Evenin' all!

I'm mulling over the idea of replacing the Fabia Vrs after 5 happy years, for something bigger and quieter (i.e. less road noise!!! I'm not quite Mutt n Jeff, but getting there!).

Up to 15 Grand second hand, ideas for a good frugal, but punchy turbo diesel.

Estate rather than saloon for practicality.

Doesn't have to be the last word in handling, but a nice motorway cruiser ideally, that can do ok on the back roads and can iron out the huge numbers of potholes that I now encounter daily!

As quiet as possible, so I don't need to turn the stereo up too loud (except when it's Iron Maiden, Guns n Roses or Led Zep, therefore only 11 will do!).

Ideas, suggestions??? Doesn't have to be Octvaia or VW Group for that matter, completely open minded (but if anyone suggests Kia, Ford, Peugeot, Vuaxhall or any American junk like Chrysler, then they will be horsewhipped and rolled in Salt! )

Or you could just bung a load of sound proofing in the vRS.

I took out my spare wheel and back seats and put a bit in the spare wheel well - works like a charm

Edited 3 April, 201016 yr by Thirdtimeluck

I also need the size aswell for practicality, I had milled over the idea of adding soundproofing tho,,,

I also need the size aswell for practicality

Ah yes, I missed that part :yes:

Octavia vRS

Octavia vRS?

Octavia vRS?

They a 2.0 tdi? What kind of figures are they standard? 180bhp 300 ft lbs or similar?

530/5d touring

Andy, you could be my getaway driver for the bankjob I would need to afford that, and the area I live in, it wouldn't last 2 seconds and the insurance premium would be huuuuge!

Don't want rwd with the ice and snow I reckon we will now look forward to, even tailhappy Lady E is swopping her rwd 1 series for a fwd or awd car

530/5d touring

How about this one????

Bargain BMW 530D touring!

330d Touring in SE trim. MSport spec has the edge visually, but you'll need to rip the runflats off, fling a spare under the boot floor and fit some better damping if you want to survive the now crater sized potholes locally

If that's a bit showy or a potential beacon to the local wildlife, stick with the brand - Octy vRS (or Elegance/L&K) Combi. £15k might even get you into a facelift, depending on what's about. CR140/170 depending on model and you'll find it a step-up in terms of NVH and interior build/materials.

Steve

What about a subaru Forester , could do alot with that engine ,

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201012355146791/sort/priceasc/usedcars/model/9-3/make/saab/radius/1500/postcode/np446ew/page/1/keywords/ttid?logcode=p

Or

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201011354674504/sort/priceasc/usedcars/model/s40/make/volvo/postcode/np446ew/page/1/radius/1500/keywords/d5?logcode=p

Before you say...."They are just Vauhalls and Fords..." take either for a test drive....

Also, althought these are saloons, the Sportwagon and V50 are pretty much the same crack

Edited 4 April, 201016 yr by Decron

Focus estate or citroen c4?

Edited 3 April, 201016 yr by cheezemonkhai

Look here http://www.ssangyonggb.co.uk/Pages/Page.aspx?PageName=SsangyongRodiusOverview Bang on budget!!!

You even get a bolt on greenhouse at the back.

Edited 4 April, 201016 yr by Soot1e

Have you had a look at the current VAT free offers on new Octavia estates? Most of these cheaper at present than nearly-new!

£15k-ish could get you:

140bhp 2.0 Tdi SE £15.6k (the older PD but think of the tuning potential, with 320nm almost same power/torque as stock Fabia vRS)

Or for petrol...

160bhp 1.8Tsi 4x4 £15.9k

122bhp 1.4Tsi with DSG (now that WILL be a smooth ride!) in Elegance spec £15k

They should all ride like Rolls Royces after being in a Fabia vRS!!

Personally I think the 1.8Tsi 4x4 looks like a great deal, all that space, good performance, 4WD, 15" wheels too so should be comfortable over the pot holes

I work at the Nissan plant in Sunderland and a lot of the lads (of all ages) drive the Qashqai and not one of them has a bad thing to say about it!

Might be worth a look...

2 diesel engines 1.5, 2.0 which are very quiet when you're sat in it...

2 petrol engines 1.6, 2.0...

Some models have 4WD...

150bhp on the 2.0 diesel...

Plenty room inside, decent spec even on the base model, drive very well...

I hear they're pretty well built too!

+1 on the Qashqai - I've had them as courtesy cars and they ride exceptionally well, and are very quiet and insulated on the motorway.

Not sure how good they are on B-roads though...

Don't want rwd with the ice and snow I reckon we will now look forward to, even tailhappy Lady E is swopping her rwd 1 series for a fwd or awd car

This might be a bit left field, but have you thought about an X-Trail with the 170bhp engine? You would probably get a very heavily specced car with the bonus of lots of space, great snow/ice traction and loads and loads of toys. It drives like a big car too, as Mr Grumpy will testify (he loves his). So even though it isn’t a drivers car, it’s a very nice car to drive and spend time in. Economy isn’t too bad either.

On the subject of better traction, I am hoping that by next winter lots of people will have bought winter tyres and fitted them to RWD cars. Then I can see how they perform and with a bit of luck (assuming they work well enough for my needs) I can go back to RWD when I next change.

In the end I have gone for an AWD with 40/60 split and a trick sports diff that quells understeer. In fact if you turn the ESP off you can make it drive in a manner that means Steve/Wardy will still speak to me (if you see what I mean)

I'm quite pleased with my 407 SW Sport, the only downside to mine is its quicker to walk the 2l hdi isn't very quick but if I had of had the money I would have looked at the 2.2hdi or the 2.7hdi v6

407 sw sport 2.2hdi

407 sw gt 2.7hdi v6 tip tronic

It's an ultra quiet car (providing the Pirelli P7's have been taken off) extremly good handling for such a large heavy car (feels much more stable & confident compared to my old Octavia & Fabia vrs). The seats are supportive and very comfortable with lots of space inside the car. They're fully loaded with toys, once you get past the stigma of 'French Cars' they're actually quite good.

And they leave you with change in your pocket too

Edited 12 April, 201016 yr by matt@theforce