Help Choosing my Dad a Car

"Laurence" (mrlaurence) 07/23/2016 at 13:59 • Filed to: None

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My dad has finally grown tired of his Citroen Xsara Picasso and started talking to me about the idea of leasing a new car; something he’s never done before. He’s not sure yet though, and has very little interest in cars, so pretty much just told me to look into it for him. He mentioned wanting a Mondeo estate, but wants to look into what else is available, which is where I need the help of oppo. I like to think I know a lot about cars, but newer, more ‘pedestrian’ stuff isn’t my forte, so any recommendations are welcome. here are the rough criteria -

A car you can get new in the UK

A three year lease, with 10,000 miles p/a or more

£250 per month or less with a rough £1000 deposit (he said £300 before we looked into it, but realistically, £250 is more likely to happen)

5 usable and comfortable seats

I’m struggling to think of anything else, but bear in mind that this isn’t a person who’s into cars. Thanks in advance for the help. They’ll be something glaringly obvious I’ve missed, so feel free to ask questions if you like

Cé hé sin > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 14:42

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I’m sure there’s a Hyundai that would meet those requirements, especially if the potential owner doesn’t care what kind of car it is.

Or a Kia - they’re basically the same but cheaper.

Laurence > Cé hé sin 07/23/2016 at 14:45

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this looks like a good choice; an i40 estate seems a bit cheaper than any comparables I’ve looked at so far

My citroen won't start > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 14:48

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Skoda Octavia Estate.

Peugeot 508/308 SW.

Laurence > My citroen won't start 07/23/2016 at 14:51

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The Octavia I’d forgotten about completely; given how much my dad loves skodas, I can see this being ideal. A Peugeot isn’t a bad idea, since had a few in the 90's and was happy enough with them

Probenja > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 15:02

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Octavia or SuperB if he has the money:

Mazda 6 estate:

Laurence > Probenja 07/23/2016 at 15:07

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either of these would likely be possible, but I imagine he’d be more likely to go skoda, I’ll think about running a Mazda by him though, since I really like those

My citroen won't start > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 15:07

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The market is saturated with SW’s of all sorts of specs (most of them are at least 50% VW Golf), show your dad some pictures and narrow it down to a few to check up close, especially the interior.

Leon711 > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 15:15

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My biased answer is a used Golf GTI, get one from VW on DasWeltAuto 5 usable comfy seats, reasonably understated but your dad can be a yob when he’s alone.

bhtooefr > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 15:18

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Is he driving anywhere where there’s a congestion charge or that sort of thing going on? (Because if so, that may bias things against diesel, given that in the wake of Dieselgate, at least London and Paris are considering diesel bans altogether. But, that doesn’t necessarily direct things towards a certain make... although I’m of the opinion that a lot of these small displacement turbo gasoline engines will be hit hard by the upcoming emissions regulations, too, which basically means you’re looking at Mazda, or a hybrid Toyota, for a NA gas engine, I think? Here in the US, NA gas engines are more common, though.)

How tall is he, and how tall are any back seat occupants going to be?

Laurence > bhtooefr 07/23/2016 at 15:27

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he’s nowhere near the congestion zone, with no real interest in going to London, so that opens a few new options. His current car is a diesel, but he told me he’s more than happy with a petrol car, especially in the wake of dieselgate and now that he’s driving less, though on the other hand, fuel economy is a big plus.

I can’t remember how tall he is, but him and anyone else that’s going to use the car is taller than about 6". He fits fine into my old mini, so anything he could get he won’t have a problem getting in and out of.

bhtooefr > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 15:57

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Taller than about 6 inches ? :P

In any case, if you’re dealing with back seat occupants that are 6 feet tall... I’d guess that an Octavia would be at the very smallest end of what would work? But, we don’t get the Octavia in the US, so I’ve got very little no frame of reference for its size. 2686 mm wheelbase, though, and 49 mm longer than a Golf (which is a, 6 footers will fit behind 6 footers, but it’s not comfortable, kind of thing), is kinda short for hauling 6 footers in the back and in the front, for something that isn’t a tall hatch (like the Ford C-Max or the Golf Plus, that kind of thing).

Speaking of the C-Max specifically, having ridden in the back of a US-spec Energi (plug-in hybrid), the seats are a little too upright to be comfortable for long distances, and the interior in the rear is a lot of hard plastic (even when the seats themselves are leather), despite the front having a soft touch interior. Things may be different in the European market, though - your C-Maxes aren’t even produced at the same factory, after all.

Any particular reasons he gave for looking at the Mondeo Estate specifically to replace an Xsara Picasso? That might guide recommendations more.

Laurence > bhtooefr 07/23/2016 at 16:07

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haha, that’s a lot of help actually. he wants rid of the Xsara Picasso because he’s sick of the expensive repairs. I think the Mondeo was just the first car he thought of honestly, but medium and largish estates are what he’s looking for. Most of the driving he does is on his own, so rear legroom likely isn’t crucial, although based on the popularity of Octavias and Superbs as taxis here, I can imagine there’s plenty of room in the back. Judging by most of the recommendations so far, I’ll have to send him to have a look at some Skodas

bhtooefr > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 16:57

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From an American perspective, Volkswagen products aren’t exactly how you avoid expensive repairs. :P (Then again, from what I hear, here, it ends up costing about twice as much for a lot of repair and maintenance in the US on VW’s products, as it does over there.)

My typical recommendation for someone in the US that’s looking for a bulletproof appliance is to look at Toyota’s lineup as part of what they look at (I mean, they’ve had their duds, and most of their lineup is responsible for more boring than tunnel boring machines), and they do have options there, even if you want to avoid turbos.

I have no idea how an Avensis Touring Sports drives (it does have an independent rear suspension, though, IIRC), but looks like they’ve got a 1.8 liter naturally aspirated engine option as the only gasoline option there, and Toyota’s got a quite good reputation for being absolutely bulletproof here - and that engine is used in our Corolla here, so it’s something they consider suitable for our (higher) reliability demands. 2700 mm wheelbase, there.

The Auris is going to be too small, I think, to be comfortable in the back - 2600 mm wheelbase.

There’s also the Prius + (which we call the Prius v), which is another bulletproof option, and is a large wagon basically, but 3rd-gen Priuses and their derivatives are not known for driving enjoyment. 2780 mm wheelbase, so it should have (if you don’t have the third row) pretty epic back seat room.

I personally own a 4th-gen Prius, and the chassis tuning is... actually really good (I mean, it’s no Miata, but I can move back and forth between it and my Miata with no complaints whatsoever other than brake feel on the Prius, and the handling when thrashing the 4th-gen Prius is actually entertaining, it likes to rotate), along with fuel economy. Performance is adequate, it’s comfortable, and it’s roomy enough (not sure about three adults in the back seat, but I (at 6'1") can sit behind myself comfortably). Problem is, it’s not a wagon, it’s a liftback. 2700 mm wheelbase.

MarqCars > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 17:33

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MG is doing good deals on the MG6 starting price at 13K with 1,800 pounds towards your deposit.Seems to be about the same class size as a Mondeo.

Laurence > bhtooefr 07/23/2016 at 17:53

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Volkswagen certainly aren’t that reliable, but they’ve gotten better, and I think that being covered by a warranty is enough to keep him happy.

Toyota is one I haven’t considered much. The auris is definitely too small, unless they make a wagon version I’ve forgotten about. I’ve looked into the Prius a little. However, it’s somewhat out of our price range, and I’m personally not a fan of the redesign. The + (or V) is even more, and might be too big, even though it would be pretty good for the most part. I’ll give the avensis a look though

I’ve actually spoken to him again, and so far, if he decides to get a car, the current frontrunner is the Skoda Yeti. It fills all the criteria he needs, and the lease rates are really good value (I found one for £165 a month on a personal lease)

bhtooefr > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 18:09

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There actually is an Auris Touring Sports, too: https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/auris…

Engine choices are 1.33 gas, 1.8 gas hybrid, 1.2T gas, 1.4 turbodiesel, and a BMW 1.6 turbodiesel, it seems. Of those choices, I’d get the hybrid, although it is the Gen 3 Prius powertrain, so it might be a bit rubber bandier on the transmission tuning than the Gen 4 is.

But, I suspect back seat space is going to be the problem there.

Wasn’t sure what pricing was going to be, though, and how that related to lease rates.

The Yeti, however, tells me that he wants something taller?

Laurence > bhtooefr 07/23/2016 at 18:31

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I’d completely forgotten those existed... Like you said though, legroom may be an issue

I think with the yeti, he likes it because it’s pretty good value and has a similar road position to what he’s used to with his Citroen. I have a feeling that he wouldn’t mind something taller, but it’s not a priority.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Laurence 07/23/2016 at 19:22

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Subaru Levorg?