Unknown/Unknown - Help on what to buy for maximum budget of £10,000

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Sun 6 Mar 2016 13:33
Unknown/Unknown - Help on what to buy for maximum budget of £10,000 - cruzcontrol

Hello forum folks,

Am wondering if you knowledegable lot out there can offer me some advice on what my next car should be. For many years i I have a small diesel which has been a very reliable and cheap car to drive. However now with the family needs changing I want to buy a newer car suitable for family needs.

I'd like to spend a maximum of £10,000 and a minimum of maybe £4,000. Am looking for something which is fast & fun mabe under 8 to 60, large enough for a family of 4, economical and reliable to run and cheap to maintain/repair.

Thus far I'm thinking;

Mondeo 2.0 Titanium 163ps

Focus 1.6 ecoboost Zetec S 182ps

Honda Civic Mk6 (undecided Type-S or 2.2 i-CTDi Si-T)

Citreon C5 2.0 BlueHDi 16V VTR+ 150ps Tourer

Skoda Rapdi Spaceback 1.4 TSi (125ps)

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi (195bhp) SRi 5d

Some of above a random but gives an idea of where my thinking is style wise. Would appreciate all offers of advice. The car market is large and I'm no doubt missing out on brands I'm maybe not familiar with.

Thanks for taking the time to read.



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Sun 6 Mar 2016 15:04
Unknown/Unknown - Help on what to buy for maximum budget of £10,000 - Avant

Most of your list are petrol-powered and I think that's your best bet when buying secondhand. The advantage of Fords is that there a lots of them around to choose from, and a 2.0 litre Ford will be more 'fast and fun' than most Japanese cars. The Mazda 6 2.0 petrol is better to drive than most and is well worth a look.

The Skoda Octavia is a better car than the Rapid: for £10k you could get a vRS which has the Golf GTI engine. I've had three vRSs and they've been excellent.

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Sun 6 Mar 2016 16:18
Unknown/Unknown - Help on what to buy for maximum budget of £10,000 - oldtoffee

Avant is on the money with his 3 recommendations. Not had a Mazda 6 but have had the other two. I'd take the Octavia for great engine and speed and the Mondeo for better comfort, much less noise espcially at speed and better poise and handling but not as much go.

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Sun 6 Mar 2016 19:28
Unknown/Unknown - Help on what to buy for maximum budget of £10,000 - catsdad

The OP list is split across two size categories. If space is needed then the larger options are best. Of the smaller cars I have direct experience of the Civic and Focus and the Civic is much better for boot space and rear leg room. Our 6'3" (adult!) son is quite happy in the rear of the Civic for an hour or two albeit his head brushes the roof. He found a hired Focus very cramped for leg room in the rear. The Focus hatchback boot is also very small for the class

It might come down to the size of any children to be carried. I used to find toddlers needed much more leg room than you might expect because child car seats push them forward and encourage a straight leg posture.

With all that in mind I'd support the Mazda/Octavia/Mondeo suggestions. Mazda diesels are problematic at this price bracket.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?