Which of these downgrades would you go for?

[Al U]

Decided to sell my 2016 330D Saloon. It was a nice car but due to the fact that I am now working remotely at least until the end of the year the majority of the journeys it is doing are short local runs with the occasional longer journey maybe every couple of weeks. Considering how little mileage I'm doing, I've decided to downgrade to something cheaper and save the difference between what I got for my car and the cost of the next one.

Anyway, I now am on the hunt for the replacement. I have pretty much narrowed it down to three cars (unless anyone has any better suggestions) and they each have their own pro's and con's. Just wanting to see what the majority would go for really to help me decide.

1.) 2016 Ford Focus Titanium X 1.5T 182Bhp (Budget £11k-£13k)

This is the cheapest of the three cars that I am looking at and there are quite a few to choose from. It has all the equipment I want and it should feel reasonably nippy. My concerns with these are that if the market does correct while I still have the car then I think the price of these will drop quite hard, possibly to around £7-8k in the next 2 years?
I know that the price of everything is high at the moment but a part of me is struggling with the thought of paying this much for a 6 year old Focus with around 50k miles.

2.) >2017 Seat Leon 1.4/1.5T FR 150Bhp (Budget £12k-£14k)

I probably prefer the look both externally and internally of these to the Focus, but it's mainly the interior that to my eyes looks quite a bit better than the focus. I also think of the three that the Leon would probably have the best residuals when it comes to selling.
The problem with these is that very few of them have heated seats, my wife really likes a heated seat and I'll be reminded of it frequently if I get a car without them! The decent cars are also much closer to the £14k end of the budget and again there aren't many to choose from that have heated seats.

3.) >2017 Mini Cooper S 2.0T 192Bhp (Budget £12k-£15k)

This is the wild card option really, my wife had a Cooper S before and really loved it despite all the problems she had with it, this is definitely the car that she would like me to get as she would want to drive it as well. I've read that these newer cars with the 2.0T engine are much more reliable than the 1.6T that she had before. I think out of the three that this would probably be the most fun to drive, possibly to the point that I may actually look at it one day and decide to just go for a drive for the sake of it, I can guarantee that wouldn't be the case with the other two.

My main concern with these is they seem to be priced very high, for example if I check some of the circa. £15k cars advertised on WBAC etc. I am getting numbers of around £11-£12k, so dealer margin of £3-£4k. I know that I am going to take a bit of a bath on whatever I buy but I almost feel that the Mini's are just very expensive at the moment, perhaps because they are more desirable than the other two?


Anyway, that's the three cars I have in mind and the thinking behind them, basically cheap, sensible or fun? What would you go for?

Another point to be aware of is that my BMW didn't have folding seats so I couldn't get my road bike in it without taking two wheels off, the car needs to be able to get a road bike in it (front wheel can be removed if necessary, I think the Mini would just about get away with this).

[georgeyboy12345]

All three of those look ok, I’d probably discount the Ford as I think those engines have the silly wet cambelt design, though I doubt you’ll rack up enough miles for it to become a concern.

I’d go for the 1.4 Leon rather than the 1.5, a few issues with that motor from what I have heard.

[Al U]

georgeyboy12345 said:

All three of those look ok, I’d probably discount the Ford as I think those engines have the silly wet cambelt design, though I doubt you’ll rack up enough miles for it to become a concern.

I’d go for the 1.4 Leon rather than the 1.5, a few issues with that motor from what I have heard.

Interesting about the Ford, can't say I knew that to be honest. Will do some reading up on it.

With the Leon I know about the kangarooing issue the 1.5 TSI EVO's have, that's something I'd try and check out on a test drive to be honest but I hope that most cars would have had a recall or something by now.

[Al U]

https://tuningpro.co/the-4-most-common-ford-1-5-ec...

Nothing mentioned about the timing belt here but some worrying things about coolant making it's way into the combustion chambers. Might have to have a good read of any warranty provided if I do go for one!

[anonymous-user]

The Mini every day and twice on Sundays. We picked up a 17 JCW to have as something a bit cheaper than the other cars to do runaround duties. They are great fun, much more so than I expected.

[S80]

Volvo V40 T2/T3?

I like Volvo’s hence suggestion, though know little about them as I’m more a fast wagon type person.

[Al U]

S80 said:

Volvo V40 T2/T3?

I like Volvo’s hence suggestion, though know little about them as I’m more a fast wagon type person.

Look decent on the outside, the inside not so much for me. I think having a phone keypad on any interior really dates it to be honest. They also seem to be a bit pricey?

[S80]

Al U said:

S80 said:

Volvo V40 T2/T3?

I like Volvo’s hence suggestion, though know little about them as I’m more a fast wagon type person.

Look decent on the outside, the inside not so much for me. I think having a phone keypad on any interior really dates it to be honest. They also seem to be a bit pricey?

I thought the interior was changed very late on in its production run, obviously not! Same centre console as my 2013 V60, except the V40 has a proper handbrake, in the correct place…

This has been at this garage since I was there in September, I’m 95% sure it’s the same car as I remember trivial thing like the fact it’s got a Bangor ( North Wales) prefix on the reg plate. When you live in Wales you notice “Welsh” things!! Remember thinking how it got from N Wales to Doncaster but these days trade-ins get all over. Sad, I know!
Anyway, if it is the same car, they must be keen to shift it by now?

https://www.fcrosscars.co.uk/used-cars/doncaster-s...

[cerb4.5lee]

I had a 2017 F56 Cooper S from new for 3.5 years and 19k miles. Absolutely nothing went wrong with it, and it was great fun to drive. It was definitely a car that I was happy to just jump in and drive it just for the sake of it. Highly recommended by me.

[ZX10R NIN]

Apart from the Mini I'd be looking elsewhere with a healthy budget of 15k you can get some new interesting metal.

2.0T Q30 Sport (same car as the AMG Engineered A250) very good cars & good value at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110148...

308 PS GTI 270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201311...

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

Megane GT Nav 205

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111199...

Giulietta Quadrifoglio

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202072...

[raspy]

You can go for the Leon even if it doesn't have heated seats. Just get a heated seat cushion from Argos for £25 and your wife will be happy. Someone has even left a review after he was in a similar position to you!

"Having changed to a car without heated seats, my wife is very happy with this seat.

tom, 65 or over, Manchester"

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7065567

[Boringvolvodriver]

Al U said:

S80 said:

Volvo V40 T2/T3?

I like Volvo’s hence suggestion, though know little about them as I’m more a fast wagon type person.

Look decent on the outside, the inside not so much for me. I think having a phone keypad on any interior really dates it to be honest. They also seem to be a bit pricey?

And the boot space is not so good - I speak from experience!

[Dingu]

ZX10R NIN said:

Apart from the Mini I'd be looking elsewhere with a healthy budget of 15k you can get some new interesting metal.

2.0T Q30 Sport (same car as the AMG Engineered A250) very good cars & good value at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110148...

308 PS GTI 270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201311...

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

Megane GT Nav 205

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111199...

Giulietta Quadrifoglio

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202072...

Pretty much a summary of the main saved searches I check on autotrader!

[Al U]

So got back from seeing the Focus I had my eye on.

Discovered quite early on it doesn't have Android Auto, I thought that Focus' of 2016 vintage all had it, quite a rookie error on my part. Have since learned that only 2017 onwards with Sync 3 have it.

Car looked nice enough but was sat with the engine running for 10 minutes while I looked round it and found the exhaust had quite a bit of white smoke for my liking. Not sure if this is normal but considering they are prone to issues with coolant entering the combustion chambers was a bit dubious of that.

I didn't spend any more time looking at it but really it was the android auto thing that put me off as it's a feature I was hoping to get if settling for a Focus.

Edited by Al U on Saturday 19th February 16:51

[Al U]

raspy said:

You can go for the Leon even if it doesn't have heated seats. Just get a heated seat cushion from Argos for £25 and your wife will be happy. Someone has even left a review after he was in a similar position to you!

"Having changed to a car without heated seats, my wife is very happy with this seat.

tom, 65 or over, Manchester"

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7065567

Thanks for this tip but I also like a heated seat and this work around isn't something I fancy if spending this much to be honest!

[Al U]

cerb4.5lee said:

I had a 2017 F56 Cooper S from new for 3.5 years and 19k miles. Absolutely nothing went wrong with it, and it was great fun to drive. It was definitely a car that I was happy to just jump in and drive it just for the sake of it. Highly recommended by me.

I do like them, as you and the poster above have said they do seem like a decent choice.

I just struggle paying a large percentage over what the trade value of the car is really and a lot of Mini's are way above that value. Like up to £2000 over the WBAC etc. Value I can understand but £3-£4k is a bit much really, I'll be losing a fair amount come resale time I think.

[Al U]

ZX10R NIN said:

Apart from the Mini I'd be looking elsewhere with a healthy budget of 15k you can get some new interesting metal.

2.0T Q30 Sport (same car as the AMG Engineered A250) very good cars & good value at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110148...

308 PS GTI 270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201311...

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

Megane GT Nav 205

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111199...

Giulietta Quadrifoglio

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202072...

The infiniti and the Alfa I wouldn't consider personally.

The Peugeot's do seem good value on paper, just wonder if they are any good to drive and are the pre-facelift cars much worse than the facelift ones?

I also do struggle with the aesthetics of the dashboard and steering wheel but could probably get past that if they drive really well. Might have to go and view one.

[georgeyboy12345]

The 308 GTi's are awesome to drive, better than the cars you have on your shortlist - low kerbweight, lots of boosty power and a good setup mean they are really nice to drive; but - the weird small steering wheel, dash and touchscreen climate controls can be very marmite, so I'd advise you to have a drive. Also, they don't have heated seats, so that pretty much rules them out for you.

What about this Vauxhall Astra 1.6T Elite? Ticks all the boxes too
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201071...

Though really, I'd pick the Mini or the Leon over this if I'm being honest.

[a_dreamer]

Mini for me. Decent car. Fun to drive. But querky

[cerb4.5lee]

Al U said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I had a 2017 F56 Cooper S from new for 3.5 years and 19k miles. Absolutely nothing went wrong with it, and it was great fun to drive. It was definitely a car that I was happy to just jump in and drive it just for the sake of it. Highly recommended by me.

I do like them, as you and the poster above have said they do seem like a decent choice.

I just struggle paying a large percentage over what the trade value of the car is really and a lot of Mini's are way above that value. Like up to £2000 over the WBAC etc. Value I can understand but £3-£4k is a bit much really, I'll be losing a fair amount come resale time I think.

I was surprised to see how much that they've gone up in price when I looked earlier too. I sold mine last March, and I got £12k for it and it was put up at the Mini main dealer for £13.7k(it sold within 3 days because I was watching it). It had 19k miles on it and it was a well specced car because I put £5k worth of options on it. The prices of them has gone mad for sure.