Hi
Following the breakdown of my marriage with the ex getting custody of the car, I now find myself looking for a car, but not knowing where to start.
I'm not bothered about makes, but there's a few things which may narrow the search a little.
I've £5000 to spend
Safe - got two kids
large boot
easy to maintain - not mechanically minded!
low insurance group - never had my own insurance, only ever been named second driver.
to mainly use around the town but with 2 or 3 150 mile round trips a month
around 2 - 3 years old
cd player/sun roof would be nice but not vital
I think that's about it - does such a car exist or am i hoping for too much?
I do wonder about the insurance. Would my years of being a named driver with a clean driving record have any influence on the insurance, or would i be starting from scratch?
Your advice and suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
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There will be a lot of choice for you, including the ever popular Mondeo and Skoda Octavia, both of which are comfortable, reliable and are big enough for luggage and long trips.
The smaller the car, the cheaper the insurance (in general terms), so you may find that a smaller Focus size car with a diesel engine gives you the level of space and comfort you need and still be good for the longer trips.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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I reckon with £5000 you have a huge choice, bigger than you can imagine and with all the kit. I?m not gonna recommend a car but I suggest you visit Auto Trader?s website. You can specify your budget, a maximum age of car and a radius from your home (assuming the x didn?t get your home too) as well as key words like sun-roof, cd etc. See what pops up.
Good luck. Nothing like buying a car to beat marital blues.
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I reckon a 1.6 Focus would fit the bill here
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I bought a Peugeot 406 2.0 HDi Saloon in December of last year, and would thoroughly recommend it.
Very economical, on long trips and around town. Superb ride, and eats up the miles on long trips - i have a 100 mile round trip commute each day, and it flies past. Even did 1100 miles in 2 days and felt fresh as the proverbial daisy. Huge boot, and the seats all fold flat as well. Comes with CD, aircon, trip computer, elec windows all round, and you should have no trouble finding a good 3 yo example for 5k.
Insurance is very reasonable too.
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"I do wonder about the insurance. Would my years of being a named driver with a clean driving record have any influence on the insurance, or would i be starting from scratch?"
When I bought a car insurance policy after a few years break without my own insurance, I was given 5 years of no claims bonus from my other half's policy, which was a pleasant surprise as I expected to be starting again with zero ncb. I qualified because I was a named driver on her policy, with no claims and clean licence, and the policies were both with Admiral insurance companies (Diamond, Bell direct, Elephant). This was several years ago now but still worth investigating.
Good luck.
Ed.
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Can I be the first of many to say Mondeo TDCi.
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>>Can I be the first of many to say Mondeo TDCi.
Yes but I think JJP will struggle to find a 2 to 3 year old one for his £5K budget. It doesn't sound like JJP will be doing many miles to justify a diesel - 6,000 on long trips plus his around town miles say 10K? Maybe a Mondeo 1.8 for £4K which is possible and plenty to choose from. 35mpg versus 45mpg will use 63 gallons less which is £250 assuming price parity between petrol and diesel which never happens. £1,000 saved on the purchase price pays the fuel difference for 4 years.
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>>Can I be the first of many to say Mondeo TDCi. Yes but I think JJP will struggle to find a 2 to 3 year old one for his £5K budget. It doesn't sound like JJP will be doing many miles to justify a diesel - 6,000 on long trips plus his around town miles say 10K? Maybe a Mondeo 1.8 for £4K which is possible and plenty to choose from. 35mpg versus 45mpg will use 63 gallons less which is £250 assuming price parity between petrol and diesel which never happens. £1,000 saved on the purchase price pays the fuel difference for 4 years.
Yep agree with all that. Sorry - can't seem to separate the word Mondeo from the suffix TDCi! A 1.8 would be perfect. My friend has a '52 reg 1.8 and I can't fault it (except I'd rather have the ST220!). Perfect £5K family car
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Dependent on the insurance scenario - if goodwill based NCB can be arranged then Mondeo size car is fine, otherwise the Group 9 insurance could be a significant disadvantage of the TDCi.
A 1.6 Focus is large enough for 2 kids, with a decent size boot, and is Group 5 (i think).
We need the original poster to come back on and specify the size of car they are really after.
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As Hawesy said, a 1.6 Focus. LOVE mine, and it would probably suit you too. Economical, perfect for town, country and motorway driving, and it has the space to be a sole family car. (Though I'm too young to have a family, I did recently go away for a month with a friend and we took 32" suitcases (HUGE!) and the Focus boot swallowed them whole - rear seat space fits 6' friends in regularly).
Reliable, well-equipped (LX-spec or higher has essential CD, A/C, elec wins), safe (4* NCAP, without side airbags), and easy to maintain.
The ONLY downside? Everyone's got one. That really is my only issue.
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Thanks for all your suggestions, they've been really useful.
I've actually thought about a Ford Focus as I hired one recently and enjoyed driving it.
A Focus size of car is what i'd like, with an engine size of around 1.4-1.6. But the top priority is safety.
I did say a max age of 3 years, but if I extended it to maybe 5 years, would I still be getting a reliable car?
I really am starting from scratch, and i'm not going to ask the ex husband for advice! So aplogies for the inane questions.
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Well, if you do do a regularly long commute I would really recommend the 1.6 over the 1.4. The slight heightened running costs are minimal.
As long as you buy a Focus with a full service history you wouldn't really have problems with reliability I wouldn't have thought, and if you get one from a Ford dealer you could get one with a warranty (though don't expect miracles - Ford dealers aren't known for giving things away).
If safety is your top concern then in the Focus-class, the Megane has always been top, but it is inferior to the Focus in most respects, notably reliability (of either the new or old model). A top all-rounder would be the 2001-on Honda Civic (either a 1.4 or 1.6 engine would be more than adequate, I'd have thought) which is perhaps the msot reliable in the class and is safe and spacious.
If you want a newer car, then the obvious option is to downgrade the size to a supermini, then Yaris is a good choice, reliable, flexible, and safe.
Hope I've helped a bit...
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>>I do wonder about the insurance. Would my years of being a named driver with a clean driving record have any influence on the insurance
Yes.
Although you will have to shop around a little bit and may have to obtain proof of that driving experience in the form of a letter, which would mean asking the Ex.
Especially it will make a difference if you are able to say that for one car you were the main and/or only user of that vehicle.
I would try a brokers, but I would also try a few of the telephone services advertised - Direct Line and the like. Internet ones will be less useful since they don't cope with bonus/discount situations like this one very well.
I should think Norwich Union would be well worth a call as well.
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>>I do wonder about the insurance. Would my years of being a named driver with a clean driving record have any influence on the insurance Yes. Although you will have to shop around a little bit and may have to obtain proof of that driving experience in the form of a letter, which would mean asking the Ex.
Or try the same insurance company you're ex was with - at least they'll know you, *if* they'll look up the record (they might go into 'Data Protection Act' mode).
Don't know you're financial circumstances, and it's not the cheapest way of getting a car, but what about looking at a Personal Contact Purchase on a new Focus (or whatever)? Some people will think it?s just throwing money away, but it does mean you don?t have to be concerned about the car?s history, and, apart from routine sevicing, the warranty will cover any repairs for 3 yrs.
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Thanks to everyone who replied to my query.
I managed to get a 5 yr old 1.6 Focus with reasonable mileage from my local Ford dealer and will be collecting in a few days. I tried my best haggling with them, but they wouldn't come down in price, however they have done a few repairs to the paintwork, replaced an aerial and speaker, plus given me a years mot, 3 months warranty and one weeks insurance to allow me time to get my own. I'm really happy with the deal I got as the price was comparable with other dealers, and having shopped around insurance isn't too bad - looking at about £220 fully comp.
Thanks again.
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Why don't we just have a standard answer to everyone who asks what car to get. Answer - Mondeo or Focus.
It really is getting very predictable. I wonder what the answer would be if they had this kind of forum in other parts of Europe?
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Clearly lots of people have had lots of good experiences with these cars and as a result, wish to recommend them.
If they are that happy they are hardly going to suggest something completely different to each new person, are they?
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Why don't we just have a standard answer to everyone who asks what car to get. Answer - Mondeo or Focus. It really is getting very predictable. I wonder what the answer would be if they had this kind of forum in other parts of Europe?
Perhaps they're just better than the competition for the price.
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It has always been the same with Ford cars in this country. Sometimes they have deserved the accolades and sometimes they haven't. I was told the same about every Escort that Ford ever produced. It was the same with the Cortina and the Sierra. They were always better than the opposition.
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