Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot

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Wed 15 Jan 2020 22:12
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

Hi wondering if anyone has any suggestions for my budget of £4000-6000 for an automatic with boot that's in the 350 litre plus range. I have a few other requirements/requests but I'm fairly flexible. I have two toddlers so a boot that can accommodate a double buggy is needed. I currently drive an old diesel Zafira and it's just unnecessary now they're older and I am only doing about 7000 miles a year/short journeys, plus it's a fairly high tax rate.

I'd prefer something with under about 80k miles as I have until now driven cheap cars nearing the end of their life until they give up. Similarly I would prefer something 2012 onwards bit if it's high spec or in decent condition then I'm easy. I would prefer petrol if possible but fuel economy is more a priority as I notice petrol autos with my requirements are rare! Wouldn't mind an estate if it's not too massive.

Parking sensors and arm rest would be a bonus! I'm in South Wales but can travel within about 90 minutes.

Cars I've been looking at in addition to the more "common" ones like Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed are the Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500L if anyone has any opinions on those?

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 00:39
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - SLO76
“ Cars I've been looking at in addition to the more "common" ones like Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed are the Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500L if anyone has any opinions on those?”


I’d leave the Fiat, the firm doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to autos and the larger 500L struggles enough with quality and resale issues. The Hyundai and Kia are essentially the same car and there’s little wrong with them other than they tend to crash in value once those excellent warranties are up. They sell on price alone and are hard work. The estate Kia is the best of the two largely because of its longer warranty (if it’s been serviced by a Kia dealer) and more appealing looks.

I would however be looking for a Honda Civic or perhaps a Toyota Avensis here. With the Civic you’re best begging or borrowing to buy the better made and more refined post 2012 model like this...

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191204502...6


The earlier model is ok and still very spacious but avoid the terrible automated manual I-shift models. This one uses a normal torque converter box.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191213529...5

Another solid big family car, one I have myself is the Toyota Avensis Estate.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191216537...1

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191024364...8

I’d worry less about the age of the car rather than the quality of it. A 2010 Toyota or Honda will be running a decade after a 2014 Renault or Fiat auto has been turned into baked bean cans. Yes it’ll cost more for its age but you always pay more for quality.

Edited by SLO76 on 16/01/2020 at 00:42

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 08:11
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

They all look great thank you, unfortunately £6k is the top of my budget with begging and borrowing, but the second Civic looks good and is nearby so I think I'll have a look at that to start.

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 09:13
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - SLO76
If you’re buying without borrowing then fair enough, that’s always the cheapest way. That Civic does sound good and is certainly worth a look. The fact that it’s a 9yr old car and a main dealer (Vauxhall in this case) is willing to retail it means it’s probably very nice too. They won’t risk a bad car on the forecourt in most cases, they’ll just auction it so I’d rush round to see this one. The Civic is a great automatic hatch and they sell quick.

If however you’re borrowing that £6k then it’s often cheaper to take more in the case of a bank loan with £7-£7.5k unlocking the cheap rates. Dealer finance is by comparison hugely expensive.
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Thu 16 Jan 2020 10:10
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

I'm borrowing and get the same rates for anything between £4k and £8k through my bank but the repayments on £6k are the most affordable. I'm hoping to part ex my Zafira but the rear door is jammed shut somehow so assuming they won't give me much!

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 10:52
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - badbusdriver

Just put a random Cardiff postcode (YHA!) into Autotrader and set a 60mile radius, came up with these,

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191106407...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200108592...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191116442...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191023360...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200103575...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191101392...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191125472...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191202494...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191209517...1

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191217541...2

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200113609...2

I have not done any checking of MOT histories, you can do that here, www.gov.uk/check-mot-history. This will give an indication of how well or otherwise the car has been looked after, though is not definitive.

The only cars on here i know have a boot of more than 350 litres are the Vauxhall Astra estate and Vauxhall Meriva. Though any others not quite there (like the Fusion), won't be far off

The Meriva should be of particular interest to you as it has lots of flexibility regarding the seat layout (rear seats can slide backwards or forwards, plus the centre rear seat can be dropped, the two outer ones pushed closer together and slid right back for limo like rear legroom), the raised seating height which is much better for getting kiddies into the back, and the rear 'suicide doors'. Unfortunate name, but what this means is they hinge from the back putting you at a much more convenient position for loading up th kiddies!.

The Ford Fusion i have included because i am a big fan!. We used to have one and it was a brilliant (unfairly derided by the motoring press) little family car. Based on the Fiesta but with a raised body for easier entry/exit, more interior space, quite a bit bigger boot capacity (335 litres if memory serves so you'll need to check your buggy fits) and just a nice thing to drive.

Edited by badbusdriver on 16/01/2020 at 10:53

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 11:07
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - SLO76

I'm borrowing and get the same rates for anything between £4k and £8k through my bank but the repayments on £6k are the most affordable. I'm hoping to part ex my Zafira but the rear door is jammed shut somehow so assuming they won't give me much!

It may be worthwhile extending the term to give you a better longer lasting car and at the 3% APR rate you can get from most banks it’ll cost very little extra. That said it’s down to your personal situation. I’d rather pay a bit more for the newer model Civic as it’s a better built car. As for the trade in well don’t tell them about the door and hopefully they won’t even check it. If it’s old it’ll be going to auction and you’ll get peanuts anyway.

Edited by SLO76 on 16/01/2020 at 11:08

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 12:47
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - Sulphur Man

Hi,

Look no further https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201908211371827?model=FR-V&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=gu148aa&transmission=Automatic&radius=

1500&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&sort=

relevance&make=HONDA&page=1

If you have small children, need a boot space, need a GREAT and reliable auto and transmission pairing, an auto 1.8 FR-V is it. We've had one since 2011, bought with 31000 miles on it, now at 78000. Absolutely no issues apart from servicing and the typical wear-and-tear items.

The owner reviews on here and Autotrader are pretty indicative of how good this car is (was).

Edited by Avant on 16/01/2020 at 15:58

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Thu 16 Jan 2020 13:32
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

Thanks for the further suggestions all. I'm leaning more towards the Meriva now. I'm not as keen on the design of the FR-V.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I do more urban driving now than I used to and my husband has an Octavia we use for family trips/longer journeys. Mine is more the nursery run and commuting 6 miles in start stop start traffic down ad ual carriageway.

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Wed 22 Jan 2020 21:01
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

Just an update on my post from last week, I test drove a Hyundai i40 pretty much out of the blue and loved it. Bigger than I had intended to get but really comfy with lots of extras and a big boot.

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Wed 22 Jan 2020 23:15
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - SLO76

Just an update on my post from last week, I test drove a Hyundai i40 pretty much out of the blue and loved it. Bigger than I had intended to get but really comfy with lots of extras and a big boot.

Decent enough big cars and uses a conventional torque converter autobox up till 2015 when it switched to a highly complex and much less robust twin clutch automated manual. Still much better regarded than VW or Ford’s efforts but trust it I do not. That said I’m assuming it’s an older example at this money. Biggest weaknesses on these are mostly related to the manual gearboxes so an auto is the one to have. It’ll be worth little when you come to sell and they typically sell only on price as they age but a good enough big car especially the estate.
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Thu 16 Jan 2020 13:51
Chevrolet Cruze and Fiat 500l - Auto under £6000 with decent boot - JadeT

(Duplicate post)

Edited by Avant on 16/01/2020 at 15:59

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