First family car?

sammyw

We looked at a diesel fabia 1.4 TD comfort yesterday and liked it, but there was a petrol classic 2 years older and half the price. Not sure whether to stretch our budget to the max and get the newer diesel or go for the cheaper one thats comfortably in our budget.
The garage we looked at offers 12 months warranty on parts and labour which is reassuring - but is it worth paying garage price for car to get this?

gonzo127

cheghead wrote: »

Is this the Ford Focus fan club...lol.

i dont think so (i have never owned one), and although some people will argue the point, Focus's are good cars, they will not suit everyone but there is a reason why all the car reviews give them pretty much top marks and why so many have sold,

as to Skoda's i would suggest to look at the octavia over the fabia, just because its that little bit larger so will be more practical in the future (once again there is a reason why most taxi's and cops are in octavia's).

personally i liked my Hyundia Accent when i had it, yes not the worlds best/fun car but was a lot of car for my money and very cheap to run, i didnt have any problems with realiability (had it 6 years and put on 140k miles and only had to replace the normal consumables of tyres, exhust and 2 wheel barings) not many people will recommend them due to it being a cheap brand and not massivly refined, but because of that you could probably pick up a 5 year old one with under 40k miles for under £3k only major beef in my eyes is you have to get the CDX trim to get aircon which should be high on your list of must haves, as 2 teenagers stuck in a car in a traffic jam with no air con can get a little bit :mad:

anyways generally the ones been suggested so far are all pretty respectable in the reviews the Leon, Focus, Fabia, Octavia, Jazz, (DB9 hehe), volvo all should suit your needs so its a case of finding out if you like any of them. make sure you get test drives in at least 3 of each model you are looking at so you can get a feel for how they should be, make sure you have the whole family with you in at least one test drive to see if they can get comfortable in it, and if you have any specific items you might need to have in the boot try to take them with you to at least one to see if they fit in the boot (golf clubs, musical instruments, wheelchair etc etc)

Strider590

sammyw wrote: »

How can you tell the difference between honest private sellers and rip off traders?

Simple answer....

Don't trust any of them, especially the one's that "seem nice".

cyclonebri1

3 more blows for the Focus owner fan club.

The Focus does nothing wrong,
Neither does it do anything exceptionally right.

So rightly classified as ordinary or even boring.

The only car I ever got rid of before it's sell by date ran out was for the fact that it was so dam ordinary, that I needed a change :D:D

They all run well/are reliable, the punter wants a little extra

Inactive

It's a Ford, at best it is mediocre.;)

wallbash

So rightly classified as ordinary or even boring.

It does what it says on the tin!
It s a means of transport from A to B

It's a Ford, at best it is mediocre

The question the OP asked , what 1st Family car? Whats wrong with ordinary/boring /mediocre ?

quote
The Ford Focus was the bestselling car for the ninth consecutive year. Ford were also the bestselling manufacturer overall.

Inactive

wallbash wrote: »

quote
The Ford Focus was the bestselling car for the ninth consecutive year. Ford were also the bestselling manufacturer overall.

That is why they were very close to bankruptcy then.;)

wallbash

Ford was/is close to going under because its outdated commitments to its
retired work force in America,but it was making more money from its Fordcredit
and leasing arm than selling cars a few years back.
I don't think they actually lost money on each sale.

bigjl

If you have a budget on £3000, and need a family size car then get yourself a Mondeo, I got mine for £2450 from the auction just under two years ago, 1 owner, 80k miles, 130tdci, full history, 05/05, silver hatch. Probably still worth a little more than that now.
If you go to an auctio, take somebody that knows a bit about cars, set yourself a budget and stick to it, a good way to find out what to pay is check the autotrader for similiar cars being sold by hometraders, and bid £500/£700 under what they have them up for, as that is more than likely what the trader paid.
Remember that the diesels ahve some inherent faults, DMF, injectors, EGR and diesel pump. So the petrols are a good bet, especially in LX flavour, as they have A/C and cruise control. Or at least they did from 04 onwards, not sure about before. You will get cheap basic reliable wheels for less than £2000, leaving plenty in reserver for unforeseen repairs. My brother in law has had a 1.8LX for three years, cost him £3000. He has done 50k in it and it has never broken down, he has just serviced it and put on tyres.
Vectras and japanese cars seem to be a lot more expensive these days, and to be honest I can't see the point in spending too much.
For example 4 months before I bought my Mondeo I was paid out for a Subaru Legacy auto that was stolen, it was low miles, on an 04/04 and I had owned it from new, I got paid out £8000. When I bought the mondeo I was just looking for some cheap wheels till I could get another Legacy, but the Mondeo was newer, better on fuel and was just as well built. The diesels also have camchains rather than cambelts so less servicing to do, not sure about the petrols.
My advice, test drive a mondeo, they are unbelievably underated.

wallbash

As one who first suggested the Focus , I heartily agree with bigjl , The mondeo is a really great car. But it is large ... well mine was as i drove the estate model. The only thing I might add , go for the Titanium X model a few years old .Will be outside the OP budget but for many its the best ( value) car .

Honest John fav second hand car.