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Weighing up car choices

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fiish
fiish Posts: 819 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 30 August 2010 at 9:21AM in Motoring
Hi,

I am looking to buy a car at some point in the next few months (for me it's a nice-to-have rather than a strong need). I have saved up about £6000 for this purpose (would be happy spending significantly less though! :D), and am looking for some help/advice from MoneySavers as it will be my first time buying a car.

My criteria were mainly that it be practical, and cheap(ish) to maintain, insure and tax (I'm in mid-twenties so insurance shouldn't be too insane) - it's intended for weekend use (shopping, going out with friends) and the occasional road trip on holiday so I don't think fuel will be as big a contributor to costs. A nice to have feature would be a boot big enough to hold my folding bicycle.

So far on my shortlist which I have driven before are the Honda Jazz, VW Polo, Mazda 2 and the Toyota Yaris. I test drove all those models recently except for the Yaris, which I passed my driving test in.

Due to a rather limited experience with inspecting cars I have been mainly looking at dealers. The examples I have seen on dealership websites seem rather dear for their age though (for example my local Marshalls has an 04 Yaris D-4D listed at £5500, and £6000 can't seem to buy a less than 5 year old Jazz), and look even more so when I do a valuation lookup on websites like Parker's and WhatCar. I have read some threads on this forum which actually propose it might be more economical to buy a bigger car since smaller ones are overpriced, or to consider buying brand new or pre-reg if a suitable financing deal is available.

Any thoughts or experiences you can share with those car models, or advice on dealing with official dealerships? Also, are there other models which I could or should be considering?

I would be grateful for any advice and input from this forum which has done so for so many years :)

P.S. - Silly stat - this is my post #666....
«1345

Comments

  • fiish wrote: »
    Hi,


    Due to a rather limited experience with inspecting cars I have been mainly looking at dealers. The examples I have seen on dealership websites seem rather dear for their age though (for example my local Marshalls has an 04 Yaris D-4D listed at £5500, and £6000 can't seem to buy a less than 5 year old Jazz), and look even more so when I do a valuation lookup on websites like Parker's and WhatCar.

    This sounds like extortionate prices. If you have a look on autotrader web site you'll probably find a 04/05 Yaris with respectable mileage for around £4500.
  • ollyshaw
    ollyshaw Posts: 704 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    As shortchanged say's, those prices seem a little high. Have a good look round (I find autotrader very good). I also like your choices of cars, Japanese or germans are always a good bet. Also bear in mind that a Skoda Fabia or a Seat Ibiza are both essentially polos but with a different skin. Might be worth looking at these as they are a bit cheaper.

    Olly
    ## No signature by order of the management ##
  • missile
    missile Posts: 11,763 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    You could buy private cheaper, but if you don't have a knowledgeable friend this is risky.

    Go to a reputable dealer and buy a low mileage model. Take time and test drive each more than once. Beware PCP finance deals, many have onerous T&Cs and horendous charges if you exceed the agreed mileage allowance. I dislike the Yaris but it is you who will have to drive it.
    "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
    Ride hard or stay home :iloveyou:
  • Inactive
    Inactive Posts: 14,509 Forumite
    For a bit over your budget you can buy a brand new Hyundai i10 with a 5 year warranty.

    http://www.hyundai.co.uk/newCars/offers/details/i10.php
  • getmore4less
    getmore4less Posts: 46,882 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper I've helped Parliament
    Or a Kia with 7 years. might get a new picanto

    Some good value small second hand stuff arround.
  • fiish
    fiish Posts: 819 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Went to see an Ibiza today, 56 with 59k miles, many plastic bits inside loose or broken, like glove box hinges and rear window levers. Didn't get to test drive as they're understaffed today but not sure if it's worth my time pursuing anyway. Asking price of 4500 is a fair bit cheaper than a Polo, though, and it's an approved used.

    Is it a worth taking for a test drive?
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,641 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    fiish wrote: »
    Went to see an Ibiza today, 56 with 59k miles, many plastic bits inside loose or broken, like glove box hinges and rear window levers. Didn't get to test drive as they're understaffed today but not sure if it's worth my time pursuing anyway. Asking price of 4500 is a fair bit cheaper than a Polo, though, and it's an approved used.

    Is it a worth taking for a test drive?

    well first question is did you like the car as a whole
  • fiish
    fiish Posts: 819 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    DCFC79 wrote: »
    well first question is did you like the car as a whole

    Don't know how it drives yet. From the outside it looks good enough and the cabin looks clean except for the slightly broken equipment. Seats not visibly worn despite the high mileage. I think it would be decent if it was cheap enough. Compared with a Polo I also looked at, which was a year newer, in really nice condition, with much lower mileage but had an asking price of 7000, the the Ibiza would be worth considering if it were mechanically sound.
  • Kilty_2
    Kilty_2 Posts: 5,818 Forumite
    I'm sure you can find better for £4500 than a battered (presumably ex fleet?) Ibiza.

    A brand new Fiat Panda can be had for something like £5700...
  • Inactive
    Inactive Posts: 14,509 Forumite
    fiish wrote: »
    Went to see an Ibiza today, 56 with 59k miles, many plastic bits inside loose or broken, like glove box hinges and rear window levers. Didn't get to test drive as they're understaffed today but not sure if it's worth my time pursuing anyway. Asking price of 4500 is a fair bit cheaper than a Polo, though, and it's an approved used.

    Is it a worth taking for a test drive?


    Walk away from it, it has been grossly neglected.

    Avoid the dealer as well, any decent dealer would not offer a car for retail sale in that condition.
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