New car required

AdrianHi

£12K will get you a young used Mazda 6 which is a Passat sized car that is statistically better on reliability, has some sporting character, IMO better looking and better to drive... and lower running costs.
For short trips your better off with a petrol than a modern diesel which for various emissions control device reasons require regular open road driving to avoid problems. If you can get nearer the £15K mark and the latest shape Mazda 6 the 2.0 petrol gets 40mpg, the expensive to service and buy diesel about 51mpg.
Mazda 6 is a long car but due to a rounded shaped front end is much easier to park that it's size would suggest.
Mazda 3 similar size to Jetta and in many ways a reduced size 6 in terms of character, it is based on the Ford Focus platform.

neilmcl

Fen1 wrote: »

When should I buy? Before or after August?

The plate change is in September.

AdrianHi

Fen1 wrote: »

When should I buy? Before or after August?

If leasing in August because you get some really good deals to shift stock. If buying brand new see what deal you can get in August because sometimes a bigger discount can be had due to dealers wanting to meet targets by the end of the quarter (August).
Buying young used the same may apply, but there will be more trade in's available Sept/Aug.

cyclonebri1

Fen1 wrote: »

I need to buy a new car, and would like to know of any decent websites that can offer advice.
I would like a medium sized car that can do both short trips and long journeys. I have not bought a car before - I inherited this one, so some legit advice for a mechanical numpty would be very much appreciated.

Er, you do not need to buy a new car, you need a replacement car?

What car do you have now?
What did you find lacking in it?
What else do you need in it's replacement?

Simples !, as in; "there are few bad cars, just innaproprite choices", you get my jist?

nullogik

I wouldn't buy new, the smartest buys are "approved used cars" at main dealers - if you want to play it safe. There cars are pratically new (most are no more than about 3 years old), have low mileage, lost the bulk of depreciation whilst the first owner had it and have some warranty left (plus warranty repairs would most likely have been sorted out at this point).

How about a Skoda Octavia, the estates are very practical. Toyota Avensis (previous generation), Honda Accord (previous gen), Ford Mondeo.

Fen1

Thanks for all the advice. I will mull it over and see what I come up with.

jd82

You have 12k to spend, you keep your cars for a long time, you want any fancy gizmos.

If I was you I would buy a brand new Hyundai i30 with a seven year warranty. You will loose a lot once you get the keys but if you keep a £10K i30 for ten years it is has cost you £1k a year and you will probably still get £1500 for it in ten years time.

With a brand new car you know the history and for me that is far more important than fancy leather seats etc. Although I have had really bad luck with used cars.

JimmyTheWig

jd82 wrote: »

a brand new Hyundai i30 with a seven year warranty.

I think this sounds like it would suit the OP perfectly.

cyclonebri1

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

I think this sounds like it would suit the OP perfectly.

But a 2nd hand one at 2/3 to 1/2 the price would suit better, don't you think???

Long waranties are even better value for 2nd owners,

jd82

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

But a 2nd hand one at 2/3 to 1/2 the price would suit better, don't you think???

Long waranties are even better value for 2nd owners,

Until you have all the usual pit falls of a second hand car. There is more risk unless you really know what you're doing even a used car in a main dealer could have hidden history. An HPI check only tells you 10% of the story.