I'd like something fun that fits into the family too...

Hi guys, ere's the thing - we (me, wife, two kids (four and two)) need a second car, mainly for me to do school runs in and out of the city and the very occasional motorway journey. Currently have a 2000 Volkswagen Polo but it doesn't exactly put a smile on my face every time I drive it! Looking for something fun, good looking, that could handle a push buggy/baby seat and also needs to carry a bike on the back. In my late 30s so would a hot hatch be a no-no?

Thanks Andy

Andy Meegan

Feb 2014 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Andy,

I take it you mean from an insurance point of view? No, late thirties shouldn't be a major issue as long as you have a decent no claims bonus. As far as the car is concerned, I think you need to box a bit clever here. The kids are only going to get bigger (trust me, I know...) and you'll need something with a decent boot and big back seats for increasingly long legs. So, get yourself a Skoda Octavia RS. They've been around since 1999 in original form, but you need to be looking at the second-gen model, from 2006 onwards. Go for that and you get a car with excellent handling, a terrific engine (the diesel one is more economical, obviously, but the petrol 2.0 turbo is still reasonable in terms of running costs) and the boot is as big and practical as you could possibly need. They're also solidly reliable. It's the thinking man's hot hatch.

What do you think?

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe