[555_Si]

misses does 170 miles a day to work and back round the magic roundabout, so all motorway miles.

we currently have decided to sell the focus she has loved for last 6 years and move to a larger diesel saloon.

requiring a level of comfort and some gadgets to keep her occupied when stuck in traffic i ahev short listed the below:

VW Passat upto 2005 - dated looks, especially interior, been recommended by mechanic friend as bullet proof.

jaguar x-type 2.0d sport - girlfriend likes looks and purchase prices as seems to be value for money. been told quite reliable, though i'm not entirely convinced.

peogeot 407 2.0 hdi exec - falling down and probably off list rapidly.

audi a4 tdi - not sure what model year, but on list.

vw passat tdi 2.0 tdi sport 2005 onwards - been put off a bit as some expensive items can go wrong, eg rear elexctric handbrake caliper £550 from dealers! ouch!

budget £3k to £5k.

anyone got any constructive comments, advice, experiences? really having hard time deciding, normally i am happy with a £2k runabout and don't expect much for my money. but with more at stake i'm being a bit picky. girlfriend really liked latr model passat but advive and the fact that a well spec'd model with low mileage is a little of my price range has caused us to rethink.

cheers peeps.