Help please! What car would suit these rules?

Wig

If I was mother, I would say, I'll buy you a car with a manual gearbox, once you have retaken your test.

Automatics are expensive to run (mpg), expensive if they go wrong, and cannot be towed if they break down, which means you have to call a tow truck which is more expense.

FJSRiDER

code-a-holic wrote:

He has a £10,000 limit.
He has to have a automatic as he passed his test in one (lazy so and so!) (can he drive a triptonic?)
Mother in law has said it has to be a diesel - opinion of diesels being more economical!
Husband has a need for speed - so wants a car with poke
But i nag about associated costs - need it to be on cheap side to insure and tax!
Size not important as it is only for him to go to and from work (family can only travel together in my 7 seater!)

A used Mercedes A170. You could get a 2003 Avantgard spec, diesel auto for that money. Should be around 20,000 miles. Might find a 2001 C220 diesel for that money too. Be nearer 40,000 miles though.

Tiptronics are considered as automatics for the DSA driving test - as long as they have no clutch pedal.

FJSRiDER

code-a-holic wrote:

Only been looking for a day and finding it hard! Hard enough finding a auto let alone a diesel!
Is a diesel really that much cheaper than a petrol these days? I have gone from a 1.6 petrol to a 1.9TDI and spending a lot more on fuel

Diesel is more expensive than petrol - but you should find you use less.

For the Mercs I mentioned above try Mercedes used cars

balsingh

Automatics are VERY thirsty. My suggestion if an auto is the only option is to go for a car which have a 5-speed automatic gearbox as it will be more efficient than a 4-speed version.

code-a-holic

Thanks all........

He's found a vw bora -looks like its everything he wants!

If i had my way he would be retaking his test in a manual - but mum has agreed on this Bora so he's happy!

About the french comment - we had a laguna a few years ago - the box went...very common with other lagunas of the age - cost a fortune to replace even though my dad(a mechanic) did it for free! We are lucky in that we know thta in the event of a difficult automatic breakdown my dad has the equipment to recover -helps keep costs down!

martyfarty69

fair enough, although if you can convince him to learn in a manual you could pick up a Skoda Fabia VRS, one of the Greatest diesel cars around, Extremely reliable Cheap( ish ) Frugal, and goes like stink, i know if i had 10,000 and wanted a diesel car then that would be top of my list.

martyfarty69

Oh and i dont mean to put a downer on it as the VW Bora is a very good car, but the Bora does Depreciate quite heavily for a VW as its a Golf with a boot and we brits do prefer our hatchbacks.
Maybe find a Golf and do without the boot and then you'll get more when you re - sell .... just a thought !! :rotfl:

steve!_10

No point in getting a Golf when a Leon is the same thing, but cheaper and with more power/extras.

stumpjumper

Don't get a smart car! They've got dangerously poor handling. I saw one loose it big time in front of me on a not particularly challenging bend. OK for city driving but lethal on the motorway. Lack of crumple zones mean there's nothing to cushion the impact in a crash either.

Jaguar X-types come in sub 10k but they cost a few bob to run!

FJSRiDER

stumpjumper wrote:

Lack of crumple zones mean there's nothing to cushion the impact in a crash either.

That's not even slightly accurate - The Smart has a three star ENCAP rating. That is 'better' than a Saxo, Micra and Corsa and the same as the new Panda. :rolleyes: