£9000 Family Hatch

[Normodog]

Evening All,

I've been tasked with finding a new car for the wife.

Criteria:

5 Doors
Reasonable Running Costs (30mpg minimum)
Sporty Looking
Room For a Baby Seat and Pram (we have a newborn)
Reliable

So far she likes the look of a 2014 bmw 116i sport and a 2011 Mk6 Golf Gti. She also liked some newer clios, only the 1.2 tce. I'm not particularly sold on the reliability of any of these.

I've been trawling all the classifieds looking for inspiration. It seems either we get something newer that is dull or something older that is a bit more fun.

Any suggestions would be greatly welcome, cheers.

Edited by Normodog on Monday 18th January 18:12

[Jag_NE]

An Alfa Giuletta could provide a good mix of relatively new (higher depreciation vs VW and BMW) but with a nice badge, good looks (in my opinion), some decent engines and low running costs. I don’t think Alfa/Fiat are more problematic than the other euro OEMs these days.

[Defcon5]

Seems a lot to spend on one, but what about an Astra/Focus? You will get one a lot newer than the Germans, and they can look the part with the ST/VX Line styling packs

[Normodog]

Defcon5 said:

Seems a lot to spend on one, but what about an Astra/Focus? You will get one a lot newer than the Germans, and they can look the part with the ST/VX Line styling packs

I put the case forward for these, unfortunately her response was no.

[Normodog]

Jag_NE said:

An Alfa Giuletta could provide a good mix of relatively new (higher depreciation vs VW and BMW) but with a nice badge, good looks (in my opinion), some decent engines and low running costs. I don’t think Alfa/Fiat are more problematic than the other euro OEMs these days.

I like these, she's not too keen.

[Deerfoot]

Honda Civic?

Will be reliable, plenty of space for baby stuff..

[Brett748]

Forget the sporty looks and get an Auris Hybrid. We have just picked one up for my misses and it’s awesome.

Free tax
Auto
50+ mpg
Heated seats
Cruise
Cheap
Modern
Proven to be reliable
Easiest car I’ve ever driven

It looks a little pensioner but it’s just such a good car for somebody not into cars. It’s so easy to drive I take it to the shops more than I take my C63.

[ChrisH72]

Will it be your only car?

If not then I wouldn't bother at all with the sporty aspect for the family motor unless your other half is dead set on it. For a family car you want comfort and practicality especially if you also have access to another more tasty motor.

How about a Leon FR?

You get more Leon for your money than Golf and the 1.4tsi seems good all round with a sporty look to it.

[Normodog]

ChrisH72 said:

Will it be your only car?

If not then I wouldn't bother at all with the sporty aspect for the family motor unless your other half is dead set on it. For a family car you want comfort and practicality especially if you also have access to another more tasty motor.

How about a Leon FR?

You get more Leon for your money than Golf and the 1.4tsi seems good all round with a sporty look to it.

I've got a subaru legacy gt, which will deal with the load lugging and dog duties, I'm not too fussed about the little one getting it dirty either.

I would be happy getting something dull but worthy, however the wife has a car history including mx5's and numerous hot hatches (clio 182, mg zr 160) so she's after something with a bit of go.

The leon is a good shout.

[edc]

If you have something like a Bugaboo travel system and want to take it in the car then forget Clio size. We have a less than 1 year old and had a Seat Arona but now a Merc B200 DCT for less than £9k. The boot is bigger than the usual hatches, the rear space a bit more generous so you can still actually use the front passenger seat, the door opening a decent size to put a baby seat in and the extra height means you don't accidently decapitate your baby moving them in and out as you can do on other cars. It's not so big that the Mrs is scared of it and has standard Nav, Bluetooth and rear camera. It's not the ultimate handling or riding car but as a package of these needs is great. I'm always told to slow down with the Mrs and baby in the car anyway so don't get anywhere near the limits.

[heisthegaffer]

How about a Volvo V40?

We have one and it is brilliant. Ours is the 1.6 petrol turbo and it is fast enough but very economical.

The newer 2.0 petrol Turbos are even better. The T2 is 120bhp and nippy enough and the T3 is 150bhp so same as mine but much, much quicker. In fact I was a little disappointed after giving the courtesy 2.0 T3 back and getting mine back!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=year-...

[ChrisH72]

Nice to have a partner who is interested in cars.

My wife has a Hyundai ix20 which we use as the family wagon. It's fine for what it is, cheap, reliable, spacious and all that. I'd like her to have something a bit better (well, quicker!) as I probably end up driving it more than she does but unfortunately she's just not bothered and just sees cars as white goods. At least I have my fiesta ST3 for kicks.

[Normodog]

So she likes the mazda 3 apparently, not something I've looked at before. Most seem to be the 2.0 118bhp engine, is this adequate for the job?

She doesn't actually drive quickly and certainly won't be with the boy in the car.

[culpz]

Should be able to get MK4 Clio 200 EDC for that. It is a dual-clutch 'box though, so not sure if she'd got for that or not. Reliability are not an issue on these. A lot of it is actually Nissan stuff. They don't seem to suffer many/any serious common faults at all.

[Normodog]

We've gone for a 2015 Mazda 3 2.0 Sport Nav 120 in soul red. Nice looking car with all the toys, should be reliable too.

[VR99]

Normodog said:

So she likes the mazda 3 apparently, not something I've looked at before. Most seem to be the 2.0 118bhp engine, is this adequate for the job?

She doesn't actually drive quickly and certainly won't be with the boy in the car.

I'm in a similar boat to you and I think the Mazda 3 is a great VFM buy...especially if you can get one specced with the Bose stereo and reversing cameras etc The leather seats versions are even rarer. My only issue with the 3 is the 'blandness' of the interior but otherwise I think they will be a solid bet.
My other half who is a complete non-car person also like the 1 series for some reason but I'm trying to avoid at all costs..image..image again..and lack of practicality for a family..also unsure about the long term reliability and borkage factor.

Edit: too late with my post but enjoy the 3! Sounds like a decent colour too!

Edited by VR99 on Tuesday 19th January 17:41

[smashing]

Normodog said:

Evening All,

I've been tasked with finding a new car for the wife.

Criteria:

5 Doors
Reasonable Running Costs (30mpg minimum)
Sporty Looking
Room For a Baby Seat and Pram (we have a newborn)
Reliable

So far she likes the look of a 2014 bmw 116i sport and a 2011 Mk6 Golf Gti. She also liked some newer clios, only the 1.2 tce. I'm not particularly sold on the reliability of any of these.

I've been trawling all the classifieds looking for inspiration. It seems either we get something newer that is dull or something older that is a bit more fun.

Any suggestions would be greatly welcome, cheers.

Edited by Normodog on Monday 18th January 18:12

Kia pro-ceed GT or whatever the 5 door version is these days.

[ZX10R NIN]

Infiniti Q30 Premium In Touch good cars (they're an A Class but with a nicer interior)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009103...

I'd actually go for the 308 GT lots of space & a nice amount, they'll be as reliable as any of the German alternatives:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101147...

Giulietta Sportiva Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009083...

[mbwoy84]

This

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2015-Kia-Ceed-GT-1-6-16...

Still under manufacturers warranty too.....

[Normodog]

ZX10R NIN said:

Infiniti Q30 Premium In Touch good cars (they're an A Class but with a nicer interior)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009103...

I'd actually go for the 308 GT lots of space & a nice amount, they'll be as reliable as any of the German alternatives:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101147...

Giulietta Sportiva Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009083...

Thanks,

Ended up going for a mazda 3 sport nav in the end, she likes the idea of Japanese reliability and the £30 a year tax, supposedly good on fuel too. Plus it has all the toys inside.

It's only the 2.0 120, but as they have the same engine as the 165 I'll just get a remap to release the extra horses available.