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hi, can anyone give me some advice please? i've got about £10,000 to £12,500 to spend on a car. i am looking for a reliable car but also one that looks good. i know you'll all shoot me down in flames but i do like the hyundai coupe (sorry it's me mid life)any advice gratefully received thanx
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Nothing wrong with the new ones. They look fantastic and can be had for £12,999 from www.hyundai-bcc.co.uk/ with that 5 year warranty. Okay, at that price it's only a 1.6 engine, but you're probably not buying it to win any races. List price is £14.5k but I'd expect that most local dealers could do £13k if you asked.
Other than that, alternatives might be (brand new) an MG TF from Trade Sales www.trade-sales.co.uk , or a StreetKa. They've all got a 1.6 engine and less than amazing performance. If you want something a bit more sensible and fun to drive, and don't mind the wait, look at a MINI. The best driving car in the price range is probably a Renault Clio 172, which doesn't have the best reputation for reliability and, to be honest, doesn't look that good either. It is fast and handles brilliantly though.
Stay away from the earlier Hyundai Coupé - the 99-02 ones look awful and are woefully outdated now. If you must get one, get an earlier, pre-facelift one which will be both cheap and cheerful.
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cheers dave. what if i wanted a sensible but good looking car? thanx for your help. honda civic coupe? only asking never seen one lol
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If you've never seen one, well... that would explain why you'd think a Civic Coupe is good looking. It looks more like a two door saloon. Similarly, there's no point in going for an Astra, Renault Megane or Ford Cougar - they're saloons in not very pretty party frocks. None has a great reputation for reliability either. I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about a 206cc, which should just about be in budget. It does have that fantastic folding roof, which unfortunately doesn't always work that well and the rest of the car is just another 206 with the usual Peugeot reliability.
The new Hyundai does have that five year warranty, so that's worth a shot. (The old shape only had a three year warranty, which is fairly standard). Depreciation might be a bit high but losing £8k over five years, with no warranty bills and sensible fuel economy isn't too bad. Used, you should be able to get a three year old Toyota Celica with a slightly above average mileage. You could also just about afford a LHD, high mileage Audi TT of dodgy provenance, but while it looks fantastic, you'd be taking too many risks and accepting too many compromises for my liking.
Where in the country are you based?
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Mazda MX5 as well. Obvious choice, should have been up there earlier. I don't think you could get one new within budget but a two year old would definitely be available, ideally with the more powerful 1.8 engine.
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hi dave. thanx for all your help. i live in the west mids. walsall n stafford are my nearest hyundai dealers.would you recommend an hyundai coupe? thanx 4 your help dave
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If your budget is £13k and you want a coupé and you want to buy brand new, yes I would recommend the Hyundai, unless you want or need a lot of speed. It's okay but it's really only averagely fast for the money and slow for a sports car.
Unless you need a lot of performance, or space or a convertible, I would at least visit a few dealers or websites and look at all of these:
Mazda MX5 - £12.5k should get you a 2 year old with 20k; £14k new import; £15.5k new UK
MINI - £11,700 for a new 1.6 Cooper - more expensive used than new, but there's a waiting list new
MG TF - £13k for a new 1.6 import; from about £12k used (02); some question marks over reliability - there are still bits of Metro in there somewhere - but great image and a proper mid-engined convertible.
Renault Clio 172 - £11.5k new, £10k should get you a low mileage 2 year old. Again, not the most reliable car but a fantastic drive.
Toyota Celica - £12k 2 years/20k; £15k+ new
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might be worth getting a copy of this week's autocar. They have a Hyundai Coupe (v6) on long term test. They have had irritating niggles with it, especially with the remote key fob. Otherwise they seem quite pleased. Question mark against dealer though.
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I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about a 206cc, which should just about be in budget. It does have that fantastic folding roof, which unfortunately doesn't always work that well and the rest of the car is just another 206 with the usual Peugeot reliability.
Not arguing, but I thought Peugeots were reasonably good? My 309 was mechanically sound apart from the failure of both driveshafts which I appreciate was not good but the result partly of my driving and partly of a trait in that model.
Anyway Id say drive a few cars, get ideas from here but don't just make a decision similar to my mother's which is to buy the first thing recommended to her! Uncle said 'get a Metro' so she bought one with no service history, a clonky gearchange, worn clutch and tappety engine. At 36k. Still hasn't had an oil change at 48k. Im sure you're wiser!
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Also how much will Coupes depreciate? A V6 might be cheap. At the other end of the scale, Mums Accent only fetched £1900 a year ago. It was an R97 with full history, 4 new tyres etc.
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The going rate for a five year old Coupé with lowish mileage seems to be about £5k, which seems reasonable in the circumstances.
An early 2.7 might just scrape into budget, but the running and insurance costs would be much higher and the second hand value will barely be any different. It's probably a more complete car in many ways, but given the five year warranty on the new ones and the decent fuel economy and insurance costs of the 1.6 I wouldn't be rushing to it unless I really wanted the performance.
As for the Peugeot - 206s are usually pretty good but I wouldn't say they are unburstable. The roof in particular has given problems, mainly on early cars I know, but if that goes wrong, either now or three years down the line, it's not the kind of problem that can quietly be ignored until it goes away. It's also not known for being free of scuttle shake.
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Hyundai is a good car, but you say 'It's me age!!'Then don't be your age!!WHATEVER IT IS!!
Please take a look at how OLD most of the Hyundai drivers are & look - then check how YOUNG the OLD drivers of late plate Mx5 owners look!!!
You will find a pre-reg, year or so old Mx5 around your budget, with a bit of a haggle!
3 years warranty, with these, remember.plus they don't go wrong, anyway!!!
VB
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