Choosing a right car - maintenance cost

zidanee

Hi All

I am trying to choose the right car for me and currently there are a few options but it's hard to make a decision as I have very little idea of the maintenance costs. I mean, everyone says that for example BMWs are expensive in running but could anyone share any experience on the cars below? I don't really want to go for the cheapest options but I want to be able to make a more informed decision and think how much more I actually want to pay for the badge in case it brakes down. I don't want to be in a position where spares and labour is on a 100% markup in comparison to other cars just because of the badge name, but 25%-50% markup might be worth it. I am not interested in running costs in terms of petrol/diesel consumption, more like if I need to change brake pads or a catalyst goes wrong, or an annual service costs. The cars I'm looking at:

Saab 9.3 (2007-2008) Airflow Sport or 1.9 TID Vector Sport
Mazda 6 TS2 (2008)
Mazda 3 2.0 Sport (2006-2008)
Nissan Quashqai 1.6 Acenta (2007)
Seat Leon Stylance 1.9TD (2009)
Alfa Romeo 159 1900 cc 1.9 JTDm Lusso (2007)
BMW 3.18 Ci (2005-2006)
Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EX or 2.2 i-CTDi Sport

Any advice on reliability is also very appreciated. Thanks!

jimbo_the_jetset

Presumably for that sort of age of car you will be looking at dealer servicing? Or not? Worth phoning the local dealers for cost of servicing?

Try the Honest john website for reviews of good and bad points of these models, here http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/

zidanee

Probably dealer servicing, yes. I'll have a look at the website, thanks!

zidanee

Found this website: http://www.reliabilityindex.com/

Interesting results showing that repair costs for Mazda are much higher than BMW and SAAB. Very unexpected - is it true though?

verityboo

Very difficult to say as the cars are second hand and it would depend on the type of use they have had and mileage.

Whatcar mag and website give an estimated pence per mile cost of running all new cars for the first 3 years taking into account depreciation, fuel, tax and servicing. They also list the expected cost of servicing over the first 3 years. They might give a rough clue to the comparative costs.

vikingaero

Easiest way to find out servicing costs is to call up the main dealers and ask them the price of their fixed menu servicing for their major and minor services or their A, B & C services.

benham3160

Rule the Alfa out, parts are eye-watering, even for simple things, not to mention Alfa dealership prices are just short of crazy. Depreciation is VERY bad on the Alfas, that said the new breed of Alfa Romeo's are allegedly a much better propostion than those of old.

Good question, Saab bits are probably cheap because you buy 'em from Vauxhall..... (Awaits flaming by Saab heads....)

Interestingly you haven't mentioned the Mondeo, which is probably the nicest to drive, easiest to live with, and argubably better built than some on that list.

Regards,
Andy

zidanee

Thanks for the replies!

Very difficult to say as the cars are second hand and it would depend on the type of use they have had and mileage.

Very true. I'll check out the whatcar website, thanks!

Easiest way to find out servicing costs is to call up the main dealers and ask them the price of their fixed menu servicing for their major and minor services or their A, B & C services.

Ok, I'll do that. Although I am not sure if I should believe them if I ask about average repair costs.

Rule the Alfa out, parts are eye-watering, even for simple things, not to mention Alfa dealership prices are just short of crazy. Depreciation is VERY bad on the Alfas, that said the new breed of Alfa Romeo's are allegedly a much better propostion than those of old.

True. I think Alfa is out to be honest. It looks pretty but other than that... I'd be better off with Mazda RX8 for that money

Good question, Saab bits are probably cheap because you buy 'em from Vauxhall..... (Awaits flaming by Saab heads....)

Good point - although Mazda 3 is built on the Ford Focus base as far as I'm aware. So I assumed Mazda would be cheap to repair as most parts are compatible. The results from reliabilityindex.com came as a bit of a shock.

Interestingly you haven't mentioned the Mondeo, which is probably the nicest to drive, easiest to live with, and argubably better built than some on that list.

Yes, you are probably right. Mondeos and Focus would be probably more reliable, providing with better comfort and excellent value for money. And I realise that but I don't like fords Ford, Vauxhall and Reno - probably the only 3 car manufacturers that I would not consider buying.

little_miss_muppet_face

zidanee wrote: »

Thanks for the replies!



Very true. I'll check out the whatcar website, thanks!



Ok, I'll do that. Although I am not sure if I should believe them if I ask about average repair costs.



True. I think Alfa is out to be honest. It looks pretty but other than that... I'd be better off with Mazda RX8 for that money



Good point - although Mazda 3 is built on the Ford Focus base as far as I'm aware. So I assumed Mazda would be cheap to repair as most parts are compatible. The results from reliabilityindex.com came as a bit of a shock.



Yes, you are probably right. Mondeos and Focus would be probably more reliable, providing with better comfort and excellent value for money. And I realise that but I don't like fords Ford, Vauxhall and Reno - probably the only 3 car manufacturers that I would not consider buying.

I drive a vauxhall zafira. good solid car, nice to drive, get a higher spec one, i.e leather heated seat etc, thats what ive got and i like it alot ..:D Not too bad for parts either, cost me £110 for 2 tyres last time i changed (17" alloys), even though you do not like vauxhalls worth taking one for a drive..

benham3160

zidanee wrote: »

And I realise that but I don't like fords Ford, Vauxhall and Reno - probably the only 3 car manufacturers that I would not consider buying.

Fair enough, but it's your loss. The new Mondeo is in my opinion a better car than all of those you've mentioned, and probably the best built.

Like I say, it's your loss.

Regards,
Andy

Mayflower10cat

As an ex-Alfa owner ((sobs)) very expensive to service at a dealership. Sadly died on us because the national chain of garages we'd been using failed to replace the timing belt at the appropiate interval.

Neighbour has a two yr old Quashqui - he likes the car but the dealership have been unreliable, telling him parts are in stock when they're not, arguing about providing a courtesy car when they're clearly in the wrong. He's not happy and wouldn't buy another Nissan.

After DH got over the loss of the GTV.... (much counselling & beers!) we did some serious research into reliability, resale values, trawled over customer satisfaction surveys, the JD Power survey etc., etc... He needed a reliable, sturdy saloon that would cope with 90 miles each way to work on the M4. We narrowed it down to a Ford Focus, an Alfa Brera (!), Toyota Auris, a Peugeot 207 and a Honda Civic. After much conversation with all the local dealerships, we finally bought an ex-demonstrator 2.2L turbo diesel Civic which came with (no haggling needed) 5 years free servicing & courtesy car, a three year warranty, free AA cover, Gap insurance (If the car is written off in an accident, you get the full value of the car back) free mats & a few other things I've forgotten about. The dealership is just over the road from the factory the car was built in. It's been serviced once since we bought it and DH had no complaints at all - the car was ready exactly on time and they kept him informed throughout the day what was going on. He bought the car thinking it was going to be 'boring' and 'sensible' - far from it! That turbo engine goes like a rocket and from a standing start it's way faster than the Alfa GTV was.

Sister & husband have had various Audis over the years - they like them very much, but the main point in their favour is they do hold their value very well.