Sorry! What Car? - for a mate...
Discussion
A friend of mine is looking to buy a used car in the near future.
Budget - £3k (he has already increased this from 2k)
Insurance has to be relatively cheap, so nothing too sporty / prestigious, as he is only 23 years old and premiums are silly
Has to reliably do 70 miles a day
Intends to keep for 2 years at least
Bit of background...
He was handed-down his mums Nissan Micra 1.0 when he passed his test at 19 (poor chap) and has only ever had this since - he drives like Miss Daisy. He wants something a bit more 'plush' (shouldn't be hard!) as he is effectively now financing his first car through choice rather than by default.
At 70 miles a day a diesel makes sense. The journey will be mainly A-roads, so something small and light will probably be better on fuel.
So far we have looked at-
Ford Focus TDCi 1.8 - Lots of choice out there within budget, reasonable running costs and parts availability is good. Cheap tax and cheap insurance. Good handling, relatively safe bet. It has a bit of a low-rent interior with scratchy plastics and a nasty feel to the controls - plastic steering wheel and a strange gearknob on most models. I had one and hated it - the 1.8 is an ancient design and I struggled to see 45mpg which I thought was a bit naff.
VW Golf MK4 - Confusing array of engines, the non-PD choices seem far cheaper on insurance but they all seem pretty undesireable spec-wise. GT TDi seems the most recommended, so I think the search for a 115bhp model is a good idea. There aren't many about but they do seem to hold their value well. I've also suggested he consider a Bora if a good one comes up, but these are even rarer in his budget.
Honda Civic 1.7 CDTi - He has a 'thing' for Japanese cars, but I know very little about the diesel varient of the EP Civic, only that they are pretty rare and most 5-door models look like something unsuitable for a 23 year old with any self-respect!
Any advice or further suggestions would be much appreciated. Sorry for the What Car thread...
Budget - £3k (he has already increased this from 2k)
Insurance has to be relatively cheap, so nothing too sporty / prestigious, as he is only 23 years old and premiums are silly
Has to reliably do 70 miles a day
Intends to keep for 2 years at least
Bit of background...
He was handed-down his mums Nissan Micra 1.0 when he passed his test at 19 (poor chap) and has only ever had this since - he drives like Miss Daisy. He wants something a bit more 'plush' (shouldn't be hard!) as he is effectively now financing his first car through choice rather than by default.
At 70 miles a day a diesel makes sense. The journey will be mainly A-roads, so something small and light will probably be better on fuel.
So far we have looked at-
Ford Focus TDCi 1.8 - Lots of choice out there within budget, reasonable running costs and parts availability is good. Cheap tax and cheap insurance. Good handling, relatively safe bet. It has a bit of a low-rent interior with scratchy plastics and a nasty feel to the controls - plastic steering wheel and a strange gearknob on most models. I had one and hated it - the 1.8 is an ancient design and I struggled to see 45mpg which I thought was a bit naff.
VW Golf MK4 - Confusing array of engines, the non-PD choices seem far cheaper on insurance but they all seem pretty undesireable spec-wise. GT TDi seems the most recommended, so I think the search for a 115bhp model is a good idea. There aren't many about but they do seem to hold their value well. I've also suggested he consider a Bora if a good one comes up, but these are even rarer in his budget.
Honda Civic 1.7 CDTi - He has a 'thing' for Japanese cars, but I know very little about the diesel varient of the EP Civic, only that they are pretty rare and most 5-door models look like something unsuitable for a 23 year old with any self-respect!
Any advice or further suggestions would be much appreciated. Sorry for the What Car thread...
Plush and small and light don't seem to go together in my book.
Nothing wrong with the Focus or Astra as vehicles, but they are a bit white goods and rather throw away. In fact yoku'd have to ask what would either truly offer over the Micra and are they worth spanking £3k on to gain nothing really.
If plush is a consideration how about a diesel Rover 75/MG ZT. Well specced and comfy and not a bad steer either while being a nicer more comfy place to sit than an Astra.
Nothing wrong with the Focus or Astra as vehicles, but they are a bit white goods and rather throw away. In fact yoku'd have to ask what would either truly offer over the Micra and are they worth spanking £3k on to gain nothing really.
If plush is a consideration how about a diesel Rover 75/MG ZT. Well specced and comfy and not a bad steer either while being a nicer more comfy place to sit than an Astra.
From slightly leftfield: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Plushish, should achieve at least 40 mpg on A roads, not far short of a diesel equivalent.
Or on the same theme, a nice little Swift: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Plushish, should achieve at least 40 mpg on A roads, not far short of a diesel equivalent.
Or on the same theme, a nice little Swift: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Edited by Bonefish Blues on Tuesday 8th January 10:42
Tried to find him a Fabia VRS, couldn't.
He has this mental block that every car with over 100,000 miles is 'past it' and not worth spending much money on! Trying to convince him otherwise is a painful process.
He's not keen on Astra's, as he can only get the old, old shape (one before the 'H' shape) and these look very old now too.
He has this mental block that every car with over 100,000 miles is 'past it' and not worth spending much money on! Trying to convince him otherwise is a painful process.
He's not keen on Astra's, as he can only get the old, old shape (one before the 'H' shape) and these look very old now too.
C.A.R. said:
Tried to find him a Fabia VRS, couldn't.
He has this mental block that every car with over 100,000 miles is 'past it' and not worth spending much money on! Trying to convince him otherwise is a painful process.
He's not keen on Astra's, as he can only get the old, old shape (one before the 'H' shape) and these look very old now too.
Would a MG ZS diesel be an option, I had a ZR with the L series engine, excellent economy 60+mpg, cheap insurance, very good value for money.He has this mental block that every car with over 100,000 miles is 'past it' and not worth spending much money on! Trying to convince him otherwise is a painful process.
He's not keen on Astra's, as he can only get the old, old shape (one before the 'H' shape) and these look very old now too.
Couple of examples:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
C.A.R. said:
I posted that exact same ZS to him last week, the grey one that is. Such a lot of car for the money.
Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
They seem to have a lot of hate. Are they actually a car person, else they just need slapping in the face for a dose of reality. Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
C.A.R. said:
I posted that exact same ZS to him last week, the grey one that is. Such a lot of car for the money.
Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
Still hold their value as you'd expect - mate of mine bought a mk5 polo the other day 1.9tdi, 110,000 miles - £1250 - probably cheaper than a similar spec golf though... Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
C.A.R. said:
I posted that exact same ZS to him last week, the grey one that is. Such a lot of car for the money.
Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
At the risk of sounding like stuck record as it's my default answer, but with good reason, what about a 1.4TDI or 1.9TDI Skoda Fabia, or Octavia if he prefers a larger car.Unfortunately he hated it. Bummer.
What about a Polo? Smaller than a Golf but pressumably cheaper as a result? (haven't looked yet)
Reliable, cheap to insure, well built, good ride, decent interior, 50-60mpg. Ok, both the Mk1 and Mk2 aren't exactly lookers but as practical transport they're hard to beat for the money.
3k would get a tidy Mk1 1.9TDI, with far fewer than 100k if you find the right one, with a low mileage previous owner.
Edited by vrsmxtb on Tuesday 8th January 12:51
This is an old thread!
My mate ended up with the Polo 6n 1.4TDi and he went ahead and bought it without having a proper look. I was busy so he took a friend who 'knows his cars and stuff'
I've since serviced it twice and it's fairly straightforward, but it has a leaking CV boot, mis-matched budget tyres all close to the limit and it's several different shades of green. The alarm likes to play along to itself and the electric passenger window is intermittent.
Otherwise, as they say, it's 'faultless'. Unfortunately the MOT was expensive for him.
My mate ended up with the Polo 6n 1.4TDi and he went ahead and bought it without having a proper look. I was busy so he took a friend who 'knows his cars and stuff'
I've since serviced it twice and it's fairly straightforward, but it has a leaking CV boot, mis-matched budget tyres all close to the limit and it's several different shades of green. The alarm likes to play along to itself and the electric passenger window is intermittent.
Otherwise, as they say, it's 'faultless'. Unfortunately the MOT was expensive for him.
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