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You should buy.... a Nissan Primera Estate. It's not as good as a Mondeo Estate at all, but it isnt a Ford so you can keep telling yourself 'Its not a Ford!' as you glance at the cheap plastic interior to make you feel better, I guess.
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Have you driven a Picasso? They are the same size as a Xsara estate (also a possibility).
The Picasso has good reliability and capable of 50mpg with ease.
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I'd certainly look at midi MPVs rather than estate cars; from personal experience it is much easier to wrestle several Kg of stroppy toddler into & out of a zafira compared with an omega estate.
The extra height of the zafira middle seat makes it much easier on one's back than a lower slung estate car. My ex. neighbour in basingstoke has just got shot of her Picasso, on the basis that rear luggage is very limitedonce ou've got a buggy in there.
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MPV's of any size are better, simply because they are a little higher and so you do not ruin your back reaching in and out strapping junior in. Trust me! - I have three children aged 7, 5 and 1 and know what I am talking about....
An alternative is a car based van, such as the Kangoo or Multispace - they are a little higher than the cars they are based on, have huge amount of room and can be had with petrol or diesel engines. I have driven these and a Doblo on holiday fully laden and found them to be great a ferrying kids around at little expense.
Another alternative is the small 4x4 e.g. RAV4 or CRV, but these are expensive and thirsty and very popular. We had a CRV when we had two children and whilst I wasn't convinced, my wife was delighted.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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What you want is clearly a Nissan Primera Estate. Don't let anyone put you off.
What you need, on the other hand, might be something else. It is probably an MPV. Probably a Zafira, but that's a Vauxhall - or a Picasso or a Scenic or Berlingo or a Kangoo. But they are French. At a pinch, an estate might do - in which case the two best ones to go for would be a Volvo or a Mondeo (a TDCi to be precise, but we'll not go there.) But you and your wife just have toooo many prejudices.
In fact, this is the problem with the Back Room. Too many people coming on and asking advice about what car to buy, who, because of irrational prejudices, *want* an MPV or a hot hatch or a coupe or a 4x4, when what they really *need* is a Ford Mondeo TDCi.
;-)
p.s. Best of luck. Do let us know what you get and how it turns out.
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p.p.s If you do want to explore the MPV route, for the sake of your back, you could certainly get a Mazda Premacy for that kind of money. Japanese, reliable, has tended to do very well in the JDPower owner satisfaction surveys.
You might just get a Toyota Corolla Verso, but they tend to start at about £6000.
You could also look at a Honda Stream. There are quite a few 2001 ones on autotrader at £5995
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Oh, and I forgot the Nissan Almera Tino. Also does well in JD Power surveys.
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Thanks for the advice guys, had considered the avensis, but will have a look at the nissans.
The ford thing goes back to my old man. One of his pearls of wisdom was to never buy a ford. I must say i have driven the mondeo (yes it was a TDCI) and was very impressed (ok laugh at me now) but i think that will be out of my price range.
Very funny re: plastic dash etc on nissan! I know my feelings about fords are probably now irrational!
My company has a focus TDI which i drive now and then and that is ok, but has a big turbo lag. Is this likely to be just a particular problem with our car or is it common on the focus TDI's?
Wish i could stretch to a couple of grand extra, but with the missus not working, that would leave me with naff all for other important stuff like beer!
As for the MPV, half of me wants to go for one, had seen the honda shuttle (but 2.3 litre auto petrol - thirsty?). Only problem is that my missus will end up being one of those women who drives a 7 seater but will only have one kid in it. (At least for a year or two anyway....but thats another story).
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Focus Tdi was the old engine, sounded like a skeleton having fun in a filing cabinet.
New TDCi engines are about the best you can buy.
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What about an Octavia? ten thousand million private hire car drivers cannot be wrong. But oh, have you considered a Japanese car?
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How about an early Mercedes C250 Turbo Diesel?
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The ford thing goes back to my old man. One of his pearls of wisdom was to never buy a ford.
This is becuase up until about 10 years ago, Fords were rubbish.
With the Mondeo and Focus, though, things are considerably improved and they are now sound, reliable buys.
As has been said, Focus TDI was the worst engine in the world, TDCi is leaps and bounds better. TDCi in the Mondeo better still.
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