Hi, I'm hoping that someone who knows something about cars will be able to point me in the right direction.
We have been driving (and towards the end, bunny hopping and lane drifting) in a fifteen year old fiesta. Enough is enough! we need a new car!
We're going to have to get it on some kind of finance and I don't want to be paying for it in my old age so I guess around £5 - £6K is what we'll be looking at. I'm after a used car but not too old.
We have a dog and I am sick of her jumping on my lap in the back or trying to leap over and drive with my boyfriend - so I need a car with a big enough boot for a standard schnauzer. And lastly, we're not good enough at looking at cars to know instinctively if something is wrong so I'm going to have to go to a dealership. I live in London.
Right has anyone got any suggestions? What type of car I should look for within this price range? And anyone know any trustworthy dealers? As I'm completely clueless and I have NO idea what to look for.
*bangs head on computer desk*
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I do know the feeling - I was like that recently trying to buy a new television. They all look the same if you haven't bought one for a long time!
If you've enjoyed your Fiesta a bigger Ford might be the answer, perhaps an estate although there are more hatchbacks to choose from. Or a Vauxhall Astra estate. A Skoda Octavia estate is a bit bigger for the same money or maybe a bit less.
£5-6K should get you a 2-to-3-year-old car. If you go to www.autotrader.co.uk you can look and see what is arounnd, from dealers as well as privately. Dealers are more expensive but weill probably offer a warranty which you would find worthwhile.
If you can, take a friend who is knowledgeable about cars with you who will know the right questions to ask.
Best of luck, and do let us know how you get on. There are somewhere between 100 and 200 of us on this forum and you'll get lots of (probably conflicting) advice. But it'll all be worth having!
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I should have said that the bigger Ford is the Focus or (bigger still) the Mondeo. Both are good cars.
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Citroen Berlingo?
Can't help with dealers!
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Sorry to answer questions with more questions, but:
a. How's your credit rating? If you don't know, do you have a mortgage, credit cards, a contract mobile?
b. How long do you plan to keep the car?
c. How many miles per year do you drive, and what kind of miles?
Assuming a. is okay, £6,000 will cost you £181.95 with Lombard Direct - see uk.biz.yahoo.com/loan over three years.
If most of your mileage is around town, say 8k per year, you'll probably not benefit from a diesel and it's not worth paying a diesel premium.
My choice would probably be a Focus estate (smaller than a Mondeo around town). For £5,399 you could get an 80k mile Focus Ghia estate ( www.tradecentre.co.uk ) which is 2 1/2 years old, run it up to 140k over the next seven years, look after it and it'll still be in excellent condition, and get decent luxury, space and safety with low running costs.
In fact, even if you don't buy from the Great Trade Centre (not all their cars are in the best condition, or even that cheap - but there are equally some stunning bargains) it'd be the first place I'd visit as they have just about everything there and you can get ideas of what you're looking for, before you test drive properly somewhere else.
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Hi thanks for all your replies. We have been looking around and have found a pre-registered Vauxhall Meriva (which has been reduced from £12k to £6500 at 0% finance. Anyone know anything about these? I like the look of them and they are certainly big enough to hold the dogs and it seems a bargain with such low mileage.
Your help, as always, appreciated.
jo :)
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£12k to £6,500? Pre-reg? 0%....
They must really want to shift them.
Nice cars, not the most exciting but they do the job well enough.
At that money, it's a brilliant deal (assuming by pre-reg you mean no older than 54 plate and 200 miles, although even if it's a bit older/higher mileage, it's still well worth thinking about).
What spec is it?
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Its an 04/54 - 1.6 8 valve, choice of Life, Enjoy or Design. a/c, PAS, E/W, airbags, central locking, electric mirrors and windows, immobiliser, twin audio and other bits and pieces.
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well done - terrific result, Jodenice - happy motoring!
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Agreed. Go for it - it sounds exactly what you need - and new or nearly new too.
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Might be worth double checking that it is genuinely a pre-registered UK car, not a non-EU import (e.g. Cyprus?). Not saying that's the case, but it is a very good price for such a new car.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Go for the Meriva.
That sort of value you can't beat.
I was just looking for the end of this thread to advise you to look at new prices and 0% finance deals!
I won't bore you with the full story of the van again, Lik I have before but I went for new because I was fed up with looking for overpriced 2nd hand ones, and I know the history of it. - oh yes and it was 0% finance with 30% down.
To be honest I'm not sure my next car will be used now.
H
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That does sound like a fantastic price. I'd be interesed to know where your getting that deal (only after you've bought it - just in case anyone else swoops in!)
Brian
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