I'm in the market for a new car. I have an Octavia saloon. I like it a lot, but it doesn't have ALL the toys, and it's also a bit of a bumpy ride.
I really wanted a new premium saloon with a similar boot. No such animal in most manufacturer's ranges.
We tested a Lexus ES, liked it a lot, but the stupid thing has rear seats you can't fold, so too compromised.
Don't really like the SUV thing. Seem to me to be big vehicles, but also seem to have squiddy boots for four people's luggage on holidays.
Struggling a bit to find something. Needs things like leather, ideally in a light colour, sunroof, adaptive cruise, those clever adaptive headlights, bit of self park wouldn't go amiss, that kind of a game.
Up to about 50k I guess.
Ideas?
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E-class, 5-series, Jaaag XF? Or as a left-field choice, DS9?
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Thanks for those.
Don't think the first two are going to come in under 50k, the Jaag will break down after a yard. DS9 is a nice idea, I'll look into those.
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Or the new Citroen C5X? Very comfortable according to the reviews with a big boot, but is a hatch.
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www.drivethedeal.com/buy-a-new-car/SKODA/SUPERB%20HATCHBACK/index.html
~20% discounts off RRP.
Top of the range comes in at just under £35k (under £33k if you want diseasel rather than petrol) before options and is loaded with kit to start with.
(ps Octavia is a hatch not a saloon)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 10 Mar 22 at 15:41
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I'd look at the Superb. I'm allergic to "premium" brands, and new cars aren't an investment, they are just spending.
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Worried about Jag reliability and then says he'll have a look at a DS9?
Send me some of what you are smoking over.
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"DS9"
I've tried and tried but I just can't get interested in it. Voyager is much better, especially when Jeri Ryan joined in season 4.
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>> DS9
>>
>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_rH3nqBMQ
Thanks. Just watched that. Kind of ok-ish. Kind of.
Lot of money for just kind of though.
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One of the new C class saloons with the premium plus pack and driver assistance pack would give you all of that. A C200 AMG Line Premium Plus (!) in metallic with driver ssiatnce pck plus and standard leather is £50,175 OTR ;)
I’m sure a 3 series would give you the same, though BMWs with sunroofs as standard are very scarce.
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>> One of the new C class saloons…
Yes, absolutely, but be careful, Mercs are like heroin. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave. Sort of thing.
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>> >> One of the new C class saloons…
>>
>> Yes, absolutely, but be careful, Mercs are like heroin. pot
But only 4 of them.
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The trouble with extra pots is their tendency to lead to extra points, unless of course your observational skills are astonishingly good.
But, y’know if you struggle to see, oh I don’t know, let’s say buses, then it might be a bit too challenging to consistently spot cameras.
;-)
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>> The trouble with extra pots is their tendency to lead to extra points, unless of
>> course your observational skills are astonishingly good.
Only 3 pots in a Yaris GR and that too could very easily lead to extra points make prizes if one is too exuberant.
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>>
>> We tested a Lexus ES, liked it a lot, but the stupid thing has rear
>> seats you can't fold, so too compromised.
Toyota Camry, it's the same as the Lexus ES, but the seats fold.
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Actually I might look at a Camry first. It should be more reliable.
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If you want excluuuuusive you can always go for Hyundai's Lexus....
www.genesis.com/uk/en/models.html
Edit: have just had a look at G70 & G80 saloons online - pretty nice from all angles... except the minger of a front grille.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 10 Mar 22 at 15:54
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Volvo V60. Smooth to drive and a high quality interior.
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Or go EV and a Polestar 2 Long Range with plus pack and leather probably also gives you all that stuff. That’d be £52k, but if you’re happy with the lower range of the standard car know knock £3k off that :)
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>> Toyota Camry, it's the same as the Lexus ES, but the seats fold.
You may think you have a Lexus, you may even fool yourself, but we know you have a cheapskate uber taxi.
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Camry not available any more. I'll pore over other suggestions tomorrow, though apparently wait times on the Superb is over a year at the minute. And I'll be fussy about the colour combo and options so probably have to be a factory order whatever I do.
EV doesn't work for us.
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Bad time to be buying a car. Limited choice and presumably poor deals on anything desirable.
Thinking back I considered a Superb years ago, but discounted it because I couldn't get a proper automatic IIRC.
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If it’s a factory order pretty much everything is around 12months waiting list at the moment.
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Thanks for all the suggestions - prodding about time. C- Class suggestion worth an explore, not that the Mercedes website is of much worth.
Genesis - looked at that but it looks like you buy it online only, no test drive, and I won't be doing that without seeing and trying it!
I know absolutely nothing about BMWs, they have never appealed for some reason. Only time I ever drove one I thought it was slightly less interesting than the Ford I was in at the time.
Having said that, is the BMW 2 Tourer interesting, though frankly it looks like a Focus? I don't think a 3 with the bits I wanted is going to be in budget.
Superb good in theory, but the current one is an old model. The internet says a new one next year, the dealer says it's not going to happen now. Not sure it's much of a "step up" anyway.
Volvo well over budget, 60k ish.
Ioniq can't be tricked out sufficiently for me.
PS, yes I know an Octavia is a hatch, not a saloon, but it looks like one!
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The MB website is a bit busy, but there are e-brochures for all models
tinyurl.com/3sdawzth
And the configurator works well, once you’ve found it! Though, now they bundle pretty much everything in packs it’s unnecessarily long winded I think.
tinyurl.com/4mhdkamw
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>> Having said that, is the BMW 2 Tourer interesting, though frankly it looks like a
>> Focus? I don't think a 3 with the bits I wanted is going to be
>> in budget.
>>
The BMW Active tourer is no good if you value comfort. Both we and our neighbours have BMW Gran Tourers and we were discussing on the train just yesterday morning their shortcomings: Uncomfortable, fussy/difficult to use dashboard controls, smaller than it looks internally. Their 218 has been unreliable. Our 220 hasn’t broken down but build quality is poor. This weekend’s chores include tightening the drivers door hinge (again) and the door seals are worn. It’s only done 30,000 miles!
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Eep! Thanks for that, sounds like a bullet dodged there.
Quite liking Peter's C class idea, after using the config thing, but you are stuck with no sunroof I could find and yukky very dark interiors, or a ludicrous half brown or red.
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I think a panoramic sunroof is included as standard in the premium plus pack, but you can’t option it on other models. The chestnut / saddle brown looks okay in real life IMO, FWIW!
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Pretty sure I dare an advert saying the new 2 series Active Tourer was released next week?
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The Alfa Giulia is a very nice car
Boot wont be as big as the Skoda if you can live with that
2.0 petrol gets you 280BHP, carbon propshaft and light weight.
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If my - or your - favourite aunt - or a stranger on an internet forum - asked me what car should they buy, I cannot think of a set of circumstances in which I would say - Alfa Romeo.
Sorry, but there it is.
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It's an interesting left field idea, but I think like Duncan, I'd be rather unsure about reliability.
My immediate reaction is to take my projected distance before failure of a Jaguar, posted above, and halve it.
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Cars are clearly a very personal thing, and people spend ridiculous amounts on them when viewed from a utilitarian point of view. Even me.
My cousin lives in what was East Berlin. When I visited in the early 90's, Trabants were still a fairly common sight. I wondered at the time whether the gap between life in the West and what the East Germans had endured was as large as the difference in wealth suggested. It probably was, but not wasting so much money on drive ornaments must have gone some way to bridging the financial gap.
It's an age thing too, I love cars but I don't yearn for today's obvious objects of desire - they go too far. Around 120hp in a family sized car is a good number for engaging driving, maybe make that 160 now that cars are so heavy. Nearly every car has enough or too much power and yet bhp is promoted as a differentiator, even more so when it is well beyond relevance to transport.
I enjoy driving more than ever on the right roads but my enjoyment is not at all enhanced, quite the opposite, by autonomous nanny functions that reduce driver engagement.
I'm wrong of course. I am the common factor, no doubt. Although I don't desire a Trabby.
Back on topic, a friend bought a well looked after 2003 Bentley Arnage a while back for under £20k. £30k buys a lot of fuel even now, although having your own oil well would be useful.
Last edited by: Manatee on Mon 14 Mar 22 at 08:55
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How about a Maserati Ghibli then?
£50k will get you a nearly new 2.0 MHEV, large saloon
And I am on my second (diesel) and reliability has been good (put 110k on last one without any issues)
Parts are expensive though
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>> Parts are expensive though
>>
Bloke at work paid the best part of £6k for a 3rd service on a Ghibli!
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>> How about a Maserati Ghibli then?
>> And I am on my second (diesel)
A diesel Maserati? Thats like being married to a porn star that has no tits.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 14 Mar 22 at 13:34
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As a mile muncher it does me fine ;)
And service wise I paid no more than £950 for any service on my last car. That £6k must have included extras (brakes arent cheap).
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>> That £6k must have included extras (brakes arent cheap).
>>
Knowing the way he drives, that wouldn't surprise me!
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Someone suggested a Volvo V60 but you mentioned it was too expensive?
I wonder of you were just looking at the 'Recharge' hybrid versions (which are expensive) rather than their 'mild-hybrid' ones?
If you want a saloon then there is the S90, or the V90 estate should also be in budget for a well specified new version. An awful lot comes as standard and you have have the choice of a 2.0 petrol or diesel in two power outputs. The 'Recharge' version is v. expensive I admit.
The V60 is also available as the S60 too.
I have been fortunate to have a new V90 recharge as a company car on a lease and it's a nice place to spend time. Far more comfortable seats than the E class that proceeded it which were awful.......
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Audi - something in IT
BMW - The boy done good innit
Skoda - Bit of a tightwad
Volvo - possible lefty
Ford - bit blue collar
Vauxhall - don’t be absurd
Mercedes - Gentleman
Renault - feel lucky? Well do ya?
Citroen - librarian
Maserati - bit of a cad
Seat - tightwad wide boy
Nissan - given up caring
Toyota - bit Marks and Spencer
Kia - old bloke
Hyundai- even older bloke
Suzuki - what you get before you’re old enough for a Kia
There are more, but y’know…
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What car - Boxsterboy
