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Consider the Modus - basically the same car. Been out longer and hasn't sold very well - good value.
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Thanks for the quick replies! Sorry, I should have said this but we have already considered a cheaper used car, but it will be our only family car and therefore our main priorities are safety and reliability and thought we would be better getting a new car. My husband can't drive for medical reasons so I will be the only driver. We are using our life savings to pay for it so we want to make sure we get the right car first time. We need one that has ISOFIX mountings for child car seats and will fit a pushchair in the boot. Looked at the Modus but think it's probably too small for our needs, we wouldn't get the pushchair in the boot.
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I'm afraid I don't know much about the pricing of Nissan's but if you're happy that it satisfies all your requirements then go for it. Maybe someone on here later will know a bit more than I do. Have you looked on the trader to see what you can get for your money? A used Note will still have warranty etc. so maybe shop around? Hope I have helped a bit!
Jon
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Personally I think using your life savings in the circumstances you suggest is unwise. My wife bought a four years old ex-Motability Ford Focus auto for £5,000, and it's been superb in every way. Isofix mounts are not that new, as far as I know.
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Until you pass your test I wouldn't consider buying a car to practice in. Can you test drive a car without a full licence? Don't consider buying a car you have never driven - it could be a costly mistake.
If you are having lessons use some of your savings to do an additional lesson a week so you get your licence quicker then go car hunting.
BTW don't get too hung up on ISOFIX.
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A 54 plate 1.4 Modus (16000m off the top of my head) sold for £4250 at auction this morning. My fingers were twitching big time!!
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Tykelass: Your second post provoked the question whether your family will quickly outgrow the Nissan. It doesn't have a big boot and your mention of car seats and pushchairs made me wonder whether you have thought how long you might keep this car. Will all the available space be taken up by baby/child equipment and paraphernalia?
Might be worth having a look around a car supermarket if you have one local just to see what else is on offer.
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...We are using our life savings to pay for it ..
i.m.o. please, please, in your circumstances (medical, kids, learner driver, etc.), do not spend your life savings on a brand new car.
>>.. so we want to make sure we get the right car first time. ..
i suggest that you start a new thread asking for help in choosing a car. list your priorities, eg.:
1. safety, 2. reliability, 3. size, 4. kids+isofix+pram, 5. fuel, 6. annual mileage, 7. typical use, 8.etc.etc.
i would suggest you set a budget half of current plan (£6500), and set aside £6500 to spend over four or five years of its ownership on running costs (fuel, maintenance, tax, aa/rac, mot, insurance, etc.).
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Hi, I too considered a Note but was put off by the Euroncap crash test results.
It only scored 4 stars in the adult occupancy test and 3 for the child test.
One of the Isofix anchorages actually broke!
I settled on a new shape Focus which scores 5 & 4 stars respectively.
If the space saver spare tyre option is choosen in hatchback form, the boot is quite wide and deep.
The estate has plenty of space for all young childs requirements.
Isofix is a non cost factory option.
I looked at the Autotrader website and there was is 2006 56 reg 1.6SE Note, auto 4000 miles from a main dealer for £10,295.
The deal your supplier has come up with seems a little expensive.
Good luck with the driving.
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I would concur with advice from Dalglish and others not to spend 10k on a brand new car. It simply isn't necessary. Buying secondhand takes patience (and a measure of luck) but is certainly much more sensible in your case.
It also sounds as if the car you are considering is too small. People are obsessive about the perceived dimensions of cars ('Ooh that's too big for me, I'm used to smaller ones etc.'). Actually they're all the same size (i.e. they all fit between the lane markings and in parking slots). Some small cars are much more awkward to drive than some big ones.
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Some small cars are much more awkward to drive than some big ones.
very true Lud.........got an awful earful a number of years ago, from my then SWMBO, when i came back from an auction with a Volvo 240.........(best deal there after our car had been stolen)
she later admitted it was the easiest car to drive she'd ever driven.........you could see all 4 corners, very light power steering, power brakes, easy clutch, easy to use gearbox and couldn't care less bumpers.
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my nissan note1.6se auto was bought last yr for 12k.
its a good family car with a decent sized boot and the sliding rear seat is very useful when you dont need much legroom in the rear if carrying children.
spending all of your savings is a very risky proposition. as others have said 6k on a focus auto estate or similar would be a much better idea and save 6k for emergencys and well deserved nights out.
good luck
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Forgive me if this is impertinent, but is your husband in receipt of higher rate disability mobility allowance? If so, it might be better to consider a motability car for now. It will be fully insured, serviced and so on, which will leave your life savings intact for three years, at least. You will also have road tax exemption on your car if it is used for his benefit. They have some grants available to pay for driving lessons, if you need them.
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Tykelass
People have different philosophies about car buying. I have always bought new cars rather than 2nd hand, and I can understand people who are really uneasy about buying 2nd hand cars.
If you have plenty of money, or if you expect to have plenty of money in the near future, or if you don't mind being very strapped for cash, then go ahead and buy a new car, and be careful with it. But if not, listen carefully to what the people on this thread are saying and buy a cheaper 2nd hand car.
I was lucky that after learning to drive, I didn't buy my own car for years because I got a company car. My employers were not so lucky, because I was forever having knocks. After a few years my record has improved a bit, I'm glad to say! Get a few years of practice in before you sink your savings in a nice new vehicle that will be your pride and joy, because the liklihood is that there will be some knocks in the early years.
Most 2nd hand cars will be reliable enough. If you are really concerned about reliability, get a 2nd hand Honda or Toyota and you will probably do about as well as you would in a new Nissan Note.
As for safety, most 2nd hand cars a few years old are pretty much as safe as new ones. If you are REALLY concerned about safety, then do an advanced driving qualification with the IAM as soon as you pass your test.
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People have different philosophies about car buying. I have always bought new cars rather than 2nd hand and I can understand people who are really uneasy about buying 2nd hand cars.
I've bought new for my wife & kids for many years - I know it's not the most cost effective way, but there are signifcant time and risk issues with buying second-hand, and, without being ridiculous about it, I want to ensure that their cars have the latest safety features etc. If I buy new, then for the first 3 yrs all the car needs is routine servicing, you no worries about things like diesels that might have been filled with petrol etc.
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You intend to spend your life savings on a family car? No, that would be madness. By all means spend your life savings on something from Group B perhaps, but not a family car.
Mondeo estate. Or two Mondeo estates.
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Please, please don't spend your life savings on a new car. We have bought a brand new car only once - after 3 years and 30k miles it was worth £4k, half what we paid. We had to change it because we had two children by then and it wasn't big enough. Buy a 2 or 3 year old car - let someone else pay for the depreciation. If you buy from a main dealer you can often extend the warranty for a few hundred pounds a year if this would put your mind at rest. Most cars are capable of high milages these days, if properly maintained, so a car with 20 -50k on the clock still has a long life left. Buy second hand - the insurance will be cheaper and you'll have money left for repairs.
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I do not think that the insurance will be cheaper on a 2nd hand car vis a vis a new one. I know they ask you the value of the car but the premium is based almost entirely on the Group that the insurers rate it at - or have I got this wrong? Tykelass - have you budgeted for insurance on any car you buy? Once you have passed your test (Good luck BTW!) you can take further lessons to get a Pass Plus certificate which is recognised by the insurers and is worth a discount of some sort.
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If you're keen on a Nissan, have you thought about a Skyline? It will be more fun to drive.
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"> If you're keen on a Nissan, have you thought about a Skyline?<"
I concur.
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We are using our life savings to pay for it
Cars aren't good investments - whatever you buy will lose value rapidly. If you still want a Nissan, get an Almera a few years old - it'll be just as reliable and a lot cheaper. Please don't waste your life savings on a car - you'll regret it in 3 years time when the part/ex value of your Note will be less than half what you paid for it!
We need one that has ISOFIX mountings for child car seats and will fit a pushchair in the boot.
Why ISOFIX? Most car-seats strap into the seatbelt. In fact, looking in a popular catalogue, ISOFIX seats are ludicrously expensive, and in my opinion, completely unnecessary.
Some advice echoing what other posters have said.... You're a learner, so insurance cost is a big issue. Don't buy a car until you've passed your test, and don't buy a brand-new car until you've got a bit of experience & confidence on the road. Does it need to be auto?
our main priorities are safety and reliability
Buy any Japanese automatic with full service history and reliability shouldn't be a problem. As for safety, take the NCAP results with a pinch of salt. Drive carefully and you shouldn't need any of those airbags! ;-)
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