imagine this may increase!?!) spend about £10k.

Short list so far is:
VW Golf
Seat Leon
Vauxhall Astra
Renault Megane
Peugeot 308

So, which would you recommend out of those? Or any others we haven't thought of?

Thank you!

I've done 100,000 miles in Peugeot 3008.
Not beautiful but economical to run and no mechanical problems as yet.
New tyres/ brake pads as needed
It's not particularly comfortable according to the young for long journeys
Plenty of headroom( 4 tall people and me in family)and leg room
Large useful boot space.
It's hard to criticise.
I previously had a Peugeot 504 with the little seats in the boot. Again it went on trouble free for years and years of holidays and school run. Every bit of plastic fell off but the basics were sound.
I don't think Peugeots are for people who love driving or the appearance of cars but my experience has been that they are long lasting and economical to run. I realise it's a sample of 2 cars only but I have also had 2 BMWs a Volvo and a Ford escort , none of which have provided the same economy or reliability.

I’d go for the Golf or the Leon out of that list. I loved our Golf, but I was having trouble getting in and out of it. You wouldn’t get 4 cases in the boot though.

I disagree about anything Japanese being superior. We’ve got a Nissan Juke, it’s got absolutely every gadget known to man on it, but the car is shit. I can’t wait to get rid of it.

Skoda yeti

Love mine

The Citroën C4 or C4 Cactus might be worth considering. We have the C4 Cactus and are very happy with it.

I'd go German, build quality so much better. All Japanese cars tend to be a bit plasticky inside and Ford/Vauxhall will feel like driving a roller skate after driving a German car.

"I'd go German, build quality so much better. All Japanese cars tend to be a bit plasticky inside and Ford/Vauxhall will feel like driving a roller skate after driving a German car."

What an utter load of fucking bollocks. Clearly you've never sat inside a Lexus NX or RX, or Honda HR-V or CR-V?

In any case, what good is German "build" quality when they are infintely unreliable and shit. Thats why Japanese motors like Toyota, Subaru, Honda and Lexus always top the reliability charts.

German marques will never oust them from the top of the tree, underscoring just why they are shit.

Golf build quality is much better than the French and American marques

VW build quality is nothing better than average at best.

"We’ve got a Nissan Juke, it’s got absolutely every gadget known to man on it, but the car is shit. I can’t wait to get rid of it."

Thats because its not really Japanese. Its totally French designed/built by the Friday Afternoon Crew at Renault.

Ford Focus
I absolutely love mine also had the focus cmax when the kids were smaller and had buggies, car seats etc love fords

Fords also great as all garages have the parts . I think the focus is the most popular mid size car on the market - popular for a reason

Fords also great as all garages have the parts

That’s not how it works. Garages order parts as required.

I’m selling my car as it’s a three door and am on the look out for cars. I’m thinking a Qashqai, Insignia or an Eco Sport. I was debating whether I needed a car as I’m moving to a City with fantastic transportation links but would prefer to come back home in my car rather than the train.

I’m thinking a Qashqai, Insignia or an Eco Sport.

I like the QQ but there have definitely been some reliability issues with them. Japanese built Nissans certainly seem to be more reliable than British ones when looking at model specific reliability scores. I wouldn’t buy any car built in Britain though.

Ford/Vauxhall will feel like driving a roller skate after driving a German car.

So all the professional motoring writers saying that the Mondeo has been setting the standard for handling in it's class for the last 10 or 15 years and even the latest Passat hasn't quite caught up are wrong?

I think my Ford C-Max handles really well, but I haven't driven a VW to compare.

The last Vauxhall I drove was a bit of a barge, but that was some years ago.

So all the professional motoring writers saying that the Mondeo has been setting the standard for handling in it's class for the last 10 or 15 years

But that class probably doesn’t include the likes of the 3 Series. BMW still set the standard in terms of driving, even a shitty 320d will be better than a Mondeo.

So I was considering a c max and ended up with a golf sv. Could not be happier. It's a golf but bigger. Love the drive and it suits us perfectly as a family car. £10k got us a 65 plate 1 previous owner 23000 miles.

Love love love my Renault Megane! Massive boot, spacious inside, lovely to drive and easy to park!

Have you looked at the Seat Altea? I had the Altea XL and loved it.

Thanks all!

I think we've decided to stick with a hatchback as opposed to a crossover/ SUV (or bigger).

The two front runners at the mo are the Seat Leon and the Hyundai i30. No experience of either make / model - has never really had Hyundai on my radar until someone mentioned it, it looks good though!

Decisions decisions...!!

But that class probably doesn’t include the likes of the 3 Series. BMW still set the standard in terms of driving

The comment I responded to suggested that all German cars handled much better than Fords/Vauxhalls. Regardless of whether BMWs are superior, the original point is still questionable at best.

Loved cmax it cost a fortune to repair when the electrics went.

never really had Hyundai on my radar until someone mentioned it, it looks good though!

Googling Hyundai i20 clutch should find plenty to put you off.

Go to the Honest John website. It will find your perfect match for you!

You can’t beat a Golf, though.

We have a Hyundai i40 blue cdti. Absolutely love it!
Awesome to drive really spacious and their spec is really high.

Skoda Octavia. Dull, well built, stone reliable. There's been four of them (estates and hatches, petrol and diesel, manual and auto) in my wider family, on which we've put a total of approaching 500k miles, and they have been utterly dependable. They're vast inside, comfortable, cheap and easy to maintain and generally everything a Golf ought to be but isn't. I've had a Golf (dull, expensive) and a Passat (badly built), but I'd unhesitatingly have another Octavia.