I have the luxury of a nice problem, so please let me know what you would buy in my situation.
I own an ND MX-5 that’s not going anywhere, a Honda Jazz Sport, and an F56 Mini JCW. I also own a greyhound. The Jazz was bought mainly to transport the greyhound but also luggage because the back seats are so flexible. It’s perfect for taking two people, lots of luggage, and a large dog on holiday. I love it for what it does, but don’t really want to take it to shows and car venues like Caffeine & Machine. Surprisingly, I can squeeze the greyhound into the boot of the Mini but he’s not that comfortable. The Mini rarely gets used, partly because of the dog.
I’m thinking about changing the Mini for something with a bigger boot for my dog and seeing whether I can live with losing the practicality of the Jazz. If I can, I’ll eventually sell the Jazz. Let’s call the budget £25k, but there’s a bit of flexibility. Criteria:
Must be quick and fun to drive, about 6.0s or quicker to 62mph
Should handle well, but it doesn’t need to be perfect
Shouldn’t be bigger than necessary - massive estate cars and SUVs are out
Must accommodate at least two people, a large greyhound, and some luggage
Must look good (subjective of course) and be interesting enough to take to car shows, Caffeine & Machine etc.
Can be manual or automatic
Must be reliable but can be up to about 10 years old
It can be petrol, hybrid, or electric, but cannot be diesel
A few ideas to get the ball rolling: Audi S3, Hyundai Kona N, Mini Clubman JCW, VW Golf R.
If you’re open to a ‘not massive’ estate, then a 3-Series Touring could fit the bill. My daily driver meets all those listed criteria, apart from the diesel part! But if you’re dead set against it, pick a petrol variant. A 335i or 340i would be within budget.
I also have a lot of time for the estate variants of the Golf R and Leon Cupra (or just Cupra in latter years!)
That is leftfield but I love it! I’ve always quite liked these. However, where do I put luggage? That would comfortably do fun, two people, and the dog, but I’d struggled to get dog stuff and human stuff in it that’s required for a holiday. I’m not dismissing it completely, though…
A 3-Series Touring is quite a big car. I could probably put enough stuff on the back seats of an M135i (I used to own a 2016 one) for it to do the job, for example. I also find the 3-Series a bit bland. I don’t doubt that it’s a good car.
There’s a lot of love for fast estates/wagons here! I’ve nothing against the cars suggested, but I like cars to be no bigger than necessary in order to do their job. Bear in mind I’m ultimately trying to combine the practicality of a Honda Jazz with (at least) the speed and fun of a modern Mini JCW 3 door hatch. For reference, my Jazz is only 4051mm long according to Autotrader and it’s plenty big enough because of how well packaged it is. I’ll probably have to get something a bit longer as nothing else seems as well packaged but don’t want to go too big.
When you mentioned ‘large dog’ I didn’t think a standard size hatchback would be in contention. But as long as they’re going to be comfortable, that’s the main thing.
Greyhounds fold. They’re used to being confined from when they were transported for racing. He’ll squeeze into my Mini if I adjust the backs of the rear seats to make them more upright, but it’s tight.
This is an excuse to upload dog photos as much as anything, but in the first photo he’s in the back of the Jazz and has plenty of room. I don’t have one of him curled up in a ball, but he can make himself quite compact.
