Right i opted out of my company car scheme in July and bought a very nice Laguna Initiale 1.9 DCi

 

Now its no 300zx but it gets me from A to B in comfort but what i am finding is its a great motorway car but i also do alot of my work in the Lakes and surrounding areas and its no sports car LOL ive fitted a chip which have improved things but theres still something missing from the driving experience :(

 

So i'm thinking of changing the car to something else??

 

Needs to be a fairly decent size as i have a child and dog that needs to go in the boot, needs to be around the 5-6k mark and needs to be good on fuel which is another thing i have been a bit unhappy with!! dont get me wrong it does 40 to the gallon but thats if i drive carefully where as my golf GT TDi did 40+ and i used to rag the *****x off it :cool:

 

Any ideas?

 

Mike

I've got a Ford Fusion 1.4tdci it has aircon and leccy windows and returns just under 60mpg. Road tax is £35pa and insurance is reasonable. I have two sons, both taller than me and I'm a big lad plus a giant schnauzer dog and we can all get in plus a bit of luggage too. The driving position is higher than normal and it's easy to get in and out. cheap to service and DIY repairs seem easy enough.

 

Not very sporty but a great carrier with loads of space and very economical.

 

My late wife and our eldest son both had Renault Lagunas as company cars, very nice inside but as the miles piled on they got very unreliable and expensive to maintain.

Bmw 530?

Thurlby Astra 888 CDti

 

A 200bhp 1.9 turb diesel with race suspension, sports seats etc. Possibly the best small diesel hatchback. Very rare though. Was built in small numbers by 888, the guys that prepare the Astras for the BTCC.

 

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/203619/thurlby_888_astra_cdti.html

you're saying it needs to be a hatch if you want a dog in the boot? If so that rules out the bmw 330d, shame.

....if you want something with some size, then the MK5 Astra CDTi SRi estate.

BMW 1 series. It has auto fuel consumption saving gadgets and gets about 60mpg.

Possibly theeee ugliest BMW ever made though.

yes, 1 series makes you look like a moron, also he said he wanted something of a fairly decent size, something the 1 series is a long way from being.

Boot space in the 1 series is very poor iirc.

Vauxhall Vecra 1.9/2.2 tdci. 02 Reg onwards, good on fuel, handles and drives well, Loads of room inside, and when you remove the parcel shelf...loads of room for dogs, as i have my dogs in mine. :)

^^^ I have one of those. Must say, whilst it's not the most attractive car, the 1.9 CDTi is a great car. 6 speed box and cruise control. Same engine/chassis as the Saab 93

 

SRi with the X-pack kit on looks quite sweet too.

 

^^^ I have one of those. Must say, whilst it's not the most attractive car, the 1.9 CDTi is a great car. 6 speed box and cruise control. Same engine/chassis as the Saab 93

 

SRi with the X-pack kit on looks quite sweet too.

 

Yeah, they are good cars Si, mine handles really well for a big car, even around bends.

Yeah agreed. Motorway cruising is very good in it too. In 6th gear with the CC on it's a silky smooth ride. 2,000rpm @ 70. :)

audi estate????

Yeah agreed. Motorway cruising is very good in it too. In 6th gear with the CC on it's a silky smooth ride. 2,000rpm @ 70. :)

 

problem is i has vectras for many years with my last company and said i would never have another LOL

Have you driven the facelift Vectra C then? Huge improvement over the pre-facelift version with revised suspension and brakes. Mine's a 55 plate and I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I am impressed. It rides as well as my mate's new VW Passat 1.9 Sport.

530d touring meant to be very torquey when chipped!

i suppose its a difficult one to find a car thats big enough but small enough to throw around on the road and fast enough to excite but also still return 40+ to the gallon

 

oh and cheap enough LMAO

 

am i fighting a losing battle? or do i go into debt for a car? didnt really want to as its nice getting the allowance and PPM from work

Have you driven the facelift Vectra C then? Huge improvement over the pre-facelift version with revised suspension and brakes. Mine's a 55 plate and I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I am impressed. It rides as well as my mate's new VW Passat 1.9 Sport.

 

yeh drove a 54 reg sri, was ok but its ucking fugly :tongue:

 

not driven a diesel though, must admit i did like my 2.6 sri vectra but then again i neve had to pay for my fuel so i used to get 20 mpg :dance: much to my bosses annoyance

audi a4 avant, diesel

I just had a Audi A6 diesel saloon as a hire car which was quite nice bit slow though but got me from Inverness to Oxford on 1 tank of fuel and a wasnt being gentle with it.

i suppose its a difficult one to find a car thats big enough but small enough to throw around on the road and fast enough to excite but also still return 40+ to the gallon

 

oh and cheap enough LMAO

 

am i fighting a losing battle? or do i go into debt for a car? didnt really want to as its nice getting the allowance and PPM from work

 

Easy one mate......

 

......you had a VW Golf before - IMO VW are among the best diesels around. So I reckon a VW Passat Hi-Line estate TDi 130bhp will fit the bill perfectly.

 

Richard :)

My sales reps have VW Passat saloons BTW. After sacking one last year I collected his car from Darlington (a 55 plate TDi HiLine 130bhp saloon) and drove it oner 250 miles to my house at 90-100 down the A1/M1 and it returned 50mpg+

 

Richard :)

Kirbz if you had a GT TDI Golf then pick something with a similar engine??...I went through this decision a while ago now, but with no kids or Dogs i went for what you had before and bought a GT tdi golf. Look at the Passat Estate highline, A4 Avant, Audi A3, etc etc. Like you said the engines are top notch for economy and have a decent bit of oompfh if needed, plus i've always found german engineering to be fairly faultless onmy previous dubs and Audis......