Fast family car about £7k - recommendations please!

[sam303]

Yes it's a what car; my criteria are as follows:

- LOADS of storage space. Passat estate big enough; 3-series Touring or A4 Avant not big enough.
- sub-8 seconds 0-60. Around 6 seconds would be lovely
- 6 or 8 cylinders
- 20 mpg or more. (Or maybe a little bit less if it's something nice and fast)
- reliable. This probably means German.
- must make a great noise and handle not too shabbily
- running costs not particularly an issue (subject to mpg criterion)
- 4 wheel drive an advantage but not a must
- must be auto
- must have comfy (heated) seats and a fair degree of luxury, including a decent stereo
- must not be a timebomb (for example cars with known issues with gearboxes over certain mileages)


I am considering:
- E39 540i Touring (low mileage to avoid timebomb-ness). I've had 2 E39s though and wouldn't mind something different
- Audi A6 or S6 with the 4.2 litre V8
- Passat W8 (might not be fast enough)
- Passat 3.2 (ditto; don't know much about it)
- Rover 75 Touring
- crazy 4x4s like Merc ML55 AMG

Which of these would the PH massive recommend, and what else should I be considering?

I'd also appreciate some specific feedback from owners of A6s or S6s. Are there auto gearbox issues with these, over a certain mileage, or any other known issues to watch out for?

Thanks people!

Edited by sam303 on Thursday 17th February 15:25

[danyeates]

It has to be the B5 Audi S4! I've had two and they're fantastic cars. Have a look at my profile.

320hp easy with just a remap, sub 6 seconds to 60, 30mpg on a run, loads of space especially if you go for the estate, 4WD, no auto box though.

[TTwiggy]

S4 avant?

Your budget would get a good B5 (2.7 biturbo) and might see you in a leggy B6 (V8).

[sam303]

Sorry, should have been more clear - A4 Avant boot not big enough. Original post now edited to say that.

[TTwiggy]

Well then, an S6 avant could be a good call.

Just bear in mind that considering how much fuel it will drink, it's not that fast, and the tiptronic gearbox will most likely go wrong at some point.

[dickyf]

my 2p's worth- i bought a 2000 S6 avant to see me through the winter. large load capacity, effortless on long journeys, bose system is excellent and lots of luxuries. ie heated seats, cruise, leather and alcantara.....
i have had a few older large Audis mainly for the sure footed quattro system which is superb on wet greasy UK roads. They just 'feel' safe.
When it comes to selling on i shall miss it especially as it now has the RS6 exhaust fitted and makes a fantastic noise.
i haven't been paying too much attention but the prices seem to have taken a hit due to the recent petrol increases, i still receive the various email alerts from autotrader for cars for sale and there ares some which stick around at the top end but the ones which sell quickly are priced accordingly.
Any decent audi specialist can do a plug in check to advise of gearbox faults in the memory before you buy.

[touching cloth]

SpecB Legacy seems to fit pretty much all criteria.

[theboss]

E65 745i anyone?

[JungleJim]

this might be a very non-PH question, but why the need for fast?

[RDRR]

Jag S-Type V8?

[braddo]

Merc E class estate W210 models (look out for rust though) - E320, E430 or full-on E55 AMG guises will all be available.

[sawman]

you should be able to get a nice grand cherokee 4.7 V8 for 7k, you would probably need to add to the budget to get an SRT8 though

[sam303]

Hmmmm. Interesting. Keep 'em coming!

theboss - don't think a 7-series has a big enough boot. It pretty much has to be an estate.

JungleJim - not such a bad question in fact. The answer is that if it's too slow I'll get bored of it too quickly and will be back to square one again.

And pimp - don't think I can handle the awesome power of a 1.8i Mondeo. There has to be a limit somewhere.

[Mr Gearchange]

This is absolutely a job for a Legacy Spec B Tourer.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2373676.htm

Massive load space
Peach of a flat-6 engine
0-60 in 6.5
Bilstien Suspension
LSD
Symetrical AWD
Heated Leather Everything
Sat Nav
Bombproof build quality.

Excellent cars - and very understated.

[theboss]

sam303 said:

Hmmmm. Interesting. Keep 'em coming!

theboss - don't think a 7-series has a big enough boot. It pretty much has to be an estate.

You may be surprised if you haven't already seen one - they're cavernous! My brother has two kids under the age of three and having taken a look at my E65 he reckons he could get their double pushchair in twice.

I was also thinking E60/E61 545i's, there are some examples on AT at the £7-8k mark but they are all saloons. Great engine and they are always specced to the hilt.

[Rabbo]

I'm currently musing over a C32 AMG Estate.

354bhp supercharged, beats an M3 in every measurement of straight line speed. Full of toys, discrete and the later ones are typically rust-free.

FWIW I had a W8 saloon and it was great, at least in terms of build quality, equipment level, noise and overtaking ability... not to mention the Q-car appeal.

[Roman]

theboss said:

sam303 said:

Hmmmm. Interesting. Keep 'em coming!

theboss - don't think a 7-series has a big enough boot. It pretty much has to be an estate.

You may be surprised if you haven't already seen one - they're cavernous! My brother has two kids under the age of three and having taken a look at my E65 he reckons he could get their double pushchair in twice.

I was also thinking E60/E61 545i's, there are some examples on AT at the £7-8k mark but they are all saloons. Great engine and they are always specced to the hilt.

You can get an E61 525i/525D for under £7k or a 530i/530D for under £8k

[NiceCupOfTea]

9-5 Aero ticks most of those boxes and for a fraction of the money

[chrisispringles]

As Fox said, a V70 T5 or R would be fantastic. My dad had an 850 T5, which has the same engine as the V70 T5, which was still going strong at 200k.

Some other options:

Audi A6 2.7t

Mercedes E55 AMG

Nissan Stagea

Saab 9-5 Aero

Subaru Legacy GTB

Subaru legacy 3.0Rn

Volvo S80 T6

[sam303]

Some awesome suggestions here. Can anyone tell me about the Legacy 3.0Rn? I've seen some 2-litre twin turbo Legacys as well (imports) - which is preferable?