Weekend car £10-12k; reliable and robust - Page 1 - Car Buying

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Thursday 12th April 2018

Hi all - first post on the forum, hopefully in the right place....

I've become sick of renting cars for weekend trips and trying to drag my golf bag or road cycle with me in public transport. Hence, am thinking of getting a car.

I'd like to try keep my annual car spend under £3,600 i.e. under £300 per month. That includes road tax, gasoline and insurance which I have estimated to work out at around £140, £500 and £700 i.e. ca. £1350 per year. That leaves max £2,250 to spend on the car (average spend per year across the time I keep the car), be it in form of car loan repayments or lease charges. I'm aware I have omitted tire changes and maintenance from the calcs. If I were to purchase a car (rather than lease), I think the budget would translate into £10-12k range, roughly. Probably closer to £10k.

What I am searching:

1. A car with solid build quality - I would rather go for something slightly older and higher quality than new and plasticky
2. A stable ride (be it "sporty" or "comfortable": most of my driving will be in the outskirts of London, including the ring roads, with some weekend trips. Hence, I don't want a tiny car (my road bike needs to fit in) but also don't want anything impractically big. I'm thinking the size of BMW Series 1, Golf or perhaps Volvo V40... Have driven Focus a few times and also liked it although the interior is pretty dated by now. These brands happen to be my preferred ones too but I could be persuaded to look elsewhere if there are attractive options. I have a basic negative bias against Asian cars - have never been in one that drives well and doesn't feel like it shares the building materials with my smoothie maker.
3. Age: this might be obvious but the car doesn't need to be new - however, I would never ever buy something with a (larger than tiny) possibility of a large repair bill. Hence, 10 year-old TT's with 100k miles are not an option.
4. Fuel: petrol (since the car will mostly stand in garage during the week)
5. "Options": automatic gearbox is a must, and parking sensors almost a must (otherwise the car will be dented within a month thanks to the lack of space on the streets of London).

Any recommendations?

29,786 posts

145 months

Thursday 12th April 2018

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Thursday 12th April 2018

Thanks, much appreciated! Will test drive but due to my basic aversion to Asian brands the Focus seems particularly tempting (plus I've understood it's more fun to drive than e.g. Kia). And I already have some (positive) experiences with it...

29,786 posts

145 months

Thursday 12th April 2018

Yes the Focus is the best steer & even though I'd take a Ford over a Vauxhall 9/10 that new Astra in Elite Nav form with that mileage & 2-3 years warranty left on it too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Sunday 6th May 2018

Bump!

Following up. A 2015 Focus with Titanium trim level and modest mileage seems to be easy enough to find at around the 10k price mark. However, although the Focus is decent enough to drive it does feel somewhat generic (unsurprising since it is one of the most sold cars!). Which got me thinking about BMW 1 series (drove the latest post-facelift model 116d SE over the weekend and quite liked it).

Some examples:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Before I start booking test drives, what's the consensus on the reliability of BMW's like the ones above? Tech-wise, are they much behind the latest model (I expect not)? Any major considerations I may have overlooked/ would they represent good value? I'd expect depreciation of the Focus and the above BMW's to be similar in absolute terms (very rough gut feeling - I'm not an expert).

29,786 posts

145 months

Sunday 6th May 2018

They'll depreciate just as fast as the Focus, personally I rate the Focus as the better steer, the ride is better kit wise the Astra/Focus/Kia will be more loaded.

Get the one you like the best & enjoy your new wheels, there really aren't any bad cars these days.

If you want something non generic & well spec'd take a look at the Alfa Giulietta:

Sportiva Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Sunday 6th May 2018

I see...

The Alpha is an interesting call but I'd be paranoid about it breaking down (I don't even trust Renault/Peugeot, let alone Alpha!) and developing issues of all sorts.... Might just be me!

Care to elaborate on why you view the Focus to be a better steer/ have a better ride than the BMW? Or did I misread?

29,786 posts

145 months

Monday 7th May 2018

The Alfa's drivetrain is well proven these days it's the same set up found in the Fiat 500 Abarth/595/695 so it breaking down won't be a problem no more so than a BMW or Focus so don't let that put you off.

I just find the ride control in the Focus better if you decide to press on & the overall ride is better that's all, also the 1 series is built down to a price, I recommend to my clients to buy a slightly older high spec 3 series as it's IMO a much better car.

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Monday 7th May 2018

Ah, I see, thanks. I guess there isn't any shortcut to owning a "premium" car...

On the topic of used BMW 3's, which model & year would you recommend to your clients? If there is one that fits into my budget and is reliable enough, I might be quite interested in one! I had assumed that there wouldn't be any way for me to afford one but I do like at least the looks of even the older beamers...

29,786 posts

145 months

Monday 7th May 2018

I'd say something along the lines of these, but spec is everything with these so check them out properly:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Original Poster

11 posts

92 months

Monday 7th May 2018

Thanks - interesting picks. Probably slightly too loud (visually, being coupes etc.) for my liking. I might in fact consider something like this instead (Mercedes):

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Have seen newer C180's available for same or less money but understand that their motors are not great (can be found in Renaults albeit with modifications)....

29,786 posts

145 months