£5k what would you get?

[eleveneleven]

Hi all, i'm new here been lurking for years finally thought id pull the trigger and get involved.

January 2020 the lease company finally came to take the car away after 3 years it was an Audi A4 3.0 Quattro (216) great car
didnt particularly enjoy the lease experience though i spent a lot of the time babying it and worrying about scratches, dings etc. and only did 6k a year in it too so it was kinda wasted on me.

Been using the wifes car since but the time has come for another runaround, I wont be using it all that often so don't want to go down the finance/Lease route again. so I'm thinking a cheap high mileage worry free motor would be great for the time being

- Saloon preffered but would consider a hatchback
- Most of my driving is done on the motorway so a comfortable cruiser with good MPG would be nice.
- errands will involve having the kids with me so something i can rely on with high mileage 100,00k+ would be great.
- Diesel or Petrol
- budget is up to £5,000 max

Japanese immediately spring to mind
Toyota Avensis - would probably be perfect but i cant get past the styling.
Honda Accord (2.2dtec) - seems to be ticking all boxes so far

others ive considered
Vauxhall Insignia
VW Passat
Older Audi A4?

So My questions are
Would a High Mileage Honda Accord be a good pick?
Anything else I should consider?
I would love an Auto but it it be too much of a risk on a high mileage car?

Any thought's input you could provide would be a massive help.

Cheers guys.

[Baldchap]

Our neighbours are on their third Insignia as she does silly mileage. They always buy at a couple of years old, pile another 100k or so into it and then trade in.

Seemingly trouble free and spectacularly cheap. I've not driven one, but from being a passenger it ticks a lot of boxes for not a lot of money.

[ZX10R NIN]

At 5k you'll get a reliable car that'll be around 80k but will take more mileage with ease:

2.0d Mondeo Titanium X 160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101097...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105032...

2.0d Insignia Elite Nav 165

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105172...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105032...

140

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105122...

Elite 160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104071...

508 Allure

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105102...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101097...

CLS 320cdi

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103180...

E350 cdi Avantgarde

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012287...

[LightningBlue]

I’ve driven a few Insignias and they drive pretty well. Good cars really and dirt cheap. For a step up in status you could get a Volvo S60 R Design for that type of money. Very comfortable seats and very nice looking cars.

[105.4]

Jaguar XJ X350. A V6 petrol would be the sensible choice.

[eleveneleven]

Thanks Guys

I've got my eye on a 2.0i-Vtec Accord (Gen 7) it's well under budget and looks tidy overall.

Anything I need to look out for on these?

[Not Invented Here]

If you’re considering an Avensis then just get a mk2 Lexus IS250.

14 speaker surround sound. Heated seats. Cooled seats. Cruise. Electric rear sun blind. 0-60 in the low 7s. Sat nav. Rear camera. If your driving is mostly longer journeys you can easily see 30mpg (although it’s rubbish in stop-start traffic).

And. It is quiet. Seriously. Makes a genuine difference to your stress levels.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105192...

[eleveneleven]

My dad has one, Great cars! his now has 130k on the clock and still drives like its new. I did consider one but i'd id rather avoid a V6

Think I've got my heart set on an Accord and have narrowed my choices down to 2

1. 2007 Manual 60k miles

2. 2006 Auto 99k miles

Both have full service history (2007 direct with Honda) new tyres and MOT until 2022 both seem to be well maintained overall, The 2006 has a the added Nav screen and Auto gearbox.

the 2007 is slightly more expensive

I'm torn between the 2...

Would prefer an Auto but I'm buying this as a cheap daily runaround so i guess the less to potentially go wrong the better.

Ok so my questions..

Based on the above info which one would you choose and why.

How reliable are the Auto gearboxes from this era? does it drive better than the manual? is the auto worth the risk or should I just get the manual and be happy?

[A500leroy]

Its a Honda. Pick which ever colour you like and stop worrying!

[Bill]

If you do 6k a year mpg is irrelevant. And you don't need a motorway car. Worst case you take your wife's on the few occasions you actually do any distance.

It's the perfect excuse to get something fun and/or interesting IMO.

I'd get a Suzuki Swift Sport.

[Whataguy]

I had an 05 2.0vtec manual mark 7 accord - great cars. Build quality was as good as an 11 lexus IS250 I had later.

The built-in sat nav isn't brilliant and is dvd based so can fail and costs a fortune to fix. I'd go for the 07 manual with the history as the autos tend to not last mega miles (but are still pretty good)

Gear ratios on the auto tend to blunt the 0-60 quite a bit and knock maybe 5mpg off the economy.

Mine was an SE with electric power steering - good for 8 sec 0-60 and 21 sec to 100, which is pretty good for a 35mpg fairly large car.

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 21st May 17:33

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 21st May 17:35

[ZX10R NIN]

eleveneleven said:

My dad has one, Great cars! his now has 130k on the clock and still drives like its new. I did consider one but i'd id rather avoid a V6

Think I've got my heart set on an Accord and have narrowed my choices down to 2

1. 2007 Manual 60k miles

2. 2006 Auto 99k miles

Both have full service history (2007 direct with Honda) new tyres and MOT until 2022 both seem to be well maintained overall, The 2006 has a the added Nav screen and Auto gearbox.

the 2007 is slightly more expensive

I'm torn between the 2...

Would prefer an Auto but I'm buying this as a cheap daily runaround so i guess the less to potentially go wrong the better.

Ok so my questions..

Based on the above info which one would you choose and why.

How reliable are the Auto gearboxes from this era? does it drive better than the manual? is the auto worth the risk or should I just get the manual and be happy?

I'd buy neither & would be buying an Auto Lexus IS250 with the Mark Levinson stereo, these are bulletproof & really don't go wrong, the Auto's are cheaper to tax than the manuals.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101157...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104291...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105012...

Or a nice non nav low mileage one:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105012...

[eleveneleven]

Whataguy said:

I had an 05 2.0vtec manual mark 7 accord - great cars. Build quality was as good as an 11 lexus IS250 I had later.

The built-in sat nav isn't brilliant and is dvd based so can fail and costs a fortune to fix. I'd go for the 07 manual with the history as the autos tend to not last mega miles (but are still pretty good)

Gear ratios on the auto tend to blunt the 0-60 quite a bit and knock maybe 5mpg off the economy.

Mine was an SE with electric power steering - good for 8 sec 0-60 and 21 sec to 100, which is pretty good for a 35mpg fairly large car.

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 21st May 17:33

Edited by Whataguy on Friday 21st May 17:35

Appreciate the insight, I took your advice and got the 07 manual. Had an issue with the coolant pipe leaking power steering fluid but it seems to be a good car other than that.

[Chicken Chaser]

How much did it set you back? I'm about to chop in a 2011 2.2 i-DTec Tourer but Im stumped as to where to price it. They all seem pretty random at present.

[eleveneleven]

mines a 2.0 petrol saIoon. I paid £3,895 (£4,128 if I include the cost to repair the coolant leak) which is probably on the higher side as I've been seeing decent ones go for around 3k albeit higher mileage than mine.

Good condition high mileage diesel tourers around 2011 seem to be up for around £4.7 to £5.5k on AT so 5k probably wouldn't be a bad place to start.

Good luck with the sale buddy.

Chicken Chaser said:

How much did it set you back? I'm about to chop in a 2011 2.2 i-DTec Tourer but Im stumped as to where to price it. They all seem pretty random at present.