...that's big enough for my drumkit (at least focus - sized), budget of max £8,000. What car would people recommend for reliability and safety? Having read the previous threads about VW reliability I'm starting to think that everything I know is wrong. It would need to be reasonably powerful to lug all my equipment around. I was thinking about 2nd hand, maybe A3 / new shape Corolla / Focus / new shape Megane.
It's my first post, so thanks very much in advance for any advice,
Richard
|
Well you're not likely to get a second hand Corolla or Mégane for £8k - maybe the Corolla, just. However, new, www.ukcarbroker.co.uk has the Corolla for £9300 or so and the Mégane for under £9k, in both cases without air con.
Oh and, true or not, Renault's reputation for reliability is abysmal.
An A3 is basically a Golf, so again you have possible reliability problems, and even if the A3 is slightly better, £8k will only put you in a 1999 car at anything like average mileage.
If you really need the space, I'd say go for a Civic. You should get a 51 plate for your budget. Alternatively it'd be an 02 plate Focus. In both cases I'd recommend the 1.6, especially the Focus.
|
You say Focus-sized. Why not a Focus then?
They are roomy, great to drive, competitively priced secondhand and Ford are doing pretty well in the reliability stakes these days.
The 1.4 is underpowered. The gearing is a bit 'long' for the 1.6 though it makes for easy cruising. Id say go for the 1.8 petrol or TDCi diesel if your budget will stretch to it.
|
I don't want to make this into an argument but my parents have a 1.6 Focus and it accelerates well enough if you use the gears - and it's a good enough engine to justify it. The 1.8 petrol won't cost any more to buy but my parents get ~40mpg in theirs while most 1.8 owners on here report 33 or so.
As for the tdci - there aren't likely to be many around for £8k although there are a few nudging below £9k, which might be compensated by the fuel and depreciation savings, in which case it's well worth the extra.
|
|
Fair enough DavidHM. My wife's 1.8 gives about 38 mpg but this may not be typical.
|
Also Civic or Nissan Primera are worth considering. Lots of space and better reliability than VW. Primera hatch has a very large boot and is very cheap at a couple of years old
Baz
|
|
|
|
If reliability is one of your top priorities, then a Corolla would be head and shoulders above the competition, followed by (in no particular order here) Mazda, Honda and Nissan, which all seem to do extremely well on that score. Only thing is that for £8k you might not be able to get Toyota's current model, which is significantly superior to its predecessor, and the boot may not be big enough for you. Mazda's new small hatch, the 3, is due to go on sale later this year, so increasing the obsolescence of the current 323 and causing values to fall. The new model looks like it will be a corker though. Likewise, although the Nissan Almera has been given another facelift recently, it's really an older model waiting to be replaced.
For lugging a lot of kit around, you're probably better off with a diesel. In that case, a used (current model) Civic is out of your range - in fact, even for a petrol version I think you'd be struggling. Very practical car though. The Jazz (petrol only - no diesel yet) is also very practical and would be within your price range used, but apparently the first models had a very hard ride, and this issue was only addressed a few months ago.
Seems best to avoid French cars (Peugeot, Renault, Citroen) - they are generally be below average for reliability, particularly when it comes to electrics. Even the new Megane is already giving owners grief.
The Focus seems pretty reliable, but safety equipment on used models will be lower than on many competitors - even ABS wasn't standard kit until recently. The Audi A3 is built from mostly the same bits as a VW Golf, but funnily enough so is the Skoda Octavia, yet it seems to score much more highly for reliability than either of the so-called "prestige" models. Huge boot in those as hatchbacks, and they come as estates too. I wouldn't recommend a Seat Leon or Toledo for the simple reason that the boot of either is not going to be the best size/shape for your drumkit. Alternatively a Skoda Fabia estate? Smaller car, but possibly more practical boot for your needs than an Octavia hatch. However, I think the Octavia would be your best bet, especially if you opt for a diesel engined motor - plenty of power in the 110 bhp engine, loads of room, above-average reliability. A two or three year old model will have gone through the worst depreciation as well.
Good luck.
andymc
|
Would a 'previous shape' Avensis hatch back (or estate) not do the job here? Available in petrol and diesel and surely big enough and cheap enough secondhand and surely reliable enough?
KB.
|
I've "run in" two Focus's (or is it Focii ??) over the last few years - 80,000 miles on both of them. Both were 1.6LX's btw.
Neither of them let me down EVER, despite my unforgiving driving style. Not one single breakdown or fault.
|
How about the Astra or Vectra?
H
|
How about the Astra or Vectra?
I was going to suggest that Hugo, but people might suspect I was being biased ;o)
|
Thanks a lot to everyone for all the suggestions and comments. I think I might, er, steer clear of the audi/vw options, but take a look at the scoda octavia, and also visit nissan and toyota garages (and maybe ford and vauxhall too), with my drums. I like the sound of a new shape corolla if i can find one for the money - everyone seems to think it'll be very reliable, and it gets 4 stars on euroncap.com. My dad's Focus is nice, but there seem to be a few threads that question Ford's reliability, though it's been praised above too. It's a shame Renaults have a poor reputation as I liked the megane's 5 star crash test rating.
Anyhow, thanks very much for taking the time to help me out, I really appreciate it, and if anyone's looking to buy a drum kit, I'll be more than happy to make a few recommendations...
Richard.
|
|
From what I've seen, prices for used Toyotas at main dealers are on the high side.
|
peterb,
would you happen to know anywhere better than a main dealer? (I live in sussex), or would I be better really haggling and trying to get the price reduced quite a lot (I don't mind trying this option).
thanks again,
Richard
|
Even Motorpoint (one of the biggest, cheapest northern supermarkets) wants £9k for a 52 plate, 8k mile, 5 door 1.4 T2. Add on the cost of road tax and you're extremely close to the £9329 they cost brand new from www.ukcarbroker.co.uk . (And you won't haggle at a supermarket). There are a couple of three doors for a couple of hundred less, but you're still nearer £9k than £8,000.
You're more likely to get a Civic or Focus on budget, and with a better spec.
|
|
|
I'm not an expert, but you might try one of the supermarkets.
The Great Trade Centre in White City is pretty good and others have recommended Trade Sales in Slough, although both might be a bit of a trip for you. (You could check them out on the web.) Others may be able to recommend something nearer to you.
|
|
Radical thought. Have you considered a small van?
|
Radical thought. Have you considered a small van?
This is a rarety for me not to mention a Vauxhall, but along the lines of a Van, how about a Citroen Berlingo? You'll have the best of both worlds. 4 seats when you want to take passengers anywhere, and a small van when you want to cart your drums around.
|
DD,
I only occasionally cart my drums about in the car (we normally use a big van), but I've always had a fiesta (you can fit a whole kit and more just in the back with the seats down - amazing). It's a good thought, but I'd rather something a little more conventional, I think.
The more I think about it the more sense a primera makes good sense - 4 stars from ncap, and a huge great boot.
Thanks for the help,
Richard
|
|
|
|
