15k family (a bit of poke) car

Honestly just go and view then buy a Superb estate with the 2 litre tsi if this is a car that you want to be able to fit everything you own in then head over to Europe etc. if you ever are mad enough to go camping you'll be thankful for the space too.

A G31 would be lovely but your engine choices are relatively grim at the budget coming from what will be a quick car now, plus you're getting a bit of a less useful boot (may not matter as they're both big but the difference certainly would for my family car duties)
 
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[TW]Fox said:
I don't think the 440i is a particularly good choice at this budget, that said you could say the same about most of these options. These are all older almost 100k mile cars, do you really want the maintenance costs associated with that on what seems to be an attempt to buy a reliable and efficient to run family car?
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The way I view it, unless I go for a bog standard octavia/golf estate - all the cars I am looking at will throw up big bills anyway.

Reliability is always a toss of the coin in my experience. I just put a safety fund away each month.

Is the 520i/d really that bad compared to the 530d?

Skoda superb is winning but I'll have a look at the others suggested.
 
mOdO said:
Is the 520i/d really that bad compared to the 530d?
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The 520i is ~180hp, the 520d 190hp, and the 5 series is a bigger, heavier body than your Golf - hardly what you want if your main requirement is a "bit of poke".

The 530d is a 6 cylinder diesel, rather than a 4 cylinder - for the kind of smooth and effortless power you'd expect in a car of this size - it has 50% more torque than the 520d.
 
Armageus said:
The 520i is ~180hp, the 520d 190hp, and the 5 series is a bigger, heavier body than your Golf - hardly what you want if your main requirement is a "bit of poke".

The 530d is a 6 cylinder diesel, rather than a 4 cylinder - for the kind of smooth and effortless power you'd expect in a car of this size - it has 50% more torque than the 520d.
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Fair enough spec wise - but I've also heard it's 'just enough' power but also gets me into a newer generation.

I would definitely need to test drive for myself.
 
Had a similar budget and requirements for a family car (albeit wasn't too fussed about the poke too much) and ended up getting 2018 Seat Leon Estate 1.8 tsi manual for 11k. Have a short commute also so diesel wasn't appropriate and didn't fancy electric at this budget, not German premium/costs. Not many about but has 180 bhp, quite responsive and nippy, rides okay and plenty of space. Heated seats, android auto/apple carplay. The 1.8 to me felt nicer than the VAG 1.5 tsi.
 
mOdO said:
Is the 520i/d really that bad compared to the 530d?
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It makes it very different to drive - it's smoother, more refined and just has that far more effortless feeling that you want in a car like this. I don't think small 4 cylinder engines, either diesel or petrol, have ever really suited cars the size of an E Class or a 5 Series.

Your budget would get you a very good version of the previous 530d, which might be a better choice than an early 520d from the generation after. They are older cars now but still nicer than that 440i you mentioned.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
It makes it very different to drive - it's smoother, more refined and just has that far more effortless feeling that you want in a car like this. I don't think small 4 cylinder engines, either diesel or petrol, have ever really suited cars the size of an E Class or a 5 Series.

Your budget would get you a very good version of the previous 530d, which might be a better choice than an early 520d from the generation after. They are older cars now but still nicer than that 440i you mentioned.
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An f11 530d is an option if that gets me a nicer spec.

I got a feeling you hate the 4series!
 
shadow_boxer said:
Had a similar budget and requirements for a family car (albeit wasn't too fussed about the poke too much) and ended up getting 2018 Seat Leon Estate 1.8 tsi manual for 11k. Have a short commute also so diesel wasn't appropriate and didn't fancy electric at this budget, not German premium/costs. Not many about but has 180 bhp, quite responsive and nippy, rides okay and plenty of space. Heated seats, android auto/apple carplay. The 1.8 to me felt nicer than the VAG 1.5 tsi.
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This is good to know thank you.

Price is decent too.
 
mOdO said:
An f11 530d is an option if that gets me a nicer spec.

I got a feeling you hate the 4series!
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I've never liked that version of the 3 Series (and the 4 Series is just a hatchback version of it) - the interior design is far too close to that of the 1 Series and as a result it just doesn't feel as nice inside as the competition - specifically the C Class and the Audi A4/A5. By contrast, the 2010-2017 5 Series was excellent inside and really I saw little reason to pick the 4 Series over one of those (So I had 2 of them over almost a decade!). It's personal preference - it's still a very good car (The engines, gearboxes and electronics are, of course, shared with those of the 5 Series) - so if you don't sit in one and think 'this isn't that great' then you'll likely find it a great car to own.

The 4 Series is however very practical - the boot is spacious and the hatchback is really useful, so its a good choice for people who want more practicality than a 5 Series saloon can offer but don't want an estate. The engine in the 440i is so good that it also offers a reason to consider one but I really don't think its a credible option at this sort of budget which is why you've only seen 1.
 
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What is the £15k 440i you've found? I know they've come down in price but that still seems pretty cheap for one and it wouldn't surprise me if there's a few red flags surrounding it.
 
Shame you can't get into something like a T8 V60 or V90. Or a T6 would do the job without the risk of the battery going pop.

Edit: how about this?

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Martynt74 said:
Disappointed at the lack of silly suggestions, so i'll take on the role

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I'm a sucker for this sort of thing! Fantastic cars at bargain prices... just don't look into the maintenance costs! How about this choice if we're ignoring maintenance costs...

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Spleen Sauce said:
Shame you can't get into something like a T8 V60 or V90. Or a T6 would do the job without the risk of the battery going pop.

Edit: how about this?

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That one looks lovely and definitely got some poke. Nice find!
 
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Spleen Sauce said:
Shame you can't get into something like a T8 V60 or V90. Or a T6 would do the job without the risk of the battery going pop.

Edit: how about this?

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That is better value for money than the golf r!
 
Ducky Spud said:
I'm a sucker for this sort of thing! Fantastic cars at bargain prices... just don't look into the maintenance costs! How about this choice if we're ignoring maintenance costs...

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www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk





That one looks lovely and definitely got some poke. Nice find!
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Nice thing is that you might be able to get it onto the ‘all-in’ plan as it’s approved used, once the year warranty is up. If so, that’s worry-free motoring for pretty cheap.
 
Spleen Sauce said:
Nice thing is that you might be able to get it onto the ‘all-in’ plan as it’s approved used, once the year warranty is up. If so, that’s worry-free motoring for pretty cheap.
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It's already too old to be eligible for All In
 
A Superb with the same engine is a winner.

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mjt said:
A Superb with the same engine is a winner.

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Both above budget
 
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