What new cars??

So, I appreciate the fact it's only 3months since I bought the 118d, but I may need a bit of a steer on how the fleet should look soon.

As I've indicated in other threads, we're just in the process of trying to move house, which if it comes off, will make circumstances significantly different to now. Currently, we live in a "normal" 4 bed semi in a little village with a 5min walk to a mainline station. I don't need a car, so the 118d is our only "family" car. We are trying to buy a 3 bed farmhouse, set 1/4 down a farm-track (concrete slabs but requires clearing by the farmer during the winter and unlikely to be gritted) from a main road which is 5-10min drive to Saffron Walden town and 15min drive to the mainline station.

I had thought about keeping the 1er either as the family car or as a station car BUT two things have happened since this thought.

1) given the isolation, Mrs Spuff (and to be honest, me too) wants a dog for both company and security

2) our house doesn't appear to be worth as much as we'd thought, so savings being plundered for the move rather than equity, so realistically only have 3k (max) for a second car.

Those two things together mean we probably need something able to cart around a dog. And given the location, 4WD, rugged and relatively cheap. I'm now considering chucking in the 118d and whatever I get for that, plus 3k will be the pot for the new cars. Let's assume 15k for the moment. Whatever we run (both of them) I'll likely run with M&S winter tyres all year round. Also need to be relatively fuel efficient, given I'll be selling a kidney to buy the house and don't want massive outgoings.

Cars on my current list.....
•Subaru Forester
•Toyota Rav4
•Audi A4 (B7) Quattro

What do you guys think? There must be more I've missed....

 

Good calls, chaps.

Looked at the Dacia Duster - a new one could just be done if I scrimped on the second car.

Like the idea of the Skoda Yeti and also think a Discovery would be a worthy fleet addition. Sad thing is I don't think I could afford good versions of each. I also don't want anything less tha 4* NCAP because of my daughter and think the older Disco's are 3*.

 

Wow, that is a good deal!

Only issue is that I'm preferring to keep my cash flow intact and buy my cars outright, but maybe I could stick the cash value into an account just to pay the PCP.

We'll see. Off to see the house again tomorrow so will also see what they're knocking around in.

 

So, we had a scout around the house at the weekend. Fallen in love with it again - just need to get ours sold......

Anyway, had a long chat with the owners and they reckon that they've only been snowed in once in 30yrs (2012) and that although they run Rav4's and previously a Shogun, they've never actually needed them for making it to the main road.

So I'm now wondering about whether I just go down the route of keeping the 118d until we end up getting a dog and may buying myself a high miler E46 330Ci - have loved both of the ones I've had and have noticed that 4k would get me a half decent facelift. What do you reckon?

 

You read my mind. I did have a sneaky peak at the E39's on offer too. They do really float my boat.

 

Have to agree on both counts. Browsing PH has really piqued my interest in a big engined E39, even if it's potentially not the cheapest form of motoring to and from a station.

Sadly, it's all about outright capital outlay and no room for leasing. My cashflow is severely curtailed by the mortgage and train fare etc. so needs to be a one-off purchase.

The Panda is a good (left-field, as you say) suggestion. That one you linked to looks like someone's thrown up inside it with that colour scheme! ;)