Suggestions for reliable estate car

[Ruskins Trees]

Daniel

 

Our sister company Ruskins Tree Surgery Ltd owned it. If I can be of any help send me a message / call.

 

Robert

[Shane]

Thanks for all the replies, Treemonkey - thanks for the offer.

I have looked around, and these are just my conclusions (and the input from Mrs Tree) based on my own pig-headed bias and some of the info provided by you guys.

 

I looked at a passat but the back seemed a bit small, the

BMs didn't like the high side windows,

Audi just not for me (remember the ad in the 80s)

Volvos - almost all automatic

Saab - lots of reliability questions

Skoda - very nearly won the day

French cars - suddenly remembered what my old BXs were like to maintain

British (ish) cars - can't afford Aston Martin estate, once had a rover.

Mercs - mostly older, higher mileage - scared off by maintenance costs

Various others looked at but in the end I found...

 

 

a 2009 focus estate with under 100k on it for just over 3 grand (ex police force).

It's the diesel one so no great performance but goes OK for us and good economy.

I recon I can afford to replace the bits that will need replacing and have a fighting chance of getting a few years out of it.

 

No lights or nee nahs left on it though. That could have been fun.

 

Thanks for all the input - I hadn't ever considered a focus till some on here mentioned it

[Daniel Jiggins]

Daniel

 

Our sister company Ruskins Tree Surgery Ltd owned it. If I can be of any help send me a message / call.

 

Robert

 

Hi Robert,

 

No issues its been superb, Just curious that's all.

 

Daniel

[difflock]

Sniff !

Citroen BX's were not at all high maint.

I put over 100 k miles on one that I bought at auction with sommat like 96,ooo already on.

Dogs abuse, house building and towing.

As tough as old boots.

And would NOT rust.

jat

m

PS

Good luck with the Focus byw.

[Shane]

Sniff !

Citroen BX's were not at all high maint.

I put over 100 k miles on one that I bought at auction with sommat like 96,ooo already on.

Dogs abuse, house building and towing.

As tough as old boots.

And would NOT rust.

jat

m

PS

Good luck with the Focus byw.

 

Hydrollox! I used to carry a spare set of main pipes/hose and 2 ltrs of LHM fluid. Had to repair it three times over the years (once on the autoroute near Paris) I call that a lot of faffing about. Rest of the car was brilliant, no engine probs and, you are right, never any rust!

[difflock]

(i) A local Citroen time served Indy plumbed mine in copper the first MOT.

Never needed owt after that.

(ii) Hydraulic pump failed in Glasgie ower Hogmany., winter o 1995.

Safely, and without fuss, made it back to NI sans hydraulics, steering were a tad heavy mind.

(iii) In absence of LHM, use cheap cooking oil.

cheers

marcus

[hedgesparrow]

well have a skoda roomster as good as a estate if not better got loads of room very reliable 60mpg my 07 has 134k on clock and aparts from at the start the dash packing up has not missed a beat. up to two years ago was clocking 4k a month driving all over south coast and beyond it was so cheap to drive.

have had 5 bales of hay in back. a honda lawn mower strimmer and a builders bag with grass clippings in back. its been used. and still goes on. now in semi retirement being used by daughter and wife for home care.

still use it if i have a bit of a journey and not much kit as so cheap to run instead of truck. if there is one though for that sort of money do not know

[spuddog0507]

hi you mentioned peugeot 406 estate, i have one a hdi 90 and had it nearly 4 years now and i have put 68k on it,it has not been nursed if i am on the mway its doing 80-90 mph,i flat the seats down and get 15 bags of logs in it,tow a 19ft orkney boat with it and a 9x5 trailer loaded with logs,its not been 100% reliable but what is ?. had a clutch in it £230,discs n pads all round £110,exhaust £90 and a small elec problem wire touching metal and worn through 20p of insulation tape but these are all wear n tear but not at all expensive when you consider what i use it for, and it still averages 42.3 to the gallon

[Paul Barton]

+1 for the Passat here.

[arniecardigan]

Havent read all the posts here but saw your edging strongly towards an ex police focus....I am a serving police officer and and drove the focuses every day......do NOT buy an ex police one!!For response driving they were so under powered and the gearing low down was rubbish they had to be treated like a gokart and were thrashed everywhere and when I say thrashed I really mean thrashed remember they didn't have to stick to any speed limits! Once they get to the point of being retired it is either as they are at that age or because they are spending way to much time in workshops being repaired and it is usually because they spend to much time in workshops!!