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

[IDontKnowCars]

UPDATE: Only now considering the Nissan Almera. However, I am concerned about the price. It seems too low. Is this car any good?


I have spent the past week narrowing down all suitable cars on AutoTrader, Gumtree, Craigslist and motors.co.uk and got down to these 5. The thing is, I know nothing about cars at all.

I just need a reliable car that is unlikely to break down or need repairs for my first car.

Out of these, which is best for me to go for?

(Insurance is irrelevant. As you can see in the image, all are almost identical).


http://i.imgur.com/ixsSC2p.png?1 (In tabular form)

Nissan Almera - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Edited by IDontKnowCars on Friday 27th February 20:42

[IDontKnowCars]

Some of you have mentioned insurance. See the first image for my insurance quotes. All of them are essentially identical.

I saw somebody mention the Honda. However I am concerned that one of the photos it seems that the wheels are rusty, the inside looks a little overwork (like it was a work car of something). The back seems to have been resprayed with spray paint in parts.

Only the fords have service histories too. I was told to usually only get used cars if they have service histories. Should I be concerned with the others having no services?

[IDontKnowCars]

TTwiggy said:

If the silver focus really has FSH then it looks the best bet to me. Never owned one but I understand they are well regarded cars and nice to drive.

Is an upgrade from a partial service history (The black focus) to a full service history (The silver) worth £300 though?

Other than the service history, they are essentially identical cars.

[IDontKnowCars]

TTwiggy said:

The link doesn't work on the black one so maybe it's sold?

It's hard to say what value FSH has at the price point you're considering, but it would generally indicate that the owner has cared for the vehicle. That said, if the owner was good with a spanner and had done their own servicing, that wouldn't put me off.

I just noticed the black car link too. I think it may have sold. It is still listed on motors.co.uk though.

http://www.motors.co.uk/car-37220715/14/sr

[IDontKnowCars]

TommoAE86 said:

Most people say buy on condition over ticking a "checklist" of what you should look for.

Much as I do like the Nissan & the Mazda, both of them look like home dealers so just be aware that you're unlikely to have any comeback without aggro (I could be wrong and they have their back to the business premises).

Can you take anyone with you?

The only one of them that was a trade seller has just said that the car (the first focus) has sold. They are all private sellers from now on.

[IDontKnowCars]

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.

[IDontKnowCars]

white_goodman said:

OP, to be honest, they'll probably all be fine. Personally, as someone who has an interest in cars and enjoys driving, I would probably take the "Focus 2" if you can afford it, although isn't it still a Focus 1? (the seller seems to think it's a Fiesta)! I have never owned one but hear that they are generally reliable and are fun to drive (I think they require a specific grade of oil though)? A more complete service history is a good thing in my opinion, as you know that someone has tried to look after it and you're potentially saving yourself the extra initial outlay and then some further down the line. Personally, whether buying from a dealer or privately, I would always insist on 12 months MOT too (if the seller doesn't want to do this then walk away, as they probably have something to hide)! If you have no interest in cars, then a friend of mine has had two Almeras and had no major problems, so that would be my second choice. Older Mazdas have a higher propensity to rust in my opinion and Civics are good cars (I have a newer one) but not as well built as some methinks. No Toyota Corollas in your budget? Now, if reliability and cheap running costs are the most important thing to you, then they really are bulletproof! Having said that, the only time that I bought a car in this price range, it was a cosmetically poor (i.e. rusty) Mercedes C-Class diesel estate with 220,000 miles and no service history. It was the right price though, had 12 months MOT and felt fine, so I bought it and it was fine! Generally, if something doesn't feel right about a car to you, it isn't, so trust your instincts and walk away.

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 -_-

[IDontKnowCars]

Calza said:

Remember tax doesn't carry over - you'll have to put at least 6 months on whatever vehicle you buy.

Oh yeah, didn't realise this, thanks.

[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.

[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!