A very specific type of car required... - Page 1 - Car Buying

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eleveneleven

Original Poster

163 posts

63 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

against my better judgement I'm helping my little cousin look for a new car.

She had a Ford focus 1.6 Powershift auto. Long story short something broke (guess what that was?) and she couldn't afford to fix it, instead of risking the £150 on a potential fix that might have worked, she sold it to WBAC for pennies.

Anyway she's chosen to finance this time round and has a budget of £10k.
I would have just told her to get a CRV and be done with it but there's a few things that limit her to what she can have

- She passed in an Auto (I know, I know) so has to be auto
- Newish driver (1 year) so low insurance group, (the focus she had was a group 10)
- 3 small children so some space would be great, (she managed fine with the focus though)
- To be used mainly for errands, school runs, shopping etc with the occasional long run when required, so no diesel
- Intends on keeping it for at least 5 years
- has to be somewhat stylish looking if possible.

i'm at a bit of a loss as to what to recommend for her. She doesn't want a Ford again and I don't blame her so no Fords.

My initial thoughts
- Nissan Note 1.2, - Ticks all the boxes and she likes the look, just not sure about Nissans CVT's
- Vauxhall Mokka 1.4T - Wifes sister has one, hers seems to be running fine after 3 years, not the most spacious but should do the trick again no idea how well the auto gearboxes hold up on these
- Huyandi I30 1.6 - never driven one, don't know much about them but seems like a good car.
- C3 Picasso - looks to be a good shout but she's not too keen on the styling.

- Mercedes B class - she has her heart set on one of these at the moment, I rented one for week about 7 years ago and it was fa nice little car
have no idea what they're like as an older car though. anyone have any experience with one of these?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112130...

Seems like she really trying to take onboard what i'm telling her this time round (or maybe not and she'll probably end up with something fancy and German despite my advice) but thought id ask you lot anyway. see what else is out there.

Thanks Guys.

Edited by eleveneleven on Tuesday 14th December 15:43

GreatGranny

9,519 posts

254 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

308

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112140...

Juke

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111259...

Yeti

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112030...

Auris

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110138...

Civic

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111269...

rednotdead

1,254 posts

254 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

The various Toyota hybrids have to be in with a shout - proven CVT/hybrid drivetrain, usually a few toys too. Not sure what is in her budget mind.

lufbramatt

5,650 posts

162 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

My mum in law has a Kia Venga. Can fit 3 kiddie seats in the back, hers is a petrol auto (torque converter). Nothing fancy but seems pretty bomb proof. Hyundai IX20 is the same thing

Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 14th December 15:53

J1990

847 posts

81 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

Out of the options you've listed I'd be going for the Hyundai i30 - You just get a lot for your money and compared to the others on that list I'd feel more confident in the build quality and robustness.

Ignoring that list I'd probably be swinging towards a Peugeot 308 for value for money or, if looks are unimportant, I'd probably go for a Toyota Auris and expect it to be a reliable workhorse.

Super Sonic

13,967 posts

82 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

Civic w autobox

anonymous-user

82 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

lufbramatt said:

My mum in law has a Kia Venga. Can fit 3 kiddie seats in the back, hers is a petrol auto (torque converter). Nothing fancy but seems pretty bomb proof. Hyundai IX20 is the same thing

Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 14th December 15:53

Aren't these the ancient and very dim witted four speed auto boxes? Plus these are far from stylish, I don't think this is the image she is going to want to portray.

eleveneleven said:

- Mercedes B class - she has her heart set on one of these at the moment, I rented one for week about 7 years ago and it was fa nice little car
have no idea what they're like as an older car though. anyone have any experience with one of these?

Like most people she has already made her mind up, so rather than your advice she actually wants validation for her choice. Warning, no good deed goes unpunished, so if she buys something you recommend and it goes wrong (no matter how small) it will always be your fault for recommending that car.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 14th December 16:55

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 14th December 16:56

lufbramatt

5,650 posts

162 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

Joey Deacon said:

lufbramatt said:

My mum in law has a Kia Venga. Can fit 3 kiddie seats in the back, hers is a petrol auto (torque converter). Nothing fancy but seems pretty bomb proof. Hyundai IX20 is the same thing

Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 14th December 15:53

Aren't these the ancient and very dim witted four speed auto boxes? Plus these are far from stylish, I don't think this is the image she is going to want to portray.

Edited by Joey Deacon on Tuesday 14th December 16:56

Drove fine when I had a go. It's for ferrying kids around not hustling down a b road or round a track. And not many cars will fit 3 car seats next to each other in the back. More recent ones have a 6 speed box but not sure if in budget. Thought it was worth a mention.

But I expect a merc badge on the front is more important than practicality

Summit_Detailing

2,419 posts

221 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

Honda Jazz EX
Mazda 3
I30
Astra Elite

Lugy

830 posts

211 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

I'd be looking at a Fabia Estate, I had one as a hire car a few months ago, unsure whether it was the 1.0 or 1.2 but went well enough, DSG box was good as expected, granted it was a nice spec one but it was a pleasant place to spend a week....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021101986...

x5tuu

12,778 posts

215 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

The B class spells disaster to me if she is unsympathetic mechanically and I guess from the sounds of it isn’t necessarily concerned about routine maintenance and upkeep - other than the mandatory MOT

Jonny_

4,686 posts

235 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

rednotdead said:

The various Toyota hybrids have to be in with a shout - proven CVT/hybrid drivetrain, usually a few toys too. Not sure what is in her budget mind.

For minimum risk of failure, this is probably the best option. Very little to go wrong in the entire drivetrain (none of the following: clutches, actuators, dual mass flywheel, direct injection, turbo, starter motor, auxiliary belt...). Very smooth to drive, and of course efficient. Auris probably the most practical option, Prius the most economical, Lexus CT200h a little more upmarket.

Only snag is that in some areas these cars are targeted by scumbags who cut off the catalytic converters - well worth getting a CatLok or similar device fitted if it's going to spend any time parked in rough areas.

ZX10R NIN

30,459 posts

153 months

Tuesday 14th December 2021

georgeyboy12345

4,576 posts

63 months

Wednesday 15th December 2021

LightningBlue

616 posts

69 months

Wednesday 15th December 2021

Toyota Auris or Honda Civic, although the 'i-Shift' wasn't supposed to be great, but mechanically either of these cars (especially Toyota) is probably going to be hard to beat and there's plenty of space inside. If she can't afford repairs of £150, considering a Mercedes or anything of that ilk isn't going to work. It can't be expected that any vehicle stays reliable if they haven't had regular servicing, it would be interesting to hear if the Ford had been looked after.

Lolly9416

76 posts

156 months

Wednesday 15th December 2021

I think she's going to have to make some hard choices.

Buy a car for the image, where if there is an issue it will cost a fortune ie Merc or Audi OR she buys something reliable like a Kia or Hyundai which looks fine but can be very reliable and cheap to fix.

Something simple like finding out what the tyre cost of a B class merc would be might put things into perspective for her. Years ago I bought an A4 cab and was so excited, only to realise the tyres were going to be £180 ea to replace when the time comes. That was not a good day

magpie215

5,013 posts

217 months

Wednesday 15th December 2021

Just been through a similar buying dilemma ended up throwing 5.5k at a 2009 JDM Honda Stepwagon

K20 engine autobox 8 seater twin power doors 57000 miles and absolutely no rust.

Its quite a lot of car for not a huge outlay

putonghua73

615 posts

156 months

Thursday 16th December 2021

Lolly9416 said:

Very much this. However, I recently spent £9.5k on a 13 plate diesel A4. However, I do approx 13k miles per annum. I did try a 15 plate Fiesta and both my partner and I couldn't find it in us to spend nearly £10k on a Fiesta. We both loved the Audi, and I know from experience owning an A6 the maintenance costs and jobs that occur at various stages of its life.

That said, there is no way in hell I'd be paying £10k for a Mercedes for a school run w/ 3 kids! My partner bought a 06 plate 147k miles Lexus hybrid last summer for £3k. The only issue has been that the sunroof has stopped working. Predominantly used for the school run and a couple of days a week to work (around 5k miles per annum ish).

We have one Little Man. If I had 3 kids, I'd be driving an absolute £500 shi**er for the school run!

I can tell you now the cars that are available for £10k auto petrol / hybrid (up to 6 years old):
Focus, Fiestas, Fabias, Vauxhalls, Hyundai i10 / i20, Kia Picanto, and a few Auris - aside from stuff like Puegeot. Petrol, in particular, has shot through the roof due to ULEZ combined with chip shortage.

I went through the same exercise recently, and struggled with wanting to drive any of them. Hence, I bit the bullet and stuck with diesel.

Like others have said, I suspect she'll plump for the Mercedes and regret it when the first service / tyres / bill arrives. You are doing the right thing pushing her towards Japanese and Korean, based upon her requirements.

Edited by putonghua73 on Thursday 16th December 12:14

MrGTI6

3,296 posts

158 months

Thursday 16th December 2021

I'd avoid anything with a dual-clutch auto, so that would rule out Powershift and DSG 'boxes.

A Honda Civic estate 1.8 petrol auto would be perfect.

Or a Vauxhall Astra estate 1.4T auto would be ideal too.

georgeyboy12345

4,576 posts

63 months

Thursday 16th December 2021

Most DSG boxes are fine if you know what to look out for. Avoid the VAG 7 speeders you get on smaller engined stuff, avoid Ford powershifts and Volvo geartronics.

Otherwise just make sure they have been serviced on time. I have had 2 DSG cars and they haven’t given me problems yet.

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