Big-booted B&Q/Gumtree hauler with ISOFIX/Bluetooth
Discussion
After a long search for a new house, I’ve had an offer accepted on a place I’ve been watching for months
Problem is that now I’m no longer spending eleventy million hours a day on Rightmove, I need a new car hunt to fill my time! Since the new place is likely to require rewiring, a plumbing refresh and a c.40 sq. metre extension, I m debating selling my 2011 S5 Sportback, which is pretty practical but not so good for shipping building supplies/Gumtree furniture purchases around as an estate, due to the sloping rear.
I expect to end up with something like a Tesla Model 3 LR (since Elon is doing a great job of tanking used values), plus something analogue, relatively small/lightweight and fun post-renovation, but in the meantime I m considering a cheaper big estate car that drives well around town, since I live in zone 4 outer London but is also good on the motorway and doesn t return 4mpg in either scenario.
I have several ideas but would value other opinions on cars that address the following for sub-£8k, maybe up to £10k
Essential:
Problem is that now I’m no longer spending eleventy million hours a day on Rightmove, I need a new car hunt to fill my time! Since the new place is likely to require rewiring, a plumbing refresh and a c.40 sq. metre extension, I m debating selling my 2011 S5 Sportback, which is pretty practical but not so good for shipping building supplies/Gumtree furniture purchases around as an estate, due to the sloping rear.
I expect to end up with something like a Tesla Model 3 LR (since Elon is doing a great job of tanking used values), plus something analogue, relatively small/lightweight and fun post-renovation, but in the meantime I m considering a cheaper big estate car that drives well around town, since I live in zone 4 outer London but is also good on the motorway and doesn t return 4mpg in either scenario.
I have several ideas but would value other opinions on cars that address the following for sub-£8k, maybe up to £10k
Essential:
- Big boot (ideally 500l+ with rear seats in place/1,600l with rear seats down, with quite a flat floor)
- ISOFIX (front passenger seat ISOFIX would be a bonus)
- ULEZ exempt (newer diesels don’t make sense for my usage)
- Bluetooth
- Decently reliable/robust
- Sub-£700 tax/not too thirsty (something that’s relatively economical in semi-urban sub-30mph driving would be good)
- Comfy seats
- Reasonably refined at motorway speeds
Edited by RoVoFob on Saturday 31st May 22:12
The E Class is the pick.
White goods wise the Insignia in SRI Nav spec is a good pick:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505042...
White goods wise the Insignia in SRI Nav spec is a good pick:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505042...
ZX10R NIN said:
The E Class is the pick.
Cheers. I’d normally aim for the E350 CGI for decent performance, economy and refinement but they’re pretty rare and the current ones all seem a bit tatty. How are the other petrols? Euro6 E350 diesels are another option, but I imagine they’re not the best suited to mostly urban driving…I would also say an E-Class is the pick for this job. You can get an S211 (S = estate, W = saloon) for throw-away money now even though they remain really accomplished. I've always thought the S212 seemed a bit of a downgrade in comparison but have very limited experience of them.
The disadvantage with the older model is that not all of them have bluetooth or Isofix. I'm on my second and it has the optional Comand system (with sat nav, DVD player, bluetooth, aux socket etc) but my earlier one didn't. My first one had integrated booster seats in the back which seem to be a rare but useful option, like this:
They all have self-levelling air suspension at the back which is great for tip trips and the seats fold down so you get an enormous almost flat loading area. If you go petrol pre-March 2006 then you avoid the £700 tax.
Both of mine have been bargain basement examples (under £2k). My first was an E280 which gave me two years of faultless service, including lots of punishing haulage work, but then failed its MOT on emissions for which there was no easy fix so I sold it for just over 50% of purchase price. Before that I'd needed to do nothing more than replace a headlamp bulb. My current is an E350 with nearly 250k miles but you'd never know that - everything has worn remarkably well. In fact there's little sign of any wear. It has lots of toys and everything except the parking sensors and the self-retracting load cover work. (That load cover is actually a brilliant Merc invention and there are similarly lots of things I never thought I would use but turn out to be really helpful for daily duties like the speed limiter which is great in central London.)
These V6s had problems with balancer shafts and tumble flaps but my view would be that at this end of the market it's worth taking the risk - you are unlikely to lose much even if it all goes wrong. Ideally I would have found an E500 but they are rare now.
Here's my earlier car demonstrating its tip car value.
The disadvantage with the older model is that not all of them have bluetooth or Isofix. I'm on my second and it has the optional Comand system (with sat nav, DVD player, bluetooth, aux socket etc) but my earlier one didn't. My first one had integrated booster seats in the back which seem to be a rare but useful option, like this:
They all have self-levelling air suspension at the back which is great for tip trips and the seats fold down so you get an enormous almost flat loading area. If you go petrol pre-March 2006 then you avoid the £700 tax.
Both of mine have been bargain basement examples (under £2k). My first was an E280 which gave me two years of faultless service, including lots of punishing haulage work, but then failed its MOT on emissions for which there was no easy fix so I sold it for just over 50% of purchase price. Before that I'd needed to do nothing more than replace a headlamp bulb. My current is an E350 with nearly 250k miles but you'd never know that - everything has worn remarkably well. In fact there's little sign of any wear. It has lots of toys and everything except the parking sensors and the self-retracting load cover work. (That load cover is actually a brilliant Merc invention and there are similarly lots of things I never thought I would use but turn out to be really helpful for daily duties like the speed limiter which is great in central London.)
These V6s had problems with balancer shafts and tumble flaps but my view would be that at this end of the market it's worth taking the risk - you are unlikely to lose much even if it all goes wrong. Ideally I would have found an E500 but they are rare now.
Here's my earlier car demonstrating its tip car value.
Edited by TVR Sagaris on Sunday 1st June 15:29
Edited by TVR Sagaris on Sunday 1st June 15:30
[quote=ZX10R NIN]E350cgi:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505222...
This one looks better than I remembered. It has 11 advisory-free MOTs, too. Has never had an advisory. Pretty impressive.
I quite liked that generation of Insignia. Boot is smaller than that of the Golf Estate and Honda Civic Tourer, which seems crazy, though, when the Vauxhall is so much bigger.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505222...
This one looks better than I remembered. It has 11 advisory-free MOTs, too. Has never had an advisory. Pretty impressive.
I quite liked that generation of Insignia. Boot is smaller than that of the Golf Estate and Honda Civic Tourer, which seems crazy, though, when the Vauxhall is so much bigger.
Depends on how much of that you want to spend and how much you want to care about it- it's top zafira money, or scenic, where you can take out the rear seats and just have a van, and if you spend like 2-3k and chuck it after it's probably cheaper than 6 skips. Or an S-Max of course, or Galaxy, which are easy sells afterwards if you line the inside so as to not completely knacker it.
TVR Sagaris said:
I would also say an E-Class is the pick for this job. You can get an S211 (S = estate, W = saloon) for throw-away money now even though they remain really accomplished. I've always thought the S212 seemed a bit of a downgrade in comparison but have very limited experience of them.
The disadvantage with the older model is that not all of them have bluetooth or Isofix. I'm on my second and it has the optional Comand system (with sat nav, DVD player, bluetooth, aux socket etc) but my earlier one didn't.
They all have self-levelling air suspension at the back which is great for tip trips and the seats fold down so you get an enormous almost flat loading area. If you go petrol pre-March 2006 then you avoid the £700 tax.
Both of mine have been bargain basement examples (under £2k). My first was an E280 which gave me two years of faultless service, including lots of punishing haulage work, but then failed its MOT on emissions for which there was no easy fix so I sold it for just over 50% of purchase price. Before that I'd needed to do nothing more than replace a headlamp bulb. My current is an E350 with nearly 250k miles but you'd never know that - everything has worn remarkably well. In fact there's little sign of any wear. It has lots of toys and everything except the parking sensors and the self-retracting load cover work. (That load cover is actually a brilliant Merc invention and there are similarly lots of things I never thought I would use but turn out to be really helpful for daily duties like the speed limiter which is great in central London.)
These V6s had problems with balancer shafts and tumble flaps but my view would be that at this end of the market it's worth taking the risk - you are unlikely to lose much even if it all goes wrong. Ideally I would have found an E500 but they are rare now.
Thanks. I prefer the look of the S211 inside and out but I suspect the W212 makes more sense, as I need Bluetooth and ISOFIX and it’s hard to gauge which S211s have these.The disadvantage with the older model is that not all of them have bluetooth or Isofix. I'm on my second and it has the optional Comand system (with sat nav, DVD player, bluetooth, aux socket etc) but my earlier one didn't.
They all have self-levelling air suspension at the back which is great for tip trips and the seats fold down so you get an enormous almost flat loading area. If you go petrol pre-March 2006 then you avoid the £700 tax.
Both of mine have been bargain basement examples (under £2k). My first was an E280 which gave me two years of faultless service, including lots of punishing haulage work, but then failed its MOT on emissions for which there was no easy fix so I sold it for just over 50% of purchase price. Before that I'd needed to do nothing more than replace a headlamp bulb. My current is an E350 with nearly 250k miles but you'd never know that - everything has worn remarkably well. In fact there's little sign of any wear. It has lots of toys and everything except the parking sensors and the self-retracting load cover work. (That load cover is actually a brilliant Merc invention and there are similarly lots of things I never thought I would use but turn out to be really helpful for daily duties like the speed limiter which is great in central London.)
These V6s had problems with balancer shafts and tumble flaps but my view would be that at this end of the market it's worth taking the risk - you are unlikely to lose much even if it all goes wrong. Ideally I would have found an E500 but they are rare now.
Edited by TVR Sagaris on Sunday 1st June 15:29
Edited by TVR Sagaris on Sunday 1st June 15:30
The later facelift E280s and E350s seem good apart from that, as I understand they’re more robust and less rust-prone and are also low tax.
Balancer shaft and tumble flap issues are offputting, as this would be my only car and I have a three-year-old, so don’t want to be marooned with him or going to collect him. Hopefully a W212/later W211 would be reasonably reliable…
macron said:
Depends on how much of that you want to spend and how much you want to care about it- it's top zafira money, or scenic, where you can take out the rear seats and just have a van, and if you spend like 2-3k and chuck it after it's probably cheaper than 6 skips. Or an S-Max of course, or Galaxy, which are easy sells afterwards if you line the inside so as to not completely knacker it.
I’ve been thinking about this - open to Galaxy/S-Max. However, most newer people carriers aren’t great for lugging stuff, as the entire boot floor is made up of seat backs, with indents and sticky out bits, so heavy things can get stuck on those as you load and unload, which would be a pain. The original Galaxy format of completely removable rear seats is far better for van duties…sadly I don’t really fancy one of those, though, and Bluetooth/ISOFIX would be missing.I don’t find smaller stuff like the Scenic very practical in reality. Would much rather a Vectra Estate than a small MPV if I was going to go for something very cheap I think.
RoVoFob]X10R NIN said:
E350cgi:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505222...
This one looks better than I remembered. It has 11 advisory-free MOTs, too. Has never had an advisory. Pretty impressive.
I quite liked that generation of Insignia. Boot is smaller than that of the Golf Estate and Honda Civic Tourer, which seems crazy, though, when the Vauxhall is so much bigger.
They say that but in terms of floor space it's bigger than the Golf/Honda but it's not as high.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505222...
This one looks better than I remembered. It has 11 advisory-free MOTs, too. Has never had an advisory. Pretty impressive.
I quite liked that generation of Insignia. Boot is smaller than that of the Golf Estate and Honda Civic Tourer, which seems crazy, though, when the Vauxhall is so much bigger.
We switched our 330e and M2 to an X3 and Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Moving house, building a garage gym, kids and the wife only going back to minimal hours were the drivers.
X3 20d is an F25 model and been brilliant. Fits everything and so easy to live with. I won’t sell it and we will run it into the ground until it’s scraped. Thinks it been the best value for money car I’ve ever bought. Not sure on Ulez as not a concern for me.
Tesla is the perfect daily driver saloon though not a ‘me’ car. I’ve been hit by a £2k suspension bill so it’s the most expensive car I’ve ever owned and it’s still under 50k miles so get one in warranty. If values hadn’t tanked I’ll admit I’d probably switch it.
X3 20d is an F25 model and been brilliant. Fits everything and so easy to live with. I won’t sell it and we will run it into the ground until it’s scraped. Thinks it been the best value for money car I’ve ever bought. Not sure on Ulez as not a concern for me.
Tesla is the perfect daily driver saloon though not a ‘me’ car. I’ve been hit by a £2k suspension bill so it’s the most expensive car I’ve ever owned and it’s still under 50k miles so get one in warranty. If values hadn’t tanked I’ll admit I’d probably switch it.
CG2020UK said:
We switched our 330e and M2 to an X3 and Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Moving house, building a garage gym, kids and the wife only going back to minimal hours were the drivers.
X3 20d is an F25 model and been brilliant. Fits everything and so easy to live with. I won t sell it and we will run it into the ground until it s scraped. Thinks it been the best value for money car I ve ever bought. Not sure on Ulez as not a concern for me.
Tesla is the perfect daily driver saloon though not a me car. I ve been hit by a £2k suspension bill so it s the most expensive car I ve ever owned and it s still under 50k miles so get one in warranty. If values hadn t tanked I ll admit I d probably switch it.
Interesting switch. If I were going to have an EV I couldn’t tolerate my remaining ICE car being a four-cylinder diesel! An EV and a M2 on the other hand, would be perfect.X3 20d is an F25 model and been brilliant. Fits everything and so easy to live with. I won t sell it and we will run it into the ground until it s scraped. Thinks it been the best value for money car I ve ever bought. Not sure on Ulez as not a concern for me.
Tesla is the perfect daily driver saloon though not a me car. I ve been hit by a £2k suspension bill so it s the most expensive car I ve ever owned and it s still under 50k miles so get one in warranty. If values hadn t tanked I ll admit I d probably switch it.
Very much not an SUV fan, but do like the look and size of the F25. Am sure some of the 3.0-litre diesels are ULEZ compliant. Hmm…
£2k for Tesla suspension…what broke that cost that much?
RoVoFob said:
I ve been thinking about this - open to Galaxy/S-Max. However, most newer people carriers aren t great for lugging stuff, as the entire boot floor is made up of seat backs, with indents and sticky out bits, so heavy things can get stuck on those as you load and unload, which would be a pain. The original Galaxy format of completely removable rear seats is far better for van duties sadly I don t really fancy one of those, though, and Bluetooth/ISOFIX would be missing.
I don t find smaller stuff like the Scenic very practical in reality. Would much rather a Vectra Estate than a small MPV if I was going to go for something very cheap I think.
Berlingo. The end.I don t find smaller stuff like the Scenic very practical in reality. Would much rather a Vectra Estate than a small MPV if I was going to go for something very cheap I think.
ACCYSTAN said:
Get over the image issues and get a Berlingo MPV or one of the Stellantis re-badged variants
It’s not the image I object to. It’s the fact that this type of car is only really good at practicality, and less good at refinement, economy, equipment etc. Part of me thinks that something like a Fiat Doblo or Renault Kangoo 1.2 petrol would be entertaining for sheer underpowered awfulness but not as my only car!I suspect some of us may have read this part of your OP
"Since the new place is likely to require rewiring, a plumbing refresh and a c.40 sq. metre extension, I m debating selling my 2011 S5 Sportback, which is pretty practical but not so good for shipping building supplies/Gumtree furniture purchases around as an estate, due to the sloping rear."
And rather assumed you wanted a workhorse, whereas you have come up with some rather odd ways of dismissing a few of them, and it's pretty clear with the refinement etc, you
could just buy any estate tbh. 8-10k offers plenty of choice, the E class may or may not be rusting from the inside out, 'they all do that Sir', a Superb isn't going to be the 280bhp version at that money but is immensely practical, and you may find a Volvo V70 or XC70, again built for family duties but also good for what seems more like other people doing the bulk of the renovation work, with you putting some lengths of wood or garden bits in.
ETA I dunno of zone 4 means ulez, which likely rules out diesel for that price bracket, but if this is transient until you buy the Tesla fridge then petrols are available, and provided you won't be doing nothing but short journeys and the belts have been changed, Euro 5 dervs would find buyers after as not everywhere cares about soot like Khan.
"Since the new place is likely to require rewiring, a plumbing refresh and a c.40 sq. metre extension, I m debating selling my 2011 S5 Sportback, which is pretty practical but not so good for shipping building supplies/Gumtree furniture purchases around as an estate, due to the sloping rear."
And rather assumed you wanted a workhorse, whereas you have come up with some rather odd ways of dismissing a few of them, and it's pretty clear with the refinement etc, you
could just buy any estate tbh. 8-10k offers plenty of choice, the E class may or may not be rusting from the inside out, 'they all do that Sir', a Superb isn't going to be the 280bhp version at that money but is immensely practical, and you may find a Volvo V70 or XC70, again built for family duties but also good for what seems more like other people doing the bulk of the renovation work, with you putting some lengths of wood or garden bits in.
ETA I dunno of zone 4 means ulez, which likely rules out diesel for that price bracket, but if this is transient until you buy the Tesla fridge then petrols are available, and provided you won't be doing nothing but short journeys and the belts have been changed, Euro 5 dervs would find buyers after as not everywhere cares about soot like Khan.
Edited by macron on Monday 2nd June 07:58
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