THE FAMILY MAN
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU’VE MANAGED TO REPRODUCE. NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS: TWOSEATERS, COUPES AND SALOONS ARE WELL OUT. STILL, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A VAN WITH WINDOWS JUST YET...
£15K AND UNDER Audi RS6 C5
PRICE THEN/NOW: £60,000/£15K FOR A HEALTHY ONE PROS An early Noughties supercar dressed up as a big ol’ family wagon. Kids, stuff, pets – it’ll all fit and be mostly intact at your destination CONS Gearbox and Dynamic Ride Control suspension issues common. And not cheap to fix – make sure the previous owner has taken the hit
We’re at the lower end of our three prong price spectrum here Sure you could scratch your itch for a spacious family estate with a Skoda Superb whirred along by a ULEZ compliant TDI but you’re braver than that
The car above is the ‘Plus’ with another bhp lowered suspension and cross drilled brakes but with bhp as standard we’d avoid spending the extra and get a ‘normal’ one that’s been properly sorted By which we mean it has the leak prone first gen Dynamic Ride Control suspension replaced with conventional coilovers to prevent future headaches The gearbox also has a habit of letting go at high mileages not ideal when a replacement is up to k Go for a higher mileage car that’s recently had the gearbox refurbed with full service history
Take your time there’s plenty out there to choose from and that litre twin turbo V is a lovely thing to live with You’re looking at sub mpg fuel economy but mph in under five seconds is still laugh out loud quick You can even squeeze three abreast across the back in case baby number two turns out to be twins You’re taking on a piece of RS history the first ever RS only the third model after the RS and RS to wear the RS badge so it’s not going to be cheap to run but then neither are children
£30K AND UNDER
VW California T5
PRICE THEN/NOW: £45,000/£30,000 (FOR A T5, FACELIFTS ARE MORE) PROS The ability to go and sleep anywhere, with the entire family and several weeks’ worth of stuff. A holiday on your driveway CONS Prices are rocketing right now, shop around. Are you really going to use it properly? Not really suited to the school run
You’ve got the rapid estate for daily haulage what you need now is something for high days and holidays Something to keep the kids entertained across the endless school breaks without forking out for a villa in the Algarve Yes there are other campers out there but you wouldn’t buy ketchup that wasn’t Heinz would you?
Two important points Camper vans are brilliant for that go anywhere self sufficient sense of adventure but they are a compact alternative to a proper motorhome so space is tight Kids adore van holidays because they can pass out after a long day legging it around the countryside for parents it’s a bit more cramped Bring wine Also prices for Californias are a bit mental at the moment
Fueled by the travel ban the popularity of DIY van cations has soared and so has demand TG’s Ollie Marriage owns a T Cali he bought from new and was recently offered more than he paid for it by a main dealer despite it having k on the clock But there are affordable options k will get you a T California in good nick look after it and it’ll hold its value like Velcro You can go down the classic T/T route for less but what you gain in charm you lose in space and reliability You could also buy a boggo VW Transporter and have a crack at converting it yourself or pay someone with experience kk to do it for you
£70K AND UNDER
Aston Martin Rapide
PRICE THEN/NOW: £164,000/FROM £40–£60K PROS Supercar looks, useful boot, crackling V12. It’s a proper Aston for relative peanuts
CONS It’s a big car, why are the back seats so small? Servicing and maintenance not for the faint-hearted
To be totally clear I’m writing this very much as a complimentary three car garage I do not recommend buying a four door Aston Martin as your sole family transport This will lead to arguments And possibly deep vein thrombosis
The Rapide wasn’t exactly a romping sales success in the early s because it didn’t deliver on its mission to be a genuinely usable four seater Aston Martin So concerned was the styling department with keeping a low slung Aston esque silhouette that it forgot to leave enough space for human adults in the back
You don’t so much sit in the back of a Rapide as insert yourself into a leathery cocoon and with the doors shut you’re locked into place It’s not uncomfortable for a short person like me but might lead to panic attacks for anyone of above average height or with a fear of confined spaces
But this is where the genius of my selection lies Prices are hilariously low for something that looks goes and steers like a proper V Aston Simply buy one when your kids are young and small and get rid when they start getting too big and hairy In that glorious interim period you will own a beautiful British supercar that can ferry the kids to sports practice then give you endless silly noisy supercar moments to cherish on the way home