I have a shortlist of 5 cars. Which should I buy?

[white_goodman]

IDontKnowCars said:

UPDATE:

I am now down to three cars.

My opinions on the remaining 3.

Nissan: Might be a good car - but the insurance is £300 more than than actual car and it looks kind of ugly.

Ford: From my research, it is the least reliable of all the cars. I don't know if I should be expecting this to break down all the time or not?

Honda: Very worried about the rust that is around the wheels. If the alloys are that rusted, will the break disks be the same? The interior also looks very work as if it were a work car.

I think you have answered your own question really. Something bothers you with the Civic, so don't buy it, you find the Nissan ugly and I understand why you would baulk at paying more for insurance than the car (but that can happen at this price point if it's your first car), so get the Focus if it's in good condition and you like the styling (no point in buying something you don't like). I would have been very happy with a Focus as my first car (only been around for two years at the time though, so I had to settle for an older Astra instead). I seem to remember it coming top in a German reliability survey when it was new and it was the UK's best-selling car (popular with the Police and fleet and rental companies too and they don't tend to like running unreliable cars) . All those people wouldn't keep buying them if they were unreliable (plus Ford parts are cheap and they are cheap to repair). "Japanese" cars (I think the Civic and Almera were both built in the UK though) don't tend to go wrong but when they do parts are relatively expensive.

[white_goodman]

IDontKnowCars said:

Sorry, by focus 1 and 2 I was just differentiating between two near identical cars. I didn't know "Focus 1" or "Focus 2" was an actual model name.

As for the Fiesta/Focus thing. I noticed that straight away too. The photos clearly show a Focus logo on the back so I don't know what the seller was thinking.

The seller has also listed it as manual when I just found out it is an automatic. So discounting that.

Actually, while typing this out I just found out it is sold anyway -_-

I thought you meant Focus 2 as in mk2 Focus. Yeah, Ford's automatic gearboxes aren't the most reliable. No other manual Focuses (Focii?) in your budget? Failing that, I guess it's the Nissan then. Why did you rule out the Mazda?

[IDontKnowCars]

white_goodman said:

I think you have answered your own question really. Something bothers you with the Civic, so don't buy it, you find the Nissan ugly and I understand why you would baulk at paying more for insurance than the car (but that can happen at this price point if it's your first car), so get the Focus if it's in good condition and you like the styling (no point in buying something you don't like). I would have been very happy with a Focus as my first car (only been around for two years at the time though, so I had to settle for an older Astra instead). I seem to remember it coming top in a German reliability survey when it was new and it was the UK's best-selling car (popular with the Police and fleet and rental companies too and they don't tend to like running unreliable cars) . All those people wouldn't keep buying them if they were unreliable (plus Ford parts are cheap and they are cheap to repair). "Japanese" cars (I think the Civic and Almera were both built in the UK though) don't tend to go wrong but when they do parts are relatively expensive.

I now have a massive problem with you saying to go for the focus. I just rang up to arrange a viewing and it is sold. i am left with only the civic and the almera.

[ZX10R NIN]

IDontKnowCars said:

I now have a massive problem with you saying to go for the focus. I just rang up to arrange a viewing and it is sold. i am left with only the civic and the almera.

The Almera has a timing chain rather than a belt so you shouldn't have cam belt issues

[IDontKnowCars]

ZX10R NIN said:

The Almera has a timing chain rather than a belt so you shouldn't have cam belt issues

I have no idea what that means but it sounds good!

[northandy]

Almera is actually a very good little car, I had one for 2 years and no problems at all, dad had one for 3 years and no problems at all.

[BritishRacinGrin]

IDontKnowCars said:

ZX10R NIN said:

The Almera has a timing chain rather than a belt so you shouldn't have cam belt issues

I have no idea what that means but it sounds good!

Aren't these Almeras the ones which suffer chain tensionner issues?

IDKC, Is there really only two Focus 1.6 in the country?

Personally for me I'd consider any of the makes / models you've identified but I wouldn't be able to say which one unless I viewed / test drove all of them. For what it's worth I reckon the Honda would likely be the most reliable (and no, the wheel corrosion is not a problem), and the Ford would be the nicest to drive and probably not much worse in the reliability stakes.

[forzaminardi]

You're never going to get the perfect car, let alone at this price. As others have said, get the one that seems least goosed. The Almera is a good bet I'd say, deadly boring perhaps but deadly reliable too, especially if the Honda is bothering you. Actually, I don't think the Almera is all that boring, I think the styling is quite good really, the duck tail roof is distinctive and it looks dated as hell inside, but so does virtually every almost 15-year old car.

[schmalex]

Good grief. OP, just go and rest drive it. If it's fked, don't buy it. If it isn't, buy it. If you choose not to buy it, there will be another 10 for sale in the next week, so don't worry.