I am one of these folks who start the ball rolling with their new car purchase the minute I have bought a car.......
In evenings I sometimes find myself randomly searching on Auto Trader for different car makes etc.
Anyway last night I got a lift home from a concert (Christy Moore) by a friend in her Honda Civic (new shape). Very space age, very comfy, and even her petrol model was returning mid 40s mpg.
My ix35 AWD provides 37 mpg when you are freewheeling downhill with a wind behind you......
Was thinking to myself if only Honda did a diesel estate to accommodate the dog... Then I remembered the BTCC last year when the Honda Tourers were in it..
So fast forward and now I see myself wanting a diesel Civic Tourer, no road tax, alleged 60-70mpg, and a rear seat that folds totally flat to provide a huge big flat load space for the dog (or my bike)
Something like this
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201510278194895
Unless of course I get a huge salary hike in which case its
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201506144318749
the dog would really like that!!
On a separate note a bugbear of mine is the amount of car makers who have estates / tourers with fixed parcel shelves. If you buy an estate the chances are you want to make use of the boot space so why bother with a fixed parcel shelf instead of a retractable one?
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 1 Nov 15 at 03:59
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Sorry Bobby, most of that's unreadable because the links make it too wide for this screen.
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Sorry, links look fine on my laptop!
Its probably all drivel anyway!
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OK on my android tablet gadget. How about a Skoda Octavia estate?
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 30 Oct 15 at 22:47
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Go for a lower spec Superb estate and it would probably be less than the price of the Honda estate. L&K spec doesn't give you much over and above Elegance spec. So how about a 170PS 2.0d instead of 4x4?
e.g. tinyurl.com/nqpue5e
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Cheers, I genuinely didn't know tinyurls were still needed nowadays - some forums automatically reduce the link size and provide dots after it and I thought most phones and tablets auto sized the screen.
Oh well, sorry! (and I prefer a link that you can see what it is rather than a tinyurl that could be directing you anywhere)
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and I prefer a link that you can see what it is rather than a tinyurl that could be directing you anywhere
You're right but we always check them !
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>> Cheers, I genuinely didn't know tinyurls were still needed nowadays
I think I might have mentioned this once or 50 times before. You don't need to post the full Autotrader link. Just the first bit is enough, i.e. you can omit everything after the long number, (/sort/default -- etc). See the edited link up above as an example.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 1 Nov 15 at 04:05
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Same here on my phone, i think it's the second link.
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I'd second the Skoda suggestion - just as roomy (much more so in the case of the Superb) and with much better rear visibility. But make sure if you go for one, you get one with a variable boot floor.
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>>Something like this tinyurl.com/odv5bps
There's something about the looks/design of that car that makes me feel quite queasy.
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>> There's something about the looks/design of that car that makes me feel quite queasy.
>>
Me too. It makes me feel as if my head would be touching the roof - if I actually managed to get into it.
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I had one as a courtesy car a few weeks ago when I took wifey's now gone Jazz for its last service. Sorry, not very well reasoned argument but it just felt weird - there was no "hmmm...this is nice" feeling about the car at all. It felt huge (as a reference my own car is a C Class estate) but it did have a very neat reversing camera with guidlines that moved with the steering - may not be standard on all versions, of course.
Mind you, I thought Qashqai felt cheap and nasty but it hasn't stopped lots of people buying them.
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>> Unless of course I get a huge salary hike in which case its
>> www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201506144318749
>> the dog would really like that!!
I have done dog training courses in village halls smaller than that boot.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 1 Nov 15 at 04:00
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That's one hell of a motor...shame about the white leather....My FIL was getting rid of his 12 plate 328....I'd have had that had it not been for the cream leather...black all the way for me.
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>> That's one hell of a motor...shame about the white leather...
I much prefer light interiors. Useful bargaining point - when I got my Merc, which has a completely light grey interio,r the salesman apologised that it wasn't black
That Superb has the same engine as Porsche Cayenne!
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I've read the Auto Express test on the Skoda since seeing this thread. Sum up is a Q Car, fast, but Skoda Chassis not up to the performance. I was thinking about this the other day driving home via the wonderful A5 north of Betws. If there is such a thing as BMW road, this must be one of the best, beautifully graded and surfaced, you can drive as quick as you like - The BMW 184 bhp and 4x4 chassis felt perfectly at home on it. On the flip side, in the Volvo's 256 bhp mated to a 6 speed auto and 4x4 chassis was decidedly edgy. However big a motor is you still need a proper chassis set-up. Mind you that Skoda is something else...
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Have you looked at an octavia, the boot isn't that much smaller than the superb. Theres more choice and cheaper too.
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Octavias to me mean private hire cabs! They have been the car of choice here since they came out and the missus would definitely say no to that.
Unless it was a vrs estate in white or metallic blue............. mmm
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>> Octavias to me mean private hire cabs! They have been the car of choice here
>> since they came out and the missus would definitely say no to that.
>>
>> Unless it was a vrs estate in white or metallic blue............. mmm
>>
Well those taxi drivers don't like wasting money. Pity it would bother you, i looked at one last time. Couldn't find the right spec i wanted. But otherwise would have one. Although i think all skodas have a very similar look, not that much difference between the two. Anyway superbs i hear are quite popular in certain parts as taxis ;)
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Well now Bobby, I've tried most types of car over the years depending on needs and wants at the time. Saloons ( mainly disappointing due to lack of loadspace versatility), two seater convertibles ( great fun but useless for most practical purposes ), hatchbacks ( ok but still compromised ), People carriers ( cavernous but about as pleasing to drive as a sponge pudding ), SUVs ( trendy but top heavy handling and too high off the ground to load and unload comfortably) and of course estates which I find to be the best possible all rounders.
Estates can usually be hustled along just as spiritedly as their saloon counterparts, swallow luggage or other detritus, load and unload easily due to being closer to the ground, have accessible roof racks again due to lower roof height and don't have the same fuel economy issues as brick shaped SUVs.
I'd go for an estate every time both for my specific work needs and indeed my private usage.
As a by the way, my car has a beige leather interior which has in its 140,000 + miles of use has never been a problem. Just wipes clean. The manufacturer was clever enough to combine it with black carpets though. I imagine beige ones would be looking fairly tired by now.
Wouldn't know which of your choices to vote for Bobby, I guess it depends how much space you want. For what it's worth though, I've often found cars too small but I've never really found one to be compromised because it was too big.
Good hunting for your next car !
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Aye indeed, been a bit frantic here recently. Still is in truth. ;-)
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Runfer hope all is OK with you though despite being busy.
Also that you are here for enough time to nail the poppy protocol/enamel badge issue.... from the perspective of the forum's...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=noiMCXRBjcA
BTW re estates I'm off later to buy something that is saving me near on £300 over buying new and having delivered... because it will just fit in the 5-series estate.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sat 31 Oct 15 at 11:49
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Welcome back, Humph! Quite right about the virtues of an estate: my former boss, who still works closely with me, was pleased with himself the other week because he'd found on eBay a chest of drawers to match one he had had for years. He was rather less pleased when he went to pick it up in his Lexus RX and found it wouldn't fit through the hatch; he had to give up and rent a van for the weekend. A nice Mercedes estate, as he admitted when he told me the story, would have swallowed it whole and asked for more.
Incidentally, perhaps it's a Scottish thing but has someone pinched a letter from Bobby's Civic before he's even bought it?
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I think those are the special edition yellow ones built to the north of Kathmandu.
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The
>> manufacturer was clever enough to combine it with black carpets though. I imagine beige ones
>> would be looking fairly tired by now.
Carpets in my old C Class are light grey - but you can't see much of it as it's covered front and rear by MB's high quality carpet mats, which are also light grey.
I suppose one advantage of black seats is at least the interior is a consistent colour - specify a lighter colour these days and you still get chunks of the interior in black which in some cars looks ridiculous. I love coming back to mine at night - on pressing the remote the lightness of the interior illuminates very strikingly.
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Humph, when I was wee my dad had a succession of estate cars, all as company cars.
Escort (Mk 1 I think), 2x Mark 3 Cortinas, a Mark 4 Cortina, and a big huge Peugeot 504 estate. All gave huge practicalities which of course you can't make use of nowadays, like filling the boot with kids!
Wife has a Fiesta and before that a Beetle and she managed to carry the dog in them, but that's literally up to 15 min journeys. Anything more, like trip to the beach or whatever is always my car. The Altea XL had a huge boot and the Hyundai is also fine.
But as I said before, I get annoyed when car makers have estate cars with fixed parcel shelfs, that just doesn't give the flexibility the car wants though I guess some of these parcel shelfs probably give more sound deadening that a concertina thingy!
Seat Ibiza, nice wee small car, in estate mode but has fixed parcel shelf and not enough toys for my liking. However it would appear the new Fabia does......
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201508055806318
Not sure how many estate cars offer the rear seats folding totally flat like the Civic mind you. I would guess some do this maybe with the use of a raised boot floor?
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The Mercedes E Class estate I have has a roller blind style luggage cover which also has a rather nifty cargo net come dog guard thingy built in. The seats fold flat and have another clever feature which means you can fold them remotely by operating switchy things at the back of the car just inside the boot.
Now mine is a company car so of course I didn't have to shell out the fairly steamy new purchase price but here's the thing, I am so taken with it that come the day I don't have access to a company car I will almost certainly buy another one of my own. It'll not be a new one for reasons of affordability but having covered 143,000 miles in mine it still drives like new, doesn't rattle or squeak, still gets better than 50 mpg on a run and never drops below 43 mpg even when local pottering. Effortless cruising in cliché ridden magic carpet / wafty style but can still be hustled along very rapidly and with confidence when the occasion or mood demands. Reliability has been exemplary with only only one minor glitch of a dashboard light in 4 years. Bodywork and interior are still pristine and show no signs of the miles.
You'll gather I'm quite fond of it !
It's a large car but it seems to shrink when you drive it. Easy to park due to a really good steering lock and the ride and handling are very pleasing. It's driven in all weathers in this country and abroad and the RWD has never been a worry even in the slippy stuff, on the contrary it copes very well and by default gives you a much more direct feel of the road through the wheel than any car with front or all wheel drive can ever do.
Swallows the largest loads and the self levelling suspension sorts it all out.
Love it !
Only downside is the wheels are a beggar to clean.
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Better than a Mondeo estate??
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Exactly, Humph. Anyone who still insists that Volvo makes the best estate cars hasn't tried an E. And you didn't mention the best feature of the self-levelling suspension: it even copes with a load behind the rear bumper, so it's just brilliant for our bike carrying needs.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Sun 1 Nov 15 at 18:09
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Any recommendations on a C class estate? Would have to be petrol due to my low annual miles, and similar performance to my old 330. The latest C class are supposed to be much improved build quality, but I would be buying around 3yo so not sure if the 'new' model has been around that long. No bling wheels or tyres either!
Last edited by: legacylad on Sun 1 Nov 15 at 18:16
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And you didn't mention the best feature of the self-levelling suspension: it even
>> copes with a load behind the rear bumper, so it's just brilliant for our bike
>> carrying needs.
>>
Or for towing a caravan !
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Bobby, if I was buying to a restricted budget, it'd be a Mondeo estate every time. Great cars. But, if I was able to go a bit more, an E Class is definitely in a different league. Not about badges or whatever just a fabulous piece of automotive engineering.
Legacy, if you appreciate handling over 'luxury' then you'd maybe be better with a 3 series but a C Class is a very very nice place to spend a journey. Ultimately a BMW will tackle a corner better but give me a 500 mile day and I'll take a Mercedes thanks. ( or actually even a Mondeo in truth )
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>> Bobby, if I was buying to a restricted budget, it'd be a Mondeo estate every
>> time. Great cars. But, if I was able to go a bit more, an E
>> Class is definitely in a different league. Not about badges or whatever just a fabulous
>> piece of automotive engineering.
>>
I've got an older (mid 2004 to 2007 model) C Class estate which followed a couple of Peugeot 406 estate company cars.
There are design / engineering touches which aren't immediately obvious - one difference that I noted doing a lot of motorway miles is that in mucky weather the Peugeot's side windows would get filthy within 100 miles and if the sun came out you simply couldn't see through them. I had to carry a window cleaning kit! The C Class simply doesn't do that.
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Yes indeed Bill, it's the little things like that which add up to a 'different' experience.
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RP, I still slightly regret not buying that 328 estate this summer. It was the right colour & spec for me, the price had been agreed over the phone and by email ( I was in CA at the time)and was happy to buy it unseen. Arriving back in the UK 24,hours later and ringing the dealer to give my card details as a deposit, someone else had bought it. A Bimmer ( wrong vowel).
Any problems with the FILs 328? Go ok I assume?
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I still slightly regret not buying that 328 estate this summer.
Yes, might have been handy for that eBay coffee table.
};---)
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Don't drink much coffee...one cup of Kenco instant decaf per day then it's Yorkshire tea until beer o'clock.
And it's the wrong time of year to sell my 330 convertible, although my old Mum has just come out of hospital after surgery whilst I'm overseas so will assess the situation when I return next week. Currently driving my friends 2.5 Outback. Nice & capable but thirsty. Whenever I'm borrowing it whilst staying with friends in CA I'm tempted to look at one when I return to the UK but never follow it through.
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>> Currently driving my friends 2.5 Outback. Nice &
>> capable but thirsty. Whenever I'm borrowing it whilst staying with friends in CA I'm tempted
>> to look at one when I return to the UK but never follow it through.
>>
It's another marque that's much cheaper in the US and sells far better than in the UK.
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But holds its value for better in northern CA than the UK. My friends second or third, normally bought new and kept for 8/10 years. Exceptionally capable when fitted with winter tyres. Well respected around ski resorts in the high Sierras.
Did I mention winter tyres?
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Yes - fine car....the engine sound is the Achilles heel. Plenty fast enough. He's chopped it in for a 330...that has a six cylinder so he'll be happy...
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Back to the original Civic element of this thread the magic seats are great for accommodating dogs while still leaving a big boot. We dog sit a variety of dogs up to large Labrador size and the magic sear feature has been invaluable in providing a low entry access and allowing dogs stay part of the company! I often read that people carry bikes in the magic seat area but I think that overstates the capacity a bit. As for the rear visibility the overall rear window area is actually bigger than many other cars of conventional design, it's just the split that draws attention to it. Reading owner reviews few owners find it an issue. In fact of many cars I have had in last 40 years it's the first to easily allow the rear mirror and door mirrors to be set up so there is no blind spot whatever.
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>>I have done dog training courses in village halls smaller than that boot.
If I got a car that size the missus would be less inclined to borrow it........
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>> If I got a car that size the missus would be less inclined to borrow it...
...and in doing so mess with the seat height, backrest rake, move the squab, the mirrors, change the radio station, change the ventilation settings, leave sweet wrappers in the door bins, fail to vacuum out the boot after the dog has been in there, fail to clean out the passenger footwell after her mother has been in there and not bothered to wipe the mud off her boots or to begin to think that it might be just a bit out of order to leave a used paper hankie in the door bin, kerb the alloys, ding the doors in the supermarket car park...
Might be worth another look y'know...
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The 120bhp diesel is a nice engine. We've recently taken delivery of a 2wd CR-V with the same engine, and we're achieving 55mpg without trying. Pulls well, smooth and flexible, feels a whole lot better than the VW 1.6 110bhp that we also test drove. But check out the seats thoroughly, we're having problems with getting comfortable particularly on long journeys, no idea how similar the Civic ones are to the CR-V's.
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What you wanna do, Mike, is buy an old SAAB 9-5 at or near the end of its operational life, and get the seats out of it. Then get a friendly specialist to fit the seats to your Honda.
;-)
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>> What you wanna do, Mike, is buy an old SAAB 9-5 at or near the
>> end of its operational life, and get the seats out of it. Then get a
>> friendly specialist to fit the seats to your Honda.
>>
If only that were possible :-/ Any ideas where I might get one? ;-)
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Honda Civc Tourer - WillDeBeest
