Ummm ....... last couple of days with Furby on ebay, and I am having second thoughts :S Just put 12 months tax on him this morning and then made the mistake of taking the family out for a nice windy hilly trip to the local seaside in him this afternoon - now thinking of taking him off ebay and keepin him :p

Having persuaded she who must be obeyed to part x her merc coupe in for an x trail last weekend, the need for me to move up a size to the octava vrs estate is now reduced.

So, what do people who have sold a furby in the past think? Was it an instant regret or did you get over it (suppose it depends on what you got in its place!) . Being quite fatalistic about things in general, my gut instinct is to leave it on and if it sells I will have had most of my money back on it, and if not then it was meant to stay with me

If it goes, what hatch or estate car is going to still put a smile on my face ? Have had golf GTi mk1 and mk2s, 306 turbod, saab 93 , and a couple of top of the range 185bhp volvo V70 D5s in recent past.

Main criteria it has to meet:

great handling on poor quality and narrow west Wales roads - needs balance between handling and smooth ride over cr*p roads

plenty of poke to get past slow vehicles

possibly 4 wheel drive due to how wet Ceredigion is and how much wet leaves are on road in autumn

a good safety shell, so I can hopefully survive when the inevitable meet with white van man happens on one of these narrow roads (something that does worry me with Furby)

sounds nice!

Insurance isnt a major issue as its a low crime area and I have full NCB and am wrong side of 40+

Havnt liked the audi a4 and a6 estates I have test driven before as found the ride to be harsh. Still like the v70 for its ride and safety, so maybe a T5 is an option.. Focus ST would be too hard a ride and driving my brothers ST back to back with Furby I felt safer in Furby lol!

Is a Scooby the way to go? Maybe a scooby estate ? I could live with the low mpg in exchange for the wonderful noise that exhaust makes! Anyone here lived with a scooby before or moved from one or to one from a Furby? I am thinking that a standard scooby or one tweaked for road rallying on such roads might be a fun alternative to try?

Alternatively, if Furby ends up staying with me, are there any mods which might improve its handling on the rough tarmac poor roads down here? I dont think lowering is an option with these roads, but maybe there are some mods which someone on here has implemented have improved ride and handling on poor B roads?

Still like the v70 for its ride and safety, so maybe a T5 is an option..

I had a V70 T5 before the fabia it was a 2003 SE and was the best car I have ever owned, as you will well know the v70's seats are second to none for comfort, the ride is great in all occasions and it handles pretty well too! You wouldnt regret a T5 and if your not too heavy on the right foot 35mpg is achievable.

I would say that actually for me its a reverse of your situation....... I regret swapping the V70 for a Fabia vRS! If I find the right one the fabia will go

2.5T Mondeo?

Yes I liked both of my V70s D5s - 2006 se was excellent ride and workhorse. 2009 latest style one had much better turning circle, but stayed with my last employer when I changed jobs within weeks of getting it last March. However the company car tax was killing me!

I found the handling of the V70 was good considering its large size and carrying ability. Have never tried the T5 petrol version but am sure that with current fuel prices and the move for more people to downsize their cars in this recession there might be few 3 or 4 years old ones around at a good price. If Furby sells on Monday night I might pop over to one of the auctions Manchester way where my brother has picked up his V70. Found thm to be very reliable compared to the saab 93 company car I had before them.

The Furby is a bit small for my hobbies (fishing and sea kayaking) and a fast volvo does make more sense (if not quite as much fun as Furby!). If the T5 sounded as good as a scooby it would be a no brainer!

Thanks for your input - all good ood for thought. Maybe I will take a test drive in a T5 to see how it plays compared to the D5s.

2.5T Mondeo?

Petrol? Havnt driven a mondeo for a long while, but the estate version would carry the kayak and fishing gear well. Another one to test drive perhaps

I sold my vRS for an LCR...

It was sad to see it go, although the only thing I really miss about it is the fuel economy...