Need some sound advice on new diesel hatch [up to £4.5 / 5k]
Discussion
Evening All
I'm currently stuck in trying to choose a new car and as the subject suggests I'm in desperate need of some sound advice!
I currently drive a 1996 316i Bmw Compact, I always wanted one and at 29 it was my first car. Loved it, the mpg isn't great, either round town to work, or on the 100 mile round trip to my girlfriends at £20 a time in petrol which has been ok for the past twelve months, but...
I have a new job and am relocating to be with my partner and will be doing a 50 mile round trip 5 days a week, plus the 100 mile round trip twice a week so around 1800 miles per month.
I've been looking at the obvious 3 door hatches:-
Mk4 Golf 110/130/150bhp
Mk5 Golf 140bhp
Focus 2.0 TDCI Titanium
Astra 1.7 / 1.9
Sorry, I know those aren't quite 'apples for apples' descriptions but I don't know a huge amount about cars and this is only the second one I've bought.
I'll be doing a mixture of A-Roads / Country Roads and Motorways.
I've got a budget of £4.5k cash, plus my Bmw in part ex [I've been offered £400-£500] by a local dealer so I should be able to push £5k with a dealer hopefully.
I might have slightly unrealistic expectations about what I think I should be able to get but am happy to be corrected on any of it if I'm being stupid.
A diesel for more mpg as mpg is going to be crucial, big on reliability, comfy and nice to drive, lumbar support would be good as I'm going to be in the car for quite a bit, low maintainence and low running costs, ideally a drop on road tax would be nice [the Bmw is £200+ for 12 months], my insurance is about £86 per month 3rd party fire & theft but I imagine this will go up as I'll go fully comp and the value of the car will be more, no no claims bonus, and a bit of poke would be nice.
Climate and Cruise Control would be nice as would a sunroof but definately not a deal breaker. I'd prefer to have somewhere to plug my iPod into as I don't have many CD's anymore. Audio Controls on the steering wheel or steering column would be nice but I could live without them as I do at the moment. Leather would be nice, heated seats would be welcomed in winter but they're definately a nice to have, not essential. I do like privacy glass on the passenger and rear windows but again a nice to have. I would really really like an armrest.
My Bwm is about 100bhp and having a bit more punch available would be nice for getting round caravans and tractors, and those that like to sit behind them and not give the rest of us an opportunity to get round, but all without breaking the bank.
Whatever I get is probably going to be high mileage and will need to cope with much more. I will be looking for a full service history and checking that the oil has been done regularly, things like cambelts and water pumps I'll check but I'm unsure of the intervals.
I do like the Golf Mk5 and saw one for £5.5k with a full VW service history and every toy you could get from VW on it but it was a private seller so I wouldn't be able to part-ex mine and would only be able to pay up to £4.5.
The Golf is German and seems to carry a very good reliability record the world over, regardless of what you read or who you speak to. The Astra looks nice from the outside and I might be wrong but the inside looks a but plastic which makes me question the build quality, the toys on the steering wheel look nice and the 1.7 seems to do decent mpg but doesn't have much more performance then my Bwm.
The 2005 shape Focus looks nice, my mate has an ST2 and I really like everything about it - except that it's a Focus and my ex and her boyfriend have a brand new one. I also don't know what they are like with high mileage. I was at a Ford dealers today with my partner as she was buying a new Fiesta, I asked the salesman about the Focus and it's engine and he said they get can get better with over 60k on them - but he's a salesman.
So that's my dilemma. I'm sure it's been argued before but I would really appreciate any advice that anyone can give me. I really need to make sure that whatever I get is going to be easy on the wallet and will last at least the next three years.
Please help
I'm currently stuck in trying to choose a new car and as the subject suggests I'm in desperate need of some sound advice!
I currently drive a 1996 316i Bmw Compact, I always wanted one and at 29 it was my first car. Loved it, the mpg isn't great, either round town to work, or on the 100 mile round trip to my girlfriends at £20 a time in petrol which has been ok for the past twelve months, but...
I have a new job and am relocating to be with my partner and will be doing a 50 mile round trip 5 days a week, plus the 100 mile round trip twice a week so around 1800 miles per month.
I've been looking at the obvious 3 door hatches:-
Mk4 Golf 110/130/150bhp
Mk5 Golf 140bhp
Focus 2.0 TDCI Titanium
Astra 1.7 / 1.9
Sorry, I know those aren't quite 'apples for apples' descriptions but I don't know a huge amount about cars and this is only the second one I've bought.
I'll be doing a mixture of A-Roads / Country Roads and Motorways.
I've got a budget of £4.5k cash, plus my Bmw in part ex [I've been offered £400-£500] by a local dealer so I should be able to push £5k with a dealer hopefully.
I might have slightly unrealistic expectations about what I think I should be able to get but am happy to be corrected on any of it if I'm being stupid.
A diesel for more mpg as mpg is going to be crucial, big on reliability, comfy and nice to drive, lumbar support would be good as I'm going to be in the car for quite a bit, low maintainence and low running costs, ideally a drop on road tax would be nice [the Bmw is £200+ for 12 months], my insurance is about £86 per month 3rd party fire & theft but I imagine this will go up as I'll go fully comp and the value of the car will be more, no no claims bonus, and a bit of poke would be nice.
Climate and Cruise Control would be nice as would a sunroof but definately not a deal breaker. I'd prefer to have somewhere to plug my iPod into as I don't have many CD's anymore. Audio Controls on the steering wheel or steering column would be nice but I could live without them as I do at the moment. Leather would be nice, heated seats would be welcomed in winter but they're definately a nice to have, not essential. I do like privacy glass on the passenger and rear windows but again a nice to have. I would really really like an armrest.
My Bwm is about 100bhp and having a bit more punch available would be nice for getting round caravans and tractors, and those that like to sit behind them and not give the rest of us an opportunity to get round, but all without breaking the bank.
Whatever I get is probably going to be high mileage and will need to cope with much more. I will be looking for a full service history and checking that the oil has been done regularly, things like cambelts and water pumps I'll check but I'm unsure of the intervals.
I do like the Golf Mk5 and saw one for £5.5k with a full VW service history and every toy you could get from VW on it but it was a private seller so I wouldn't be able to part-ex mine and would only be able to pay up to £4.5.
The Golf is German and seems to carry a very good reliability record the world over, regardless of what you read or who you speak to. The Astra looks nice from the outside and I might be wrong but the inside looks a but plastic which makes me question the build quality, the toys on the steering wheel look nice and the 1.7 seems to do decent mpg but doesn't have much more performance then my Bwm.
The 2005 shape Focus looks nice, my mate has an ST2 and I really like everything about it - except that it's a Focus and my ex and her boyfriend have a brand new one. I also don't know what they are like with high mileage. I was at a Ford dealers today with my partner as she was buying a new Fiesta, I asked the salesman about the Focus and it's engine and he said they get can get better with over 60k on them - but he's a salesman.
So that's my dilemma. I'm sure it's been argued before but I would really appreciate any advice that anyone can give me. I really need to make sure that whatever I get is going to be easy on the wallet and will last at least the next three years.
Please help
If you want to stick a bit closer to home, there's these:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2922215.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2915831.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2922215.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2915831.htm
I'd drive as many (all if possible) of the cars you have listed and see which you like.
One I'd suggest to also consider is the SEAT Ibiza FR with the 1.9 TDI PD130 engine. Sure the engine is a bit agricultural but if serviced correctly has proven to be reliable, the ride is quite firm but this means it also handles OK (all things considered), this engine is also very receptive to remapping and is very economical (with normal driving you will get 40+mpg around town and north of 60mpg on a motorway run). The downside is I am not sure if your ipod/mp3 requirement would be met but I am just throwing up another idea. Of course, there are newer, more refined diesel engines, however, these are not without their issues, newer ≠ better.
One I'd suggest to also consider is the SEAT Ibiza FR with the 1.9 TDI PD130 engine. Sure the engine is a bit agricultural but if serviced correctly has proven to be reliable, the ride is quite firm but this means it also handles OK (all things considered), this engine is also very receptive to remapping and is very economical (with normal driving you will get 40+mpg around town and north of 60mpg on a motorway run). The downside is I am not sure if your ipod/mp3 requirement would be met but I am just throwing up another idea. Of course, there are newer, more refined diesel engines, however, these are not without their issues, newer ≠ better.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff