What to buy??? £3-4k budget

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 11:55
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - cboo

I am considering changing my car (xtype 2005 diesel, had since 2009).

Although I am only small at 5"2' I generally like a larger car. Although so long as its not your bog standard car and bigger than a corsa, Im not too fussed. Just can't decide what car!!

Space wise I don't mind a 2 door car (only have grandkids occasionally) or happy with standard 4/5 doors. I do more around town miles than motorway around 12000 a year. Reasonable running costs and fairly good mpg. My Xtype is doing around 45 miles per gallon and is cheap road tax at £180 for year and good for low insurance. Past cars have been a galaxy, 407, and Z3 so very varied.

What to avoid and what to consider please?

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 12:30
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - gordonbennet

Basically i'd avoid later Diesels with DPF's or PSA (and others) models with EOLYS catalyst systems, in other words avoid Diesel much newer than your present car for your town use.

Also avoid cars with automated manual or other odd semi/auto type gearboxes such as DSG or CVT, at this budget they are likely to provide you with headaches (yes even Toyotas with the now dropped MMT are useless as they regularly give trouble), and avoid electric parking brakes too, they'll be coming into your budget with perfect timing for eye watering bills.

I hate to say this as a generalisation but French cars in this budget might be best avoided, with few execeptions unfortunately, good chance of regular expensive electrical maladies though to be fair some of them go one for years without a murmur.

Given your car history difficult to suggest what you should buy, whatever takes your fancy is my tuppenceworth, throw some possibilities into the ring and we'll dismantle 'em for you..:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 27/07/2015 at 12:32

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 13:13
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - Happy Blue!

For a nice left field choice have a look at a Subaru Forester. Very comfortable and available in a diesel.

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 13:32
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - cboo

unfortunately I'm not liking the look of the Subaru. Thanks

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 13:29
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - cboo

Thanks for the advice. Yes I know that my choice of cars is a bit erratic lol. Just what I like at the time. Good point about diesels for around town and newer models. At the mo my choices are vauxhall astra and 307 cab. What do you think of these?

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 13:48
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - gordonbennet

Astras seem to do the job required of them, no worse than any other.

307CC though a nice enough car (if you're a contortionist) could provide you with some headaches, though a petrol would be less bother most likely, maybe have a poke nose at HJ's Reviews above and drop down the menus till you find the years and model you are intersted in, the good and bad sections can be quite revealing, follow up points raised on make specific forums for more info

My rules about car buying in general are to research the product then more research and even more of the same, you can never learn too much.

When you go to view a car the first things you look at are the tyres/wheels and visible brake components, if it's got a set of known make decent tyres with undamaged clean wheels with decent looking calipers and unworn discs showing then it's probably been cared for.

Conversely if someone can't be bothered to buy a decent set of the only thing keeping you on the road nor maintain the brakes which are equally if not more important then its a fair bet they haven't bothered about the bits you can't see either, tyres showing more wear on the sidewalls than the tread with scored scabby alloys and ridged scabby discs have me backing swiftly away.

You are judging the seller as much as the vehicle, if it waddles and quacks it's probably a duck, this is invariably the case in private sales but you'll get a gut feeling about sales bods and others that work there too.

Edited by gordonbennet on 27/07/2015 at 13:50

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Mon 27 Jul 2015 22:29
What to buy??? £3-4k budget - Avant

With a limited budget I suggest you look at Japanese cars with petrol engines. For example - Toyota Auris / Avensis; Mazda 3 / 6; Honda Civic / Accord.

Alternatively look at a petrol Ford (Focus / Mondeo) as there are lots of them arounnd, all better to drive than the equivalent Vauxhall.

Edited by Avant on 27/07/2015 at 22:29

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