ok, i have £12k to spend. what car shall i get?

[amidaiwish]

I really have no idea.
Me, dh, 2 DDs (3.10 and 2.3), no plans for another in the near future.

at the moment we have a passat estate and a golf, would trade one in for just one family car which would be used day to day by me.

Do we really need an estate car now we are out of the buggy/travel cot thing? I don't really fancy trying to park an estate all the time and not convinced we need such a big car anymore.

HELP!!!

sorry, should read "will trade both in"

If I were you I would buy a pre-reg car instead of a brand new one. You usually still get the balance of the manuf warranty and you can save a bit money this way.

You also want to be aware of CO2 emissions etc as this can have a bearing on tax. And it is a good idea to check the insurance group before you buy...

thanks, don't intend to buy new.

I am an estate car lover. Audi S6 and Saab 95 are my favourites. I have never found them to big to park as they all have great visibility.

If I were yu, I would stick to BMW, Audi or VW. They are better made cars and hold their prices better than most.

yes i must say i have loved my golf. however it is a bit too much of a squeeze for the 4 of us (2 doors too).

i do find the passat difficult, mostly because of the driving position. my dh has the seat at the highest setting and he is 6'3".

i've been advised that i should get 3 rows of seats as in a couple of years with children that age they'll be invaluable. not sure i want to become the local taxi service though.

others advised me to go for mazda, honda, toyota as you get much more for your money

am so confused!

we just sold our saab 93 which was quite spacious - but needed more space as we are getting a big dog - so back to a bigger car. saab was v v economical 40mpg - whereas new car is doing around 18mpg - im noticing the difference!!

i'm for audi as`well.

well i would like the Audi S3
but budget doesn't stretch...
also not sure it is much bigger than the golf.

Audi A4 estate seems expensive for what you get over say a Passat estate. Love the beefed up Audi estate, but it is about £60k i think!

you can get an older s3 -- does it have to be only a couple of yrs old?

look on the whatcar website.

cx

the S3 seems to be just two doors, and Audi isn't even registering as an option up to £12k.

i don't want it to be much more than 2 or 3 years old.

anyone else?

VW touran would be my choice.

I'd say don't get an Audi estate. You can get an A6 for about £12,000 (5 or 6 years old), but you'll spend a small fortune on servicing and maintaining it.

Ours is now about 5 years old, and we must have spent over £3000 on it in the past year (parts and labour are v. costly) - brake pads and discs, failed key fobs, failed electric windows, suspension problems, steering alignment problems, and new tyres.

The heated seats are nice on cold winter days though.....

We have this car, in silver.

Citroen c4, we have 3 boys and they fit just fine. big boot and really economical (diesel).

so many people have told me to get a touran. but i can't get over the fact it is a "mini van"

if it was just my car, fine, but as the main "family" car i wanted a bit more style IYKWIM

search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/AUDI/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-169-42 94966997/advert.action?R=200747299031314&distance=127&postcode=NG5+1NX&channel=CARS&make=AUDI&model= &minpr=&maxpr=12000&max_mileage=
Something like this maybe?

search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/AUDI/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-147-16 9-4294966997/advert.action?R=200752300945445&distance=69&postcode=NG5+1NX&channel=CARS&make=AUDI&mod el=&minpr=&maxpr=12000&max_mileage=

search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/BMW/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-147-169 -4294967202/advert.action?R=200802301482275&distance=139&postcode=NG5+1NX&channel=CARS&make=BMW&mode l=&minpr=&maxpr=12000&max_mileage=

search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/MERCEDES-BENZ/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146 ,N-147-169-4294967262/advert.action?R=200801108176380&distance=53&postcode=NG5+1NX&channel=CARS&make =MERCEDES-BENZ&model=&minpr=&maxpr=12000&max_mileage=

I had a Golf for quite a while, then got a Seat Toledo

here

It was lovely - spacious, economical, very similar inside to a Golf but with all the extra bits you don't get with a Golf unless you're prepared to pay loads extra for them (air con, CD player etc). Loads of space in the boot too, plus a handy hidden section so you can chuck all your wellies etc in.

Was most upset when I had to give it back when I changed jobs.

search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLVO/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-147-1 69-4294966791/advert.action?R=200801108218660&distance=34&postcode=NG5+1NX&channel=CARS&make=VOLVO&m odel=&minpr=&maxpr=12000&max_mileage=
These are good cars too

Loving our new Zafira. It doesn't look as much like a minibus as some MPVs and has the most amazing capacity. Don't know where you live but we found that the best car prices were in the Midlands - so much cheaper that we drove from NE Scotland to Derby to get our car saving several £,000 in the process.

thanks everyone and for all the links bogie.
interesting about the Midlands, we are SW London so could drive up the M1 no problem.

you are all really helping me refine what i want. I am am

i don't want a saloon, either a hatchback or estate.
i've been advised against volvos due to the driving position
the Toledo looks good
06 plate (or newer) ideally

any more suggestions??!

I would love a Ford Focus - we used to have one and dh swapped it for a Laguna Estate - haven't got a problem with the size of the Lag but it is unreliable and understeers like mad above 50mph.

Don't get a Laguna!

Focuses (Foci???) are great.

dh now has a Seat Leon as a company car which is a lovely car but not really big enough for a family if you are still using buggies as the boot is not as bit as a Focus. Great car to drive though and the diesel (which we have) is very economical.

as big. obv.

everyone who has a focus does seem to love them. i'll really have to go and take a look.