Now I have finished the building work on the house I am looking for something with decent space, comfort and economy to replace the work/van/car we bought over here (Dacia Dokker diesel, which has been a reliable work horse..) Seats must fold flat, low load height a help for some gardening equipment. The car will also be used for towing a small trailer, weight not a particular issue as only carry small ride on tractor short distances. Wants and needs: Economy Decent performance Cruise control Auto Diesel Longer trips to UK and discovering the rest of France and nearby Europe, so I dont want a petrol, petrol still dearer here and not a fan of high power small capacity petrol engines. Due to availability and dealer location narrowed the choice down to VW Golf 150 , probably an R line looking at cars on the market here. Around 18month old and 20000 kilometres Or Peugeot 308sw 130 auto, which is also flappy paddle manual change. Can pick one of these up around 12 month old and just delivery miles. Comments on the above cars only? Others are available, BUT dealership and distance is limiting the choice to the two listed.
Had two Golfs, both over 100,000 miles with nothing but service items, one petrol the other TDI. Still on original exhausts even. So, despite being more money or older like for like one of those would be my choice.
Skoda superb? I’ve got one. Very well equipped, drive nicely goes well enough and has a DSG box. And sensible money. Just not the badge appeal.
Skoda Octavia or if after huge space as above Superb. You might want to have a look at a Toyota Corolla Estate 2.0L hybrid.
Not sure about later models but my 2015 golf estate seats do not fold flat as the rear seat bases do not tip forwards like they did on my previous (unreliable piece of crap) Ford Focus. A work colleague has an Octavia, which certainly has more room in the back.
Thanks for some pointers. Again though, availability is limited for service and sales with other makes.
I had a 2016 Peugeot 308 GT (2.0 tdi auto) from 6mths old, and kept it a couple of years.. traded it for a Peugeot Sport 208 GTI in on a whim and kind of regretted it, despite the 208 being an excellent hot hatch. Pros - comfortable, decent engine and gearbox, handles well, I'm a big fan of the little steering wheel and raised instruments. Cons - real world MPG nowhere near claimed, needed a new adblue tank (failed level sensor) at 1yr old, replaced under warranty in a couple of days. I left it parked for about 4 months whilst I was at sea, the auto gear selector went very stiff and wouldn't engage a gear despite rowing it back and forth. after 5 mins of pushing and pulling it it came back to life, and not really an issue unless you plan on letting the car sit for months on end. no apple car play/android auto on pre-facelift cars. heater controls through the touchscreen is infuriating. very heavy rain/snow would cause the sensors for the adaptive cruise to throw a fit, locking you out of cruise control and giving an ABS fault until the sensors cleared, you off/on the ignition and the car could 'see' again, not ideal if you do lots of winter motorway driving. sounds very negative but I actually liked the car
I thought you were open to comments on the specific cars only. If it's restricted to marque then how about a Tiguan. I stuck with VAG and bought a 2.0 TDI SL with DSG in 2017 and still loving it. Not quite an estate but there's decent space in the boot and the seats fold flat for a decent load carrying capcity. Used by many as a towing vehicle too. No plans to change this car any time soon.
Not sure that a Tiguan has the low load height he’s after? I think it comes down to how long you want to keep it? If it were long term, for me I’d go with the VW, you’ll probably get a better return on it when you shift it on too? The Pug will probably be cheaper for parts etc but will probably fail more often, swings and roundabouts
Tiguan is a nice car but load height too high, I will get a better Golf sw for the same money though. Golf estates available, VW service close by, Pugs look just about right for size and spec, Peugeot garages everywhere. Would like an Octavia estate, 2.0 tdi auto, but nearest available ones that tick the boxes are 3 hours plus drive away. Hence why I was looking at the two other cars. Maybe now a bit close for our trip back to UK in August to get a deal done beforehand. Will may have to check the market again when we get back. there seems to be more pre reg cars coming on the market in the last week so this might drive down the price of some stock..
I also have in the back of my mind you can take anywhere if you use official parts.......(may have dreamt that one)
Actually.............."Hello, Mr VW garage, will you service my Audi?" "NO! I SPIT ON YOUR AUDI AND YOUR GRAND MOTHER YOU SON OF A SILLY PERSON! TAKE YOUR MONEY AND INSERT IT IN YOURSELF"
