Choice of car .....

[cymaz]

My Zafira, wouldn't be without it

And it carries the kids stuff when they move out..WHATS NOT TO LIKE

Edited By cymaz on 03/02/2013 10:44:24

[Paul Marsh]

Been thinking of the Zafira. Someone at work has got one and although slightly shorter than the estate - taller.

[cymaz]

See what I do.... planes in the bottom wings on top. The foam wrapped piece of timber is a God send. I get more in this car than I could an Escort van.

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

I've always been into powerful cars, and my last was a Subaru Impreza Turbo, but to fit models in I went for the estate, but when sprog number one came along I had to look for something similiar to what you are looking at now, and ended up with a VW Sharan 7 seater, 2.0 petrol, very practical and reliable. You can eith drop all the rear seats flat to put models in, or remove them completely for van space. Very comforatble and very solid drive and not too expensive for an 02 plate £1600.

[cymaz]

Sold the Escort van as our local tip will omly allow small vans in once a month and then after that you get charged

[Doug Ireland]

I have an X-Type estate that can carry just about everything I need with a bit of comfort thrown in.

Oh and Myron, a friend of mine from Argentina told me what the word means! When the Triumph motor company tried to market their Acclaim model in Germany they had to change the name because of the literal translation of the name.

[cymaz]

Which means what , may I ask???????

I tried Google translater but it won't do it

Edited By cymaz on 03/02/2013 11:17:43

[Dai Fledermaus]

We have a 1.5 cdi Renault Megane estate. It's a fairly unremarkable Eurobox but I can get 63 to the gallon on motorways at a steady 70 with 50 odd around town. A large boot, with lots of room and a flat load space with the back seats down. Reliability is average despite what you might read about Renaults . Like most modern cars it's not realy designed for DIY maintenance, changing the headlight bulbs, for example, is a real performance.

[Phil May]

Love my Fusion.
1.4TDCI...never under 50 to the gallon and over 60 on a run..AND...?30 a year road tax.
Plenty of room for Steve 'H', myself and 8 gliders.

Edited By Big Phil on 03/02/2013 11:43:42

[avtur]

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 02/02/2013 22:42:29:

If you're looking for a reliable large estate that is a good motorway cruiser and a pleasure to drive then I can recommend the Volvo V70. Lots of room, very flexible interior, well put together. Second hand they are not too pricey and with a 2.5 petrol engine they shift a bit.

BEB

Have agree with the V70, I had a new one on an 09 plate (2L diesel), just the best load lugger around! Prior to that I had a Land Rover Freelander 2 and before that a Mazda 6 Estate, since the Volvo I now have a VW Golf Estate.

I am a confirmed diesel fan, it's not just about the economy of a diesel but the characteristics of the torque delivery are different and to me I prefer the diesel driving experience, probably spent too much time driving trucks!

My front runners at present are Skoda Octavia Estate (essentially the Golf I already have but with different badges) and the Kia Cee'd Estate; the Kia has the appeal of a 7 year warranty. Another factor that has crept in is to stay within emissions group C, £30 per year road tax, if possible. Anyway I have a few weeks to prepare so I'll see what others come to mind before I have to commit.

[Andy48]

I am a confirmed diesel fan, it's not just about the economy of a diesel but the characteristics of the torque delivery are different and to me I prefer the diesel driving experience, probably spent too much time driving trucks!

You need to be careful if buying a modern diesel. As they all now come with DPF, you need to regularly do some decent runs. Using such a diesel only round town causes problems with the DPF.

My experience of diesel trucks is limited to driving army AECs that did 2mpg, and a top speed of 30mph.

[Silver Wolf]

Mines a Skoda Octavia Estate at present. 11yrs old, 274,000 miles, economical average 65mpg on run and very reliable. next car will be Superb estate, not quite as economical but a little more weight for towing.

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Just ordered a new Company car & chose a Passat Estate over a Ford Mondeo but only just...the Ford is darn good!!!

Unless you are doing the mileage (ie more than 15k per year) I don't think I'd go for a diesel....the purchase premium of around £1000 to £1500 over a petrol engine will buy a lot of extra fuel.....add in the possibility of turbo failures dual mass flywheels & DPF problems & diesels start to look much less atrractive.....

That said I do run a diesel & think they are better to drive than petrol cars......you pays yer money I guess....

[Paul Marsh]

The Vectra has a DPF. Every now-and-then, it goes into maintenence mode - looks like for while that the engine is burning oil/loads of black smoke (and is broken) and the fuel consumption goes mad. Basically, if I do short stop-start runs, the ECU does itss program, clearing the particle filter by running fuel into it.

Then it carries on and resumes normal running.

Also you are recommended to keep the engine running at 2000rpm @ 50mph and don't stop the engine under no cicumstances util it's completed it's cycle, which usually lasts 5-10 mins, depending on driving speed.

Normal motorway driving(unless high speed/laboring gear selection) this function won't be used.

[flyless]

I got a 10 years old GPO Transit after the wife complain there was always planes in the car.

[LMA Dave]

Well for me it has to be the Picasso 2.0 diesel, great for towing the caravan and all the back seats can be folded down or up out of the way or even removed altogether giving you loads of space for your needs.

[kc]

The most important thing is the running costs---if you cannot afford to run it it's useless! Its not just the fuel costs you need to check, it's insurance cost, servicing costs and reliability ( i.e. length of manutacturers warranty )

When I last bought a car I calculated the petrol cost for 5 years ( 5 year mileage / mpg * cost per gal ) and found to my surprise it was cheaper to buy a more expensive car ( better technology from a leading maker than from an emerging country) Since then fuel costs have doubled so the saving was even greater.

Reliability is key, not just does it start every day but what they find wrong at the annual MOT or who pays if some computer whatnot fails. It is common to hear of several thousand pound cost of replacing some computer based essential item. Therefore a 5 year warranty is essential in my view. Kia 7 year is even better while new Vauxhall owner lifetime seems attractive but the downside could be manufacturers servicing cost.( maybe it's mandatory! ) The key to low MOT repair costs is to go to an independant MOT centre run by a local authority where they have no interest in failing it to make work.

Insurance cost is difficult to find but all you can do is see the manufacturers brochure for Group. But it could make a huge difference if you buy some big 4WD compapered to a small engined car. Especially for those with no NCB.

Driving comfort is important. Small cars often have poor ride and potholes seem to get worse. Automatics are much more relaxing in traffic and the latest type has the same fuel economy as manual but do they manouvre as well as a torque converter type? Almost is my conclusion from the ones I have hired in the last few years.

Buying a new car? Check the brokers like Broadspeed or Autobytel but read what Which? say about the risk of buying a car without being the registered keeper for the first year. ( i.e fleet discount ) Sometimes new car dealers have demo or pre registered cars. Often the same mileage as brand new and unused. but at secondhand prices if its a discontinued model. Lots of new models in medium size cars at the moment.  I would always compare the cost of buying secondhand which might be a fancy trim model to the cost of buying a new basic car at a discount.  It might be very close, so you might get a new car at the same price.  You will notice most secondhand 1 or 2 year old cars have a high spec ( just fancy bits for posers) and are therefore dear compared to a basic new car of the same model.

So I am saying consider these points and then think whether you really need to get a big car or whether to build smaller planes and get smaller dogs.

Edited By kc on 03/02/2013 16:13:47

[Mowerman]

Skoda Octavia 4X4.turbo diesel. The 4X4 was needed for our old flying site due to deep mud in field entrance.

Fuel consumption mid 40s ( my previous Non 4X4 octavia did mid 50s)

These are in fact re-badged VW with less bells and whistles.

[avtur]

Posted by kc on 03/02/2013 16:01:38:

So I am saying consider these points and then think whether you really need to get a big car or whether to build smaller planes and get smaller dogs.

Edited By kc on 03/02/2013 16:13:47

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I think you may have misunderstood me, I am not looking for a big car (or to justify having a big car), quite the opposite I am looking for the smallest car that will serve my purposes. Wanting to get a car in no higher than tax group C is certainly not going to see me in big car. Driving company cars has perhaps given me access to bigger more expensive cars that I could afford to run myself.

Now its time for a reality check, my next motor is going to be self funded so modest purchase cost and low running costs are going to be very important.

[FunnyFlyer]

I'm still in love with my new Mini Cooper diesel. With the seats down it can take a fully assembled Twin Star or foamie warbird.

3M gliders go in fine too, and it can easily be packed with four or five models.

And the drive to the flying field or slope is always great fun!

It never returns less than 48mpg in town driving - and on a decent motorway run at 70-80mph will give around 65 mpg.  On a twisty A-road route, the fun starts and you will get a dent in these figures - but a big grin on your face.

Edited By FunnyFlyer on 04/02/2013 07:59:21

[Roger in Dubai]

When I decided to buy my present car (Volvo XC 60) the first thing I asked the sales woman was to see the back seats folded down to see if they went flat or reduced the load compartment in any way. Obviously they went flat and the decision was made. This before even taking it for a drive !! Love the car and can fit a YT Hurricane (82", a Kyosho Spitifre 90 and a small electric glider in without the need to resort to putting planes on top of each other and risk hangar rash.

To answer the question raised......yes, my choice of car was based on it being able to carry my planes and all other equipment easily.

Safe landings

[Alan Randall]

Having gone through the same process, I settled for a Vauxhall Meriva B on an 11 plate with the 1.7 turbo diesel. As an electric flyer, I get most of my kit under the false boot floor and the models on top. The seats fold easily to increase the room for models.

It feels as fast and handles as well as my old company mondeo and returns an mpg in the mid 40s for mixed motoring.

[Greybeard]

I find the Bentley Continental Estate to be quite capacious.

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Well if I lost my Company car tomorrow a Focus estate would be top of my list as a replacement. My wife has one & its been a great car.....loads of room....good to drive....reliable...cheap & easy to service....what more could you ask for....

[GrahamC]

I think length of the load bay is one of the things to watch. I drive a Skoda Octavia Estate and often need to get some models for my son in along with my own. The Octavia will copw with up to about a 65 inch wing with no problems. More than that and the wing would need to sit over the passenger seat.

I can get a couple of Yaks, A Spitfire, and a Wot 4 in along with asorted foamys.

I've considered a late model Vectra Estate. I'd only consider one from the modeling point of view, but I think it may well be the longest load bay out there. It really is huge, and might even give the V70 a run for its money in terms of sheer space. One of the glider guiders at our club has one for that exact reason.

I've noticed that quite a few of the people carriers based on a mid sized car have a lot of space, but are not very long. The Zafira for example is really no longer than an Astra.

I wonder if Avtar, who is looking for a smaller car has looked at the Fabia Estate. I'd be surprised if anything has a longer load bay in the class.

Its a shame that I have no garage. If I did, I might well consider a small car and a trailer for models!