Best Possible Car - Advice Please

MLisking

After growing sick to the back teeth of a failing, useless, worthless, money draining :mad: Rover 25, my god-sent parents are forking out for a new car for me.

I do approx 15k a year, 90% of these miles are on the motorway.

Can anyone tell me what the best car will be for me. I have approx £5k - £7k for spend.

Many Thanks
ML

asbokid

What about a Rover 45 2 litre V6? :T

flyingscotno1

For me at 15K a year mostly on the motorway you want a diesel. Something with good torque that is capable of doing 50-70mph with ease and fuel economy- that's what I love my diesel for- some petrols may be quicker off the line but in the gears the torque has it. I'd say 2-3 year old too, as new cars in that price band are not motorway cars in the main.

You don't specify how much space you want- is a Rover 25 too big or small? At around 6K, I'd say most Golfs/Mondeos possibly would be higher mileage- say circa 70-90K, not a problem on a diesel if it has had it's vital belts change, but I guess you'd want a smaller mileage.

I'd be tempted to look at 2 year old Renault Clio Diesel- new shape, not a bad car for the motorway or a Seat Ibiza diesel (but they can have hard ride in sports models and be tiring on long trips).

Something a little bigger- perhaps a Focus, Astra or a Peugeot 307 avoiding the lower end 1.3 and 1.4 diesels which can be a bit sluggish from what you read- bigger still the Skoda Octavia or higher miles Mondeos- (watching for taxis with these ones!).

Difficult to choose, obviously only you can tell if it is any good, have a look around on the net, see what you like the look of and what you want, air conditioning etc then go drive it, but hope these are some useful suggestions.

I'm saving for a newish car right now, and highly tempted by the Suzuki Swift- perhaps a bit small however for your needs!

MLisking

Hmm asbo... don't think I will be touching a Rover at any point again in my lifetime :rolleyes: the head gasket has gone after doing 40k miles and I'm not impressed.

Rover 25 was fine no kids so could happily downsize, currently looking at an 06 Fiesta 1.4 2006 done 16k... its going for 5999 but sure I could get that down considering current british economic situation??

I think I agree with you though fly, a diesel would probably suit me best in terms of the high milage and type of travel I do, how about a new diesel corsa? Did see a new clio 1.2 16v 16k miles which looked quite good, but open to ideas.

flyingscotno1

MLisking wrote: »

Hmm asbo... don't think I will be touching a Rover at any point again in my lifetime :rolleyes: the head gasket has gone after doing 40k miles and I'm not impressed.

Rover 25 was fine no kids so could happily downsize, currently looking at an 06 Fiesta 1.4 2006 done 16k... its going for 5999 but sure I could get that down considering current british economic situation??

I think I agree with you though fly, a diesel would probably suit me best in terms of the high milage and type of travel I do, how about a new diesel corsa? Did see a new clio 1.2 16v 16k miles which looked quite good, but open to ideas.

Head Gasket on a Rover- not first nor last there- must be less and less about now thou!

I'd try cars out see if you like them. I quite like the new Clio esp in 1.5 diesel and the old Fiesta was a good car too- I think you could get them to give you a good couple of quid off a Fiesta at £5999.

We have a Corsa at work, it is a petrol and is fine but not great, really powerless as it is quite a heavy car. The dashboard is deep and a lot of people don't like the fact you have no idea where the bonnet or sides end, more of a pool car problem, however. I'd like to try it in Diesel form though. Look at Japanese cars too, they are nearly always mechanically excellent.

Certainly at the moment you should be spoilt for choice and dealers will want to be your best friend if they think you have readies for a car!

Bowdyjan18

vectra diesel 2.2

MotorIndustryExpert

I would advise 2 seriously overlooked cars, that are based on the platform and engine. Either a Citroen C4 Hatchback or a 307 Hatchback with a 1.6HDi 92hp engine. They feel a lot quicker than they sound, both cars come well specced (most C4's have Cruise Control as standard, which is ideal for your motorway miles). The engine boasts a combined MPG of 64.2 in these cars! Don't overlook these for the badge. They may depreciate a little more than rivals, but this will mean you can get a 2 year old example for your money, so it will still have warranty, but the extra you spend on depreciation is more than going to be saved in what you won't be putting in the fuel tank.

Bowdyjan18

MotorIndustryExpert wrote: »

I would advise 2 seriously overlooked cars, that are based on the platform and engine. Either a Citroen C4 Hatchback or a 307 Hatchback with a 1.6HDi 92hp engine. They feel a lot quicker than they sound, both cars come well specced (most C4's have Cruise Control as standard, which is ideal for your motorway miles). The engine boasts a combined MPG of 64.2 in these cars! Don't overlook these for the badge. They may depreciate a little more than rivals, but this will mean you can get a 2 year old example for your money, so it will still have warranty, but the extra you spend on depreciation is more than going to be saved in what you won't be putting in the fuel tank.

But its french.

MotorIndustryExpert

If by saying French you have your head stuck in the past with how cars were around 10-15 years ago, you may be interested to know the following.

Official ratings for overall reliability show that Citroens and Peugeots score higher than Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, Jaguar and Saab. French cars also have some of the best safety standards, best value for money for standard equipment, and lowest CO2 ratings.

If French vehicles were so bad, I doubt police forces and Fire Services up and down the country would buy them in large numbers, as they do. Also an interesting point to note is that PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) does make a lot of money from selling its technology to other manufacturers including Ford, Land Rover, and BMW.

I am not an advocate of French cars, but I do belive all vehicles should be put aside each other and compared for true facts, not pre-conceptions instilled in the mind.

horsechestnut

Volkswagen. They are built like tanks and go on forever. You can often get very good deals on brand new ones.
I am on my 3rd and would never have any other car.

Bowdyjan18

MotorIndustryExpert wrote: »

If by saying French you have your head stuck in the past with how cars were around 10-15 years ago, you may be interested to know the following.

Official ratings for overall reliability show that Citroens and Peugeots score higher than Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, Jaguar and Saab. French cars also have some of the best safety standards, best value for money for standard equipment, and lowest CO2 ratings.

If French vehicles were so bad, I doubt police forces and Fire Services up and down the country would buy them in large numbers, as they do. Also an interesting point to note is that PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) does make a lot of money from selling its technology to other manufacturers including Ford, Land Rover, and BMW.

I am not an advocate of French cars, but I do belive all vehicles should be put aside each other and compared for true facts, not pre-conceptions instilled in the mind.

I have owned 4 and my daughter currentley has a 172

Still french thou