Alternative to Volvo V50? Max budget about £5,500.

Thanks for all the input on this - lots of comments there, which are really helpful.

Having read the Skoda reviews, I am slightly more interested in them now (I agree that they really seem to be the logical choice). However, my other half stands firm on them being the only cars she won't drive - illogical, yes, but I will have to live with that.

mjt said:
Volvo V50 is indeed rather small and all petrol Volvos from that generation are notoriously uneconomical!

Skoda or Mondeo really sounds like the most logical purchase here. Unless you'd like to die from boredom driving a Passat.

If you're a badge snob then get an Audi, but they'll be expensive for what you get.
You could look at a SEAT Exeo, but the boot is only 30-40 litres bigger than a V50.
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It is really interesting that you mention the fuel economy. Totally agree - I was expecting a 2009 1.8 manual to have much better mpg than it does. It is only slightly better than the 1995 C200 automatic petrol merc that I used to drive.

Talking of which - what are your thoughts on diesel vs petrol at the moment?

The last time I looked, the two fuels were exactly the same price. I know that the government are trying to get diesels off the road by increasing tax on them, but the extra mileage, you get from diesel, should even that out. However, if diesels prices start go well above petrol again, it might become more expensive to run a diesel, overall.

Furthermore, given I only do around 8,000 miles per year, is a diesel a bad idea for me, generally?
 
Whiffle said:
Unfortunately (and ashamedly) I just cannot do the Skoda thing - I know that they tick all the boxes, but I just cannot get past having the one car that was the butt of so many jokes at school (my Mrs has the same problem).
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Get a grip.
Whiffle said:
Since becoming a parent, my priorities have changed
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Perhaps your priorities should change a little more to get a car that fits the bill as a parent rather than pleasing your mates.

Or maybe get a better job so you can afford a suitable german badge?
 
Whiffle said:
Thanks for all the input on this - lots of comments there, which are really helpful.

Talking of which - what are your thoughts on diesel vs petrol at the moment?

The last time I looked, the two fuels were exactly the same price. I know that the government are trying to get diesels off the road by increasing tax on them, but the extra mileage, you get from diesel, should even that out. However, if diesels prices start go well above petrol again, it might become more expensive to run a diesel, overall.

Furthermore, given I only do around 8,000 miles per year, is a diesel a bad idea for me, generally?
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If you are only doing 8k i would stick with a petrol to be honest unless you can find a cheap diesel that doesn't have DPF. A Passat Estate would come to mind.
 
I wouldn't even consider a diesel any more unless I was doing at least 15k miles per year. We still aren't sure what the government is going to do about them yet either. There's talk of some town centers banning them all together, tax hikes, etc. Nothing good.
 
inflames said:
If you are only doing 8k i would stick with a petrol to be honest unless you can find a cheap diesel that doesn't have DPF. A Passat Estate would come to mind.
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Did anyone in the UK buy a petrol passat? They are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dull though.

Anyway, Mondeo
/thread
 
mjt said:
Did anyone in the UK buy a petrol passat? They are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dull though.

Anyway, Mondeo
/thread
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They certainly a dull car, but they do the job. I had diesel and can say it wasn't a fun car to own but made a good family car.
 
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