New car time in the autumn, need something dull

merlin

merlin

merlin

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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England
325D is going in the autumn - it's not 3yrs old till Feb 12 but I want shot of it early before the snow comes. Don't want another RWD car - I really really need to be able to get around irrespective of the weather to see clients and also I live on top of a hill.

Hopefully the above explanation will stop the whole 'lol you don't want RWD because of 3 weeks a year of snow'. I don't want another RWD car - end of.

FWD cars will be absolutely fine - I'm up for FWD or AWD, just not RWD.

Budget £25k max. Brand new or nearly new (less than 6 months old).

I'm not bothered about power - 140bhp - 160bhp is more than enough.

What I would like is: -

Combined mpg 40mpg or more
Petrol or diesel
Saloon/Hatch, 4dr/5dr
Manual transmission
Reasonable emmissions (for company car tax)
Decent level of equipment (climate control/ipod input/electric stuff)
Decent boot
Decent space in back for 2 x kids

So far I've had a quick online nose at: -

Mondeo Titanium
Focus Titanium
S60 Rspec
Passat Sport (as dull as it's predecessor?)
Tiguan 4M
Golf GT
A3 Sportback S Line FWD + Quattro
A4 Saloon S Line FWD only

They're all much of a muchness to me - I can't see anything really jumping out, then again I'm not exactly studying spec lists down to the letter.

Any other cars I'm missing or anything in this list that is head and shoulders above the rest?

Should I take any of the hybrids seriously?
 
the only cars on that list i have any experience with are e90 (your current car), a4 s-line and current shape mondeo tdci. The mondeo isn't even in the same ballpark, horrible car to drive (or at least with the auto gearbox anyway) and the engine is very unrefined compared to the BMW offerings.

The audi i have not driven, but seems nicer from the passenger side and a much nicer interior.

If you like the BMW other than the rwd'ness, and since you have tiguan etc on the list, it looks like <25k mile old <2 year old BMW AUC X3s fall into budget? Not driven so can't really comment. Q5s might be in budget by this point too, they're under 30k now.

Just random ideas though :)
 
merlin said:
325D is going in the autumn - it's not 3yrs old till Feb 12 but I want shot of it early before the snow comes.
Click to expand...

Wait, have I slipped into OverclockersFinland or something?

Just lol - you live in Birmingham!

Don't want another RWD car - I really really need to be able to get around irrespective of the weather to see clients and also I live on top of a hill.

Hopefully the above explanation will stop the whole 'lol you don't want RWD because of 3 weeks a year of snow'. I don't want another RWD car - end of.
Click to expand...

Not really, get some proper tyres sorted in time for the 3 months of snow (I'll be the one laughing at the back when it doesnt happen) and, quite literally, get a grip?

Your car, replaced in 2012 with perhaps the new F30 - will be better in snow on a set of ContiWinterContacts than any of the stuff in that list of yours on conventional tyres.
 
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Welcome to the old persons club. Auto Astra driver here, the 115bhp one......with heated seat......buttons. Something beige or cream, ideally brown fabric seats and wood, yes wood is good....you need wood......and an air freshener.
 
If looking at Audis how much is a nearly new A6 of some spec? Bit more roomy than the A3 and A4.

I know they were knocking out the last of the line models on contract hire pretty cheaply lately but no idea of the nearly new prices.
 
[TW]Fox;19167166 said:
Your car, replaced in 2012 with perhaps the new F30 - will be better in snow on a set of ContiWinterContacts than any of the stuff in that list of yours on conventional tyres.
Click to expand...

100% this.
 
Housey said:
Welcome to the old persons club. Auto Astra driver here, the 115bhp one......with heated seat......buttons. Something beige or cream, ideally brown fabric seats and wood, yes wood is good....you need wood......and an air freshener.
Click to expand...

and an auto box, not a fancy double clutch one, just a good ol' crap one :D
 
[TW]Fox;19167166 said:
Wait, have I slipped into OverclockersFinland or something?

Just lol - you live in Birmingham!

Not really, get some proper tyres sorted in time for the 3 months of snow (I'll be the one laughing at the back when it doesnt happen) and, quite literally, get a grip?

Your car, replaced in 2012 with perhaps the new F30 - will be better in snow on a set of ContiWinterContacts than any of the stuff in that list of yours on conventional tyres.
Click to expand...

As said - I need to get around and that means country lanes/farmers track roads - places where there's no grit. When I can't get where I need to go I lose money. Can't be arsed with the messing around w.r snow tyres/winter tyres etc. Last time the snow came I couldn't get my car within half a mile of my house and had to sledge £120 worth of food shopping home. Not funny, do not want.

Meantime mulling over used X1/X3 or stretching budget.
 
Can't be arsed with ordering 4 tyres so instead lets get shot of the entire car.

Logic fail. I expected better from you merlin.

FWD does not work miracles. If you wish to drive down an ungritted farmers lane in the snow and ice then have fun digging your front wheel drive Passat or whatever out, because it's going to be almost as useless on summer tyres if you really do need to brave these sort of conditions.

Just come back from Germany where they really *do* get snow and despite the fact they have been available for years and years I noticed only a single XDrive 4wd BMW Saloon. I guess they just.. use the correct tyres ;)
 
Well, the car has to go before Feb 12 anyway, we just don't keep stuff beyond 3 yrs. I had the car May 09 with 15 miles on the clock but it was first registered Feb 09.
 
Golf GTi? I can't remember but wouldn't that get close to 40mpg on a run? Thinking back to the one I bought my wife it was a bloody good car and fun too, plenty big enough inside as well.
 
This sort of thinking is how you finished up in a Passat last time!

An X1? For the love of god man, what's wrong?

Get a set of winter tyres on the first time you see frost, and put proper tyres back on in the spring.

Is two tyre changes really that much hassle as to make another Passat justifiable?

Note that the above is applicable to everything, regardless of FWD/AWD/RWD.

Also, AWD will hit the pocket in the form of fuel economy and CO2s...
 
Your reasoning is ****.
Why suffer with an inferior product when you could just get another RWD car and invest in some winter tyres?

Our E60 had ZERO problems last winter, even in a foot of fresh snow thanks to winter tyres.
I even overtook the snow plow on the motorway at 2am, and then went drifting round roundabouts on the way home.
 
Wait 6 months and get an Evoque if you think you need one. :)

We used a Freelander last Christmas, properly kitted up - we use aggressive (and noisy) all terrain winter tyres (designed for snow and mud) all year round. Even then you could happily light up all four wheels, do subtle, controlled four wheel drifts and so on on REALLY bad roads - the ones where the was a 100mm high curb formed along the centre of the white lines where people hadn't driven. :D

It was almost completely unstoppable. But Joe Public wasn't, and he caused absolute CHAOS with his inability to drive to the conditions - that's the bigger problem imo. A 4x4 can't get the motorway to magically reopen, so you're still going to hit problems trying to do a serious mileage in that weather.
 
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