Help/ Advice needed from knowledgeable pistonheads!!

[craigblade]

I currently have a Toyota corolla t3 1.6 petrol 3 door , which i am very happy with, however i am expecting my child in November so i have a few month to decide and get a new 5 door car by then.

I just cannot make up my mind , i only do 6000 miles a year so i guess that rules out a diesel?

which car would people recommend ,given that i want a reliable car that is cheap to run and maintain, but is spacious enough for a baby/pram. my budget is upto £5500

My options are

corolla sr
audi a3
bmw 1 series
nissan quasqui
honda civic
kia ceed.

thank you

[OldGermanHeaps]

When the wee one comes you will want loads of boot space for all the junk you need to ferry around and youll want something built like a tank to keep your precious cargo safe that still looks nice and is fun to drive ticking the right man boxes. There is a very tidy 2002 x5 3.0d in the classifieds within your budget in livingston you should definitely buy...














... Well, it was worth a try.;)
Diesel and low miles is only an issue with dpf equipped cars, when our wee one was on her way we got an x-trail diesel and it was fantastic in almost every way, other than ours was a cat d very very cheap and rust was starting to come through and the mrs really wanted an x5 and I wanted an xc90 so we compromised as always and got exactly the x5 she wanted and i escaped injury.

[craigblade]

Thanks for the reply!

My old man had an x5 and was constantly at the petrol station so that's a no from me!! cheers though for the hint!!

I just cant make my mind up between the cars i've listed!! Would you have any preference?

[ScoobyChris]

Ford Focus/Mazda 3 may be worth a look too. Good reliability, lots to choose from, not bad to drive and parts are plentiful and cheap.

Chris

[OldGermanHeaps]

I know 3 people with diesel quashqais , all 3 absolutely love them, 1 of them does short runs so far without issue but they do have a dpf so there may be issues, I imagine a petrol one would be decent, but our icandy pram didn't fit in the boot so you need to choose your pram carefully if your getting a small car.
Audi a3 is a quality product but a bit wee for a baby imo, what about an octavia?

[craigblade]

thank you Chris , appreciate your reply , but not too keen on either of those 2.

What you prefer from the list i have given? I think that is my final shortlist but cant narrow it down , feels like i've been on autotrader constantly for about a month!! haha!!

[skip_1]

5 doors is the important thing (although some cope with 3), any car will cope with a baby and pram (depending on length of pram when folded). It just depends how many other items you will be lugging around!

One thing to note would be that on some cars when the baby seat is fitted and is rear facing you may not be able to set the driver/passenger seat as far back as ideal. It may be worth having your car seat and pram with you when you go to look at cars to check out the space.

[craigblade]

not keen either on them mate! im a fussy bugger!!

The nissan is probably top of my list but with my budget im worried i will have to get 1 with high mileage which could cause problems??

[craigblade]

Thank you skip.

Would you have any advice given the original list?

I like the audi a3's but with my low budget im worried i am going to have to have one with 80,000+ miles on clock. is this a concern for a petrol engine?

[OldGermanHeaps]

Congrats on the upcoming wee one anyway, get read for the happiest days of your life and for them to fly by , blink and you will miss a lot of it. It makes you realise that a car is just an expensive metal container for your favourite people, make sure and pick something safe and reliable as sitting immobilised on the hard shoulder is 10 times more stressful with a newborn in the car don't buy a recent vauxhall whatever you do.

[skip_1]

I don't know much about the cars on the list other than we coped well with a Golf so presumably the A3 would be OK. Qashqais are said to be not as roomy as expected inside.

When we chose a pram we measured the Twingo boot as this is the smallest of our cars and then bought a travel system that fitted. The car seat fitted nicely in the Twingo but the seats don't sit far enough back with the baby seat in and so the front is a little cramped.

I have an Accord estate now and with the baby seat in that there is less room in the front then there was in the Golf. Best bet is to visit a few second hand sales places and have a poke around. You have a few weekends left...

oh, and the ISOfix base for the seat if we wanted it didn't fit in the Twingo or the Golf so we had to use the straps. Manufacturer claimed it would fit.

[ScoobyChris]

craigblade said:

thank you Chris , appreciate your reply , but not too keen on either of those 2.

What you prefer from the list i have given? I think that is my final shortlist but cant narrow it down , feels like i've been on autotrader constantly for about a month!! haha!!

Ours is due in September and we have a 120d A nice balance of economy and being fun to drive with enough room for baby and paraphernalia. It has a DPF though so I'm not sure would be a good fit for you but the petrols may be worth a look.

Not sure about the others on your list, but if you already have a pram, that may narrow down the list for you in terms of what it fits in...

Chris

[OldGermanHeaps]

I know someone with a 1.8t a3 with 145000 miles on it, original turbo, original clutch, new coils and a new recirc dump valve and it still runs sweet, no smoke, uses no oil between services, he recommends it highly. I tried one but it was too small for my liking.
I cant speak for the boring engine variants.

[craigblade]

Thank you everyone.

should a 1.6 petrol audi a3 with 70,000+ miles on the clock be a cause for concern??

[Court Jester]

My wife has a 56 plate Civic. She has had it from new, and it has been really reliable over the last 98k or so. Big boot, clever rear seats that fold up as well as down and a reasonable steer.

[OldGermanHeaps]

I have no idea, but how about a diesel with the dpf mapped out and removed? Best of both worlds, and they take the miles easily.

[skip_1]

With regards to the mileage on petrol engines, I wouldn't worry too much if there is FSH. Buy on condition and not spec.

If it's a turbo engine then I'd want dealer service history if possible.

[craigblade]

sorry i really dont know my car stuff!! what is a "dpf"??

[Court Jester]

Oh should also add I had a 55 plate 120d M-Sport for a year or so. Never a big fan - opposite of a Tardis IMO, and a really poor ride quality as one of BMWs first attempt at run flats. Horses for courses as the cabin for the driver is very nice, but loses out to the Civic because of lack of space and harsh ride, but 120d was firmer with less body roll on a spirited drive.

[V88Dicky]

Seeing as you like your Toyota, how about an Avensis?. £5500 will get you into a low mileage mkII;







http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Massive boot, lots of space, reliable, well built (in Derbyshire) and economical.