What to replace with

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 17:52
What to replace with - Car


Current 2nd car is a 2000 Mazda 323 1.5, with 87,000 miles which we have had for 2 years and and do 2000 miles per year in

Unfortunatly the 1.5 engine is a tadslow and are thinking about replacing it in the next 12 to 18 months car currently have about £1,000 plus part exchange value, any idea of a suitable replacement bearing in mind the following

(1) Fuel economy between 40 to 50 mpg

(2) Co2 emmisions of not more 160g/km

(3) Car insurance group maximum 8

(4) If possible room to fit two bikes in back.

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Sat 26 Sep 2009 18:08
What to replace with - NowWheels
currently have about £1,000 plus part exchange value


On that sort of budget, I suggest that you keep what you have. A garage will probably need more the £1,000 spread between the value it places on a trade-in and the value it'll sell for the forecourt. In other words, if you trade in your 9-year-old Mazda for an identical one, it may cost you more than £1,000.

So you'll spend £1,000 to get a car of similar sale value, but where you don't know the history. That makes no sense.

If you're only doing 2,000 miles a year, forget about MPG. 2,000 miles at 30mpg = 66 gallons of petrol, and 2,000 miles at 50mpg = 40 gallons. So the difference is 26 gallons, which will cost you £130. The other costs involved in changing a car will wipe out that modest fuel saving.
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 18:13
What to replace with - Car
Problem is that we would like a car which has better performance.
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 22:03
What to replace with - NowWheels
Problem is that we would like a car which has better performance.


The problem, I think, is that you want higher performance , as well as excellent fuel economy, all on a budget of about £1,500 to £2,000 (that's £1k plus about £500 to £1000 for your Mazda). That narrows your choices a lot, and the fact that you want quite low C02 emissions and a low insurance group rules out buying a big old diesel car.

Plenty of posters here warn that £1,500 to £2,000 is a bad amount to spend on a car. It's too much to be able to afford to scrap the car if turns out to be a heap of trouble, and too little to get something that comes with a bit more certainty.
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Sun 27 Sep 2009 09:58
What to replace with - Car
Thanks for the replies, will probably allow 1st car to become 2nd car in a couple of years time when it has 160K to 170K on the clock. Mazda is a good car just needs better performance.

With regards to purchase price the Mazda was between £2k & £3k and has only cost just under £800 in repairs, servicing & MOt's in the last 2 years.
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 19:43
What to replace with - Avant
A Skoda Fabia 1.4 (100 bhp version) will feel livelier than the 323. So almost certainly will a Ford Focus 1.6 or 1.8, but maybe the emissions on these are higher than you want.
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Sat 26 Sep 2009 20:13
What to replace with - barney100
why not get car with a tow bar and put the bike in a trailer.....that would widen the options.
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