I'm in the market for a new family sized car. I have a maximum of 14k to play with including roughly 2.5k for my trade in. I'm not too concerned over badges, my main criteria are size (4 doors +) and comfort. Also I only do about 12k miles per year so I don't think diesel is required.
Does anyone know any cracking deals anywhere that might suit me?
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WWW.BUYKIADIRECT.CO.UK
kia ceranto 1.6 saloon - drove one this moring for 40 miles, best kia yet - great value package. would reccomend.
bags of space and comfort.
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Cracking deals.
Total costs will include resale so a cracking deal will need to include decent residuals.
of course this is irrelevant if you plan to keep it for 10 years.)
I would say the trend is definitley towards 4x4's or people carriers, therefore the strongest demand and hence residuals will be in this area. so maybe a Touran would be an option.
That being said I think a year old vectra at £8k is super value leaving you enough to take your family to Disney a couple of times. Starting at £8k there is less to lose overall so over 3 years will lose only say £2k per year.
A year old Signum is a bit different and would set you back around £10k
I dont normally like Vauxhalls but at the moment they offer amazing value for people not concerned with sportyness or kudos.
For most metal for money the Kia Magentis will take some beating.
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What about the Avensis or New Octavia? Nearly new models are appearing around the £14k mark. I have only driven the (very impressive) diesels of these, but the equipment levels and comfort seem excellent.
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I second the Octavia, having driven loads when on holiday with my wife's (Czech) family, and having friends here in the UK who own them.
Four or five doors, pretty spacious, good VFM, and no reliability issues (in complete contrast to friends with Audis, SEATs, and VWs). I personally don't like VAG Pumpe Duse engines (no go / LOADS OF GO / no go, and too intrusive and clattery under load), but there is no question that when it comes to economy, performance, and in my experience, reliability, they are pretty impressive.
If SWMBO's ten year old 1.8 306 Sedan wasn't so damned reliable, cheap to run, and great fun to drive, I would have been under serious pressure by now to replace it with a nearly new Octavia!
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Hi,
For 14k you can get a 12 month old Mondeo 2.0 or 2.2 TDCI Ghia X spec. All the toys (inc leather), great comfort and healthy return on fuel.
Carse
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Carse,
£14k seems too much to me. I'm currently looking to buy a 10k mile Mondeo Ghia 2.0 TDCI and I hope to get one for £11,500. The What Car dealer price is £11,000, the Ghia X is about a grand more. If you pay £14k, I think there will be a big depreciation cost. If I remember rightly, the 2.2 is newly out (155 bhp) and you can get one for about £16.5k so may be out of price range.
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....all the Usual Suspects I see...
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How about a run out model Octavia vRS? Or a nearly new one for much less than your £14k budget. Plenty of performance and room, looks good without any additional premium for the badges of similar VW or Audi models.
Or how about a used Saab 9-5? £14k gets you a '51' reg car from an official dealer with 22k miles on the clock. @12k miles a year you'll only need one service per annum and it'll last for another 10yrs with ease, and still look respectible sat on your driveway at the end of it. There is also the estate version but they hold their value much better than the salooon.
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....all the Usual Suspects I see...
Yes, I usually end up being the one who mentions Citroen first of all.
You will be able to get a brand new C5 2.2 HDI VTR(pre revamp) for under £13K, at drive the deal.com. It has a high spec and a super engine. I know you said you didn't need a diesel, but it is such a good buy. If you want to stick to a petrol engine, then the 2.0i 16v VTR is just £11150. The 1.8i 16v LX is under £10K.
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Thanks for the suggestions so far, although:
I don't think the C5 is a good car (going by reviews on various sites)
I think the Saab 9-5 is a bit OTT, but it has got me thinking about second hand Saab 9-3.
I'm not a badge-snob but not too keen on Kia for now.
Any more suggestions welcome...
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Thanks for the suggestions so far, although: I don't think the C5 is a good car (going by reviews on various sites)
The reviews say it is not a good car, or do they question its reliabilty? It is definitely a good car dynamically and, as far as reliability is concerned, they seem to have ironed out the bugs found in the early models.
Of course you will find a lot of people saying they are not reliable, which is something a lot of people find out is just not the case, when they actually own a Citroen. I have now owned three over 10 years and found that reliability is not a problem. The build quality of Citroens has improved tremendously over recent years. The Xantia is a testimony to that fact, and there are lots of Xantias around that have aged much better than many Mondeos of the same vintage, for example.
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If size & comfort are the most important considerations, Drive the Deal has brand new Skoda Superbs starting at around £13,500
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I thought Superbs were better than Octavias?
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Adam
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I like Octavias and they hold their value well. However, £14k doesn't buy a whole lot of Octavia, even though the list price is relatively low. If performance matters a runout vRS would be fabulous.
A new Mondeo Ghia would be in budget, even as a diesel. Try www.motorprovider.co.uk Depreciation would be my biggest concern there.
I have to agree that a six or nine month old Vectra 1.8 LS ( www.trade-sales.co.uk ) is an amazing deal and hard to argue with unless you must buy new or want lots of toys/performance.
Depending on what you want though, my choice would be either an Avensis or Mazda6. I have a slight preference for the 6 - it's a bit more characterful than the Avensis, more sporty and manageable, whereas your preference for comfort would lead you in the other spec.
£14k should get a new T3 in the Avensis (there are 2 T3 models, one with satnav, one with alloys IIRC) or a TS2 petrol in the Mazda6. Both will last for ages, provide a decent drive and hold their value well - I'd give the Mazda a slight edge on that although the discounts are getting bigger.
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I believe the Mondeo is a very good product but I find that a car is only as good as its dealers alas...
On the basis of past experience of Toyota cars I would go for an Avensis - a new model should be well within budget. I also believe it shoould be more reliable than any VAG product (VW/Audi/Skoda).
Would I be correct in assuming that you are after a family car? If so then probably worth looking at:
www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/ratings.ph...3
where the Avensis out-performs the Mazda 6 and a lot more besides. I also believe the Avensis is more refined - although I haven't driven the new model so this is just based on media reports.
Ideal time to buy at this time of year as people are less concerned with buying cars when they are shopping for Christmas presents.
A quick search on www.drivethedeal.com shows the base model Avensis at £13,213
Can I also recommend getting a quote from Pat Lawless at Carfile www.carfile.net who relatives have bought cars via and have been very satisfied with the deal offered.
(These are both car brokers and won't be interested in your trade-in. If you plan to sell you car privately the Auto Trader link on the lft should give you a fair idea as to what price is realistic.)
Let us know whatever you choose. Good luck.
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And I suppose if you fancy a lot of change from your 14K, and you find the Citroen Berlingo comfortable (it is certainly spacious), that might be an option.
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