Need a new car

[DiscoStu]

One thing you may want to consider is leasing. We lease my wife's fiat 500. It costs us £130 a month and that includes tax and servicing and tyres etc etc. So basically all we pay is fuel and insurance. It's coming up to year change and there will be loads of cars dumped into leasing deals that will be pre registered so it's a good time to get one.

What you'll find with leasing is that the cost is based on the depreciation so you'll find more up market cars available for the same sort of money or even cheaper than some of the cheaper brands.

For example a BMW 320 is £260 a month on one deal. A fiesta 1.0 is £150. You do need to look carefully at deposits and what the mileage allowance is.

If you want to buy then for reliability and value for money Kia and Hyundai are good options. If you want an Audi then buy a Skoda as its the same engineering just in a different she'll with a different badge and price tag.

If you want to buy a Land Rover Discovery 3 then I know if two or three for sale!

 

[marcros]

If you want to buy a Land Rover Discovery 3 then I know if two or three for sale!

And what better time to go for the petrol v8. I wish now that I had gone for that instead of my diesel!

 

[Graham Orm]

My best mate has had a car lot for 20 years. He says that Volkswagen are no longer the top dog for reliability. Korean or Japanese have far less come back problems. I have bought my second Kia 4wd from him. Elated with both. The first was the Sorento which has a 2,5 Mercedes engine and now we have a Sportage with a 2.0 engine. (Caravan pullers)

He says buy NOTHING French. He gets more come backs from them with problems. I bought a Peugeot van new and it was in 15 times in the first 12 months with different electrical faults!!!!!!!!

 

[Mark A]

My best mate has had a car lot for 20 years. He says that Volkswagen are no longer the top dog for reliability. Korean or Japanese have far less come back problems. I have bought my second Kia 4wd from him. Elated with both. The first was the Sorento which has a 2,5 Mercedes engine and now we have a Sportage with a 2.0 engine. (Caravan pullers)

He says buy NOTHING French. He gets more come backs from them with problems. I bought a Peugeot van new and it was in 15 times in the first 12 months with different electrical faults!!!!!!!!

Another vote for Japanese and Korean cars, then.

I'll visit some local dealers and see what's available.

Anyone with experience with Ford Fiestas (new shape)? My mechanic says they're good to drive and hasn't heard any horror stories.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[marcros]

if you can wait a month/6 weeks, you may get a deal with dealers wanting to shift trade ins against new reg plates.

 

[mailee]

I am not sure about pricing but I have heard good things from friends about Kia- with the 7 year warranty. Particularly the ceed. We have had a couple of renaults and currently have one as my wife's car. I wouldn't say that I would have another but she likes it and we haven't had anything much wrong with them.

On the plus side, for 6k I expect you will have a bit of choice, even if you have to go to 3-4 years to bring a few more I to budget.

Personally, and it is very much a personal choice, I would far rather have a high/top specced, high priced car that is older and therefore cheaper than a new cheap car. As long as you can afford to maintain it- it is possible to buy a Maserati for 10k but I wouldn't fancy keeping the latter on the road on a budget.

They are a hell of a good car for the price. My friend used to work on them when they were imported. He suggested my wife buy one of the Picanto's when she was looking for a new car and it was a brilliant little car. She is now on her second having traded it in for the later model. At the moment i am driving my son's ex car which is a 2000 Nissan Micra that has done 127,000 miles and it still drives well for it's age. JMO. :wink: :wink:

 

[Mark A]

Hi chaps,

Today we went to some local garages to see what the cars mentioned are like. Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Ford... all okay, but after a while they started to all look the same. Now I'll search online for prices.

if you can wait a month/6 weeks, you may get a deal with dealers wanting to shift trade ins against new reg plates.

That's a very good idea, but unfortunately I can't trust my van to last that long.

 

[Graham Orm]

I think you're over thinking this. By looking at so many models and makes you are going to be dizzy and completely uneducated when you come to making a buying decision. You need to choose a model (maybe 2) now, then put some time into learning about it and how much it should cost you for a specific year and mileage.

 

[Mark A]

I think you're over thinking this. By looking at so many models and makes you are going to be dizzy and completely uneducated when you come to making a buying decision. You need to choose a model (maybe 2) now, then put some time into learning about it and how much it should cost you for a specific year and mileage.

Perhaps I should explain... my Fiat Doblo needs replacing, so my father will give me his 13-plate Vauxhall Vivaro and he'll buy the small hatchback for himself as he commutes every week and doesn't need a large van any more.

His van averages 35mpg, and he drives around 20,000 miles a year, so when comparing small economical cars a few mpg here or there isn't as important as reliability for us, which was the reason for my original question.

I'm swaying towards Kia, Hyundai and Toyota due to the warranty periods they provide, though I'm sure whichever make and model of car we go for will be okay so long as they have a full service history and are still covered by a warranty.

Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

 

[RossJarvis]

Toyota yaris, nissan micra. I think some of the yaris are chain driven engines, bullet proof but not all that sexy

+1 for the Yaris. I had the first version and it was excellent, though not exciting. Change oil and filters every 10,000 miles, put petrol and washer fluid in and that's it, forever.

 

[Mark A]

Hi chaps,

I've been looking at these today: Kia Rio, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Yaris. They're about the smallest I can get away with, and 2012/62 cars can be bought for between £6000 and £6500.

Which is the same price as a new Dacia Sandero. Okay, they're not the sexiest of cars (not really an issue) but they are brand new and do come with a full 3-year warranty. They seem to be well received, considering their primitiveness, but I'm not totally convinced... everyone buying a car want all the toys nowadays, like air conditioning, cruise control and bluetooth, so what's the depreciation going to be like on something so basic?

I was talking to a taxi driver today and he swore by Skoda, but also said cabbies are going for SEAT too. I'll pop into a garage and see whether the Skoda Citigo is big enough, then afterwards continue to the Dacia showroom.

Mark

 

[Stu_2]

I've had a Hyundai Tuscon for about 4.5 years, and it's been excellent. Only problem it had was with the dual-mass flywheel, which was sorted under the warranty. Unfortunately, there lots of cars that use these stupid things, so just make sure there are no rattles under load. It might sound like a loose heat shield, which is what I thought it was at first. It's a big job you definitely don't want to be paying for.

They replaced it with a standard one, so maybe they've learnt their lesson and stopped fitting these hideous things.

Would I buy another Hyundai? Yes.

Beware of Nissan, though. They own Renault, and some models have a Renault engine, and I wouldn't touch one of those with a barge pole.

Good luck.

Cheers
Stu

 

[Stu_2]

I was talking to a taxi driver today and he swore by Skoda, but also said cabbies are going for SEAT too. I'll pop into a garage and see whether the Skoda Citigo is big enough, then afterwards continue to the Dacia showroom.

Mark

Skoda and Seat are basically VW's, so should be good. I've got a couple of mates with Skoda's, and they're happy with them. One has a Yeti, and one a Superb. The Yeti is supposed to be a great car, and about the size you're after, too.

Cheers
Stu

 

[beech1948]

Maybe have a look at the J D Power Reliability Survey online and find out that Toyota have been top for quite a while even one year having all of the top 9 places,

Only issue with Toyota is that they are a bit expensive for services and repairs.

 

[woodpig]

I thought Kia have a seven year warranty, not 3?

 

[Mark A]

Hi chaps,

I took a Dacia Sandero for a 1.5 mile test drive (directed in a little square around a business park) and didn't like it. Both the steering column and driver's seat cannot be adjusted, so despite me being only 6'1" I had to lift me knee way past the bottom of the steering wheel every time I operated the clutch peddle. The rear legroom is worse than that of a Kia Picanto or Toyota Aygo, too.

I also called into Skoda and SEAT showrooms and sat in their smallish hatchbacks. They felt solid cars, and must be good if every taxi around here is an Octavia or Toledo.

My shortlist is as follows: Kia Rio, Hyundai i20, Toyota Yaris, Skoda Fabia, SEAT Ibiza

Thanks for all the advice so far, it's much appreciated! Another night on Autotrader awaits...

Mark

 

[Stu_2]

Another night on Autotrader awaits...

Mark

Know the feeling. Been trawling them all since before Christmas looking for a suitable VW Caddy.

 

[Jamie Copeland]

I bought a new Renault Clio in March last year. It's a diesel engine. I get 58 miles per gallon and I pay £55-60 to fill the tank. I learned to drive in an old clio and my driving instructor swears by them. He's had six in his time as an instructor and in that time the only thing he's needed is one new clutch.

I personally really rate them.

 

[Jamie Copeland]

I thought Kia have a seven year warranty, not 3?

They do.

 

[Mark A]

Hi guys,

Spent all last night on the internet looking for the vehicles mentioned above. I set my search parameters to a maximum price of £6500, cars up to two years old and within 100 miles.

Kia Rio's are all over my budget for a 13/63-plate, and there are no Toyota and SEAT cars within my search radius. I think I found one Hyundai i20 which fitted my criteria, but discounted it due to the high mileage.

I did, however, find a number of Skoda Fabia's which fit the bill: 13 and 63-plates, very low mileage, within budget and only minutes away from me. The engines are possibly a bit on the small size (1.2l and 60hp) but I'm sure we could manage. I've arranged a test drive tomorrow to see what they're like.

Before I make any decisions, is there any reason why I shouldn't buy a Skoda Fabia?

Cheers,
Mark