£21k Estate Car.... Choices? Opinions?

[pete]

She's going to investigate if pre-reg is allowed. Probably has to be diseasal too. Main deal breaker is not having tie down hoops in the boot though. A3 hasn't got them which is why her 11 plate is getting punted already.

Not going to mention Merc to her yet... she'd love one of them I reckon! Might do a bit of research though and make one of those phonecalls if she can pre-reg and sneak a bit more from the Co.

Bank Holiday Monday is looking like a day we'll spend trawling round the showrooms I normally try to avoid though! happy days

Cheers!

Dave.

Multipla's got tie down hoops. But they don't make them anymore unfortunately.

[ryallm]

Let me get this right. Some H&S jobsworths are dictating that she changes her car purely because it hasn't got tie downs in the boot? Ludicrous. I'd be inclined to tell em to go f**k themselves and look for a new job.

I was visiting a client a while back (a certain Scottish electricity company) and my host for the day advised me that it was, wait for it, a disciplinary offence not to hold onto the handrail while climbing the stairs in their office building. How could you work for a company which treats its own staff like such idiots? Told the guy I was a skydiver and like to make my own assessment of risk, thanks very much. The world is being taken over by this health and safety bollocks.

Mind you, it the GF gets a shiny new car out of it, boot tie downs and all, maybe no bad thing after all

Mark

[campbell]

1. I don't believe the boot tie-downs are really for a weighbridge, Dave. You have other plans for those.

2. We will discuss your attitude to MINI Clubman later.

3. Predictable mode on. A few phone calls might track down an Octavia vRS TDI estate with fair spec for well below the budget, lying in stock somewhere while the afficionados wait for the new version to come out in estate form in a few months. Same engine as the luvverly Audi, just as well screwed together, reasonable level of toys as standard and a boot you could get two of you in. There's those tie-down hoops again eh...

4. SEAT Exeo estate...old A4 shell with fancy lights...perhaps busts the £21k ceiling tho.

5. Octavia Elegance 2.0 TDI DSG box for deal price £21.3k - http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/prices/ne ... tate-2005/

6. Skoda Yeti SE Plus or Elegance with 170 TDI engine, deal price £19-20k - http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/prices/ne ... back-2009/

Very little else up to 21k has any real grunt in the engine dept, that I can see...
Or get some hoops ... or handcuffs... welded into the A3. That's a classy car she has there. Shame for it to go to waste.

[j2 lot]

Yeti is a good call

[BiggestNizzy]

Kia c'eed sportswagon or optima?

[DDtB]

Let me get this right. Some H&S jobsworths are dictating that she changes her car purely because it hasn't got tie downs in the boot? Ludicrous. I'd be inclined to tell em to go f**k themselves and look for a new job.

I was visiting a client a while back (a certain Scottish electricity company) and my host for the day advised me that it was, wait for it, a disciplinary offence not to hold onto the handrail while climbing the stairs in their office building. How could you work for a company which treats its own staff like such idiots? Told the guy I was a skydiver and like to make my own assessment of risk, thanks very much. The world is being taken over by this health and safety bollocks.

Mind you, it the GF gets a shiny new car out of it, boot tie downs and all, maybe no bad thing after all

Mark

I'm fairly sure I had the same guidance at the same electricity co. offices and laughed a lot.... and then realised they were serious!!

Basically someone died in the company... the H&S peeps did a full review of them and one of the outcomes was a recommendation saying that driving around with over 100kg of metal platforms / weighbridge kit in the back could be an issue if you rolled it. It's secured together and ratchet strapped to the sides of the car so should be ok in the event of a head on or something, but probably not great if you rolled it. Given they had a death.. (in the factory, nothing to do with the car)... they're trying to be as careful as they can be. Can't really blame them. Girlfriend would rather take the risk and keep her pretty A3 though I think!!

Shame they can't stretch to a Rangie or something though.

[Lazydonkey]

Used to work for that energy company and you used to get written warnings if you repeatedly flouted the handrail rule!

Seat exo thing would get my vote. Or the skoda.... No way the mini would fit the weighbridge let alone that plus all the other sh*t she carries about.

[campbell]

If I had my way we'd have a Yeti already. But of course it doesn't work that way does it

[Lazydonkey]

Oh and the avensis is dull but it's a really relaxing place to do big miles. It's the sensible option but Ry would probably hate it.

[rossybee]

Can't believe you're all so shocked at the handrail rule - standard practice in oil and gas...

[rossybee]

Oh and a 2wd Kia Sportage might be worth a look

[ryallm]

Can't believe you're all so shocked at the handrail rule - standard practice in oil and gas...

On an oil platform in the North Sea, fair enough. In a modern office building it is a plain insult to your intelligence. Its the type of nonsense namby pamby corporate culture that leads to 'caution water may be hot' signs above the, surprise, surprise, HOT water tap

[StiflerMR2]

H&S lass at work has banned us from using the Hot Water Boiler as 'There is a risk of burning as the water comes out the tap quickly'

I'm 32.

FFS.

Oh and Yeti would be my choice

[Corranga]

I was visiting a client a while back (a certain Scottish electricity company) and my host for the day advised me that it was, wait for it, a disciplinary offence not to hold onto the handrail while climbing the stairs in their office building

They also make staff park only in reverse as it's safer to pull out of a space forwards.

Strangely, they also refuse to fit winter tyres to company cars. Isn't it odd that when h&s reaches a point where it's costing them money, it's no longer important...

[BiggestNizzy]

I have found with H&S when you have to do something they are all over it when the company has to do something - meh

I like the look of the Kia's or a Hyundai