2nd car for 6-10k

[Dsdans]

Hello car experts!!
I'll start of with a disclaimer that I'm honestly not a car guy, until the last few weeks my car enthuisasm has gone as far as the odd "that looks alright" when something nice pulls up at the lights next to me, or a firm nod when people start talking about cars in the pub..
I'm currently looking to buy a 2nd car as I'm fed up of sharing the KA with the other half. I've spent the last week or so scouring autotrader looking for cars that seem alright and adding them to my saved list, aswell as disapointing umpteen car salesman with my astute tactic of test driving absolutely anything they have to offer and telling them I'll "go away and have a think".
Out of the few I've test driven, the new 1.4 Astra's are nice and comfortable and I've really enjoyed this golf here
https://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/search?make%...

After much talking with the other half I think we've settled on the new astra but I just want to see if I'm overlooking anything?

I want a mid sized car (focus', fiestas, 1 series' etc) with some tech inside (sat nav mainly) and a nice bit of oomph under foot. Want it to feel smooth and comfortable too. Anyone else got any suggestions?
I have seen this one posted here that interests me..
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
I want something that's reliable and isn't going to cost an arm and leg after I've bought it, but I'm coming to the conclusion it's basically a lottery

Also sorry but budget is 6-8k!!

[Dsdans]

Carl-hbhuh said:

I can’t comment on the Astra itself but I will say now my experience with Vauxhall as a company is shocking.

With countless calls to head office 5 times in total without a resolution.

I have a van it went for warranty work to be done, I was left without a courtesy van I had to hire one out of my own pocket.
I called the dealer 4 days after dropping my van off under the impression it was going to be ready as they told me 4 days!

It turns out the ramp packed up with my van on it and they was awaiting an engineer.

I was forced to rent a van for a further week.
No compensation No contributions given in any form.

They are a joke.

Hmm, thanks for the heads up..

The new shape started in 2015 from memory, so I think any I buy will be out if warranty, or just about to. Cant really see myself having to deal much with them

[Dsdans]

Jamescrs said:

I wouldn't get hung up on having built in sat nav, they are quickly out of date and even new are rarely as good as using youyr smart phone with Google maps or Waze.

My last three cars (Ford, Audi, Volvo) have all had built in sat nav and I rarely used it in any of them because the smart phone option is nearly always better.

Just adding my thoughts as I wouldn't discount an otherwise good car due to its lack of satnav

I suppose, the car we use at the minute has nothing built in so we have tried various devices and they're always breaking/falling off so it's a bit of a faff.
The Vauxhall's entertainment system allows you to cast google maps, so that would probably be the best option. I'm not sure if theres any other models that can do it but I was told you cant in the fords and Volkswagens

[Dsdans]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions, I've narrowed it down to this shortlist of 3

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

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

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

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Okay, I lied, 4...

Does any 1 of these cars stand out from the rest or are they all fairly safe options?
Also should I be too hung up on mileage? From what I've been reading on here it's the age of the car that's more important, along as certain things have been done at certain mileage.
Anything I should be wary of on any of these?

Once again appreciate all the help

[Dsdans]

So I'm still pondering on this one...
I like the Alfa's but the feedback from people I've spoken to is that at some point they're likely to have a big issue which will cost a lot of money. My GF is dead set against then fir this reason and she doesnt like the look of then either.
I've pretty much decided on an astra (1.4T 16v 150 in elite trim) but just wanted to give one last call to see if theres anything else I've missed/should consider? This is a big purchase for me so I really want to make sure this is the right one.
I maintain that the golf is the nicest car I've driven, but its tough to get my gf to look past the Astra fancy interior and mod cons

Also does anyone have any advice on car finance? I was looking at a personal loan as this then wouldn't be attached to the car and I would be free to do as I please with it however I've applied with two different places and the APR has varied massively between the two and neither have been the advertised rate. I have a good credit score and I'm a homeowner with no later payments etc to my name.

[Dsdans]

Thanks, this is what I've done as both Hitachi and Santander are advertising at 3%. Theyve come back at 7.9% and a staggering 18.9% respectively.

My worry is every application is a search which will lower my credit score, theoretically producing worse rates each time

[Dsdans]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2019...

I'm going to have a look at this today. In ref to the comment above googling around tells me timing belt should be every 5 years/75000 miles. I wont do the mileage so that's probably a job for 3 years time.
It's a relatively new car, is there anything I should be looking out for/be careful of?

I get the basics, make sure it's been serviced, check no damage/rust to paintwork and see if it looks like it's been well looked after but any advice is appreciated

[Dsdans]

Is it normal for a car I'm about to buy to be registered SORN?

[Dsdans]

Elatino1 said:

gweaver said:

I wouldn't have thought so!
Is it a private or trade sale?
I'd expect a private sale to be taxed and MOT'd. If a trade sale, that still seems odd - it implies no tax and no trade plates. The latter might indicate a small time dealer. Be wary of small pop up dealers flogging stuff acquired at auction, and closing up shop and moving on before your warranty claim comes in..

You can't buy a car with road tax on it anymore.

I sorned a car recently as it is not being used and it saves 30quid a month.

So if a dealer bought a car it wouldn't be taxed so would surely make more sense for them to put it as SORN? Dont know where that stands them with roadtests etc tho..

[Dsdans]

So I've decided I like the car and I want to go ahead and purchase it however I'm confused by the whole tax process, especially with it being sorn

From what I can gather online the steps are as follows:
Go to the dealer and pay the full amount for the car.
They send off documents to DVLA
DVLA send documents to us
We can then insure and then tax the vehicle
Drive away?

Is it really this complicated and drawn out?

Edit: They have now said they will tax it for me. Is this possible as from what I've read tax cannot transfer?

Edited by Dsdans on Wednesday 4th September 12:32

[Dsdans]

UPDATE!

A few weeks ago i went ahead with the purchase of the 17 plate 1.4t 16v Astra (SRI) trim and so far I'm very glad i did. Had my usual mechanic give it a thorough going over and other than a slight leak from the washer fluid bottle everything was in tip top shape.

It's a very comfortable car to drive. Very nippy when it wants to be, sport mode is very loud and throws you about a bit so tend to stay out of it for day to day driving but it's always good fun on the back roads. Im averaging about 41mpg and fuelling with momentum.

After a few hours of being bamboozled by all the buttons on my wheel I've got to grips with it and the tech is really useful. Cruise control really takes the pain away on speed restricted roads, air con is brilliant on cold mornings and I love android auto. Being able to make a call or send a text whilst I'm driving without fumbling around it good.

Now here is my problem... The Astra is that much of an improvement neither me or my gf really want to drive the 09 1.2 KA Style. Its worlds apart. Looking at these cars on autotrader with around 70k miles they tend to fetch about £2-2.5k. I wanted to sell it and swap it in for an RX8 but this has been immediately shot down with a few expletives and disconcerting looks.

Could anyone recommend a good buy in that price bracket that would be an improvement on the ka in terms of power and comfort, preferably with the ability to upgrade the stereo to an android auto enabled touchscreen.
Must cost no more than 2.5k, and wouldn't want anything that's going to constantly hit me with big bills. Thanks again

[Dsdans]

Dsdans said:

Could anyone recommend a good buy in that price bracket that would be an improvement on the ka in terms of power and comfort, preferably with the ability to upgrade the stereo to an android auto enabled touchscreen.
Must cost no more than 2.5k, and wouldn't want anything that's going to constantly hit me with big bills. Thanks again

Does this exist??

[Dsdans]

ZX10R NIN said:

Easy you need to look for a Mito Veloce 120 the 1.4T engine has proven itself as reliable:

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

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

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

Or 155 Lusso spec:

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

They'll take a double din unit so that's not an issue, I can recommend the Pioneer SPH DA230 DAB:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-SPH-DA230DAB-7-...

Thanks again for the suggestions. I notice these cars are all nearly 100k miles. Should this give me cause for concern? Is it much more likely that I will be spending 1000s on this each year in maintenance thanvivwould on something with say 50k miles?