Family car ideas?

Crizzy said:
I like the Mazda 6, I haven't really considered it an option which is odd as I love the 6 MPS. Maybe looking at a Mazda 6 that offers more reasonable running costs might worth a gander though. Cheers.

Yeah the Mondeo is a great shout to be fair, maybe a V6 petrol might be on wrong side of the economy line but I'm not sure how much a difference it would make overall.

This I like also:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...postcode/bs148ln/radius/1500/page/1?logcode=p
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Just don't go near the diesel ones, I've heard of some terrible inherent problems with them.
 
What kind of problems and from what source is your info coming from?

If you say anything about DPF then just leave :p
 
The biggest issue I know of with the early mazda 6 is its tendency to have serious corrosion issues. Not sure if it's limited to the very early cars or if it's a problem throughout the shape
 
I hear that there are few problems with the 2.0 diesel but the 1.9 lump is fairly sound... If a little agricultural.

Actually ignore me, I was referring to the Superb not the Mazada
 
I just got a BMW E46 estate, its pretty good.

£4k would get a decent E46 or E39 estate.

- No timing belts to change
- Decent auto boxes
- Economical range of engines
- Decent to drive
- Good build quality
- 2nd hand parts market is huge if that's your thing (you mention running costs)
 
Any of the engines, they are all good. :)

The significance question is a subjective one. Everyone values money at different levels. There is nothing on the old BMW's which could contribute towards a running cost bill which could ever be described as "high", in my opinion.
 
I was trying to quantify it by comparing it to the Superb :p I have been taking a closer look at Passat estates as well though.
 
If you JUST want comfort you could try an old Lexus. They are like driving a sofa and they are basically posh Toyotas, so they rarely go wrong. Don't expect any thing pretty though :P
 
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If you were seriously looking at a diesel Passat or superb I don't think a 6 cylinder e46 is for you tbh. It won't be likely to break in any major way and they're dead simple to work on if you're relatively hands on but you'd likely be at it in some way every couple of months

For me they're a car you buy because you want one and don't mind fixing the silly odds and sodd that do go. They are definitely economical for the engine size but not in town driving. I've been off work for a week and averaged 17mpg because all I've done I'd pootle around town. Non issue for me.......if it was just a runabout I could see that and nigglimg faults becoming grating pretty quickly.
 
rodenal said:
If you were seriously looking at a diesel Passat or superb I don't think a 6 cylinder e46 is for you tbh. It won't be likely to break in any major way and they're dead simple to work on if you're relatively hands on but you'd likely be at it in some way every couple of months

For me they're a car you buy because you want one and don't mind fixing the silly odds and sodd that do go. They are definitely economical for the engine size but not in town driving. I've been off work for a week and averaged 17mpg because all I've done I'd pootle around town. Non issue for me.......if it was just a runabout I could see that and nigglimg faults becoming grating pretty quickly.
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It most definitely IS for me, but just not at this moment in time :p
 
Richie said:
What kind of problems and from what source is your info coming from?

If you say anything about DPF then just leave :p
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Why, the DPF is a serious problem for the 6? Just like the crappy swirl flaps of BMW diesels.

Unless doing serious mileage I don't think diesels are worth it and can be a false economy. They are generally not as reliable as petrols, even Honda diesels have their fair share of problems especially compared to their petrol cars.

You'll always get good ones and you'll always get people saying I've never had a problem with my diesel. Obviously. But the odds are worth considering and the ability to see past good marketing, such as many German cars especially BMW. They are not the car they used to be and until badge chasers take a stand (bit of an oxymoron that) then their reliability will continue to fall.

Although it's probably worth noting that cars are becoming so advanced and complicated these days, especially diesel cars in their quest to be even more efficient and produce even lower emissions, and what with the temptation to use cheap labour for parts production and assembly then it's no surprise that reliability is suffering even with the best makes.
 
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