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Family car recommendations please

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  • August 28, 2018 at 4:17 pm #28889
    kil0ran

    Looking like I’m going to need to replace my trusty Passat – looking for a bike-friendly replacement. Rather than resorting to bike racks I quite like the idea of transporting the bikes in the car. Do MPVs have enough headroom to do this with the rear seats folded? Any with three seats up front? Or am I restricted to looking at Transit vans and the like?

    We don’t do huge miles but comfort and safety are the other priorities. Heated seats a must. Couldn’t care about performance or brand. Ideally something less than £5k.

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Viewing 12 replies - 31 through 42 (of 42 total)
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  • August 29, 2018 at 11:08 am #926261
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    Stef Marazzi

    Skoda Superb Estate, Toyota

    Skoda Superb Estate, Toyota Avensis Estate, Hyundai i40 Estate, Mondeo Estate, Volvo Estate – all have cavernous boots.

    August 29, 2018 at 10:46 am #926259
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    kil0ran
    Yorkshire wallet wrote:
    VW and Audi used to make really logical cars in terms of fixing them (I’m taking back in mk2 golf era) and somewhere they became daft and almost dealer only jobs unless you’re willing to invest in time and more specialist tools, even the oil filter on my TT was pain to get out. That said they are all like that, my wife’s sidelights have gone in the Clio and it’s looking like I’ll need to move the battery to get to the bulb. Madness (or cynical side says this ties you into not being able to fix it yourself).

    I wish someone would make a basic old school car for tinkerers that actually had space in the engine bay and no fancy electronics.

     

    Yes please (hence looking at ’80s estates). Scary to think that my old Mk2 would have been 30 this year!

    On the Passat you can’t even change a headlight bulb at the roadside, the Mk4 Golf was the same. Which is odd considering most of mainland Europe mandate that you carry spare bulbs.

    August 29, 2018 at 8:59 am #926257
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    sergius

    I’ve been considering a Skoda

    I’ve been considering a Skoda Octavia Estate for the my next car, seem like good value for money and have reasonable room inside for the szie of them.

    August 29, 2018 at 8:43 am #926255
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    Anonymous

    VW and Audi used to make

    VW and Audi used to make really logical cars in terms of fixing them (I’m taking back in mk2 golf era) and somewhere they became daft and almost dealer only jobs unless you’re willing to invest in time and more specialist tools, even the oil filter on my TT was pain to get out. That said they are all like that, my wife’s sidelights have gone in the Clio and it’s looking like I’ll need to move the battery to get to the bulb. Madness (or cynical side says this ties you into not being able to fix it yourself).

    I wish someone would make a basic old school car for tinkerers that actually had space in the engine bay and no fancy electronics.

     

    August 29, 2018 at 8:25 am #926253
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    kil0ran
    Yorkshire wallet wrote:
    My mate has a Volvo estate, one of the 2.4d ones. It’s cavernous, that’s for sure but also has the turning circle of an oil tanker, which is the main reason why I’d never get something large again. It’s bad enough trying to get around most supermarket carparks in smaller cars.

    As for the AC, how did we all make it through winters before it? I didn’t even own a car with AC until 2005.

    Oh it’s an Audi transplant into the VW range. Climatronic, relying on four sensors and three nylon-cogged motors to set cabin temperature to within 0.5 degrees and maintain it there.

    For the first twenty five years of my driving life I was perfectly happy with a set of manual sliders set high up on the dash with natty red/blue markings. Now I’m stuck with the system on permanent recirculation and cold air only so it fogs up completely within 5 minutes of driving. What’s worse is that it’s impossible to operate whilst driving without taking your eyes off the road. Also transplanted from Audi is a leaky pollen filter which pours rainwater on the ECU in the passenger footwell and slowly kills the car’s electronics.

    I’ve done the V70 thing. Cavernous but no friendlier for bikes than any other estate, and I struggled to get it off the drive in one turn. 

    August 29, 2018 at 8:12 am #926251
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    Anonymous

    My mate has a Volvo estate,

    My mate has a Volvo estate, one of the 2.4d ones. It’s cavernous, that’s for sure but also has the turning circle of an oil tanker, which is the main reason why I’d never get something large again. It’s bad enough trying to get around most supermarket carparks in smaller cars.

    As for the AC, how did we all make it through winters before it? I didn’t even own a car with AC until 2005.

    August 29, 2018 at 7:49 am #926249
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    srchar

    Mate of mine has a S-Max and

    Mate of mine has a S-Max and loves it, although he does complain about fuel consumption.  Would have suggested it, but it fails the three seats up front brief.  You’d get a very nice example for that five grand budget.  I think I’d still go the van route though, with a copy of The Sun on the dashboard and “I wish my wife was this dirty” scrawled into the grime.

    August 29, 2018 at 7:42 am #926247
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    barongreenback

    Ford S Max. Have since

    Ford S Max. Have since switched to a 5 series estate but I really miss the boot space and the flexibility of the seating arrangement. Drives really nicely and there are some neat little additions you can get for the familiar eg seat back tables, built in blinds and the panoramic roof. 

    August 29, 2018 at 7:24 am #926245
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    kil0ran

    Thanks – agree re the diesel

    Thanks – agree re the diesel comment, as I’d hope to be running it for at least five years. Probably only around 5000 miles a year if I keep working from home. 

    Passat is probably going to have to go simply because the climate control motor has failed. Which is buried deep in the dash. And is about 10 hours labour to fix for a £50 part. (Common fault on the Passat B5 BTBS) #bloodycars

    (it’s fine in the summer but won’t be able to demist the windscreen in the winter)

    Only needs to take two bikes but I don’t want to faff with taking wheels out or dropping my seatpost because it will be used frequently for short trips. Sadly my son is now too scared to cycle on the road to our offroad rides so we need to drive there #bloodydrivers

    I’m thinking the solution is probably a hitch rack but it would need to be left permanently attached to the car to have any benefit over a Saris Bones or similar, and I’m a bit paranoid about the local scrotes spotting the rack on the car on the drive and raiding the shed.

    The other option is finding an ancient Volvo or Merc estate from the mid-80s but perversely that would be more expensive than many newer options. Same goes for a Pug 505. I’m done with overcomplex cars having been bitten by a dodgy auto box on a V70 and now this climatronic issue on the Passat.

    August 29, 2018 at 6:49 am #926243
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    CXR94Di2

    Don’t buy anything diesel
    Don’t buy anything diesel

    August 28, 2018 at 11:25 pm #926241
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    Anonymous

    Hyundai i40 estate is one I

    Hyundai i40 estate is one I’ve considered to get to replace my B5.5 estate which has been laid up in the garage since last October (doing a year without the car). My son has a V50 which has heated seats and a lovely drive but IMHO too small for three plus three bikes so V70 is the only suitable Volvo

    A quick look on Autotrader brings up a 2010 SE with reasonable miles (109k) for £4500

    £5k also gets you

    ’11 Passat bluemotion estate/94k

    ’11 Sharan/109k

    There’s a ’10 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso VTR+ with flappy paddle gearbox and 37k on the clock for £3400!

    As above, we’ve always put the bikes in the boot, we’ve often gone self catering to France and stack bikes upright and side by side where the two rear seats are folded down and then secured to the loops/hand hold. We usually fold the third seat down but it’d be no problem leaving it up for a third person to sit in.

    You just need to be good at planning where stuff is going to go and thinking about interlocking frames but taking things like seatposts/saddle off and wheels plus protecting chains/derailleurs.

    Oh and if the car hasn’t got heated seats, get a coat and a heated cushion to pop in the caryes

    luck hunting

    August 28, 2018 at 8:22 pm #926239
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    srchar

    Are you sure your Passat

    Are you sure your Passat needs to be replaced?  My Golf estate is a class smaller, yet takes three bikes in the back, upright, with only half the rear bench folded down, after removing the front wheels and seatposts. I have a piece of board with some front fork hitches bolted onto it to keep everything stable.

    The only “cars” I can think of with three seats up front are the Fiat Multipla and Honda FRV, but to be honest, if you need three seats up front and want easy bike transport, I can’t see why you wouldn’t get a SWB van.  I doubt you’ll get heated seats in a five grand van, but modern vans are really quite comfy.  Heated seats can always be retrofitted anyway – it’s only a heating element and a switch.

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