Trade in beloved Corsa?

bridgetdunstable

No I didn't was that from a main dealer? Sounds like the Polo is overpriced.

I have had my Corsa for 8 years and have all the paperwork and has been servuced regularly so could sell privately.

Kilty_2

From Arnold Clark Volkswagen, yeah.

They're ex-Camden Fleet hire cars (Europcar I definitely know use them - because I've bent one slightly :rotfl:). Not necessarily a bad buy if you check the car thoroughly for signs of accident damage etc - they usually have loads in at once anyway

jd82

I went from a 1.2 16v 5 door Corsa B club (all the electrics) to a brand new Panda 1.1 Eco Active. The Panda is a lot nicer to drive, it lacks the electric mirrors of the Corsa but it handles a lot better and is more comfortable.

It is basic but its so cheap you can't moan about that. It has to make a better buy than a 4-5 year old Polo at the same price.

property.advert

jd82 wrote: »

It has to make a better buy than a 4-5 year old Polo at the same price.

Perhaps not where safety is concerned !

jd82

Its all releative, the Panda got 3 stars NCAP but at the time ABS and passanger airbags were not standard so it got marked down as a result. The Fiat 500 got 5 stars in the Euro NCAP and its basicaly the same car underneath as the Panda, the main difference is the external body panals.

And the safety of a 4-5 year old Polo with suspect history? Then there is the fact the W actually does poorly in ownership surveys as they are not as reliable as a VW should be.

Don't get me wrong I really like the new Polo but spending £5k on the old model which is 4 years old seems daft it is just far to much money for a car that will soon be middle aged.

property.advert

jd82 wrote: »

Its all releative, the Panda got 3 stars NCAP but at the time ABS and passanger airbags were not standard so it got marked down as a result. The Fiat 500 got 5 stars in the Euro NCAP and its basicaly the same car underneath as the Panda, the main difference is the external body panals.

And the safety of a 4-5 year old Polo with suspect history? Then there is the fact the W actually does poorly in ownership surveys as they are not as reliable as a VW should be.

Don't get me wrong I really like the new Polo but spending £5k on the old model which is 4 years old seems daft it is just far to much money for a car that will soon be middle aged.

Agreed. The very point you raise is why despite all the costs and negatives, I am heading towards favouring a new car, which I can then run for some time if I want, safe in the knowledge that when it is 4 or 5 years old, I will know exactly what the history is and that none of the service history has been faked and neither has it been wrapped around a tree.

For me, the financial loss of buying a new car is perhaps the insurance I pay to avoid a lemon or second hand car with a suspect history and imminent problems.

Kilty_2

property.advert wrote: »

For me, the financial loss of buying a new car is perhaps the insurance I pay to avoid a lemon or second hand car with a suspect history and imminent problems.

Not always true - if you're making a big enough saving buying used then as long as you are careful and buy a good example with not-so-suspect history and a strong warranty then it's worth it.

For example I currently own a 2007 (56) Astra - I bought it Approved Used from a Skoda dealer (lol) with a very good 12 month warranty. Perfect 1 owner example which has had a couple of issues sorted very quickly and hassle-free under the warranty.

Saving over new? About £9,000. I've even had a problem fixed with it that someone whos 2008 car (still under the Vauxhall warranty) had to pay for as it was deemed to be driver abuse by Vauxhall.

Note - I've also been burnt by a used car purchase, so you do need to be very careful.

It obviously depends on how long you want to keep the car too, if you're going to run it for a long time then initial depreciation of new cars is not a problem for you.

bridgetdunstable

Thanks for all your replies it's certainly given me lots to think about. I think I tend to agree with property.advert that buying a new car would make more sense as I will probably keep it for some time unless I win the lottery.

I will have a look at the Fiat Panda although I'm trying to love it I'm not sure about it's shape!

Also will look into some newer used cars, but they do seem to be very expensive for anything half decent. Any other suggestions for cars to consider?