Golf or Q3?

[springmachine]

My beloved car (an old golf) is starting to go wrong too often.
High mileage and the things that are going wrong are big bill items.

I have a toddler and if things go to plan hope to have a second child in the next 2-3 years.

Do I replace golf with newer golf?
Then I know what I am getting, I know I like them, they seem to cope well no matter what I need to put in the boot.

Or do I change for something slightly larger?
The Q3 I have picked as of the budget I am looking to spend they are comparable price wise to the golf.
(Not a fan of Tiguan, Ateca etc)

We plan on doing some long journeys next year so need something reliable and something that will be comfortable for long motorway trips.
Minimum it will be a trip to the south of France and to the north of England, but it might also go to Italy.

I love the idea of something with a bit of ride height but il be gaining that with the Q3, but giving up on the more nimble responsiveness that I would get with the golf.

Any guidance?

Neither - go for a Skoda Octavia. Fab cars.

I can't buy a VW after Dieselgate. I know Skoda are probably part of the same group but afaik they weren't willfully killing people with diesel emissions.

Golfs these days aren't really worth the money IMO. There are cheaper, more reliable, more interesting cars about.

I can't buy a VW after Dieselgate. I know Skoda are probably part of the same group but afaik they weren't willfully killing people with diesel emissions.

But Skoda ARE VW and just as complicit in the emissions cheating. Most VAG cars are junk anyway so I wouldn’t bother with either OP.

I can't really think of anything else that I liked.
I've had BMW's and MINI's before, all much nicer to drive than VAG but not as practical.

I love the new volvos but even the small XC40 is out of price range and all the others are too large (I've got limited space on my driveway)

I test drove a Merc A class and found the visibility the worst of all the cars I've tested so ruled that out.

I had an Alfa Romeo and despite being nearly new it was full of gremlins and had a terrible driving position.

The small Jeep renegades are of the same build quality and the engines are terrible.

I've had a Juke, I've tried a quashquai, neither have been inspiring.

There's not a lot it leaves

Neither. DH has a golf and it's one of the most boring cars I've ever driven. The Q3 has a horrible interior. My mother however has just bought a BMW X1 and I bloody love it. Would that be in your price range?

The X1 would be but probable the previous shape.

I far prefer the interior and drive of them, the exterior of the x1 (older shape) isn't as appealing, but it's something I will look at again- thanks

Hi I'd stick with the Golf I had a q5 after an a3 and frankly it was a money pit I've now had to get rid as over 5 years its cost me upwards of 6k in repairs I'm on mat leave now and the water tank has just gone, problem with the cam belt and something else so repair in the region of 1k+ . I should add I have maintained it regularly services and mot at Audi and despite this the thing has let me down constantly- I have also gone right off Audi their customer service has been appalling. Have you looked at Lexus? They have fantastic reliability and are quite roomy - HP wise you could be looking at around 300 a month not sure what your budget is? I'm not an agent for them my husband has just been taking me on test drives with him as he is getting one as a company car

Nissan Qashqai or X-Trail?

My brother in law has a Q3 and says it's the best car he's ever had (he's 62). Have you thought about the new shape (2017 I think) Peugeot 3008? I test drove one, it was 6 months old and really lovely to drive. It's about the same size as the Q3, X1, Qashqai etc. I think the Golf looks a little dated now.

In terms of mechanicals, VW and Audi share the same platforms and parts, so they're virtually identical underneath. That means there should be no difference in reliability between a Tiguan/Q3.

I definitely wouldn't consider a base Golf 'nimble' or 'responsive', so you're not losing much on that front. If you want more space go with the Q3 - fuel economy won't be quite as good, though.

Disagree that VW Group cars are junk - we've had a few and they've all been great.

If you want more space then the golf estate is the best option we could find for load carrying, handling and ride ok, reasonable fuel consumption but not a tank - it's easy to drive and park. But ours has had one or two annoying though not serious problems.

It wouldn't be a base golf I'd be comparing. I currently have a gti and I'd like to replace with a newer version.
For the amount of driving I do i want something that has a decent 0-60 with a lot of gadgets too

I borrowed a brand new Golf Gti for a few weeks last year and I was in love! I'm probably biased as I have an old, much less fancy VW but honestly that Golf was fantastic.

I probably couldn't deal with an A3 just due to not wanting to be an Audi wanker (even if that sounds stupid).

Prob not helpful. Had a mini (love love loved), had a baby so mini had to go eventually. Had a golf. Blooming hated it. Really unreliable too. Have a Volvo v40 type r now & it is just brilliant. Much better than my Mini Cooper which I thought was the dog's b's at the time!

If you are a law society member (or married to one?) you could get a good discount off a brand new one. Just a chance that might help you?! Possibly of no help whatsoever

DHs car is a Volvo v40, it's not had any mechanical problems and has awesome fuel efficiency. But because of its very safe construction it's no tardis, it's significantly smaller on the inside than the outside and has limited load carrying capability.

There are some great lease deals on the new Golf 1.5 TSI EVO at the moment. 0-60mph in around 8 seconds, 57mpg combined.

leasing.com/personal/car-leasing/volkswagen/golf/

Best 2-year deal I've seen is £222/mo., with 3 months up front. Pretty good value for a brand new car!

Hi
We have a Q3. its a 2.0 diesel, Quattro.
Absolutely love it. Very quick off the mark, and 60mpg on a run. about 48 mpg average.
Liked it so much we bought a Q5 also, which is nice but not as nippy as the Q3.

DD1 has the Troc and is loving it - it’s essentially the same shape as a Q3 but a bit more modern inside. DD has things like he beats sound pack and heated seats etc plus it’s got the Apple car play as well

I have a Volvo XC60 R Design. We often do 8.5 hour journeys, where the chance of hitting deer, elk or Moose is pretty high (as the name suggests, I live in Canada). It’s the most comfortable car we’ve ever owned and the safety speaks for itself.