Recommendations please!

[capt jack]

Originally Posted by CraigThomas

I do around 300 miles a week just going to work without any other journeys that I do, so economy is high on the list of wants to be honest!

If you plan to keep the car then LPG it. Turns a 30mpg petrol car into a 50+mpg petrol equivalent, so you get space, pace, grace and economy!

But don't buy a factory-fit bi-fuel!

Visit the LPG section on here for much much more good stuff on the cheap alternative to petrol!

Cheers

Jack

[mikealder]

Originally Posted by Marty Dolomite

I always thought V meant 'Versatile'!!

Indeed it is a Versatile model, the word Variant that I used came from my first car a VW 411 Variant and is a word I still use today for the estate models, try searching VW 411 Variant and you will see what an ugly beast that was, but how many estates had the engine in back with a huge load space under the bonnet - Mike

[CraigThomas]

Hey guys, been doing a bit of searching online and came across this beaut!



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1906301047...84.m1423.l2648

Seems pretty decent to me, although the description is a bit misleading and confusing as it states both metallic and solid paint :S

May make the trip up on the weekend to have a look at it. Is this fairly priced for the year/mileage/condition?

[capt jack]

Originally Posted by CraigThomas

Hey guys, been doing a bit of searching online and came across this beaut!



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1906301047...84.m1423.l2648

Seems pretty decent to me, although the description is a bit misleading and confusing as it states both metallic and solid paint :S

May make the trip up on the weekend to have a look at it. Is this fairly priced for the year/mileage/condition?

Are you sure you want an S40? You said in your first post that you're very tall and want to carry lots of stuff. I'm not sure that the S40 will give you all that much space. A V40 might be better, or perhaps an S60.

It's a long way from Merthyr to Hyde! Have you checked out S40s more locally just to see if the basic idea fits the bill?

Price-wise this one is there or thereabouts, may be a tiddy bit on the highish side for an 05 car - there are slightly younger cars on Autotrader for similar money, but if the condition, warranty and history is good then a small premium is probably worth paying.

Cheers

Jack

[961]

It looks smart but I think you can do much better

In particular you really do need a V50 estate for practicality and I think the price is top dollar for a 90k saloon

Run the spec through what car valuation and see what it says for retail value

But remember a saloon is not the practical thing an estate or hatch is

[capt jack]

Originally Posted by 961

It looks smart but I think you can do much better

In particular you really do need a V50 estate for practicality and I think the price is top dollar for a 90k saloon

Run the spec through what car valuation and see what it says for retail value

But remember a saloon is not the practical thing an estate or hatch is

Completely agree. Have a punt around Autotrader, there are quite a few sub 100k milers, manual diesels, at around and under your budget.

Cheers

Jack

[CraigThomas]

Hey guys, right just to get the sort of feel for the cars I went to look at one locally to me (albeit a 2.0 petrol and light blue....ergh). The boot is actually really big but the opening is expectidly small, however my mother has banned me from using it as a workhorse as it would be "too nice" lol, which in a way is true because why ruin a nice car? So I could actually get used to the saloons and just chuck all the crap in my parents car if stuff needs to be carted around. It has put into perspective the price a bit as this had 110k on it and was a 2.0 petrol but was only £3295 in a garage.

Do the diesels really hold their value that much more over petrols?

And another question I have is what sort of lifespan do the 2.0TD engines have? I know the older Volvos are renowned for being mile munchers and easily seeing over 200k, but I cant imagine the newer cars are quite as durable

[961]

Originally Posted by CraigThomas

So I could actually get used to the saloons and just chuck all the crap in my parents car if stuff needs to be carted around. It has put into perspective the price a bit as this had 110k on it and was a 2.0 petrol but was only £3295 in a garage.

Do the diesels really hold their value that much more over petrols?

And another question I have is what sort of lifespan do the 2.0TD engines have? I know the older Volvos are renowned for being mile munchers and easily seeing over 200k, but I cant imagine the newer cars are quite as durable

I still think you need an estate. Saloons fetch less of course

Diesels do keep their value as mile munchers although the difference may be diminishing with the continued high price of fuel

As for the engine, check who made it for a specific vehicle. A variety of makers produce engines for this car including Volvo in their own factory

[irishcarfan]

I'm 29 now and have always loved estates/hatches, are you sure you want/need one at 24? If you want something 'cool', I'd take a look at an S60 as, don't forget, the back seats fold down etc., so they're pretty useful. Also the interior are really nice and a cut above the S40 in my opinion. Turning circle on most of these things is rubbish though.

If I was 24 and owned a Volvo S60 - I'd be quite pleased with myself!

Also, I was trying to figure out where I knew the name "Craig Thomas" before and it just came to me He wrote the book, "Firefox"!

[CraigThomas]

Originally Posted by irishcarfan

I'm 29 now and have always loved estates/hatches, are you sure you want/need one at 24? If you want something 'cool', I'd take a look at an S60 as, don't forget, the back seats fold down etc., so they're pretty useful. Also the interior are really nice and a cut above the S40 in my opinion. Turning circle on most of these things is rubbish though.

If I was 24 and owned a Volvo S60 - I'd be quite pleased with myself!

Also, I was trying to figure out where I knew the name "Craig Thomas" before and it just came to me He wrote the book, "Firefox"!

Lol yeah, unfortunately I'm not Craig Thomas the author, but just plain old Craig Thomas.

I suppose I don't necessarily need a bigger car but it would just make day to day journeys more comfortable for me, as I'm always in the car and the Fiesta I just find too small. I used to love driving my parents old Mondeo as it was more suited to my size as I'm quite tall. Good news that the back seats do fold down because it does make them that little bit more practical. I was looking at a friends Passat today and I'm really starting to come around to the saloon boots (although the passat boot is larger). Will look into the S60s...but I'm not bothered about a car being "cool"....comfort takes priority over being cool or sporty for me