[andyd]

OR - get involved in a underground card game - and use it as stake money?

This is only useful if you lose! Doh!

[Paul B]

Being serious - if you go the craigslist way - why not consider swapping for something you could reasonably take back with you of value - macbook for example...?

Cash is of most value having sold our vehicle in the UK and ripped through our savings to fund this trip. I'd have to sell whatever it is we swapped it for as any leftover money will be channelled into replacing the car (we can obviously do without but its a lot easier for Nat with her job being in Leeds).

[tomtom]

OR - get involved in a underground card game - and use it as stake money?

This is only useful if you lose! Doh!

Or you win more than the value of the car!

[tomtom]

I have some colleagues/friends in Boulder - if you can give me some van details/times/dates/price (that fits in 140 chars)
I can tweet it over to them? You never know...?

[tomtom]

I have some colleagues/friends in Boulder - if you can give me some van details/times/dates/price (that fits in 140 chars)
I can tweet it over to them? You never know...?

Done.

[Paul B]

The van sold tonight so thanks for the input (now, I wonder how much currency it's OK to take out of the USA, likely a lot more than we sold it for!)

[Jaspersharpe]

You're supposed to report anything over $10k and fill some form in.

[underground]

Alternatively you can wear a few grand up your botty

[tomtom]

wibble

[Paul B]

So, we sold our Fabia vRS (very nice it was too) to provide some contingency money in case our trip ended up busting the budget. It didn't and now that we're home Nat is keen to get a car again.

My first thoughts were something like a Passat estate diesel (we currently do around 25k miles a year so diesel still makes sense). The budget is 3k so we were thinking of the 1.9 tdi 130 engine (which is the same as we've just had in the vRS), probably a highline spec car so that it has all of the toys.

However, we live in a block of flats in Sheffield and my better half commutes to Leeds daily, parking there in a tight multi-storey so we've also had a look at BMW 3-series (20 and 30d) touring. They look really nice and from what I can gather they're likely to be a lot more fun to drive (although I've been warned that they have a funny driving position) but I have zero experience with BMWs (her father has BMW blinkers so I've tried stubbornly not to look at them for us, it'd make him too happy) in terms of maintenance, common faults etc.

Insurance between the two is about the same and economy is better on the BMWs (although reviews suggest it isn't actually attainable unlike the VWs where I've exceeded their figures reliably).

Any thoughts from UKB? Other cars we should consider (Golf estates seem too pricey)?

[cowboyhat]

I had the same experience as TomTom with an e46 '53 320d. Bomber.

I upgraded last year to an e90, no problems so far but the 1st owner had paid for the full BMW service pack so for a couple of years I won't be getting (too) fleeced.

No weird driving position. Never heard that. Part ex'd my E46 320d with 120k on for £3.5. Having driven 70k in it I can only say that it was a fantastic car, never had a problem and I would recommend one.

Shite in the snow mind, if that's something you care about. Saltbeef still has one. Shark had a 330, I believe the word fun is more appropriate than economy.

[Paul B]

Snow is a worry but then again last time it was bad and I was required to be across town (Sheffield) we didn't get very far before I turned around for fear of someone driving into me. I think Nat also said that when it was 'bad' she was happier on the train for similar reasons and/or stress.

I can remember Sharks 330d from my first climbing experience at Uni, he seems to have calmed down his old age  .

Isn't Saltbeef a lunatic Dr. Driver?

Does anyone know common faults of the 3-series diesels?

[Bubba]

Focus estate looks horrible but nice to drive - not sure what you'd get for 3K though.

Of course there's the Mondeo if you're prepared to look beyond the image/badge - nice to drive but perhaps a bit big for your needs.

Honda Accord 2.2 diesel estate would be good but they're like rocking horse shit to find....also maybe a bit big.

Pug 307?

Personally I'd for the Passat over the BMW.

[Paul B]

Personally I'd for the Passat over the BMW.

Badge or another reason?

High mileage and French seems like a bad combination! Mondeos seem a little big, yours is nice though!

[Bubba]

Mine's been a great car - 3 trips to France, 1 to Croatia, daily use, etc. Currently at 153k but fine and the interior is still solid.  A bit big but probably not actually much bigger to park than the other estates you're considering.  Octavia?

I'd go for the Passat because I've owned a couple of VW and a couple of BMW's and the VWs were more reliable and cost less to fix. Also, RWD is fun in the dry but a liability in the wet if you get a big engined one and unless you fit winter tyres you can forget it in the snow. 

Parkers is a great site for good, down to earth reviews of 2nd hand cars.

Also, Honest John - have a look in the "what's bad" section for common problems to look out for.

[Paul B]

You seemingly get a lot less for the money if you go Skoda, they also don't seem to have made an estate version of the superb until '06.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Honda Accord 2.2 diesel estate would be good but they're like rocking horse shit to find....also maybe a bit big.

I highly rate mine, I keep thinking of changing it but can't find anything I'd prefer. With two little ones we manage to fill it on most trips. Happily takes boats, bikes and still pulls when I need it to. There are more fuel efficient cars around but I still get around 40mpg even when loaded up as long as I don't hammer it too much.

In the family we have big VWs and big Volvos, all good cars but I prefer my Honda.

[andyd]

Not a fan of our 1 series.
I've had the pleasure of some volvo s60&80s over the last few years. Incredible fuel economy and a beaut' for commuting from Sheffield to Leeds.
Still loving the berlingo, but I won't get you to stanage as fast as Jerry.

[mini]

Does anyone know common faults of the 3-series diesels?

Swirl flaps! From memory part of the head that are known to break quite readily, and if ingested into the engine then it could be a turbo replace too. They can all be removed at a cost (£200 bricks maybe) but will need an investigation to see if this has already been done or not. My 330d was pre-flaps so wasn't an issue, but you'll have to check the engine type and size to see when these were introduced.

(Innuendo's ensue now please!)

[Paul B]

No weird driving position. Never heard that.

The pedals were the complaint and I could see what he meant yesterday, they're very close together and offset when compared to the VAG setup. Certainly in guide tennies this would've been a problem.

We viewed a few cars yesterday and concluded that a Passat is likely too big. The A4 avant we looked at seemed about right but was a poor example (it looked and sounded great on Autotrader, as they always do). The 320d seemed good but quite old tech in comparison and the bodywork seems significantly worse on it (bubbling on the arches etc.) it'd also had a new turbo I think (I couldn't get a proper look due to the engine cover and lack of tools).

[SA Chris]

Focus estate looks horrible but nice to drive - not sure what you'd get for 3K though.

Not much if you are looking for a diesel. I think we paid a bit more for our petrol one and never had any major probs with it. Fucking boring, but not bad to drive around town / short commute.

[Reprobate_Rob]

Whatever you do, don't touch any Ford with a 1.6 Tdci engine. Untold turbo and DPF issues.

I had a 51 reg Focus Estate (1.6 petrol) which was brilliant. Did 190k without a single problem.
So i bought another one - 08 reg 1.6 diesel, which was a big mistake. A quick google will tell you all about it. Just stay clear.

If you want a reliable estate car, just check out what's in your nearest taxi rank. Most likely all Skoda Octavia/Toyota Avensis/VW Passat

[Paul B]

Does anyone know if the 98-05 3-series touring comes with a split tailgate as standard?

[Paul B]

Righteo...

We ended up buying an 04 320d M-sport touring. Which I love and I'm pretty sure, hates me.

Straight away I had the swirl flaps removed and these were hanging on for their life. If you own one of these (or any BMW diesel pre 2007) then go and get this done.

Then the engine was running cold when driven on the motorway and the heater output was terrible (we test drove it on a hot day and it felt 'ok' to me then). So, both thermostats were changed and both myself and (more importantly) Nat were very happy as the economy shot back up to ~50mpg.

I found a site which chucks out the factory fittment list if you give it a VIN number and it turned out we also had full bluetooth. A little bid of fiddling and this was all working. Now I had a very happy Nat. To top off the day the Nav unit warned her of upcoming traffic (and was correct).

This morning one of the headlights was out and when I checked we have the factory Xenons. Bulbs are eye-wateringly expensive but no worries, it turned back on by itself at lunchtime!

I hate electrical Gremlins and I can't say I'm looking forward to when it needs to be MOT'd / anything else...

I'm fairly certain she'd have preferred the Skoda Octavia 105 4x4 we happened upon.

[andyd]

I found a site which chucks out the factory fittment list if you give it a VIN number and it turned out we also had full bluetooth. A little bid of fiddling and this was all working. Now I had a very happy Nat. To top off the day the Nav unit warned her of upcoming traffic (and was correct).

Not all bad though. You've got some stuff sorted relatively cheaply/painlessly. Keep an eye out for some winter tyres if you've got a BMW.
What's the site please?