Find me a reliable car for once...
Discussion
Am I the only one that seems to go from car to car and everyone seems to be plagued with problems? I end up spending loads on sorting them out with the intention of keeping them, but after a while it leaves a bad taste in my mouth so I end up selling it on, I'm sure the new owner then has years of trouble free motoring as that's just my luck.
What would you buy with 5k in your back pocket?
It has to be reliable, comfortable, good on fuel, reliable, 2005 model onwards, be able to tow a motorbike trailer, reliable, and a nice enough place to be sat in.
What would you buy with 5k in your back pocket?
It has to be reliable, comfortable, good on fuel, reliable, 2005 model onwards, be able to tow a motorbike trailer, reliable, and a nice enough place to be sat in.
By far the most reliable car I've owned was my 1700 SuperSprint Caterham. 11 years and 35k hard miles and only issue was a failed thermostat.
But totally impractical I accept :-)
Second most reliable have been my 3 Impreza Turbo/WRX. The most recent one (2010) did 30k in 2 years with zero issues other than warped discs. That's because the brakes on the Canadian spec cars are lower spec than UK.
I'm looking at either another WRX or a 2005 Forester XT for slightly more space. Thirsty but reliable works for me.
But totally impractical I accept :-)
Second most reliable have been my 3 Impreza Turbo/WRX. The most recent one (2010) did 30k in 2 years with zero issues other than warped discs. That's because the brakes on the Canadian spec cars are lower spec than UK.
I'm looking at either another WRX or a 2005 Forester XT for slightly more space. Thirsty but reliable works for me.
eltax91 said:
I'm in precisely this boat! Just coming from a woefully unreliable 5 series! I want now, comfort, reliability, 2005 onwards (private plate)
My short list for the moment is completely Japanese:
Honda accord EX
Subaru Forrest xte
Subaru legacy SEn, REn or spec B
I'm a Honda fan had 5 . My short list for the moment is completely Japanese:
Honda accord EX
Subaru Forrest xte
Subaru legacy SEn, REn or spec B
The mrs.accord was one of the worst cars or reliability we've ever had. Every time it broke down somebody passing by would things like these never go wrong
My Subaru was hammered from cold and treated lie a tool. Not one thing ever went wrong with it in 4 years 80 k miles.
Or, buy a car for £2k, keep the rest. If it dies badly, walk away and buy another.
Look at some cars, decide which ones you like the look/ feel/ smell/ taste and drive of then research them to death in terms of common problems, servicing (belt or chain?) and real world MPG.
Don't be a badge snob, but likewise don't assume the premium brands will be better. You're not paying premium money.
Most important thing is to buy a car "with your eyes open". Don't buy a diesel unless you're doing 15k+ miles a year.
Look at some cars, decide which ones you like the look/ feel/ smell/ taste and drive of then research them to death in terms of common problems, servicing (belt or chain?) and real world MPG.
Don't be a badge snob, but likewise don't assume the premium brands will be better. You're not paying premium money.
Most important thing is to buy a car "with your eyes open". Don't buy a diesel unless you're doing 15k+ miles a year.
Similar to Dks,5k is the wrong budget, it gets you a car thats too new to bin off and too old to be in its first flush of youth,maybe a 70k car when the first wave of stuff goes wrong.
Bangernomics is your friend,buy 2 £1000 smokers with full mots,insure on limited mileage multicar policy,older cars with less to go wrong,you always have a back up and can spin it for a minimum £500 and buy another if need be.
Bangernomics is your friend,buy 2 £1000 smokers with full mots,insure on limited mileage multicar policy,older cars with less to go wrong,you always have a back up and can spin it for a minimum £500 and buy another if need be.
I've owned 2 Mondeos (petrol) and they were both very reliable. Lots of space, cheap to run, lots of toys (the heated front screen is fantastic) comfortable and excellent on the motorway.
For £4k, you would get a low miles, with fsh model and have £1k in the bank for any unforseen expenses.
Tim
For £4k, you would get a low miles, with fsh model and have £1k in the bank for any unforseen expenses.
Tim
RizzoTheRat said:
Not very PH but the Prius has a reputation for great reliability. Dunno what the towing weight is though.
Can't tow with the Prius due to the Hybrid drivetrain, unless you fancy it imploding on itself.If it was me I'd go for an Accord estate, nice looking, comfortable cars, we had one in at work in red, full leather and sat nav, was a nice place to be, but because it was at a Toyota garage it got traded straight out.
Don't think our place like it when Honda builds better cars than us haha.
Matt_L said:
Can't tow with the Prius due to the Hybrid drivetrain, unless you fancy it imploding on itself.
If it was me I'd go for an Accord estate, nice looking, comfortable cars, we had one in at work in red, full leather and sat nav, was a nice place to be, but because it was at a Toyota garage it got traded straight out.
Don't think our place like it when Honda builds better cars than us haha.
You can - or at least the Americans do!If it was me I'd go for an Accord estate, nice looking, comfortable cars, we had one in at work in red, full leather and sat nav, was a nice place to be, but because it was at a Toyota garage it got traded straight out.
Don't think our place like it when Honda builds better cars than us haha.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/priustrailers/
I've never understood this attitude- "I bought a used car and it had problems, and shelling out to fix them left a bad taste in my mouth... So I sold it and bought a..."
A used car is likely to have problems. It's used. That's why it's for sale! As a used car buyer one must expect to encounter the odd problem. Once the car's has a once over, some preventative maintenance and it's faults fixed, it stands a much better chance to be reliable- so why bail on it and start all over again?
I consider myself to have been lucky with used car purchases over the years despite the fact that each car have had problems to a certain degree. As a used car buyer I consider a good purchase to be free from mechanical issues with major drivetrain parts and structural rust.
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