New Daily Driver - Page 1 - Car Buying

gratty132

Original Poster

17 posts

44 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

I was on the unfortunate end of gearbox damage to my BMW 330e in May, resulting in scrapping the car. I have been driving my brother's 1.0L Ecoboost Fiesta since and will be in the position to buy a car again in the New Year.

I was hoping for some advice from the forum regarding options as I am struggling myself, my needs are:
- My budget is £6k, not a lot I know so will be open to 00's cars if they are my only reasonable options.
- Commute 250miles per week with a mixture of motorway and town.
- Have a 5yr old so 4/5 door is preferable but 3 door will be fine if necessary.
- I would like a car that will be fun and fast to drive on my own with tuning potential but also economical enough for my commuting.

Appreciate any advice!

Chrizl1990

7 posts

120 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

Hello and welcome smile

Looking at your suggested budget and needs. I would consider the 1.9TDI Skoda Fabia.

Very economical and good for motorway driving ... they are cheap to buy and I've heard they are fairly reliable.

gratty132

Original Poster

17 posts

44 months

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[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

Chrizl1990 said:

Hello and welcome smile

Looking at your suggested budget and needs. I would consider the 1.9TDI Skoda Fabia.

Very economical and good for motorway driving ... they are cheap to buy and I've heard they are fairly reliable.

Not a bad choice, have heard legendary stuff about those engines, although I am 50/50 on whether to go Diesel or not.

CG2020UK

2,935 posts

68 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

Peugeot 208 GTI is a potential option.

My wife commutes hers and would drive more miles a week than you. I use to do the same with mine when I had one.

Get over 40mpg if half sensible, cheap as chips to run and insure, great fun and comfortable. Nice interior and you’ll get a child in it no bother (I’ve had 2x 6ft adults in the back plenty of times).

Depreciation makes it a great value for money option.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212202...

Tuning will be limited but might not need it as they are quick as standard. Steering wheel isn’t for everyone. The facelifted 208GTIs are better cars but this fits in budget.

gratty132

Original Poster

17 posts

44 months

[report]

[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

CG2020UK said:

Peugeot 208 GTI is a potential option.

My wife commutes hers and would drive more miles a week than you. I use to do the same with mine when I had one.

Get over 40mpg if half sensible, cheap as chips to run and insure, great fun and comfortable. Nice interior and you’ll get a child in it no bother (I’ve had 2x 6ft adults in the back plenty of times).

Depreciation makes it a great value for money option.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212202...

Tuning will be limited but might not need it as they are quick as standard. Steering wheel isn’t for everyone. The facelifted 208GTIs are better cars but this fits in budget.

I've seen quite a few of these in the budget and I'm very tempted, need to get out and test drive one as they look good value for money.

ZX10R NIN

30,410 posts

153 months

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[news]

Wednesday 21st December 2022

gratty132

Original Poster

17 posts

44 months

[report]

[news]

Thursday 22nd December 2022

ZX10R NIN said:

Absolutely cracking list, thanks for that!!

CG2020UK

2,935 posts

68 months

[report]

[news]

Thursday 22nd December 2022

gratty132 said:

I've seen quite a few of these in the budget and I'm very tempted, need to get out and test drive one as they look good value for money.

Key point to remember is to look over the steering wheel at the dials and not through it like a traditional steering wheel.

Happy shopping and keep us updated whatever you decide on.

georgeyboy12345

4,563 posts

63 months

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[news]

Thursday 22nd December 2022

gratty132 said:

I was on the unfortunate end of gearbox damage to my BMW 330e in May, resulting in scrapping the car. I have been driving my brother's 1.0L Ecoboost Fiesta since and will be in the position to buy a car again in the New Year.

I was hoping for some advice from the forum regarding options as I am struggling myself, my needs are:
- My budget is £6k, not a lot I know so will be open to 00's cars if they are my only reasonable options.
- Commute 250miles per week with a mixture of motorway and town.
- Have a 5yr old so 4/5 door is preferable but 3 door will be fine if necessary.
- I would like a car that will be fun and fast to drive on my own with tuning potential but also economical enough for my commuting.

Appreciate any advice!

Oof, what happened to the gearbox? How did it fail? I was considering a 330e for myself.

gratty132

Original Poster

17 posts

44 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 23rd December 2022

georgeyboy12345 said:

gratty132 said:

I was on the unfortunate end of gearbox damage to my BMW 330e in May, resulting in scrapping the car. I have been driving my brother's 1.0L Ecoboost Fiesta since and will be in the position to buy a car again in the New Year.

I was hoping for some advice from the forum regarding options as I am struggling myself, my needs are:
- My budget is £6k, not a lot I know so will be open to 00's cars if they are my only reasonable options.
- Commute 250miles per week with a mixture of motorway and town.
- Have a 5yr old so 4/5 door is preferable but 3 door will be fine if necessary.
- I would like a car that will be fun and fast to drive on my own with tuning potential but also economical enough for my commuting.

Appreciate any advice!

Oof, what happened to the gearbox? How did it fail? I was considering a 330e for myself.

There were metal shavings and chunks within the starter motor which caused the crankshaft sensor to trigger a code, BMW asked to inspect the gearbox as they believed a large piece of metal was broken inside it causing the smaller chunks. They wanted to charge £600 for that work and then potential £11k for a new gearbox. No private garages near me would work on the car due to it being a hybrid. I was essentially left with three options; continue driving a ticking time bomb that would cause a full gearbox failure, pay to have the gearbox replaced, scrap the car.

Went with scrapping the car as couldn't afford the repair bill and didn't want to risk the car failing on me.

I would say it is definitely a one-off case, the car was lovely although I would recommend the G20 over the F30 as it has a larger battery which you could drive further on. The F30 could only reach 15miles on pure electric per full charge.