Going for a bigger car next year....

[Niall]

Completely agreed JJ. You will only get peoples opinions on these sorts of questions and sometimes they will be bias. Like for instance i was driving a brand new 320d touring all of last week. I was trying to find things wrong with it as i dont like BMs and was sort of glazing over the good parts. In the end, i realised it is much better than the old BMs that i know but i still would never have one!
Same with the saab. Most people will probably dismiss my opinion because it looks like a old mans car and how can a big saloon be fun? Probably a similar response you get with the vec. Thing is, i know different. I drove it for 9 months and it was brilliant fun, never let me down once except a dodgy lambda sensor. It was perfect for me at the time because it could be extremely quiet and refined and easy to drive yet if you wanted it to be, could easily become a bit of a handful.
Im lucky now i have a company car now because i can drive that when i need refined and drive the french shit heap when i fancy some fun

[Niall]

A perfect example was my e46, one of the worst handling cars I've ever driven. RWD is hyped up by all the drift kings out there but hand on heart my mk4 astra handled better.

JJ, a decent E46 handles epicly! IIRC you had the 318? The suspension setup vary massively depending on engine.. number of doors etc..

I've driven my brothers E46 328 ci after it had new wishbones, decent tyres and a proper 4 wheel alignment + camber setup etc.. they stick to the road like shit to a stick! Genuinely didn't think that something with that much weight could be thrown about so much

Yeah i hate to say it but that BM i had last week handled bloody well for a big estate. It did have the m-sport suspension in all fairness but cornered really well.....except when i spun it on a roundabout

[Poodle]

Saabs are really nice tbf, a bit quirky. Although don't buy a convertible, going by the number that have been in for repairs in the short time i've been working at the garage... :S But apart from the soft-tops they seem to be awesome cars, if i'm honest i even love the aero' derived design cues lol.

[Niall]

Tbh im tempted by a 9-3 aero carlson for my next car with a stage 1 Hirsch map. 280bhp as standard and 4wd. Stage 1 should take it to about 320ish. Plenty of fun to be had!

[cpikey316_]

Saabs are really nice tbf, a bit quirky. Although don't buy a convertible, going by the number that have been in for repairs in the short time i've been working at the garage... :S But apart from the soft-tops they seem to be awesome cars, if i'm honest i even love the aero' derived design cues lol.

Convertible + kids in the back with stuff to throw out = bad idea......

[Midnightclub]

Tbh im tempted by a 9-3 aero carlson for my next car with a stage 1 Hirsch map. 280bhp as standard and 4wd. Stage 1 should take it to about 320ish. Plenty of fun to be had!

IIRC the 55-56 plate ones fall into the lower tax bracket too! If it's the one i'm thinking of... has the 2.8T V6 lump?

[Niall]

Tbh im tempted by a 9-3 aero carlson for my next car with a stage 1 Hirsch map. 280bhp as standard and 4wd. Stage 1 should take it to about 320ish. Plenty of fun to be had!

IIRC the 55-56 plate ones fall into the lower tax bracket too! If it's the one i'm thinking of... has the 2.8T V6 lump?

Yeah thats the one but IIRC it was only in Carlson spec from 08 onwards. Only difference is 4wd and some styling i think

[Dum-Dum]

Mondeo any day of the week, next to the vectra they are unbreakable and better handling too

[Toms306]

On the subject of test driving what you like and go from there, it's a really bad idea.

A 15 minute test drive doesn't tell you much at all. I test drove a few cars before getting the Vec and came to the conclusion that the Vec was best of the bunch, it's a different story when you start living with a car though.

Just as an example, I picked up the Moonstone HDi as a breaker last week and on the drive home I liked the familiarity, I liked the comfier seats, I liked the way it's nippy for a diesel, I liked the way the stalks actually work (anyone with a Vec will understand that lol)........................ Even started thinking I could go back to one as a daily. So I drove it for the rest of the week, and it showed up all the flaws and things I dislike about them again in a day or two, and two days was enough for me to prefer the Vec again lol.

I think a better way to go about it is join/browse forums for the cars you're looking at, find out the common faults, find out why people own that car and what the owners like about it (rather than some people that mostly drive Peugeots).....then you can get a better idea of each one.

Obviously still test drive them, but more to find any faults with that particular car rather than whether you'll be able to live with it....

[THE_Liam]

To be honest, after what Ruans being saying about his Volvo I had a quick look at S40s, and ended up finding a few S60 D5s. You can pick them up from a grand, pretty good looking, loads of kit, apparently as reliable as you'd expect from Volvo, 40mpg in mixed use, remap to 210bhp with no other mods and they sound like an Audi Quattro. Hmm...

[swampy]

A perfect example was my e46, one of the worst handling cars I've ever driven. RWD is hyped up by all the drift kings out there but hand on heart my mk4 astra handled better.

JJ, a decent E46 handles epicly! IIRC you had the 318? The suspension setup vary massively depending on engine.. number of doors etc..

I've driven my brothers E46 328 ci after it had new wishbones, decent tyres and a proper 4 wheel alignment + camber setup etc.. they stick to the road like shit to a stick! Genuinely didn't think that something with that much weight could be thrown about so much

Have to agree with jj, can't say I've even enjoyed being driven in or driving any BMW and I've experienced everything from 318, compact, estates, m class and an 850csi
Yes you can have fun hanging the back end out but PC plod has things to say about that.
Infact a very good friend who is also a very competent rally driver had 3xx estate and says it is one of the worst cars he has ever driven and it made his wife feel ill.

The Mondeo is a very capable car , did 30k in mine never had a egr or DMf issue, almost got a tdci st but couldn't find one we liked enough at the time

We now have a 156 2.4jtd and I have to say it is one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. Last week we drive to Spain, kids fell asleep in the back and I managed to drive for 7 hours solid and felt fine at the end of it,

Volvo v70 not that bad to drive, my dad has had one since almost new and it just feels a bit wallowy

[Ruan]

Aye as above anything based on the Volvo P2 platform (S80, V70, S60, XC90) are great cruisers, but really are wallowy... And the R just manages to be wallowy OR back breaking - no option between (I'd still own one...)

[THE_Liam]

Aye as above anything based on the Volvo P2 platform (S80, V70, S60, XC90) are great cruisers, but really are wallowy... And the R just manages to be wallowy OR back breaking - no option between (I'd still own one...)

What's your verdict on the D5 engine mate?

[darrenjlobb]

The Audi A4 saloon v6 that ive got a beast family car tbh, lots of power, runs on the motorway like a tank, reliable, safe, good mpg, but still "fun" to drive if you on your own, even if it is a tank....

I cant stand VAG / but being a bit older, its not to bad, can be a farce to work on tho ill give it that, but in general, if left alone / looked after, its a good car. Ive been driving it for ages, and feels very odd to get in anything else now from a "comfort" / " long run" point of view. And itl still make me smile in the b roads..good machine really

Personally, ive never driven a vauxall that has impressed me / had any form of driver feedback other than proper old stuff...very very bland cars to drive imo, also utter ****ts to work on imo.worse than vag / bmw for that!

[Sian]

I've got two kids and drive a Gti 6 haha! I know it doesn't sound practical! But Adam bought me a bigger car (vectra) and a Zafira but I'd choose my 6 everyday! I can fit my double pram in the boot! And all the other things I need the 306s are actually surprisingly spacious!

[n0v0s]

A lot of the cheaper e46s are ropey as fk now. Bushes, shocks etc deteriorated to buggery. Id rather drive a vectra than a soggy bmw :p

As standard, bmw camber setup is ghey and set to neutral/understeery bias. Easily fixed though as front and rear camber is fully adjustable as standard, at least it is on an e46.

Drive my well setup e46, and you wouldn't want to go back to something fwd with a transverse 4pot rough diesel (removing all badge sterotyping / labelling / loyalty of course I'm sure many would agree). Near 50/50 weight distribution with rwd, its a very pleasant, involving drive with decent feedback - a rarity these days on the newer platforms across the makes.

The Audi A4 saloon v6 that ive got a beast family car tbh, lots of power, runs on the motorway like a tank, reliable, safe, good mpg, but still "fun" to drive if you on your own, even if it is a tank....

I cant stand VAG / but being a bit older, its not to bad, can be a farce to work on tho ill give it that, but in general, if left alone / looked after, its a good car. Ive been driving it for ages, and feels very odd to get in anything else now from a "comfort" / " long run" point of view. And itl still make me smile in the b roads..good machine really

Personally, ive never driven a vauxall that has impressed me / had any form of driver feedback other than proper old stuff...very very bland cars to drive imo, also utter ****ts to work on imo.worse than vag / bmw for that!

Is this the shape you have Darren - the b5? I had an s4 b5. Lovely car, horrific safety though. But at least it would plough through the other car - taaank!

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/audi_a4_1997/14.aspx
.

[Choppin]

Just wana add my family have owned 3 SAABs after owning a Sierra Cosworth and have loved every one of them, started with the old skool 9000 Turbo which was just a tank with a turbo, never had a problem with it and with a lil remap was bloody good fun to drive, then we had the first generation 93 SE Turbo which again was spot on, been up and down the country a far few times with no issues what so ever then my parents moved over to the dark side!! Lol we now have a 95 TID Wagon which in all fairness is a lovely car to drive just looks god awful with them headlights!! Lol but with the Hirsch remap it's pushing 175 bhp with 440 nm and pulls like a train swallows huge amounts of crap in the back, huge spec list and basically spot on for what my parents want, only thing I can say from the parts side is yes they are easy to still get hold of but GM do make it difficult to get the right part!! We are lucky we have a saab specialist as a family friend so have never really had problems gettin hold of parts, last thing I'd steer clear of is the diesels as they do have ther problems, the 2.8 V6 turbo is an awesome engine tho, so much potential for stupid power figures lol and if you can get a carlsson do it!! Lush cars with the added exclusivity lol anyway hope this helps

[306Puggy]

Sniff Petrol has the perfect article on the subject:

http://sniffpetrol.com/2012/08/23/asktot...fromforum/

[C2K]

but next year we are looking to have sprog #2 once my Mrs gets her qualification certificate (September).

I've looked at the following motors. I'm not after much, as it's going to get battered by kids (the 306 is already suffering this fate...)
Vectra Diesel - bit dull-looking, but lots of car for your money
Saab 9-5 diesel - for the same reasons as above (same car basically? Am I wrong?)
Mondeo TDCi 130 - Does basically everything, DMF concerns me
Mazda6 TS 136 - lots of horror stories about; are the problems avoidable?

I'd rather have the snip than a Vectra to be honest!

Mondeo TDCi or Volvo V40/V50 for me.

[Piggy]

stay clear of the tdci mondeo's. unless you want transit like soundtrack and so many issues you will have a gold rating with the AA.

consider a 320d estate, just ensure the front wings are ok, they tend to rot a bit.

or as said, volvo 2.0d

[darrenjlobb]

A lot of the cheaper e46s are ropey as fk now. Bushes, shocks etc deteriorated to buggery. Id rather drive a vectra than a soggy bmw :p

As standard, bmw camber setup is ghey and set to neutral/understeery bias. Easily fixed though as front and rear camber is fully adjustable as standard, at least it is on an e46.

Drive my well setup e46, and you wouldn't want to go back to something fwd with a transverse 4pot rough diesel (removing all badge sterotyping / labelling / loyalty of course I'm sure many would agree). Near 50/50 weight distribution with rwd, its a very pleasant, involving drive with decent feedback - a rarity these days on the newer platforms across the makes.

The Audi A4 saloon v6 that ive got a beast family car tbh, lots of power, runs on the motorway like a tank, reliable, safe, good mpg, but still "fun" to drive if you on your own, even if it is a tank....

I cant stand VAG / but being a bit older, its not to bad, can be a farce to work on tho ill give it that, but in general, if left alone / looked after, its a good car. Ive been driving it for ages, and feels very odd to get in anything else now from a "comfort" / " long run" point of view. And itl still make me smile in the b roads..good machine really

Personally, ive never driven a vauxall that has impressed me / had any form of driver feedback other than proper old stuff...very very bland cars to drive imo, also utter ****ts to work on imo.worse than vag / bmw for that!

Is this the shape you have Darren - the b5? I had an s4 b5. Lovely car, horrific safety though. But at least it would plough through the other car - taaank!

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/audi_a4_1997/14.aspx
.

Interesting about the safty...its gotta be safer than a 306 tho surely... Its like a fookin tank of a car!

[C.A.R.]

Some useful and interesting information fella's thanks.

I had a work colleague who had a Mondeo TDCi 130 and to be honest don't remember it sounding too bad, but then I never drove it (he regularly drove us home from the pub...he was often designated driver!) but it used to keep up really well with my 1.8 306 XS down a country lane, so it was adequately fast. DMF failure stories plague the internet, mind.

Ruan, your Ovlov has basically the same chassis / engine as my boss's 2.0 TDCi Focus then I assume? It's a nice car, but they look a bit dull and the boot space IMO isn't that great.

Here's something a bit left-field, which has always been thrown out as a reasonable idea because they have DPF problems...

Pug 407? Plenty about. How easily (if at all) can the DPF be mapped out/removed? They look a bit gormless but they kind of get away with the Peugeot 'smiley face' look that started with the 206 because they're so big, it's almost shark-like. The Coupe even looks 'good' from some angles. Almost. If you squint.

I like Peugeots for their quirkiness / being unusual. The 407 is big but IMO looks better than a Vectra / Mondeo / Saab...just for being different.

[Ruan]

Yeah, the Volvo will have the same essential chassis underpinnings as the Focus.. They did change a few bits etc, IIRC they massively improved the strength across the floorpan - mostly for safety, but helped well with dynamics. The boot space isn't cavernous, no, but it is a "smaller" estate - it's not on the same radar as a Mondildo... They are a "smaller" estate - however supposedly the area below the rear seats is smaller than most, but if you fill to the roof, they're vastly bigger than most... So swings and roundabouts.

407s are essentially fine, but do "wear" badly on the inside, everything feels very tatty very fast!

And yeah Darren, the A4 scored a WORSE safety rating than a 306! The A4 is a 2 star NCAP and the 306 is a 3 star... Same as the 406, that has a DIRE safety record... For it's time, the 306 actually has a very good safety rating when compared to other cars of it's era...

[darrenjlobb]

Im sure it still rather roll the A4 than my 306 lol! and i fail to believe that a side impact one one of those tank doors is gunna do more damage to me than the 306 haha, id love to test it, but need the car really