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Should I buy a Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf - or consider a hybrid?

A change in circumstances means that my Mercedes-Benz E220 auto has to go. Much as I love the refinement it's completely the wrong car for the 5,000, mostly urban, miles I do each year. I have a budget of £9,000 to source a decent spec automatic with enough boot space for a set of golf clubs and electric trolley; I also need to keep overall running costs as low as possible. Basic research leads me to consider a 1.4 - 1.6 petrol automatic and my short-list at the moment consists of 2009 VW Golf 1.4 TSI SE DSG and a 2010 Ford Focus 1.6 Titanium Auto. As a final thought, I wondered whether I ought to be considering a hybrid as most (but not all) of my journeys are under 20 miles long and there would appear to be some potential for really keeping fuel costs low?

Asked on 28 September 2013 by JW, Bradford

Answered by Honest John
You can probably get a base spec old shape Toyota Auris HSD for £9,000 and that would make sense.
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