Help Which derv for £9k or less

[alexcurtis]

Hi

I need some help…

I have just been told that potentially I could loose my company car in the next few days/weeks, which has come as a bolt out of the blue.

So therefore I need to potentially get myself a “new” car, and just wanted to check I had not missed the ideal car!

I currently have a 2010 Audi A3 140bhp (start/stop) TDI – 119g C02 etc, I am not so worried about tax but mpg is important as I do circa 20k per year. I had planned on buying this car when the lease ended if I needed to and it was a sensible price! My average mpg over the last 37k is 60mpg which I don’t want to drop very much… I tend to drive quite slowly in the derv wagon!

I would say my ideal budget is £7k but for the right car I will push to £9k, luckily I have the £££ in the bank if I need it.

My priorities are

1. Economical - 55 mpg min
2. Reliable – goes with out saying
3. Quiet / comfortable on the motorway
4. Handles well, does not roll about!
5. have some grunt – torque
6. lowish mileage I don’t change my cars regularly – circa 60k
7. I could downsize slightly if needs be say VW polo ( as they are getting larger) but ideally prefer A3 sizing

My current list is

Head – Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI Titanium – close to budget , good spec, economical, practical
Heart – BMW 118d Sport or similar (efficient dynamic) power/torque, handling ( I don’t mind it stiff) badge…

I will of course get out and try both and any others, issue is that the good low emissions engine VAG’s don’t fall into this bracket? I tried the older engines TDie engines and they were slow and rattly.

So please guys and girls make sure that I buy the right car! And can continue to throw money at the toys instead of the work horse!

Thanks

Alex