Depressed by used car options
Discussion
gibson2004 said:
When I saw this thread i was very suprised, you can get all sorts of good cars for that money.
The miles you stated is incredibly low. The saying I see on pistonheads a lot is "buy on condition not on mileage".
My choice of car would be audi a5 3.0tdi.
I looked at the A5 and they just look bland and boring to me, forgot to mention that. The later ones look fresh with the newer lights but you're talking £25k quite easily.The miles you stated is incredibly low. The saying I see on pistonheads a lot is "buy on condition not on mileage".
My choice of car would be audi a5 3.0tdi.
Also, I agree the condition is more important than mileage to an extent. But I would like some resale value when I am done with the car and unfortunately the closer you get to 6 figures on used cars, the depreciation curve steepens again.
Hi , just gonna throw a different angle on it , you say you like your focus why not get a newer version of that car ? Or even dare I say it top range mondeo , more car for your buck and decent spec , I may be barking up the wrong tree . If it was my money I would run 2 cars , some great toys out there
Valgar said:
200BHP and 40mpg seems like a big ask, relegating yourself to Diesels, if you were to lower your expectations to 25-30 MPG you can get much more interesting stuff, the difference in fuel costs between 30 and 40 is less than £1000 a year.
That is an interesting point you raise. Having just checked on a calculator, at the mileage I am doing you are right it is about £1k per year. So about £20 a week which sounds steeper than £1000 a year.The thing is though in my experience, petrol cars struggle with mpg at motorway speeds more than a diesel which is where the car will spend most of it's time.
Al U said:
That is an interesting point you raise. Having just checked on a calculator, at the mileage I am doing you are right it is about £1k per year. So about £20 a week which sounds steeper than £1000 a year.
The thing is though in my experience, petrol cars struggle with mpg at motorway speeds more than a diesel which is where the car will spend most of it's time.
With all due respect, I disagree with your point about petrol cars on motorways. A motorway is where a car is most fuel efficient, and it's very easy to get 40mpg+ from modern petrol cars. I regularly top 40mpg in my C180 wagon, and I used to regularly achieve 38mpg from my 3.8 911. If you're doing over 20k a year on the motorway, I doubt you're someone who spends his life in the outside lane doing n+10mph of whoever's in front of you.The thing is though in my experience, petrol cars struggle with mpg at motorway speeds more than a diesel which is where the car will spend most of it's time.
My point? Don't disregard petrols, nor cars with under 200bhp. 200bhp in a 5-series estate is barely cooking spec, whereas 200bhp in an Elise returns 0-60 times as quick as an RS4 avant.
For your criteria, I'd suggest a Volvo S60 D5. It's not a coupé, but you can't argue it's not different from the usual 320d/A4/Insignias on the road - I think it's quite a good looking car. Your choice of auto or manual:
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
However if I were to impart my personal opinion, I'd be looking at one of these:
Audi TT 2.0 - you'd get nigh on 40mpg on a motorway run.
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
BMW Z4 - you'll be running in the low-mid 30s for mpg, but it's a gorgeous car.
www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015112790...
Merc C320 CDI - I'm biased, but I love the C-class.
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Skoda Octavia vRS - not a looker, but heard nothing but praise for them.
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Food for thought - hope something is of interest.
Blimey, you're the first person I've heard of who doesn't like the inside of a Brera!
Honestly, for 42 miles each way, 5 days a week, keep the Focus. It's just utility miles.
Me? I'd either have the Brera and about 7 grand in the bank, or an Alfa GT (remapped can get pretty close to 200 and they don't have any DPF to worry about) and 10 grand in the bank. Both diesels are good for 200K miles when looked after.
Honestly, for 42 miles each way, 5 days a week, keep the Focus. It's just utility miles.
Me? I'd either have the Brera and about 7 grand in the bank, or an Alfa GT (remapped can get pretty close to 200 and they don't have any DPF to worry about) and 10 grand in the bank. Both diesels are good for 200K miles when looked after.
rxe said:
Blimey, you're the first person I've heard of who doesn't like the inside of a Brera!
Honestly, for 42 miles each way, 5 days a week, keep the Focus. It's just utility miles.
Me? I'd either have the Brera and about 7 grand in the bank, or an Alfa GT (remapped can get pretty close to 200 and they don't have any DPF to worry about) and 10 grand in the bank. Both diesels are good for 200K miles when looked after.
Oh well, I must be the 2nd person who isn't bowled over by the Brera interior! And it is a lardy front-heavy understeer monster!Honestly, for 42 miles each way, 5 days a week, keep the Focus. It's just utility miles.
Me? I'd either have the Brera and about 7 grand in the bank, or an Alfa GT (remapped can get pretty close to 200 and they don't have any DPF to worry about) and 10 grand in the bank. Both diesels are good for 200K miles when looked after.
As you say, 42 miles each way is Focus territory and then get a proper car for fun (preferably with RWD, so no Alfisti need apply)!!
I know you said you wanted a car which has lower miles, but with the number of miles you do p.a, why don't you consider a car which has already had the depreciation by going over 100k? Look for something like an ex police car (I saw a lovely 330d which 116k on it the other day which was an ex cop car) which will have been maintained well and stick the rest of the money in the bank. Run it for a year or two and then flog on!
sebhaque said:
BMW Z4 - you'll be running in the low-mid 30s for mpg, but it's a gorgeous car.
www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015112790...
That is a nice Z4 (in the market for one myself) but seriously, 19 pictures, 17 of them exterior and only 2 near identical photos of the interior www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015112790...
sebhaque said:
With all due respect, I disagree with your point about petrol cars on motorways. A motorway is where a car is most fuel efficient, and it's very easy to get 40mpg+ from modern petrol cars. I regularly top 40mpg in my C180 wagon, and I used to regularly achieve 38mpg from my 3.8 911. If you're doing over 20k a year on the motorway, I doubt you're someone who spends his life in the outside lane doing n+10mph of whoever's in front of you.
The thing is on the stretch of motorway and A roads that I use the car is generally very much on the naughty side of 70mph. The focus can do this and still get 45mpg. I haven't come across many petrol cars that can do that.nadger said:
I know you said you wanted a car which has lower miles, but with the number of miles you do p.a, why don't you consider a car which has already had the depreciation by going over 100k? Look for something like an ex police car (I saw a lovely 330d which 116k on it the other day which was an ex cop car) which will have been maintained well and stick the rest of the money in the bank. Run it for a year or two and then flog on!
The thing with higher mileage cars is bigger bills are expected. I don't mind paying more for a lower mileage example of what I decide to go with.veccy208 said:
What about looking for cheaper cars with higher specs? Look at cars between 5-10k and a bit older. Get some great cars with full service history, 1 owner and kept in a garage all their lives. It also gives you a chance to look at something different from the usual.
Just fancy something newer to be honest. I don't think 6 years old or newer is an unreasonable target.FredClogs said:
Spend less on the car, get something a bit older and with a petrol engine for £10k and save the money for fuel bills and repairs.
I don't really think the benefits of a petrol car are going to be made apparent with the type of driving I do. My personal opinion is that lazy diesels are perfect for motorway driving, just fancy something better than the focus.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff