Which Car? Is there a family car we could love?

Robert Terry and his wife have two children, work in the media and live in Surrey. They own a tired, seven-year-old 1.6 Golf and need something larger for the demands of family life. Mrs Terry wants a "traditional Guildford status symbol", a Volvo estate whereas Mr Terry would be happy with the no-nonsense practicality of a Fiat Doblo

We are all obsessed with image, or at least car manufacturers are convinced we are and they may be right. That explains why the Volkswagen Group can rebody and rebadge one make to appeal to a variety of buyers and get hugely different prices for a Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3.

But image, practicality and value are not always mutually exclusive. Citroën's 2CV was called the snail for good reason, but it was also cheap to run, practical and, despite a challenging design, has become an icon. It is inverted snobbery to drive a cheap, classless and useful car and the Citroën Berlingo, Renault Kangoo and Fiat Doblo are all modern iterations of the 2CV.

Being van-related they are truly multi-purpose, although they will not have the sophistication and refinement of an upmarket estate car. What they do have is a low purchase price. A used Volvo estate is going to be several years old and out of manufacturer's warranty, and there is a large choice of these spacious multi-purpose vehicles below £10,000 brand new.

Running costs, in insurance grouping, servicing and economy are likely to be different as well. Image versus practicality; what a dilemma, but it is what this column is all about.

A car for the heart

A family car you can love? It is almost a contradiction in terms and there is going to have to be a compromise if a buyer wants style over content. The Honda HR-V has reasonable amounts of room but is hardly a load-lugger. The Honda name guarantees reliability and quality whilst the styling is certainly interesting. The 2001 models are within the £10K budget, but four-wheel drive seems pointless. The Peugeot 406, due for replacement soon, (see feature above) is still very handsome, spacious and spectacular value for money.

Last year's Hdi diesel models are available from Peugeot main dealers from £9,999. They return 49mpg and are very well equipped, with satellite navigation and cruise control and are brilliantly comfortable. They also have the balance of the manufacturer warranty.

If the 406 is not classy enough, there is always the Audi A6 estate which is badged as the Avant. It is a large, high-quality vehicle, which is underrated and depreciates to an affordable level. The 110 Tdi diesel SE on an R plate will be about £9,000, and 1999 petrol 1.8s are similarly priced. Volvos may be middle class, but these days an Audi Avant is much classier.

A car for the head

We have been cruel to the Fiat Doblo in the past and there is no reason not to keep poking it with sticks, especially ugly ones. It is not a pretty sight, but you cannot argue with the specification on the 1.9 JTD ELX model, which includes air-conditioning and alloy wheels, which give it only a minor visual lift.

You cannot argue with the 750 litres or, with the rear seats removed, 3,000 litres of load space. Overall fuel consumption is 44.1 and the insurance group is a lowly four. It should be easy to negotiate at least £1,000 off the £10,634 asking price.

Then there is the Citroën Berlingo Multispace, which is not so well-equipped as the Fiat and is an insurance group higher, but delivers 49mpg overall with the 2.0 litre HDI diesel engine. The top-of-the-range Desire comes in at £11,250, but being a Citroën is heavily discounted and costs less than £10,000.

Finally, there is the Renault Kangoo which with the 1.5 dCi engine does 53mpg, and the £10,355 Expression model can be had within budget. These are not just vehicles for the head, they are also ones you could really love.