Ideal Car

Kingdom34

Kingdom34

Kingdom34

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6 Apr 2016
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486
So carrying on my search for the ideal family car - focus and budget has changed

Focus is rather than catering for us and 1 kid, im looking to the future in 2/3 years when we have another one. I would also like a diesel as we would use this (well the fiancee would) in the week for short journeys and then use it fully for weekend trips...so Diesel or a very economical petrol would be preferable (for example 1.6 Diesel Qashqai i know has a heat technology module to help with short trips)
Budget is also up to £10k.
No Estate/Saloon - Partner doesnt like them.
No French cars either ;-/

Main priroity is:
mpg ave above 40mpg
good deep boot space
reliability
rear room for 2 kids or 1 adult/1kid or even 2 kids/1 adult (wishful thinking)
decent head room/cabin room (im 6'2)
not too expensive to run
Realistically no older than a 2010
Sat Nav isnt a must as i can use my iphone
Rear View Cam and parking sensors a must really
Cloth seats preferably rather than Leather due to kids.

Contenders so far:

Qashqai - 1.6 Diesel, around 2011-2013, Acenta model with Rear cam/sat nav or N-tec version - just the 18inch alloys perhaps will make the ride harsher.
Rear view wasnt great.

Merc B180 - Very impressed with this, cabin room/boot space, good rear view. 2013 example. Rare to find in this price bracket. Upkeep im guessing is expensive (calling on owners opinions here).

Kia Sportage - Friend has one, i rate them and 7 year warranty, would be looking at 2011/2012 - Model 2 i hope.

Yet to look into/Consider (so opinions welcome):

BMW X1 - 2010 Xdrive so 4 wheel as dont fancy the rear wheel
VW Tiguan - 2010 (perhaps pushing it here plus missus doesnt like them, i do, coming from a Golf owner background)
Mitsi ASX - 2011 - Model 3/4 at a push - look good, 1.8 diesel 4 wheel drive
Toyota Verso - 2012 - came across them at a garage at the weekend, 7 seats but wouldnt use the back 2, would use to extend the boot more.
Jeep Compass - 2010 - dont know much about them
Hyundai IX35 - although missus doesnt like them i know theyre a Kia basically
SEAT Altera - 2012/2013 - dont know much about them, but head room looks good and boot ok

Written off:
Ford Kuga - Rear space poor imo, boot wasnt great, too chunky.
Skoda Yeti - Not a fan of the look unfortunately and neither was my partner
A3 - Boot great, Headroom especially drivers seat was woeful
Leon - Boot space ok, head room better than Audi.
Honda CRV - 2008 model will only meet our price bracket and then were looking at almost a 10yr old car
C-Max - Just didnt like the look of them, boot seemed smallish

All opinons welcome, if you own one of the above your experience would be great and which engine you would go for.
 
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500L
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201611119675363

Rented one last year and wasn't bad at all - it just does the job (no frills), it was the only car available at the time hence the brief period of ownership (a month). If you can get past the look its definitely a contender given what you've listed. Unsure on what a fully specced one would be equipped with so the camera may be a struggle.
 
nas said:
500L
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201611119675363

Rented one last year and wasn't bad at all - it just does the job (no frills), it was the only car available at the time hence the brief period of ownership (a month). If you can get past the look its definitely a contender given what you've listed. Unsure on what a fully specced one would be equipped with so the camera may be a struggle.
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Hmm to be honest im not a fan of FIAT.
Also not a fan of French cars either like Peugeot, Citroen etc (i know a FIAT isnt french btw) :-)
Thanks though
 
You mention you want a deep boot? why are you considering a Tiguan? the boot space is awful. Looking / looked at your list of cars they all seem to be Golf, focus sized cars that have stretched up to increase space, but boot space is very poor on all of these. I would also avoid the Qashqai, was in the top ten least reliable cars recently. Don't know enough about the B class, but the Sportage is a very good car.
What about a Passat? I had one, until someone wrote it off for me. We have 2 kids and we help out my disabled mother in law a lot. The boot was massive, will take the wheel chair, buggy, shopping and still have space left over. Decent space inside as well, with two children seats one of them is rather large, my wife can fit in between them with no issues. Now i have a IS200 what is a good car but is lacking in space all round, only brought it as had a tight budget and needed a car quick. But thats another story.
 
inflames said:
You mention you want a deep boot? why are you considering a Tiguan? the boot space is awful. Looking / looked at your list of cars they all seem to be Golf, focus sized cars that have stretched up to increase space, but boot space is very poor on all of these. I would also avoid the Qashqai, was in the top ten least reliable cars recently. Don't know enough about the B class, but the Sportage is a very good car.
What about a Passat? I had one, until someone wrote it off for me. We have 2 kids and we help out my disabled mother in law a lot. The boot was massive, will take the wheel chair, buggy, shopping and still have space left over. Decent space inside as well, with two children seats one of them is rather large, my wife can fit in between them with no issues. Now i have a IS200 what is a good car but is lacking in space all round, only brought it as had a tight budget and needed a car quick. But thats another story.
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I havent looked at the Tiguan in depth yet but i did visit CarGiant and i could see this wasnt too big like you say.
The list is based on what i can see in my price range and ticks most boxes.
Qashqai i will take a look at the list you mention.
B Class yes im struggling to see much info on them, not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Sportage would be my preferance tbh.

Ive just edited my OP...unfortunately the missus that will drive the car hates Estates or Saloons. Narrows my search down, but writes off a lot of decent cars IMO.
 
Kingdom34 said:
I havent looked at the Tiguan in depth yet but i did visit CarGiant and i could see this wasnt too big like you say.
The list is based on what i can see in my price range and ticks most boxes.
Qashqai i will take a look at the list you mention.
B Class yes im struggling to see much info on them, not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Sportage would be my preferance tbh.

Ive just edited my OP...unfortunately the missus that will drive the car hates Estates or Saloons. Narrows my search down, but writes off a lot of decent cars IMO.
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That is fair enough and explains why you not looking at Saloons or estate as that they would be the first cars i would have been considering with your list of requirements.
My wife won't drive anything bigger than a Focus so i know your pain when it come to looking. What kind of driving will you both be doing in this car by the way, city, motor way, or mixed? What kind of milage?
 
inflames said:
That is fair enough and explains why you not looking at Saloons or estate as that they would be the first cars i would have been considering with your list of requirements.
My wife won't drive anything bigger than a Focus so i know your pain when it come to looking. What kind of driving will you both be doing in this car by the way, city, motor way, or mixed? What kind of milage?
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Agree, it is painful...its a case of walking round these car supermarkets, mentioning and pointing at a car....then receiving the yes or no comment. Im trying to come from the angle that she needs to look past just the looks and at pracitibility and what the car can do for us as a family...hasnt worked so far.

In the week when she does drive it, it will be small 5-10 mile journeys with perhaps a few 20-40 mile round trips to my parents.
Weekends we will use it solely for longer trips out for the day 50-100 mile round trips and then probably 3-4 longer holidays something like 200-500 mile trips.
Hence why i commented on the 1.6 Diesel from the Qashqai. Or a Kia EcoDynamics Petrol maybe a good solution...its just pushing the already stretched budget.
But we probably wont be purchasing until March/April next year...due to saving for this car.
 
Kingdom34 said:
Agree, it is painful...its a case of walking round these car supermarkets, mentioning and pointing at a car....then receiving the yes or no comment. Im trying to come from the angle that she needs to look past just the looks and at pracitibility and what the car can do for us as a family...hasnt worked so far.

In the week when she does drive it, it will be small 5-10 mile journeys with perhaps a few 20-40 mile round trips to my parents.
Weekends we will use it solely for longer trips out for the day 50-100 mile round trips and then probably 3-4 longer holidays something like 200-500 mile trips.
Hence why i commented on the 1.6 Diesel from the Qashqai. Or a Kia EcoDynamics Petrol maybe a good solution...its just pushing the already stretched budget.
But we probably wont be purchasing until March/April next year...due to saving for this car.
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I remember taking my wife to look at cars a few years ago for her, she disregarded 1 solely because it did not have a cupholder! Another for the colour. It feels like banging your head against a brick wall sometimes. I got ****ed off trying to find a decent car, i ended up just going out and buying a Focus for her, she loves it so it was a win for me in the end.
Well considering your budget and that you get a 7 year warranty with them the Sportage would be a good call if you ask me. A friend of mine had a older one and it never went wrong. Would you be looking at the 4WD or 2WD version?
 
Wife has had two Mitsi ASX's and they are a solid little car. Interior is pretty kid proof / easy to clean and they are generally pretty well equipped. Only the top end model is leather, most you will see will be cloth trim. Unless you are a complete numpty, parking sensors on the back are fine - no need for rear camera. Head room is fine, I'm 6 foot and there was loads of room above me to the roof. She's on a Mazda CX-5 now, but that's likely out of your budget.

I get why your missus is rejecting saloons and estates: mine is the same. She likes the higher driving position and sitting upright rather than laid back. It was a god-send when my girls were younger as its so much easier strapping small ones into car seat when you're not bent over at 90 degrees.
 
peterwalkley said:
Wife has had two Mitsi ASX's and they are a solid little car. Interior is pretty kid proof / easy to clean and they are generally pretty well equipped. Only the top end model is leather, most you will see will be cloth trim. Unless you are a complete numpty, parking sensors on the back are fine - no need for rear camera. Head room is fine, I'm 6 foot and there was loads of room above me to the roof. She's on a Mazda CX-5 now, but that's likely out of your budget.

I get why your missus is rejecting saloons and estates: mine is the same. She likes the higher driving position and sitting upright rather than laid back. It was a god-send when my girls were younger as its so much easier strapping small ones into car seat when you're not bent over at 90 degrees.
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I think the ASX will be interesting to see, originally the missus said no as she didnt like the look (front)...which tbh i think looks great.
Out of interest what trim did you have?, i think 3 would be best.
Like you say a camera isnt a must, sensors would do, after all they tell you how close and too many gadgets could go wrong or get in the way of concentrating. Im interested to see if the boot is any bigger than a Qash or Sportage.
Any reason you moved away from them?

Yes exactly that i think, an Estate has the room (boot space) but no elevated driving position and no ease of access for the kids.
 
Kingdom34 said:
I think the ASX will be interesting to see, originally the missus said no as she didnt like the look (front)...which tbh i think looks great.
Out of interest what trim did you have?, i think 3 would be best.
Like you say a camera isnt a must, sensors would do, after all they tell you how close and too many gadgets could go wrong or get in the way of concentrating. Im interested to see if the boot is any bigger than a Qash or Sportage.
Any reason you moved away from them?

Yes exactly that i think, an Estate has the room (boot space) but no elevated driving position and no ease of access for the kids.
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I can't remember the trim level as its over a year since she moved to the CX-5. It was above basic, but not top spec - helpful of me I know :(

There wasn't a specific reason for moving off the ASX. She changes cars every 3 years pretty much regardless. I think the CX-5 won out over another ASX with a combination of nicer looks, sportier performance and overall a bit bigger. She had been ogling next doors' CX-3 for a while, but that was too small for 4 of us when we use her car instead of mine.

I can't give you a fair comparison against the other cars. The kumquat was out of price range and the Kias had awful availability, so we didn't even go looking at them.

I'm happy. She hardly ever wants to steal the Jaaaag now :D
 
if your buying a practical car, the looks shouldnt really be a factor. it doesnt matter if it looks ugly when buying such a boring type of car. the inside is where you will see :P
 
Everything seems to be "Missus doesn't like them".

Perhaps the choice of car isn't the problem...
 
Dis86 said:
Everything seems to be "Missus doesn't like them".

Perhaps the choice of car isn't the problem...
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Not really mate, if the missus is driving it 80% of the time, then i wouldnt want to force her into buying something she doesnt want...would you force your missus? If you would...i think she needs a new partner!
 
Kingdom34 said:
Not really mate, if the missus is driving it 80% of the time, then i wouldnt want to force her into buying something she doesnt want...would you force your missus? If you would...i think she needs a new partner!
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Surely though, after she has discounted so many cars, there has to be a point at which she has to compromise.

Seems she is dead set on the Qashqai-style "look", at the expensive of some much better cars.

Set your list of priorities and then work on them e.g.

Kingdom34 said:
good deep boot space
rear room for 2 kids or 1 adult/1kid or even 2 kids/1 adult (wishful thinking)
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Focus on this first - as this is what you "need"

Kingdom34 said:
reliability
not too expensive to run
Realistically no older than a 2010
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Again if your budget dictates you need a cheap to run car, then this is a "need". Avoiding "premium" marques, all should be achievable.

Kingdom34 said:
mpg ave above 40mpg
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Unless you are doing mega miles, then dropping this to 35mpg isn't going to make much difference, and potentially opens up more options

Kingdom34 said:
decent head room/cabin room (im 6'2)
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But you aren't driving it for 80% of the time - so you may have to compromise slightly

Kingdom34 said:
Rear View Cam and parking sensors a must really
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A Camera isn't a "need", it's a "want". Parking Sensors can be fitted cheaply to any vehicle.

Kingdom34 said:
Cloth seats preferably rather than Leather due to kids.
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Less of an issue than you imagine - leather wipes clean more easily than cloth, and as long as regularly moisturised is far more resilient to rips than you would imagine (I had 3 kids in my A3 with leather for 3 years - no issues). If you are that worried, then buy seat covers for the rear seats.

Kingdom34 said:
Sat Nav isnt a must as i can use my iphone
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A "want" rather than "need", so can be ignored, as you already have a solution (or buy a tomtom etc)


The main issue that needs addressing is the "look"/body style. By discounting saloons and estates (and seemingly favouring "soft-roader 4x4s"), then you are excluding lots of viable cars. Similarly by looking at the 4x4 style you are increasing running costs, as that body style inherently is heavier / less aerodynamic and will increase fuel costs.
 
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