[kenny]

With the sale of the ST looming

its now time to shop for a new car.

With the baby due it has to be practical, 4 doors, reasonably quick, good looking............

I have a few on my short list and only looking to spend at MAX 6-7k on the new one. Looking at;

Alfa 156 jtd
BMW 330d
Mondeo ST (or td)
MGZT260 (a bit unpractical on fuel being a v8 lol, but has the future option of 400bhp)
MGZS 2.5 V6
SAAB 93
Audi A4
Galant VR4 (overkill maybe?)

From that list you can see what im after or is that just some random cars that non are alike? lol. Never really had to think about what car to buy, always just bought what i fancied but with the baby due etc i need to think harder now.

Any suggestions?

Cheers
Kenny

 

[gtjunior]

I dont have kids but my boss has a kid and he loves his modeo st TDI his is an est too and the room etc is ace. His young kid mess everything with his feet touching the back of the seat but them being leather this isnt a problem. And then it being a TDI costs nothing in fuel comparing to the 2.5T.

Plus i know youll be able to tune the tdi so ull have a fair bit of power on tap & yet be practical.

I know ive talked it over with my partner and when we have kids we shall sell the st for a practical 5 door saloon, evo fq430(idealy) of course depends on money at the time etc.

All the best with the Baby

 

[Dream Weaver]

What was the reason for selling the ST, the lack of 5 doors, or to save some cash on fuel etc? What I mean is, are you looking for something with 5 doors and more space or something that is cheaper to run or a mix of both?

We had a BMW Coupe when our lad was due and sold that for the space/3 door issue and swapped it for a Civic 5 door which has been good albeit a bit costly to run.

BMW touring are good, but for £7k you will only get an E46 high miler which should be OK but could have issues. Mondeo is a good choice IMO, I would avoid anything like MG, Alfa etc that may have reliability issues.

Audi A4 is a good choice but apparently costly to run again.

 

[Rich]

I do like the Mondeo's and the ST diesel just about fits in your budget:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...201053349443581

 

[Mart170]

I've already thought if I ever have to sell up and get something a little more sensible, it'll have to be the Mondeo ST diesel

 

[kenny]

Im very tempted by the Mondeo, especially the V6 lol. The biggest reason is the lack of doors, although running costs are important.

I could live with the ST but the extra cash generated from it wil come in very very handy.

 

[Jimmy]

Kenny I would say the Mondeo ST tdci is a good bet especially if you can get one of the very late models within your budget

I was looking at ST220's before the Focus,I really like them but they are thirsty...just a pity the Tdci does not have the ST220 front seats

 

[kenny]

The 220 just wouldnt be practical enough.

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1350525.htm

Proper baby bus!

 

[C8DGY]

St220 all the way mucca you need to drive one! Fully practicle loads of space, huge boot, loads of luxeries, good performance and 20ish mpg ain't bad either,

Look up the top gear episode on it on you tube, it had rave reviews!

Paul

 

[Mark83]

QUOTE(kenny @ 11 Jan 2010, 02:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>MGZT260 (a bit unpractical on fuel being a v8 lol, but has the future option of 400bhp)
A group 19 Rover 75 and even less economical than a Focus ST... No thanks.

Only one I would consider out of those mentioned is the Mondeo ST TDCI.

 

[seanyb]

Dare I say it - a 5 door Focus ST ?!?
I have two lil ones and whilst the boot aint massive, it is sufficient if you pack carefully.

 

[kenny]

QUOTE(seanyb @ 12 Jan 2010, 12:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Dare I say it - a 5 door Focus ST ?!?
I have two lil ones and whilst the boot aint massive, it is sufficient if you pack carefully.

I wish I could. Im looking at that price bracket to leave some cash spare for a few things that need sorted.

 

[archer]

QUOTE(Mark83 @ 11 Jan 2010, 10:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>A group 19 Rover 75 and even less economical than a Focus ST... No thanks.

Only one I would consider out of those mentioned is the Mondeo ST TDCI.

I have just sold my ZS180 and i'm looking for an ST. The ZT 260 is an awsome car. If you can get an SE you get EVERY toy you can think of. It is a thisty devil though and parts are becoming hard to come by. It is far removed from a Rover 75 and is pretty quick. A supercharger will see 400bhp+. All that for under £10K. Not to rub anyone up the wrong way but.....a ZT260 SE is in another league to a Mondeo in terms of refinement. If you want MPG though i would not consider the 260 because they are bad.