SEAT Ibiza? Or maybe not big enough for all the gear you’ll be carrying.
[QUOTE=speedish;4856232]I wouldn't recommend buying a diesel to anyone living in a big city. Lease, maybe. But with the clean air zones being rolled out, and diesels as a whole seemingly having had their day, they aren't a sound buy imo.
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SEAT Ibiza? Or maybe not big enough for all the gear you’ll be carrying.
If your a one car family with the wife doing the majority of the driving not sure an m135 is the ideal family car , for sure if you were a 2 car family definitely a M135i for yourself and a family car for the missus.
What about a Bmw x1 ? (she might prefer the higher driving position)
The bit about the golf being out because she doesn't know where the corners are makes absolutely no sense.
When I finally got shot of my m135i I replaced it with an old shape S3 sportback. That was then replaced with a Mk7 5dr golf R. It was better than the m135i in every respect... Including visibility. It also came with front and rear parking sensors and active collision avoidance so virtually impossible to crash.
I would describe the f20 1 series as claustrophobic.
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Really good dilemma to have, and something similar to mine.
If it helps your decision, have a look at this site, www.vehiclesavers.com they have some fantastic lease options at the moment, and plenty of others that aren't on the website if we are flexible. In particular, I'm looking at an M240i for my wife, costing £300/month inc VAT and road tax.
I bought one back in 2013 and kept it for 18 months. It was rapid in the dry, made a great sound and was well built but ultimately, it was a bit boring looking and was rubbish in the wet. It’s still a car that will tick a lot of boxes for a lot of people though and it didn’t cost the earth to run.
Get the the car with the biggest boot. Make or type are not important as you will find out...
Get it now and thank me later.
We had an Alfa 156 JTD company car when my oldest was born in 2001. Brilliant car - for a couple with no kids. Even the rear seatbelt was too short to get it around the Maxi Cosy (pre child seat theter time). As soon as possible (company car lease contract...) we made the switch to an allmighty ugly but oh-so-practical Toyota Avensis Verso. And we never looked back!
You've never had a baby seat behind you then.
At 6' 5" you're wearing a 1 series rather than sitting in it.
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I've had my M135i for nearly four years now. When I pay it off in October I think i will keep it another year which is a record for me especially as it's got 65k on it.
If you can take it for what it is it's a brilliant car, it's a GT more than a hot hatch though.
Sub 5 secs 0-60 when you want it, > 30 mpg also if you want too. I have to say BTW mine feels way faster than the advertised 0-60 times, as a biker I know quick acceleration...
Practicality? We (two adults, one 11 year old child and 1 labrador dog) are in the south of France right now with three bikes and a load of luggage thanks to a big roof box and Saris bike rack.
Through I’ve tried and driven most the options mentioned, 1 series, A3, 3 series, Golf etc.
I would recommend a Golf GTi as the best mix of space, performance and usability. It’s far better proportioned inside than a 1 series.
If running costs are an issue I'd recommend always having a comprehensive warranty on any 335i/ 340i powered BMW. The turbos can fail fairly readily and are VERY expensive to replace. Other potential issues too (e.g. weak water pump) but it's the turbos that are the killer. I've had my E93 335i for 7 years now and 100k miles and the turbos have failed TWICE. I have the Mondial BMW warranty though otherwise would have cost £2k each time. I've also had the WHOLE fuel system replaced once.
Mention cars and suddenly we are all experts lol (or frustrated car sales persons?)
My son in law had a 3 door BMW 120 (with roof box) and when his son arrived 18 months ago he had to sell it and buy a VW Passat Alltrack estate. He still says there isn't enough room! Says all you need to know
As already said above a few times, get either an estate or small suv. X1 would probably be a good choice and the wife would probably like the elevated driving position. We got a 3 series touring when the first child came along, replaced with an X5 for the second. We are in London and you soon get used to the size of the thing.
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Get an estate but in a colour that makes the car look smaller? My wife was convinced that a Civic was smaller in certain colours when we were looking at getting a Civic some 10+ years ago.
Agree with most of the replies here, we quickly changed to a 4x4 after our first child arrived. You just do not realise how much space you need, and how much the elevated driving / seating position helps things.
We got a test drive of a 118i at the weekend and the car seat fits comfortably behind my wife so shouldn’t be too much of an issue on long journeys and she can even fit behind my driving position and sit with the baby in the back if she feels like it.
In terms of space, we both are used to packing a lot of stuff in a small car, having once driven 4 guys with kayaks and kit for a 3 week camping/kayaking holiday to Slovenia!
Overall I thought the ride was great (compared to our mini at least) and the whole thing felt solid and very easy to cruise. Didn’t feel sporty or quick, but the bigger engine should do that!
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Golf R
Totally love mine as it has the best of all, 4WD, Family size, mental and sophisticated
RIAC
We went for an S-Max when the little one came along, not particularly sporty but an enormous boot, 5 proper seats and very comfortable. I've even used the 7 seats for days out with the grandparents etc.
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Just by way of a final update, bought myself a 125i, 218hp of goodness and really enjoying it!
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Good to hear. I had an M135i (3 door) when my son came along and for the first year I managed just fine, until he became too heavy to comfortably lift out from the rear. For what it's worth a Bugaboo Cameleon fits in the boot perfectly. If it had been a 5 door I am sure I'd still have it, but as it is I changed to a Mercedes C Class. Not much more cabin space in that, but more doors and a slightly bigger boot. Things may change, but we are now a family of four and it's still perfectly fine, space wise and certainly I've never felt the need to move to an SUV.
Yeah, mine is 5 door, tho apparently my wife has curbed a wheel just 5 days in :-S
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IMG_0235.JPG
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I've had an S3 for about two months now. Mind boggling speed/performance (up there with the Elise I used to have). Very smooth and high on the comfort level (unlike the Elise).
I looked into the Golf R (VW version of roughly the same car) however the 'R' lost out on several issues:
1. To the same spec the R was more money.... importantly it tripped over the 40K high purchase road tax threshold.
2. CO2 was higher so yearly road tax was higher
3. The S3 is faster.... 0-60 I mean.... top speed is clipped at 155.
4. I could have an S3 to the spec I wanted ex-stock. VW couldn't say if/when they could supply an R - unless I wanted gold colour that is!
5. Audi sales people were much friendlier and more on the ball.... I had to stand around for over 45 mins in the VW dealer before anyone even had the time to speak to me.
Any chance of your Mini Cooper appearing in SC soon?
Well this is going
And this is being built!
That looks lovely. But they both do in fact! Good choice.
Is that an X4 or an X6? I'm never sure these days.
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Unfortunately we part ex’d the mini. It was in finance and just much easier that way and didn’t get much less than it was worth.
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It’s scary how the size game is going, especially when it comes to parking spaces!
I’ve gone full circle on M5/4/3/2 and am now trying to talk myself into not bothering.
The M2 Competition is what I have learned that I want, as it addresses all my issues with the previous M2 but can’t yet afford it & have to wait.
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Hopefully, there is a visual pack which makes it less ugly.
Not this car specifically but would struggle to live with a modern car without the equivalent of HK speakers, HUD & speed limit display. Perhaps with 360 cameras given the size of cars. Rear camera at least.
That said, love getting back into the Z4M which only has the upgraded speakers, as just so old school. But can’t make the new stuff feel quite like that.
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