New family wagon- what to compromise?
Discussion
Need something ulez compliant that won't depreciate too much.
Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Current family wagon is a 2007 honda crv.
Good points -
-It won't depreciate much more
-With the aero kit it doesn't look too dated
-Its old enough for me not to get any parking anxiety over it.
-huge amounts of space inside
-excellent mpg in town and on a run
Bad points -
-it has all the kit, but not as polished as the idrive system on the old 530d
-even modern japanese cars still seem to suffer from rust!
-lacked power until it was remapped. Now has the perfect amount of power and delivery (140bhp vs 185bhp).
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I either need to -
-double the budget
-avoid suvs (which are preferred over a saloon, ideally).
-buy something far older
-avoid something German
Current favourite is a 530e which seem to be available for the £20k mark (compromising budget straight away). I'm leaning toward the bmw/Merc camp just because I like their infotainment more than the others which counts for a lot on a family wagon. Ideally I would like to get back into something German (sorry, not sorry).
I can reign in the spend with an older diesel ulez compliant 3 series for around the £10k mark.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
Criteria, admittedly, is a little vague, just looking for inspiration I guess.
Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Current family wagon is a 2007 honda crv.
Good points -
-It won't depreciate much more
-With the aero kit it doesn't look too dated
-Its old enough for me not to get any parking anxiety over it.
-huge amounts of space inside
-excellent mpg in town and on a run
Bad points -
-it has all the kit, but not as polished as the idrive system on the old 530d
-even modern japanese cars still seem to suffer from rust!
-lacked power until it was remapped. Now has the perfect amount of power and delivery (140bhp vs 185bhp).
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I either need to -
-double the budget
-avoid suvs (which are preferred over a saloon, ideally).
-buy something far older
-avoid something German
Current favourite is a 530e which seem to be available for the £20k mark (compromising budget straight away). I'm leaning toward the bmw/Merc camp just because I like their infotainment more than the others which counts for a lot on a family wagon. Ideally I would like to get back into something German (sorry, not sorry).
I can reign in the spend with an older diesel ulez compliant 3 series for around the £10k mark.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
Criteria, admittedly, is a little vague, just looking for inspiration I guess.
Have you considered a 3 or 5 series GT? Much bigger than the saloon versions internally, both in the back seats and the boot. Vast with the seats down and cheaper in general than the estate variant of the same car as not exactly pretty cars.
10K won't get you into a 5GT less than 5 years old unless mega miles on it, but up your budget to 15K, and it should get you a relatively low mileage one with a bit of hunting privately. Mine is ballpark worth £15k to the trade this now with 45K miles on it, not that I am selling mind you. Retail they are fetching about £19k for a 2015+ with low miles.
The 3GT is a bit cheaper.
Unfortunately, these cars are at least 3-4K more now than they were even 12 months ago. We paid £19K for our 2015 520D GT Msport as a BMW Approved Used with some nice options like pano roof and 20" wheels, 1 previous owner and 30K miles on it back in August 2020. In theory, the same car is the same price if not more at a dealer now.
10K won't get you into a 5GT less than 5 years old unless mega miles on it, but up your budget to 15K, and it should get you a relatively low mileage one with a bit of hunting privately. Mine is ballpark worth £15k to the trade this now with 45K miles on it, not that I am selling mind you. Retail they are fetching about £19k for a 2015+ with low miles.
The 3GT is a bit cheaper.
Unfortunately, these cars are at least 3-4K more now than they were even 12 months ago. We paid £19K for our 2015 520D GT Msport as a BMW Approved Used with some nice options like pano roof and 20" wheels, 1 previous owner and 30K miles on it back in August 2020. In theory, the same car is the same price if not more at a dealer now.
I didn't consider a 5gt actually. I'm still not the biggest fan of its looks compared to the saloon but its not a bad shout.
I would consider older than 5 years for the right car. An f15 X5 would be my perfect car for the job, especially as a 7 seater, but I'm not sure a leggy smaller engined SE will leave me satisfied?
I would consider older than 5 years for the right car. An f15 X5 would be my perfect car for the job, especially as a 7 seater, but I'm not sure a leggy smaller engined SE will leave me satisfied?
If you like German and want the higher roof for bulky loads, I'd have a look at the BMW 2 series Gran Tourer. Seem to be available around your budget c. 2015-17, stretch the budget a bit and you can get one with the good engines (190hp diesel or ~230hp petrol), they have plenty of space. (Active Tourer is the shorter version of the same).
If you're looking 'around' £20k, you could possibly scrape a 6 series GT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...
samoht said:
If you like German and want the higher roof for bulky loads, I'd have a look at the BMW 2 series Gran Tourer. Seem to be available around your budget c. 2015-17, stretch the budget a bit and you can get one with the good engines (190hp diesel or ~230hp petrol), they have plenty of space. (Active Tourer is the shorter version of the same).
Oh God no :lol:A500leroy said:
A car with a towbar and small trailer.
A tow bar would be great, but quite rare as an option on most cars. Retrofit is usually quite ugly but an option still. Good for bike carriers too. I'd prefer to avoid a trailer though, our local tips need written permission from the local council and only permit a certain number of loads per year. Not impossible to work around, but a faff.
Edited by Ice_blue_tvr on Wednesday 27th April 16:59
ilikejam said:
If you're looking 'around' £20k, you could possibly scrape a 6 series GT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...
Looks pretty much like a 5gt?whats the difference? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204144...
Ice_blue_tvr said:
Need something ulez compliant that won't depreciate too much.
Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
I’m confused; you want value and practicality, so why are estates out? SUVs typically offer poor value compared with other car types and often less floor space than estate cars of the same length/width (their load volume is gained through extra height, which may or may not be useful depending what you’re trying to fit in) and saloons aren’t particularly practical.Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
As for depreciation, sub-five-year-old cars are the ones that depreciate the most, so you’ll be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t depreciate (barring continued used car price increases - which may or may not happen).
Am I missing something?
Ice_blue_tvr said:
Need something ulez compliant that won't depreciate too much.
Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Current family wagon is a 2007 honda crv.
Good points -
-It won't depreciate much more
-With the aero kit it doesn't look too dated
-Its old enough for me not to get any parking anxiety over it.
-huge amounts of space inside
-excellent mpg in town and on a run
Bad points -
-it has all the kit, but not as polished as the idrive system on the old 530d
-even modern japanese cars still seem to suffer from rust!
-lacked power until it was remapped. Now has the perfect amount of power and delivery (140bhp vs 185bhp).
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I either need to -
-double the budget
-avoid suvs (which are preferred over a saloon, ideally).
-buy something far older
-avoid something German
Current favourite is a 530e which seem to be available for the £20k mark (compromising budget straight away). I'm leaning toward the bmw/Merc camp just because I like their infotainment more than the others which counts for a lot on a family wagon. Ideally I would like to get back into something German (sorry, not sorry).
I can reign in the spend with an older diesel ulez compliant 3 series for around the £10k mark.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
Criteria, admittedly, is a little vague, just looking for inspiration I guess.
The only compromise you'll have to make is on the age but you'll get a low mileage Infiniti EX (they're Q5 sized) for your 10k budget:Ideally something that isn't too big, but large enough for kids. Something x3/x5 sized, or 3 series/5 series sized.
Current family wagon is a 2007 honda crv.
Good points -
-It won't depreciate much more
-With the aero kit it doesn't look too dated
-Its old enough for me not to get any parking anxiety over it.
-huge amounts of space inside
-excellent mpg in town and on a run
Bad points -
-it has all the kit, but not as polished as the idrive system on the old 530d
-even modern japanese cars still seem to suffer from rust!
-lacked power until it was remapped. Now has the perfect amount of power and delivery (140bhp vs 185bhp).
Ideally I'd like to spend not much more than £10k and have something less than 5 years old of similar size and spec. This seems impossible.
I either need to -
-double the budget
-avoid suvs (which are preferred over a saloon, ideally).
-buy something far older
-avoid something German
Current favourite is a 530e which seem to be available for the £20k mark (compromising budget straight away). I'm leaning toward the bmw/Merc camp just because I like their infotainment more than the others which counts for a lot on a family wagon. Ideally I would like to get back into something German (sorry, not sorry).
I can reign in the spend with an older diesel ulez compliant 3 series for around the £10k mark.
I then need to consider the occasional tip run, where an suv would be handy. But this isn't really a deal breaker.
Estates are out, and I'm not convinced a hatch would be big enough. So mainly saloons and suvs are what I'm after.
Criteria, admittedly, is a little vague, just looking for inspiration I guess.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110088...
For 5k more than the one above you'll get the facelift QX50:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204134...
Or there's the Q70 2.2d (which uses the Mercedes 2.1d drivetrain) you'll get a 2016 for your 10k budget:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202222...
All the above are ULEZ/CAZ compliant:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202222...
Q5 is a good shout. If I was looking at Japanese I wouldn't mind lexus. Inifiti are great value but look like they've melted in the sun.
I think an sq5 might be a front runner if I compromise budget. Not a fan of audis infotainment though
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022042048...
I think an sq5 might be a front runner if I compromise budget. Not a fan of audis infotainment though
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022042048...
Edited by Ice_blue_tvr on Wednesday 27th April 19:28
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