Idiot Seeks Car
Discussion
The History Bit
My Fiesta is getting on a bit now and I'm looking to buy a bigger car, but I am a bit stuck for what to do. It has 81,000 miles on the clock and I keep getting hit with bills of £200+, as I've gone through five(!) alloy wheels. Annoyingly, I'm pretty sure another one has gone when I hit a pothole coming into the village last week. We're thinking about starting a family this year, so I'm guessing I'll need more space in the car. I do around 10k in miles a year.
The Requirements Bit
Of course, I want everything for not a lot of money:
Better (or same) running costs than my current car (£30 to road tax, 55mpg in real world conditions)
Bigger (five doors rather than three)
Younger (current car is a 58 plate)
Hotter (better performance, better looking - or boring but in a brighter colour?)
Easy!
Realistically, I'm not going to get all of those things.
The Money Bit
I wouldn't want to exceed £150 a month over three years and my current car has been valued at around £2500 on trade in. At the end, I'd like to own it.
The other option is getting a much cheaper higher mileage car and to buy it outright, but I'm worried about doing it. Are high mileage cars reliable?
I might be wrong, but a used car from a franchised garage seems to be a sensible option.
The Lifestyle Bit
I much prefer smaller cars, but with the good lady wife looking to change her 306 estate (what a car) to a Suzuki Swift, it leaves me with the task of the bigger car which can take on B&Q and the rest.
I went out in a Juke and a DS4 yesterday. Both were very good, but also would require much larger monthly deposits or wild PCP schemes.
The Questions Bit
Is it a good idea to have lower MPG and higher tax if the price of the car is much lower?
Are newer estate cars massive?
Are French cars to be avoided (for some odd reason I quite like them)?
Thanks for reading!
My Fiesta is getting on a bit now and I'm looking to buy a bigger car, but I am a bit stuck for what to do. It has 81,000 miles on the clock and I keep getting hit with bills of £200+, as I've gone through five(!) alloy wheels. Annoyingly, I'm pretty sure another one has gone when I hit a pothole coming into the village last week. We're thinking about starting a family this year, so I'm guessing I'll need more space in the car. I do around 10k in miles a year.
The Requirements Bit
Of course, I want everything for not a lot of money:
Better (or same) running costs than my current car (£30 to road tax, 55mpg in real world conditions)
Bigger (five doors rather than three)
Younger (current car is a 58 plate)
Hotter (better performance, better looking - or boring but in a brighter colour?)
Easy!
Realistically, I'm not going to get all of those things.
The Money Bit
I wouldn't want to exceed £150 a month over three years and my current car has been valued at around £2500 on trade in. At the end, I'd like to own it.
The other option is getting a much cheaper higher mileage car and to buy it outright, but I'm worried about doing it. Are high mileage cars reliable?
I might be wrong, but a used car from a franchised garage seems to be a sensible option.
The Lifestyle Bit
I much prefer smaller cars, but with the good lady wife looking to change her 306 estate (what a car) to a Suzuki Swift, it leaves me with the task of the bigger car which can take on B&Q and the rest.
I went out in a Juke and a DS4 yesterday. Both were very good, but also would require much larger monthly deposits or wild PCP schemes.
The Questions Bit
Is it a good idea to have lower MPG and higher tax if the price of the car is much lower?
Are newer estate cars massive?
Are French cars to be avoided (for some odd reason I quite like them)?
Thanks for reading!
Edited by arleas on Tuesday 30th December 10:02
djfaulkner said:
It doesnt tick all the boxes, but what about a mk3 focus? an ecoboost one.
£20 tax for the 100bhp and I think its £30 for the 125 verison, unlikey to win any races but quite nippy.
Think someone on here is getting 50-odd mph out of theirs, best I've got is 45mph.
You need to push harder on the pedal on the right.£20 tax for the 100bhp and I think its £30 for the 125 verison, unlikey to win any races but quite nippy.
Think someone on here is getting 50-odd mph out of theirs, best I've got is 45mph.
kambites said:
If you're having that much trouble with pot-holes breaking wheels, you'd probably be better off looking for a car with higher profile tyres rather than one with stronger wheels. Finding a "sporty" hatch with high-profile tyres isn't particularly easy, though.
I've never had a problem with alloy wheels and potholes before this car. The issue has been on Watchdog. Believe me, I've had plenty of "You musta be a terrible driver," type jokes already!
arleas said:
kambites said:
If you're having that much trouble with pot-holes breaking wheels, you'd probably be better off looking for a car with higher profile tyres rather than one with stronger wheels. Finding a "sporty" hatch with high-profile tyres isn't particularly easy, though.
I've never had a problem with alloy wheels and potholes before this car. The issue has been on Watchdog. Believe me, I've had plenty of "You musta be a terrible driver," type jokes already!Must also admit I tend to avoid driving into potholes - presumably that's not possible for some reason in your case?
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