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I had a 318i auto saloon with the sport box back in the mid nineties as a company car.  29,000 faultless miles, I didn't tow with it but I did take it down to Austria and it never once put a foot wrong.  Did quite a few mountain passes and it was twitch free.  Oh how sad I was when I handed back the keys.  The boot space wasn't very good although the estates are of course much better.

You will find the ride quite hard compared to a lot of other makes, so it does depend how you like a car to feel.  I didn't have a back problem back then but there were a few grumbles from colleagues who did and found it uncomfortable.

I have a few friends with more modern Beemers now and the one with a diesel estate swears by it.  Well and truly hooked.

Ali

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 30/11/2008

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I had a 318i auto saloon with the sport box back in the mid nineties as a company car.  29,000 faultless miles, I didn't tow with it but I did take it down to Austria and it never once put a foot wrong.  Did quite a few mountain passes and it was twitch free.  Oh how sad I was when I handed back the keys.  The boot space wasn't very good although the estates are of course much better.

You will find the ride quite hard compared to a lot of other makes, so it does depend how you like a car to feel.  I didn't have a back problem back then but there were a few grumbles from colleagues who did and found it uncomfortable.

I have a few friends with more modern Beemers now and the one with a diesel estate swears by it.  Well and truly hooked.

Ali

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In that case I would try and get an extended test drive and spend a good bit of time seeing how it is for you.  Nothing more miserable than being uncomfortable in a car on a long journey.

I have had a lot of Nissans, we currently have an Almera and an X Trail.  I adore my X Trail, it is 6 years old but I always find Nissan comfortable on long journeys.  Have you considered the X Trail?  Very car like and huge amount of space for luggage.

Ali

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 01/12/2008

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In that case I would try and get an extended test drive and spend a good bit of time seeing how it is for you.  Nothing more miserable than being uncomfortable in a car on a long journey.

I have had a lot of Nissans, we currently have an Almera and an X Trail.  I adore my X Trail, it is 6 years old but I always find Nissan comfortable on long journeys.  Have you considered the X Trail?  Very car like and huge amount of space for luggage.

Ali

 

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It is a nice car and I don't find the size offputting at all.  I park in supermarkets etc just as I did before.  I would really try and get a good long drive in whatever you decide on if you have had back surgery though.  It is crucial to get the right position for you and a lot of cars have their own quirks.  I think the manual beemers had the pedals slightly offset too which didn't help, and a lot of the French brands also have quirky pedal layouts because of the swap from LHD to RHD.

Ali

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 01/12/2008

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It is a nice car and I don't find the size offputting at all.  I park in supermarkets etc just as I did before.  I would really try and get a good long drive in whatever you decide on if you have had back surgery though.  It is crucial to get the right position for you and a lot of cars have their own quirks.  I think the manual beemers had the pedals slightly offset too which didn't help, and a lot of the French brands also have quirky pedal layouts because of the swap from LHD to RHD.

Ali

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Nothing to do with Beemers or French cars, but the reason I've never liked Corsas (as used by a lot of my colleagues) is the pedal position - all the ones I've tried, I seemed to need a left leg about 6 inches longer than the right.

A lot of cars are like it Caz, it is horrible and one of the first things I consider when buying a new car.  Vauxhall is Opel abroad isn't it so it is quite likely they too cater for the LHD market in their designs.

I learnt in a Micra and have stuck with Nissan pretty much and never regretted it.

Ali

Quote: Originally posted by bordercaz on 06/12/2008

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Maybe that's why I like Hondas and Mitsubishis best! Althought the Ibiza isn't too bad and the Xsara only has two pedals so no problem!

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OH and I always by cars together and only buy if we both find them comfortable to drive and to sit in as a passenger. Enjoy having a good look and drive of the various cars too, and have no particular brand loyalty. We always seem to find Asian cars more comfortable than European. OH is even more vertically challenged than me and is there perhaps something in the fact that the average Asian is shorter than the average European, (though catching up rapidly) and they design the cars to suit a shorter stature.  

You'll now tell me you're taller than Jeremy Clarkson, just to prove me wrong!