Help me choose a car

PatrickO

PatrickO

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,808
Name
Patrick
Edit My Images
Yes
Thinking of changing my car soon and would appreciate ideas of models to look at. I'm not too interested in style or speed (fell asleep the last time I tried to watch Top Gear :)) ... to me cars are a way to get from A to B

I'll be buying second hand - probably around 3 years old. I'm looking for:

1. Cheap to buy and run ( I do about 12k miles a year)

2. Big enough storage space to get a bike in the back with the front wheel detached. No - not interested in a bike carrier.

3. Reliable.

My last couple of cars have been Vectras which have been fine. But, now the kids are older I want something a bit smaller and less petrol guzzling.
 
Personally I lover German cars, well built and very reliable. All depends on budget, they cost more but hold value much better.

Mondeos are nice too, and have big boots?
 
I'm biased as I own one but a Focus Estate will easily get a bike in the back without the front wheel and as Cambsno said, Mondeo boots are larger still.

As for reliability, yes Fords do have their "moments" but then so do most cars ;)
 
cambsno said:
Personally I lover German cars, well built and very reliable. All depends on budget, they cost more but hold value much better.

Mondeos are nice too, and have big boots?
Click to expand...

Aren't Mondeos just the Ford version of a Vectra?
 
Russ77 said:
I'm biased as I own one but a Focus Estate will easily get a bike in the back without the front wheel and as Cambsno said, Mondeo boots are larger still.

As for reliability, yes Fords do have their "moments" but then so do most cars ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Will look at the Focus Estate.
 
PatrickO said:
Thanks. Will look at the Focus Estate.
Click to expand...

I'm on my second focus estate :lol:

Bought a new MK1 in 2000 and part ex'd it with a 55 plate MK2 in 2011.

The only major item I had to replace on the MK1 was the fuel pump after about 4 years, a couple of years before I sold it the Idle Control Valve, Rocker Cover Gasket & Thermostat housing needed to be replaced but they weren't particularly expensive and considering it was a car getting on for 10 years old I don't think too bad.

When I bought the MK2 I had to replace the front shocks (but that's just a wear & tear type thing) and the alternator failed on me but again, it's a 7 year old car and these things will start to fail after time on pretty much any car.
 
You're going to get lots of self-justifying opinions about the cars other people have bought for themselves, but speaking as a garage proprietor with an involvement with a completely different brand, if you've been happy with your two Vectras, an Astra is the obvious car one size down.

Who's been looking after your Vauxhalls? Was it Hartwells? Whoever it is, if you're happy with them, you might want to stay with the same company.

At 12,000 miles pa, you might as well buy petrol rather than diesel because the equivalent car will have a £1000 saving 'in the glovebox' to offset the lower fuel consumption and petrol tends to be simpler and cheaper to maintain.
 
+1 focus estate
i had one for 5 years and would still probably have it today had the garage not chosen to destroy the engine in a botched cambelt change!!

after 4 yrs with an Octavia, now back in a focus (hatch) again.

the 1.6 diesels now do almost 70mpg combined.
Yes they don't have the prestige etc of a beemer, but they're so cheap to run/insure/buy who cares???
 
Yves Geza said:
At 12,000 miles pa, you might as well buy petrol rather than diesel because the equivalent car will have a £1000 saving 'in the glovebox' to offset the lower fuel consumption and petrol tends to be simpler and cheaper to maintain.
Click to expand...

:plusone:

In some ways I wish I'd plumped for the petrol version of mine (and the big petrol engine at that, not the same size) for the nicer noise it makes. Insurance would be a bit more though, although my wife's in the process of changing her car and her insurance is only rising by 75 odd quid despite the fresh car being significantly bigger and more expensive. Happily, her new car is a V8 with a pleasant (though slightly muted) burble as well as being a convertible.

Both cars fail on your points 1 & 2 however they should be OK on point 3!

If I was in the market for the same as you are, I would be tempted by an older Citroen Xsara Picasso. Cheap, comfortable, not to expensive to run and extremely practical!
 
I had a Mazda6 and although it wasn't the best looking car it was lovely to drive and had a huge boot:)
 
Yves Geza said:
You're going to get lots of self-justifying opinions about the cars other people have bought for themselves, but speaking as a garage proprietor with an involvement with a completely different brand, if you've been happy with your two Vectras, an Astra is the obvious car one size down.

Who's been looking after your Vauxhalls? Was it Hartwells? Whoever it is, if you're happy with them, you might want to stay with the same company.

At 12,000 miles pa, you might as well buy petrol rather than diesel because the equivalent car will have a £1000 saving 'in the glovebox' to offset the lower fuel consumption and petrol tends to be simpler and cheaper to maintain.
Click to expand...

People's opinions are what I'm after :)

Good point about petrol vs diesel. Although presumably with an older/cheaper car the difference in purchase price becomes less important.

Carlo said:
+1 focus estate
i had one for 5 years and would still probably have it today had the garage not chosen to destroy the engine in a botched cambelt change!!

after 4 yrs with an Octavia, now back in a focus (hatch) again.

the 1.6 diesels now do almost 70mpg combined.
Yes they don't have the prestige etc of a beemer, but they're so cheap to run/insure/buy who cares???
Click to expand...

Do you mean the Econitec (or whatever it is) ?

Gary Coyle said:
Kie Ceed estate
Click to expand...

Hmmm... don't know that one. Will take a look

Jjm said:
I had a Mazda6 and although it wasn't the best looking car it was lovely to drive and had a huge boot:)
Click to expand...

Mazda6 is just as big and fuel guzzling as a Vectra so I wouldn't gain anything.
 
Any idea of budget?
 
Kia Ceed Estate
or
Hyundai i40 Tourer
 
Last edited by a moderator:
London Headshots said:
Ferrari.
Click to expand...

You'll struggle to carry a bike in one of them. Also the OP seemed concerned about getting good fuel economy, which is not something they are noted for

Other than that, they are lovely. I nearly bought an F355 nine years ago, but was terrified of the servicing (I was told by an owner that camshaft -not cam belt, the actual camshafts themselves - replacement was a service item, for example) and decided against.
 
Family-hatch category I'd suggest taking a look at a SEAT Leon.... VW/Audi reliability, great to drive, spacious (5-doors and big hatch) and some great deisel and petrol engines. I had the Cupra R version, which was a 1.8 turbo so not that cheap to run (big wheels, thirsty) but they did a FR version with a 1.9tdi that by all accounts is a 50mpg+ motor. The Mk1 body style is cheap these days.

Other than that, from a purely subjective POV, take a look at Volvos - cheap to buy if you look at the right ones (and right age) and very reliable. I have a S60 with a 2.4 D5 diesel engine that does 55mpg+ and has tons of room. Great to drive to, very comfortable.
 
Focus is a good shout.


You don't really need an estate as you could fit the bike in and fold part of rear seat forward.

I have x2 Ford Focus's 1.6 TDCI 110Ps Sports - 2011 Plates done approx 40k, 1 Years Tax is only £30,
They do over 60MPG combined. Still under manufacturers Warranty until June 2014.

Give me a shout if you want one cheap :)
 
Gary Coyle said:
7 year warranty on the Ceed estate, ive bought a 2010 level 2 cdri
Click to expand...

Had one as a hire car recently.. Loathsome piece of dirge. Lethargic diesel which is incredibly unrefined... Don't care if our Golf IV 1.6 Auto manages 34 mpg at best I was glad to get back in it. Forget about listening to music on the audio or having a conversation, because the road and engine noise is deafening..

Oh yes it had an iPod USB slot - shame it didn't work - it didn't work on the Hyundai Accent hire car we had last year either - a true Blue Peter car in the true sense of the word.

Hideous cars, hideous cars.

VW group cars - Octavia, Golf etc or Focus/Astra are what I would suggest - they are now as big as what Mondeos/Passats/Vectras were 15-20 years ago.
 
welshwizard645 said:
Had one as a hire car recently.. Loathsome piece of dirge. Lethargic diesel which is incredibly unrefined... Don't care if our Golf IV 1.6 Auto manages 34 mpg at best I was glad to get back in it. Forget about listening to music on the audio or having a conversation, because the road and engine noise is deafening..

Oh yes it had an iPod USB slot - shame it didn't work - it didn't work on the Hyundai Accent hire car we had last year either - a true Blue Peter car in the true sense of the word.

Hideous cars, hideous cars.
Click to expand...
Well mine is very well refined, even better than the Mondeo Diesel, ive driven diesels all my life and the 2010 onwards Kia ranks with the very best of them if you bear in mind it's only a 1.6ltr engine, interior cloth trims are a bit questionable, mines like hessian but at least it will never wear out, the brand new 2013 models are much nicer though, i average around 58mgp but can get 70 on the motorway.

Any regrets in buying it, a big fat NO, anything i would like to see improved, YES, better interior trim and the option of a larger 2.0ltr engine would be nice, not for me, the 1.6 is plenty good enough for me, flies up M62 windy bank at 100 with ease (not that i do it) but a 2ltr engine would be a better choice for some.

Prices arent as keen as they used to be now that Kia have a strong foothold in the UK, Skoda did exactly the same with their prices, my last car a Skoda Fabia 1.4tdi needed over £8000 of warranty work before i eventually ditched it.

I agree about the road noise in the Kia, but i replaced all 4 stock tyres at 20,000 miles and had proper £30 insulation fitted to the bonnet and you can hear a pin drop in the cabin now even at high speed the Radio stays at level 8 out of 40
 
Focus diesel all the way, I've just bought a 2010 1.6 dtci and I love it, I drove to lyden hill race track which is a good 50 miles away from me and home again on £10 of diesel!!

Plenty of space for a bike with the back seats folded down and it's not a bad looking car by any means
 
skullcandy said:
Focus diesel all the way, I've just bought a 2010 1.6 dtci and I love it, I drove to lyden hill race track which is a good 50 miles away from me and home again on £10 of diesel!!

Plenty of space for a bike with the back seats folded down and it's not a bad looking car by any means
Click to expand...

Even my 2.0TDCi manages 50-60MPG on m/way journies :)

TBH, on my daily commute (17 miles each way) I could probably do with a 1.6/1.8TDCi although fun can be had with the extra torque available ;) :lol:
 
Personally I would stay clear of a civic, had one as a company car and was the worst car I have ever had, I had so many problems with it it was not funny and so did the other guys at work who had one.

Brakes discs were forever being replaced a well as batteries on mine, batteries every 6 months, pads often didn't get between services and discs at a lot of services, air con blew cold when the temp was below 15 outside and hot when the temp was above that. The worst thing for me though was a constant back ache, as soon I didn't have the car that went.

Edit due to stupid auto correct on phone.
 
Last edited:
Another vote for ths Focus Estate. My brother has the 1.6 TD. Nearly 3 years old and a v nice vehicle

Something bigger then the Skoda Octavia diesel is nice and spacy. Its basically a VW Passat.

She who drops cameras has just chosen a Ford B Max which looks nice but dont think you'd get a bike in it.

S
 
Last edited:
PatrickO said:
People's opinions are what I'm after :)

Good point about petrol vs diesel. Although presumably with an older/cheaper car the difference in purchase price becomes less important.
Click to expand...

But so does the chance of an expensive repair...

A diesel owner myself, but just had to spend £1k on replacing the injectors.

Hopefully means that the engine will run another 5 to 10 years with few problems...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top