With a house finally going through the sold process we are thinking about our summer holiday this year. This sale is a second property which means that until I use some of the equity for a new project I will have x amount sitting in my account. I do intend to replace our current cars with newer (not brand new) models but then I had an idea..
Both our parents live abroad. Mine in SW France, hers in Bosnia. The approx idea is UK >Paris>SW France>french med coast>Italy>Croatia>Bosnia>UK. Staying in hotels or with family.
My thought is to buy a vehicle from BCA, use it and sell it on my return. Having bought quite a few via auction before I have always managed to sell them for the same money initially paid despite keeping them for a year or so. Based on that logic I could spend say £25-40+k on a vehicle which is much more than I would normally buy a car for and enjoy it on our Eurotrip, releasing the funds back on our return once it's sold. I'll factor in taking a small financial hit just in case.
What car though? She likes a high Range Rover type car, I'm just as happy in a reg car.
It's got be to be auto. I love gadgets like reversing cameras, aux in for my podcasts and if possible a DVD in the back for my Dort.
What vehicle would you lean towards for such a trip?
Any input appreciated.
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We had a Grand Voyager.
Loads of toys and leather, bit "Captains" chairs all round, independent DVD/Media players including inputs for other video or music devices, reversing cameras etc etc..
A ton of space, very comfortable on long trips and up to 7 seats should you be so minded. (Unused seats fold into luggage space under the floor). We had the 2.8 diesel auto.
Fantastic car and, in our case at least, very reliable. Fuel consumption wasn't great though.
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A Grand Voyager hadn't even occurred to me, certainly worth looking in to.
A Phaeton is a quirky choice - I've never got close up to one in real life. I wonder how easy it would sell after?
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Phaetons can be had virtually brand new with manufacturer's warranty for around £30k. Selling it after though, well, you did say you'd take a small financial hit............
She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine..................one day.
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Had one. (A Phaeton that is)
Without doubt the best car I ever had. Superb at everything and gorgeous to drive.
Hell would freeze over before I would own or drive one without the manufacturer's warranty.
Only one thing ever went wrong with mine, it was a small pipe (2 @ +/- £12 ea) started leaking on the power steering.
The final bill incl. labour was £1400.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 13:43
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>>The final bill incl. labour was £1400.
Ouch. Did you find the Voyager a bit plasticky?
The Phaeton oozes quality inside but I'm concerned about selling it again. I take it the boot is fairly large.
The Voyager has all the gadgets and no doubt is a nice drive but I'm concerned about being surrounded by acres of cheap materials. Also might a seven seater be a bit of an overkill for the three of us? Need to see one in the flesh
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Lexus LS600h - every gadget you'd ever need including built in surround sound DVD with reclining rear seats, 440 bhp and still 30mpg
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You're going to Bosnia. Something I do regularly.
I prefer to be in something anonymous in terms of vehicle. VW Phaeton would be ideal in that regard. I wouldn't want to be in anything like a Merc S Class, obvious target for any ill wishers or thieves.
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The Phaeton has a truly massive boot.
NO, the Grand Voyager did not seem plasticky, and we had it and the Phaeton at the same time so I would have noticed the difference if it has looked too bad, I think.
The seats were leather, as were inserts in the door. The dash was largely foamy, flexible plastic covered, if that makes sense and the centre console and dash seems just normal plastic, not particularly cheap looking.
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I'd be think Merc S-class if it was me.
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I would want a raised driving position to make the most of the views, rather than a 'conventional'car, and nice comfy seats, but not too flash for Bosnia.
XC90?
Galaxy/S-Max?
Sharan?
Tuareg?
Q5?
Something along those lines.
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Lexus seconded, but not an LS, an RX.
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Yeah, make it a red one and you'll feel perfectly inconspicuous amid the rusting Yugos and Dacias of southeast Europe.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 15:59
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selekt.volvocars.co.uk/selekt-search-results/Volvo-V70-5237199
Few horses to play with, space for the kitchen minus the sink, DVD with headphones in the rear, Premium sound system, SatNav, Bluetooth and no one will give you a second glance.
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Does it come with a towable oil well?
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I'd buy something you could sell for a profit in Bosnia, and fly home.
If you are buying a 40k type car at auction, you are not going to make any money on it when you get it home.
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>> Does it come with a towable oil well?
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That's what the £7k below budget is for...
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Not looking to profit from it, just looking to minimise loss. An RX is certainly an idea and she would prefer the higher up position. A Q5 is also nice but probably gadgetless. My experience of Bosnia is there's plenty of upmarket cars there, might just be the town we go to (Banjaluka) but there's more X6's there than anywhere, all driven by sub 30 year olds. However, they don't have UK plates on which makes us stand out.
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Volvo? Oh I don't know why but I never felt they were 'me'. Can't put my finger on it but obviously it's me, not you. Maybe I should look at them a bit more closely.
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Whatever you chose, make sure it has, or you can get for it, a FULL sized spare wheel. With that mileage, you're bound to get a puncture.
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VERY good point. Thank you.
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Daughter's partner has a Grand Voyager. It's an old one, 52 reg. I posted on here before he bought it. He only gave £900 for it from a friend who needed money to pay his mortgage while he was doing a little ' bird ' for some indoor gardening ! No problems so far..it's a petrol manual. 6 of us did the Blackpool Hallucinations in it and it were reet comfy. The boys watched DVDs in the back. The Blackpool lights were crap ! The GV was better lit up !
If you're anywhere near Manchester I could give you a viewing. Give you an idea.
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Unfortunately I'm darn sarf but thanks for the offer. To get so much motor for £900 is incredible and perfectly achievable these days. I guess it's a throw away society. Thanks also for the heads up on Backpool, never been.
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Thanks also for the heads up on Blackpool, never been.
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I have once, for one day in 1977, that was enough.
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>> Whatever you chose, make sure it has, or you can get for it, a FULL
>> sized spare wheel. With that mileage, you're bound to get a puncture.
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For long distance euro travelling, if time scales are involved, 2 spares are a good idea. it certainly takes the pressure off if a a night time or Sunday pucture happens. Only used them both once. IIRC Yugoslavia in 1971 on a Sunday!
The conversation with SWMBO, (who was driving), " watch that glass, WATCH THAT! GLASS!........", " I thought it was water :("
A lorry had shed a a load of bottles.
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I know we're all different but I do sometimes think that some folk worry about stuff a lot more than I tend to when it comes to 'long journeys'.
I used to drive to and from Italy on my tod every few weeks in an old Mondeo. Never gave it much thought. As for tyres, well, I did check the pressures once a month and made sure the screen wash was kept topped up in winter.
Only other significant preparation was filling a flask.
Have a great trip. Suggest whatever you buy / take that it passes the wafty test. Wafty is good if you're going far.
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As some cars do not have a spare wheel, some manufacturers include roadside assistance throughout Europe when you keep the car serviced in the dealer approved network if breakdowns and punctures etc... worry you.
They sell you the insurance in with your service.
I, some might say rather foolishly, took a 9 year old car down to Italy with my family last summer. Never thought about breakdown cover as I would not have started the journey if I did not think the car would make it. Things happen I'll deal with it when it does rather than nurture stomach ulcers.
I was going to suggest an XC60 instead of the V70 above but could not find one in the UK with the DVD player in the rear. Bit of a moot point now as the OP does not see themself in a Volvo. Most people have that view of one brand or another, whether it be cars or whatever.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 29 Mar 14 at 10:25
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Not foolish at all gmac, if you know a car is sound it doesn't matter whether you're going to the supermarket or across continents. At 8 years old and with 150k miles and more on the odometer my car was regularly doing a thousand plus miles a week to-ing and fro-ing in the uk so asking it to to the same while heading in a generally southerly direction for a day or two didn't seem too much to ask of it.
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Eurotrip - No FM2R
