What new cars??

Discussion in 'General chat' started by Spuffington, Aug 7, 2015.

  1. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    So - the house is now Sold STC (scary and exciting at the same time)!

    I've therefore been back on Autotrader. Money's going to be v tight indeed given the stupid mortgage I'm taking out, so I'm being realistic about what to get and trying not to indulge my fantasies of "Shed of the Week" exotic motoring and instead thinking about a proper snotter or a newer, but much more "learner friendly" car to play on economy. I had looked at things like Mitsubishi L200s and Toyota HiLux given we've got about 1/2 acre of land with the new place which will need looking after, but the costs of running those as a station car are prohibitive.

    I had two schools of thought - firstly, living in the middle of fields, I need xenons and heated seats would be good for the winter commute. This ended up with me finding a couple of closely specced and priced Ford Focus 2002-2003 1.8 TDCI Ghias with around 80k on the clock and electric mirrors, heated front screen (great in winter), xenons, heated leather seats, climate control...........all for the princely sum of 1.5k!!

    Quite keen on that idea. Stick some winter rubber at 350quid on and happy days.

    Then I got thinking about proper little cars. I refined my search not by toys, but by VED. I found 1.0i Peugeot 107s (and the ilk) on 2010 plates with 50k for 2.8k. 50-60mpg on urban cycles (I will have a 7mile commute, so 250miles per month) and 20quid a year VED. Probably close to 150quid insurance. Kinda thinking that might be the way to go.

    Obviously no issues with DPF on the Focus, but imagine it'll get a bit coked up doing short journeys but at 1.5k, the car almost becomes consumable. The Pugs won't be anywhere near as luxuriouos, but being n/a petrols, probably reasonably reliable, but virtually non-existent running costs (25quid a month petrol, service myself, insurance and cheap VED) - what's not to like?

    Thoughts, auto afficiandos! :)
     
  2. neemz
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    neemz

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    my opinion - and it's worth noting that e39s are my favourite car ever produced by bmw: they are getting old.

    I believe the youngest available is on a 2003 / 53 plate, we're talking 12+ years old here? spuff knowing how you are and everything has to be just right you'll have a nightmare on an old motor and then have to spend hours and days of your life researching stuff and taking the thing to the garage. you want a relatively cheap car because you want to take care of your cashflow, but you'll spend hundreds of pounds every month keeping the old girl in perfect nick because you're a perfectionist and I respect that.

    you could buy the most expensive example tarted up by a trader on PH £3-4 k, but even if you go for a peach there will be all kinds of typical aging bmw woes ready to come and bite you. cooling system refresh, suspension shot (especially on a touring), electrical gremlins, sound system no good, automatic gearbox rebuild.

    I suppose it is all redundant in that you will likely own the car for 6-12 months, but if it were me and it sounds like you're after a winter beater estate car you can buy and run for a year while you move to the country just buy a newer ford/vw/seat estate for a couple of grand and spend nothing on it. sell when bored or it doesn't float your boat or you get a big bill. you'll end up doing a couple of grand on the e39 in that time so the equivalent car would work out "free" in the end.
     
  3. neemz
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    neemz

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    I've just seen your newest post sorry I didn't spot it when I wrote my reply above.

    I have run 6 or 7 ford focus' over the past 10 years - including my current one I bought for 1500 quid 3 years ago and have spent nothing on. this one is a 1.6 petrol and does 50mpg on long runs, done 50,000 miles in my ownership and never let me down. I did run a tdci for a while but I found the MPG wasn't much better in the real world than the 1.6 petrol (you can get the 1.8 if you feel the 1.6 is too gutless but whatever, it's just a car). the additional running costs and reliability issues of the diesel made me boy that off reasonably quickly and I've stuck with the petrols ever since.

    EDIT:

    sorry to go on but another thought. have you considered the mondeo estate? those things have stupid sized rear capacity and can be bought for silly money. I don't know if that's what you're going for? I was given an old 2002 1.8 petrol for free by a family member a couple of weeks ago. this one had done 180,000 miles and was essentially used as a van so had had a hard life. always serviced on the button but well worn shall we say.

    anyway, last weekend we loaded this thing up to the gills and took it on a one way trip 1200 miles to the polish/ukranian border in one sitting. we've done the same trip in the focus with a fridge and a 3rd passenger in the back so we know about overloading a motor, but to call the mondeo capacious would be underselling it. I had my doubts as to whether the old banger would make it, but by the time we made it to Germany we were pissing off locals in the fast lane of the autobahn.

    I noticed the driving experience was much more relaxed and comfortable than the focus on a long run, the cockpit seating area is more generous and the seats were a bit better. very lazy and heavy - kind of like a really crummy e39. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2015
  4. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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  5. dirtydog
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    dirtydog

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    Rare as hens teeth though! I nearly bought one before the 530i but something didn't sit right.
     
  6. dirtydog
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    dirtydog

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    FWIW I was going to suggest a Forrester (standard PH answer) or a yeti. Both appeal to me for some reason!

    Depends if you need ground clearance or not I guess as you could consider Imprezas etc?
     
  7. dirtydog
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    dirtydog

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    Or for a cheapy get an Ignis Sport ( I'm biased) or Jimny for the farm track. Or what about a Murano as the family wagon?
     
  8. Merc? No. BM!
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    Merc? No. BM! WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Was it the driver's seat perhaps? :D
     
  9. K777
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    K777 WARLORD

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    .

    Farmhouse = defender.

    Probably struggle on the budget though as it would be a second car. I hated defenders, until I went on a Land Rover day, and then OMG they are amazing, and I have wanted one since. Even if just for the two weeks of wintery-ish weather we get.

    Plus a 5 estate, also with the dog in mind.

    Plus you will need to get the obligatory wax coat, wellies, and er, what else does Richard Hammond wear ;)
     
  10. Phil
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    Phil

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    I did exactly the same, came away "want one", however I do that whenever I go on an experience day. I did a flying lesson experience recently and came away deciding I was going to become a pilot when I grow up :)

    p.s. I'm 48 so a little time before that happens.
     
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  11. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    Thanks for all your replies guys and particularly @neemz for not only the detail, but for making me laugh too! :)

    I'm still a bit stuck, if I'm honest. So much to choose from and so many different ways of slicing and dicing it. I can spend a whole evening on Autotrader, thinking I've found what I want and then see something "exotic" and think "what if?". Fact is, I need to stick with the basic principle of cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to maintain. That leaves me with some pretty dull stuff.

    As much as I thought I needed 4x4, I'm not so sure. The road to the house is 1940's cast concrete slabs - they're as good as the day they were laid, so no chance of needing anything too fancy to get across those. Un-salted in the winter might be different, but then tyres will be more help here than drivetrain.

    I'm tempted to look around some local car dealers - not dealers which I would ordinarily frequent, but with some element of comeback, probably not a bad idea. So far I've seen the following in my price bracket, from those dealers....

    - 2003 Audi TT 1.8T coupe with 80k miles, xenons, bose, leather, climate control
    - 2009 Smart FourTwo coupe 1.0i, with 50k, xenons, a/c
    - 2007 Ford Focus Ghia 5-door hatch, 2.0TDCI, a/c, 80k, cruise, fake walnut dash, velour seats(!)
    - 2007 Ford Focus Ghia Estate, 1.6i, auto(!) and same features as above
    - 2002 BMW E46 320Ci M Sport coupe, 100k, auto, climate control, bluetooth

    All of them would make sense in their own way. All less than 3.5k forecourt price. I'll be honest, I'm veering down the line of the two Focoids for many of the reasons above. Safety is also another thing driving it, for the odd occasion where i might have to take my daughter out in it in the event the wife is in the 118d. The estate would be a good means of getting stuff to the tip or from the DIY store.

    I haven't ruled out a Mundano but have yet to see a suitable one at a dealer close to me.
     
  12. Harry
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    Harry WARLORD

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    I'd have the TT. Don't know if I'd keep it but 2-3 years would probably be possible.

    My mum had a 2004 Focus which now lives next door to me. I used to drive it and I still see it every day. It just goes on and on and can usually be fixed with a hammer. It has got that rather well worn in look about it but it's not scruffy or falling to bits or rusty.
     
  13. Zed
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    Zed

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    I thought that one may be a 'bit challenging' :D

    On the whole though they seem well regarded, cheap and 4wd. Enough space for a dog too.
     
  14. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    Well, after doing a bit of shopping today, I'm struggling with exchanging £3-4k for the absolute rubbish I've seen so far.

    Test drove a 2008 Focus 1.6i CMax with 90k on the clock. Felt like power steering had failed, front wheels wobbled and engine was misfiring. Plus with the styling, I nearly puked.

    Then came across an Audi TT roadster which was tatty but otherwise ok. Then was sold some rubbish about the service history - saw the file and basically been serviced by every back street garage for the last 10 years. No evidence of cambelt and water pump. Tyres were cheapo rubbish. Everything else at a similar price point £4k was just tatty.

    But the TT has inspired me a little. A quick look on eBay has seen me come up with this, which I think I'll make a call about....
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-Audi...ull-Audi-SH-/231657231871?hash=item35efd8d5ff
     
  15. Peter
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    Peter WARLORD

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    Hi Duncan, guess you are finding it frustrating, a lot of rubbish out there for sure.

    Must say the Audi TT does look as if it may be worth a follow up. It is something different, a sort of curved ball on the car hunt, which could excite me if I was looking for something not in the normal run-around class. The negative could be added running costs, but if it is a sound car could be worth a punt.

    Peter
     
  16. Merc? No. BM!
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    Merc? No. BM! WARLORD Site Supporter

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  17. snrbrtsn
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    snrbrtsn WARLORD

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    The TT looks like youll be onto a winner which would allow some fun Too!
     
  18. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    Ok - so in typical Spuff fashion, all solved..........over the phone!

    You're right Peter, I was pretty despondent after yesterday. The conclusion I came to was that it was better to look privately than in some back street garage since private owners seem to spend a bit more time looking after their cars (some but not all) and there's no margin at this level for any dealer to be bothered doing anything other than a quick wash and polish. So had a quick look around Pistonheads last night. But really nothing that I could trust not to cause me grief or cost money.

    Then I got back on the computer and realised our finances weren't quite as rosy as I thought. :( Sadly I'd mis-calculated our equity position and don't have as much money to spend as I'd thought. So - back to the drawing board and was looking for something which has a bit more in terms of known costs. The 118d is warranted and has emergency service cover through to May 2017. I wanted something similar.

    Mrs Spuff then came across this last night......
    http://usedcars.volkswagen.co.uk/Po...1680616-605186698-42148.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_

    A quick phonecall this morning to find out its background it turns out to be a car I didn't think existed.....! 1 owner from new. Bought from Vindis VW Huntingdon in 2004, serviced annually at Vindis VW Huntingdon and px'd to Vindis VW Huntingdon for a new Polo just last month.

    £500 deposit down and collecting tomorrow subject to satisfactory test-drive. Comes with 12 months VW warranty cover, 12 months breakdown cover! :)

    All the tyres have 6mm on them but a mix of Kumho on the front, Dunlop on the rear and a Firestone on the rear. I'll replace those with Michelin Alpin winters for around £270 for the set and just run those all year around.

    So far very happy and have high hopes for tomorrow when I collect. I think for £3k, I'd struggle to fit the bill much better.
     
  19. Zed
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    Zed

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    When you find a car like that you have to snap it up. Main dealer history, main dealer warranty, 1 owner, I'd have been tempted to buy it unseen as the risks seem so low. I know the car isn't the most exciting but sometimes great pleasure can be had from a car simply because you know you've found a good 'un for a next to nothing price. I think that's the same engine as the Audi A2 and you'll find many owners swearing by them having covered double the miles yours has done. Well found!
     
  20. Peter
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    Peter WARLORD

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    Does look like a clean car, can't go wrong for the station/local runs at that price and a fully warranted deal.

    Hope it works out.

    Peter
     

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