New car recommendations - 10k budget.

[finlawler]

Hi all

I am looking to sell my car in a couple months time however I am struggling to make a decision on which car I should purchase next. My budget is 10k and I would like a car that’s larger and faster than my current car (Audi A1 1.4l).

Any recommendations?

Thanks

[Blanchimont]

What are you after in a car? There are a lot of larger cars available for 3k, let alone 10.
What're you requirements/desires in the car?

[finlawler]

Blanchimont said:

What are you after in a car? There are a lot of larger cars available for 3k, let alone 10.
What're you requirements/desires in the car?

Apologies, I should of been more specific. Ideally a car that’s less than 6/7 years old and less than 60k miles. A hatchback would be preferred but not essential.

Thanks

[RobM77]

It would help to narrow things down a bit.

Compared to the A4, we know you need something larger, but do you want something that handles better? Is quieter? What do you mean by fast? (cornering, acceleration, braking, top speed? many cars do one or two things well at the expense of others). Does it need to be cheap to run? etc.

[mrbarnett]

2013 13 AUDI A3 1.8 TFSI SPORT 3DR AUTO 178 BHP

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Done.

EDIT: Just noticed mileage. How about:

2015 SEAT Leon 1.4 Tsi Fr 5Dr

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Edited by mrbarnett on Wednesday 6th February 14:09

[Mothersruin]

I can't help much, given the lack of info, but we just bought a 2010 Volvo XC60 T5 SE LUX Auto with 77k on the clock, great condition, plenty rapid enough and a great cruiser. Loads of room.

Just over £10k with a really stty PX.

A lot of car for the money IMO.

[300bhp/ton]

RobM77 said:

It would help to narrow things down a bit.

Compared to the A4, we know you need something larger, but do you want something that handles better? Is quieter? What do you mean by fast? (cornering, acceleration, braking, top speed? many cars do one or two things well at the expense of others). Does it need to be cheap to run? etc.

I don't think they are a car person. so probably won't be thinking like this.


OP - just buy whatever shape or colour car you like in your budget. £10k will allow you to buy a bigger car and still newish from almost any car maker.

Pretty much all modern cars are good and reliable these days.

The less popular brands, in a fashion sense such as Kia or Hyundai will allow you to buy newer, lower mileage and maybe higher spec for your money. But they will generally loose more money in your ownership compared to a similar car from a more mainstream car maker.

Best thing to do is punch your budget, car age, mileage and size into something like Autotrader.co.uk and set the distance to within 20 miles. Then have a browse and see what takes your fancy.

[finlawler]

RobM77 said:

It would help to narrow things down a bit.

Compared to the A4, we know you need something larger, but do you want something that handles better? Is quieter? What do you mean by fast? (cornering, acceleration, braking, top speed? many cars do one or two things well at the expense of others). Does it need to be cheap to run? etc.

Apologies. I am looking for more power and acceleration. The 1.4 tfsi engine is decent enough however it is not the best. My concern is that there is much better value for money out there. Ideally I would like a 1.6l - 2l engine. Not concerned about handling and sound etc atm. I would like some suggestions, that’s all. Thanks

[finlawler]

mrbarnett said:

2013 13 AUDI A3 1.8 TFSI SPORT 3DR AUTO 178 BHP

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Done.

EDIT: Just noticed mileage. How about:

2015 SEAT Leon 1.4 Tsi Fr 5Dr

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Edited by mrbarnett on Wednesday 6th February 14:09

Thank you, I will take a look later on.

[finlawler]

Mothersruin said:

I can't help much, given the lack of info, but we just bought a 2010 Volvo XC60 T5 SE LUX Auto with 77k on the clock, great condition, plenty rapid enough and a great cruiser. Loads of room.

Just over £10k with a really stty PX.

A lot of car for the money IMO.

Thank you, my concern is that the car I have isn’t ‘a lot of car for the money’. Will take a look later.

[finlawler]

300bhp/ton said:

RobM77 said:

It would help to narrow things down a bit.

Compared to the A4, we know you need something larger, but do you want something that handles better? Is quieter? What do you mean by fast? (cornering, acceleration, braking, top speed? many cars do one or two things well at the expense of others). Does it need to be cheap to run? etc.

I don't think they are a car person. so probably won't be thinking like this.


OP - just buy whatever shape or colour car you like in your budget. £10k will allow you to buy a bigger car and still newish from almost any car maker.

Pretty much all modern cars are good and reliable these days.

The less popular brands, in a fashion sense such as Kia or Hyundai will allow you to buy newer, lower mileage and maybe higher spec for your money. But they will generally loose more money in your ownership compared to a similar car from a more mainstream car maker.

Best thing to do is punch your budget, car age, mileage and size into something like Autotrader.co.uk and set the distance to within 20 miles. Then have a browse and see what takes your fancy.

Hi mate, thank you for the advice. I am somewhat into cars however I am certainly not a ‘car guy’, hence why i am here for advice. I’ve used autotrader for a long time, and this is where my problems arise, as there is plenty choice for many budget however I am not sure which is the best value for money. I would say I am more interested in the power of the car rather than the size, however size similar to the A3 would be great.

[smithyithy]

Although we can offer suggestions on here, my advice as your requirements seem quite broad / flexible would be to head to one of those used car supermarket-type places and just have a look around at what takes your fancy.

0-60 on your A1 looks to be about 8.5, unless it's the 140bhp version which is about 7.6.

You can use that as a rudimentary indicator when looking for something faster

[finlawler]

smithyithy said:

Although we can offer suggestions on here, my advice as your requirements seem quite broad / flexible would be to head to one of those used car supermarket-type places and just have a look around at what takes your fancy.

0-60 on your A1 looks to be about 8.5, unless it's the 140bhp version which is about 7.6.

You can use that as a rudimentary indicator when looking for something faster

Hi

Yes, it is around 8.5s. I am aware of car sites and how to use them, I would just like advice from owners of cars in the 10k budget range of what they have used and what they think is best. If they have had experience with the A3 and 1 series etc. Thanks

[300bhp/ton]

finlawler said:

Hi mate, thank you for the advice. I am somewhat into cars however I am certainly not a ‘car guy’, hence why i am here for advice. I’ve used autotrader for a long time, and this is where my problems arise, as there is plenty choice for many budget however I am not sure which is the best value for money. I would say I am more interested in the power of the car rather than the size, however size similar to the A3 would be great.

Best value for money is quite subjective really. For instance you can buy a Skoda or a SEAT with pretty much the same engine/chassis/performance as a VW or Audi. But the VW and Audi will cost you more. Mostly for the badge.

Some will say this is good value for money, some won't.

You could buy a less fashionable car which may have lost a lot of money quickly. This is good value if you are buying, as you can get something newer and higher spec for your money. But they are usually bad value for money when you come to sell as they will normally continue to loose more money more quickly.

So a lot of this is down to how much you care about badge and image. And how long you think you'll want to keep the car for.

For example, you can probably buy a lot more Insignia or Mondeo for £10k than you can a Golf.


If you want something more speedy, then maybe look at some of the more sporty offerings. The downsides are, they may not ride as well, will use more fuel and will have higher insurance. And for your given budget, you may need to look at slightly older or higher mileage examples.

Pretty much all of the car makers offer some quicker versions of their cars, be it a Golf GTI, Focus ST or something else.

[ZX10R NIN]

You seem to want a swift well spec'd car for your budget so my recommendations are these:

Kia Cee'd GT Tech these are a good steer (think warm hatch) with a good amount of go & kit as well as having 3 years worth of Manufacturer's Warranty left you have peace of mind as well as a good car.

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

Or if you don't mind three doors then the Pro Cee'd

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

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

The cooking Alfa Giulietta in Sportiva form is another good car well made reliable & imo a good looking car, not as swift as the other two but a good car no less

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

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

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

Ford Focus Titanium X 180 they're hard to find amongst the sea of 150's but they're worth seeking out

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

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

New shape Vauxhall Astra Elite/SRI 200 haggle hard & you'll get near your budget these are great value & will be past the worst of their depreciation,you'll also be able to extend the Manufacturer's Warranty for added peace of mind.

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

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

Hot hatch wise the Giulietta Cloverleaf is very good value when you take performance reliability age spec etc into account.

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

All the above are reliable loaded with kit, decent steers & all have more than enough in the go department, one of these is where my money would go rather than an A3/Golf.

If you do want an A3 you can get a Sport 140:

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

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

A better option to the above (if you want to stay VAG) is the 1.8T Seat Leon FR:

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

[finlawler]

300bhp/ton said:

finlawler said:

Hi mate, thank you for the advice. I am somewhat into cars however I am certainly not a ‘car guy’, hence why i am here for advice. I’ve used autotrader for a long time, and this is where my problems arise, as there is plenty choice for many budget however I am not sure which is the best value for money. I would say I am more interested in the power of the car rather than the size, however size similar to the A3 would be great.

Best value for money is quite subjective really. For instance you can buy a Skoda or a SEAT with pretty much the same engine/chassis/performance as a VW or Audi. But the VW and Audi will cost you more. Mostly for the badge.

Some will say this is good value for money, some won't.

You could buy a less fashionable car which may have lost a lot of money quickly. This is good value if you are buying, as you can get something newer and higher spec for your money. But they are usually bad value for money when you come to sell as they will normally continue to loose more money more quickly.

So a lot of this is down to how much you care about badge and image. And how long you think you'll want to keep the car for.

For example, you can probably buy a lot more Insignia or Mondeo for £10k than you can a Golf.


If you want something more speedy, then maybe look at some of the more sporty offerings. The downsides are, they may not ride as well, will use more fuel and will have higher insurance. And for your given budget, you may need to look at slightly older or higher mileage examples.

Pretty much all of the car makers offer some quicker versions of their cars, be it a Golf GTI, Focus ST or something else.

Thank you for your advice.

[finlawler]

ZX10R NIN said:

You seem to want a swift well spec'd car for your budget so my recommendations are these:

Kia Cee'd GT Tech these are a good steer (think warm hatch) with a good amount of go & kit as well as having 3 years worth of Manufacturer's Warranty left you have peace of mind as well as a good car.

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

Or if you don't mind three doors then the Pro Cee'd

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

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

The cooking Alfa Giulietta in Sportiva form is another good car well made reliable & imo a good looking car, not as swift as the other two but a good car no less

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

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

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

Ford Focus Titanium X 180 they're hard to find amongst the sea of 150's but they're worth seeking out

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

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

New shape Vauxhall Astra Elite/SRI 200 haggle hard & you'll get near your budget these are great value & will be past the worst of their depreciation,you'll also be able to extend the Manufacturer's Warranty for added peace of mind.

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

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

Hot hatch wise the Giulietta Cloverleaf is very good value when you take performance reliability age spec etc into account.

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

All the above are reliable loaded with kit, decent steers & all have more than enough in the go department, one of these is where my money would go rather than an A3/Golf.

If you do want an A3 you can get a Sport 140:

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

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

A better option to the above (if you want to stay VAG) is the 1.8T Seat Leon FR:

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

Thank you for the time you put into this response. I will look into all suggestions.

[HustleRussell]

Most BMWs are rear wheel drive which means that you get less interior space and poor performance in the snow. Unless you particularly care about handling they don't make much sense.

[HustleRussell]

HustleRussell said:

Most BMWs are rear wheel drive which means that you get less interior space and poor traction in bad weather. Unless you particularly care about handling they don't make much sense.

[finlawler]

HustleRussell said:

Most BMWs are rear wheel drive which means that you get less interior space and poor performance in the snow. Unless you particularly care about handling they don't make much sense.

I wouldn’t mind a car the size of the 1 series. Handling isn’t my main concern at the moment haha.