Only I can answer this.

If you don't want to spend silly money, my advice would be to go for a 55 or 06 plate VW Passat estate TDi.....the 100bhp version is OK but the 130bhp is better.

Fuel consumption without a trailer, in normal driving, is 45-50mph and they are as reliable as hell. I say 55 or 06 because that will be a pre-facelift car...the newer version suffers a bit from dodgy piezo injectors that cost a fortune to replace.

The estate is as roomy as hell and extremely comfortable, especially the very adjustable driving position - terrific ride - and you ought to pick one of that vintage up for around £4k in good nick with reasonable miles. Its a seriously good all-round motor.

Rear seats fold flat, but the rear squabs (which normally tip forward against the front seats) are each held in with just two quick-release pins - removing them gives you another 6"-8" of load length when you need it.

Its what I did when I fretted over getting a van and ditching the twin-axle Ifor Williams and I haven't regretted my decision at all....you have the flexibility of the trailer (which of course you don't need to sell and lose money on if you already have one?) when you work, or a very decent car for domestic use. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
If you do look back at people carriers I'd say the S-Max as well. We had one as a hire car and it was surprisingly good fun and well mannered.
 
I've had both E34 and E39 5 series tourings. Solid, reliable. Good low mileage E39 diesels are well within your budget. Excellent cars. Could probably pick up a higher mileage E60 520d, but not as well bolted together IMHO...
 
cj_eds said:
If you do look back at people carriers I'd say the S-Max as well. We had one as a hire car and it was surprisingly good fun and well mannered.
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+1 I have a 2.2 diesel Titanium X with all the toys and it's really nice to drive. Probably out of budget though.
 
Thank you for keeping the thread going.

The Passat estate idea is excellent but I am not sure if diesel is required because most of my journeys are 3-5 miles. We have had a Passat before, it was great but the Mrs wore out the engine during her commute (at 145k) with high gear low rev mpg chasing. The Z4 gets the commute now.

I will have a look at the S-max, I don't really know what it is but I like poking around vehicles.

We tried a LPG 4.4 X5 on Saturday, it was smaller inside than we expected, too short for 2.1M triple ladders laid tidily. It was so heavy and accelerated so quickly that even with LPG I feared fuel, transmission and running gear bills. Too fancy.

I am finding it tricky to find the right compromise. I am tempted to keep the van going and add a 330ci to the stable but three vehicles seems indulgent and VED daft.

Thanks for all the suggestions/experience and wisdom.
 
Wives eh! Bless 'em!

As you found out to your cost, changing up when the revs are too low puts more stress on the engine than anything else, especially the main and conrod bearings.

Have you thought about a VW Transporter - the 'estate' version, not the van.....plenty of room, well appointed and great for recreational use? I also looked at a few 'off the wall' options like the Toyota Hiace, again the 'estate' version with side windows (late model is not bad at all)....admittedly not the snob value of a beemer but more fun and less to worry about. :thumbsup:
 
Mitsubishi Grandis? We had a VR-X as a family hack for a while. Nice spec and plenty of space. Mitsubishi reliability too.


Sent from my iPad
 
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