With regrets, [don't ask!], after living for 7 years in Spain, we are probably returning to Britain in the fairly near future.
Here, we have been happy with our Skoda Fabia 1.9tdi, which we bought new here in 2001.
It performs very well and is reasonably economical, particularly as the price of diesel here has, until recently, been substantially less than petrol. (As an aside I filled up with Shell diesel in Gibraltar last week for £0.81 per litre, whereas in Spain it is now 1,29 Euros per litre).
We are both retired on VERY modest fixed pensions and economy of purchase, road tax, insurance and VED are of prime importance - to the exclusion of pretty well any other criteria.
So - should we keep our Fabia (LHD) in the UK? Generally used car prices here hold up well compared to the UK, so selling here and starting afresh might be a good option.
We will not be doing huge mileages in the UK, but will need a car to transport us and two young grandchildren, plus occasionally their mother. No dogs, thank heavens!
We have driven and liked a FIAT Panda 1.2 active, but it might be a smidgen too small.
Any sensible suggestions in the used car market? Remember,cost is critical.
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Hi malteser - Just a thought, but your idea of the Panda does sound sensible. In order to thoroughly check if it is right for you, how about hiring one for a few days to see if you like it and could live with it? I think I paid about £50 last year in Italy to have one for three days. The other option as is often pointed out on here might be to consider a second hand but much larger car which are paradoxically cheap here. Examples would include Vectras, Mondeos etc which would certainly overcome the space issue and might prove surprisingly affordable.
Edited by Pugugly on 29/06/2008 at 10:29
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as you say, Malteser, you'll get better price for your LHD car in Spain than UK (and easier to sell there, surely) then buy here where, compared to Spain, there is a huge selection at cheap (and getting cheaper!) prices.
Best of luck in your new era.
PS we get quite a bit of sun these days, too (grapes grown in the north)
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Alternatively, surely the most economical solution would be to simply keep the Skoda ? If the car is in good condition and you like it you could take the view that having had the lights adjusted it would be fine. If you decided to just keep it until it was thoroughly worn out the resale value factor would have disappeared anyway.
OK it would be mildly inconvenient being LHD but as one who uses my RHD car abroad on a regular basis it is, as you probably already know, no big deal. ( Oh, and I've remembered how to spell "paid" too, sorry ! )
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Hope you enjoyed the footie last night! Welcome back to the home of non-international football. Good tournament as a result!
What's your likely mileage? Will you live near trains/buses/bicycles? If you think your annual miles may be small and may reduce in time, petrol may be a better bet than diesel. Diesel seems worth it [to date, and I'm not predicting the future!] only if you do over 15000 miles per year.
If you're clever with where you live, you'll save on petrol?
How often might you carry 5 up? If rare, then the smallest main manufacturers cars will all be decent enough. A cared for old Fiesta will run for years, sip fuel, look OK and drive well. Critically, too, servicing costs should be minimal. That would be my choice I think, although the Panda has much to comment it.
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I'd suggest selling the Fabia in Spain and buying another Fabia with RHD when you come back: they've made them since X-reg so there should be one to fit your budget whatever that is.
If your mileage won't be high, go for a 1.4 100 bhp petrol model - they go very well.
Edited by Avant on 30/06/2008 at 23:40
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