Car buying dilemma

[start107]

I have just gotten rid of my beloved 2015 Fiat Panda 4x4 as my trusted local garage told me it was on its way out due to an engine issue, not worth investigating further or spending any money on. Thankfully I managed to get some money back from the dealership as I had only owned the car for a just over year. Still ended up pouring a few thousand down the drain over this.

Anyway, I'm now in desperate need of a replacement but I'm obviously feeling a bit resentful over spending any money on another car, and worried about buying something that will leave me in the same position in another years time!

So, my options... Do I buy something reasonably new (less than 5 years old), and with low milage in the hopes that I have longer without any serious repair issues any time soon, OR do I go for something cheaper, and older, still with reasonably low milage at the risk that it could be need expensive repairs and maintenance. OR do I just buy a cheap car to get me through this and find something better when prices come down a bit.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, my budget is around £15k for something newer but ideally much less if I go for something older. I understand that's not much with the current prices of used cars.

Reliability and low maintenance costs and good MPG is really the key for me as I don't have lots of money to throw at a car.

[Robertb]

Sounds like bad luck… what happened to the engine?

Older cars are better value to buy but might well need money spending, depending on how well it’s been maintained.

I imagine something Japanese will be the best bet for reliability.

£15k should buy you a great car! What sort of style do you want… another compact hatchback?

[Ankh87]

If you can charge up at home then there's a lot of used EVs or plug-in hybrids for less than £15k. Of course depends on your mileage etc but I'm 99% sure you can get a Kia Soul 64Kwh for £14k which is similar looking to your Panda or VW Golf GTE plug-in 2018 with lowish miles for £12k.

Personally I'd go with the Kia Soul if you can charge up at home as its the most similar looking to your Panda and probably more practical as well due to the size and shape.

[Deerfoot]

start107 said:

Reliability and low maintenance costs and good MPG is really the key for me as I don't have lots of money to throw at a car.

Sounds like a Toyota of some sort would be ideal.

Keep it serviced by Toyota and it'll be under warranty until it's 10 years old or has covered 100,000 miles.

Your budget should get you something decent.

[CrippsCorner]

I may be bitter, lol, but... anything can (and will) go wrong.

I'd personally rather pay a bit less and keep some money aside in a pot for any repairs needed. Saying that, the best option maybe a credit card for unexpected stuff, but I need to clear that off first before starting again