Continental Shedding

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (11:15)

As a family we love going on motoring holidays to continental Europe. Last year, our trusty 2011 Titanium X 2.0 Diesel Mondeo, purchased for £9900 in 2014 with 40k miles and by 2023 had done over 150k miles, took us to a Gite near Toulouse. Sadly it gave up the ghost in November on a seemingly minor but unfixable electrical issue (long story). This year our steed was a E46 2003 BMW 320i Coupe, which a BMW fan boy friend sold to us for a good mates rate (£2.5k, with 75k on the clock and a FSH). That will be pretty hard to beat, but our boys are 6 and 9 so it will soon become a bit of a squeeze, notwithstanding the excellent packaging for it's size. So, what should we get? It needs to be big enough to fit 4 adults and their luggage on a continental trip. Also, although we don't have a budget as such, overall running costs need to be reasonable. I think the Mondeo was about 20p a mile all in (depreciation, fuel, parts, insurance) and although that was probably unrepeatedly low, reasonable running costs are important. We want to eventually buy a house overseas, and would rather put the money into that than a £5k service on a Bentley Continental. Car suggestions please! My wife has suggested a Jag XJ (351) diesel, dismissing our local garage's suggestion of a Skoda Superb as boring. This fab car taste is one of the many reasons we are happily married. But is there something interesting that we are missing?

fflump

1,671 posts

43 months

Yesterday (11:26)

Ligier said:

As a family we love going on motoring holidays to continental Europe. Last year, our trusty 2011 Titanium X 2.0 Diesel Mondeo, purchased for £9900 in 2014 with 40k miles and by 2023 had done over 150k miles, took us to a Gite near Toulouse. Sadly it gave up the ghost in November on a seemingly minor but unfixable electrical issue (long story). This year our steed was a E46 2003 BMW 320i Coupe, which a BMW fan boy friend sold to us for a good mates rate (£2.5k, with 75k on the clock and a FSH). That will be pretty hard to beat, but our boys are 6 and 9 so it will soon become a bit of a squeeze, notwithstanding the excellent packaging for its size. So, what should we get? It needs to be big enough to fit 4 adults and their luggage on a continental trip. Also, although we don't have a budget as such, overall running costs need to be reasonable. I think the Mondeo was about 20p a mile all in (depreciation, fuel, parts, insurance) and although that was probably unrepeatedly low, reasonable running costs are important. We want to eventually buy a house overseas, and would rather put the money into that than a £5k service on a Bentley Continental. Car suggestions please! My wife has suggested a Jag XJ (351) diesel, dismissing our local garage's suggestion of a Skoda Superb as boring. This fab car taste is one of the many reasons we are happily married. But is there something interesting that we are missing?

I guess this all points to a nice 6-cylinder diesel barge. Maybe a Beemer that ends in 35d or 40d?
A rough budget would help enormously.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (11:33)

Thanks FFlump. Probably about £17k max. We could go higher but I think that depreciation would start to significantly eat into running costs even if we kept it for 9 years like the Mondeo.

Boringvolvodriver

9,854 posts

48 months

Yesterday (12:05)

Insignia

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408233...

Or maybe a hatchback

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408243...

Volvo V60

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408142...

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (12:42)

Forgot to say, the other half doesn't like estates (though SUVS OK), but the Insignia is a good call in hatch form with higher spec and power.

fflump

1,671 posts

43 months

Yesterday (12:53)

Ligier said:

Thanks FFlump. Probably about £17k max. We could go higher but I think that depreciation would start to significantly eat into running costs even if we kept it for 9 years like the Mondeo.

A 640d would be a nice continental cruiser

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309141...

Likewise the 335d GT has an extended wheel base over the standard 3-series and has nearly 7-series levels of rear room
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407272...

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (13:42)

Great call on the 3 series GT, equally 5 series GT which a friend has and loves. That said, I am open to non Beemer suggestions, notwithstanding my current German whip.

ZX10R NIN

28,157 posts

130 months

Yesterday (15:00)

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (15:24)

Thanks ZX, great suggestions. The Infiniti is good call, forgotten about those, will put on the radar. Alfa is a no, super car, but just cannot get on with the offset numberplate. The Peugeot has the advantage that we travel a lot in France, so you would hope that fixing it would be cheap and easy on our travels.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (15:26)

The Insignia seems to be getting some support on this forum as well, not what I would have expected but as people say, a cracking car and I do like the sharky styling.

ChocolateFrog

27,601 posts

178 months

Yesterday (15:45)

The Insignia could be the most competent thing in the world and I'd still avoid it and I like Volvos.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

Yesterday (16:27)

I have a lot of fondness for Volvo, I purchased a 740 for £100 and took in on a charity trip to Croatia. It was a tremendous motorised sofa. However, my partner doesn't like estates, the saloons don't do it for me and we already have a big SUV (Shogun) as the school bus, so that base is already covered, unless there is an amazing SUV out there we have overlooked which out GT's a GT and doesn't cost a bomb to run.

Rob 131 Sport

2,982 posts

57 months

06:32

There is only one real choice at that price point and it’s the BMW 520d. We’ve had dozens of continental holidays over the years and I remember in 2008 doing my first trip in a 5 series when the children were young and it was an absolute revelation.

Don’t let others tell you that you need a 530d. Whilst it’s naturally preferable, the 520 is a great all rounder. There is a thread on the ownership experience of a 520d that pops up occasionally.

290 posts

56 months

07:38

I came for the Bentley shedding content, the Bentley Continental does get a mention in the op so will have to be satisfied with that.

What about the obvious and familiar choice op

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156360017842?_skw=ford+...

QBee

21,325 posts

149 months

07:44

Why not take the school run shed abroad, and get something more adventurous as your daily?

gtb4

169 posts

199 months

08:02

How about a Mercedes CLS. Huge amount of space in the back. Massively comfortable long distance cruiser. Plenty of choice in budget. And it’s a ‘shooting brake’ so definitely not an estate wink

. Or there’s the saloon/coupe.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

08:58

Yep, there is rarely a car question to which a 520d isn't a good answer. But for us, for reasons particular to us (narrow streets where we live, and a partner who is 5 ft so a slightly raised driving position and a lowish waistline are useful) it is the 3 series GT championed earlier in this thread which will represent the BMW corner. So the shortlist is the Insignia in the VFM corner, the 3 GT in the middle ground and the XJ 351 in the indulgent corner. Next step, to get real world running costs on them all (fortune have Beemer and Jag indy specialists nearby. A huge thanks to all PH contributors, I would not have thought of the 3 GT or Insignia, which proves the wisdom of the bulletin board.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months

09:22

Had thought of taking the school run shed abroad and getting a more adventurous daily, but the Shogun isn't great with high winds and on the Twisties. Ironically it is narrowish so is not a bad town car. Therefore the more adventurous daily options would mean replacing both cars. We want the house abroad more than two snazzy cars.

On the CLS I loved the original (but that is getting on a bit, and is from the era when Benz quality dipped) plus my Dad had a 380 SEC back in the day, so I like a swish Merc. That said, I am less of a fan of the styling on later CLS and I find their modern interiors a bit clingy, but that is just a matter of personal taste. On the Mondeo, could be tempted by a Vignale.

Original Poster

16 posts

53 months