Well I sold my beloved vRS Octy about a year ago as I needed the money and bought a Nissan to kick about in.

The family is growing as we speak and I'm friends with the Skud dealer where I live.

He's offered me a fair price on the Nissan and i'm looking at a Superb Comfort 2.5 TDI on an 02 plate that he is willing to drop from £9250 down to £8800 for me.

Thing is we were thinking of a people carrier but only need a car for a max of two kids. Is this going to be a good buy or will I regret it???

I'm worried about fuel economy too..with it being a 2.5 it makes it sound guzzly regardless of being a diesel...I keep reading an average of 39.8 MPG...this about right??

Want to make the right choice as I dont want to chuck my money up the wall...any comments appreciated..thanks

We are keeping our Octavia 2 as this is a great family car also.

would imagine a people carrier would be about the same or worse mpg than 40mpg, so decide which you prefer to drive, image, looks etc, see you around in your new superb soon

Buy the Superb ...I had a few doubts but the car is magic

I know that the car is at a dealers, but according to www.parkers.co.uk the price from a dealer should be £8700. I would personnally sell your nissan privately and get the superb privately too.

The prices are listed here http://www.parkers.co.uk/pricing/used_car/valuation.aspx?deriv=23107&model=816&plate=69&pay=false&buyorsell=buy

The superb is a great family car in all aspects with the exception of one, the boot access. It's awkward. As you are keeping the Octy 2 this might not be too much of a problem but you also might find yourself using the Octy first and making the Superb redundant. Also, has the Superb you are interested in got folding rear seats? These are a big advantage. The fact that you are debating between this and a people carrier would lead me to believe that the Superb will be the family workhorse and I'm just not convinced about its practicality for that. I've also owned a Ford Galaxy people carrier in the past and wouldn't have another thrown at me. Heavy vehicle = heavy on gas, and no fun to drive after a few months either. The smaller mpv, vauxhall zafira sized, seem a great compromise, as does an estate. This is why everyone wishes they had built a Superb estate. VAG must have known that it would be a huge seller and in the interests of VW and Audi decided against it. If you know the chap at the dealers, take some of your usual 'travelling with the family' stuff and see if it all fits. I own the 1.9Tdi which is very frugal but very industrial. I would prefer the 2.5Tdi personally...actually I would rather have the 2.8 petrol but while I am sharing my wallet with Gordon Brown it's just not possible.

Thats great...thanks for your replies so far...all very helpful.

Only comment is my Nissan is not an easy car to sell privately and if I bought a Superb privately I wouldnt get a warranty..and would spend a bit extra for this peace of mind.

So,,,,is the 2.5 TD going to be hit by heavy tax too..or is it just large petrol engines?

FWIW we decided to get a (new) 05 1.9TDI having 24hr test driven the 2.5TDI. Reasons? At the time, the 2.5TDI was auto only and we didn't like the auto box and we felt that the engine was noisier than the 1.9TDI. Finally, the performance on paper of the 2.5TDI auto vs 1.9TDI manual was about the same, but obviously the economy is worse.

OK well...I've been mulling it over a bit now and feel that the Superb would be pointless as we already have the Octy 2 which is a more than ample car for a family.

I'm looking down the Fabia vRS route now as even though it will cost me more to buy I'll save money on insurance tax and fuel, plus to be honest will be big enough to use for work etc. Plus I will still have a sporty car which is what I really long for again....

FWIW we decided to get a (new) 05 1.9TDI having 24hr test driven the 2.5TDI. Reasons? At the time, the 2.5TDI was auto only and we didn't like the auto box and we felt that the engine was noisier than the 1.9TDI. Finally, the performance on paper of the 2.5TDI auto vs 1.9TDI manual was about the same, but obviously the economy is worse.

Did exact opposite!! Had a 1.9 and 2.5 for 2 days each and went for 2.5. Quieter and smoother. Plus we wanted auto. My only problem is Skoda UK not knowing what the new facelift specs are on the Elegance and L&K. Told today it will be 2 weeks before they know about the L&K. I just want to know if front parking sensors and dark wood are options on Elegance - but they "have no information at the moment". How hard can it be to buy a new car!!