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"new" car advice for a car ignoramus
morg_monster
Posts: 2,392 Forumite
in Motoring
I know there is a similar thread that I have looked through with interest but our needs are slightly different so thought I would start a new thread.
Our P reg Vauxhall astra which has been in the family for about 13 years overheated at the weekend and needs the radiator replacing. It has always been very reliable but the service costs have been creeping up recently. We scraped through the MOT in Feb with a long list of things that need fixing for next time, then had urgent work done on the fuel pump in March which cost about £350, the radiator work I think will be about £300, and we are also due or overdue a cambelt change which I understand will be around £300-400. My lovely grandma who passed away last month has left her grandchildren around £4k in her will which I should be receiving within the next couple of months, so we are thinking that now may be the time to cut our losses with the Astra as we could put a chunk towards a new car without having to dip into savings.
The problem is we don’t really have much clue about cars and I don’t really know where to start with looking. I was hoping that some of you people might be able to recommend some possible makes/models for us to look at.
Our budget is up to £5k. We want a 5 door hatchback, with an OK size boot. Kids likely to be making an appearance within the next 2 years so the car needs to be OK from that POV. Want it to be pretty reliable - it would be extremely annoying to get rid of the Astra and then find that the new car needed similar amount of £ spending on it in the first couple of years. We do not commute with the car. We will use it for shopping and general pottering, but also longer motorway drives visiting people at weekends fairly frequently. Mileage on the Astra over the past few years has been only 5 or 6k. DH is keen on an Audi A3…
So any advice would be great, either on a car recommendation or on the general situation. Also any tips on how to sell a car without a working radiator would be very well received – is it a really bad idea, should we just fix it so buyers can test drive it and not have to get a tow home – I’m wondering if we’d get more than the cost of the repair back in sale price? Why do I only think about selling the car when it's in pieces!
Thanks!
Our P reg Vauxhall astra which has been in the family for about 13 years overheated at the weekend and needs the radiator replacing. It has always been very reliable but the service costs have been creeping up recently. We scraped through the MOT in Feb with a long list of things that need fixing for next time, then had urgent work done on the fuel pump in March which cost about £350, the radiator work I think will be about £300, and we are also due or overdue a cambelt change which I understand will be around £300-400. My lovely grandma who passed away last month has left her grandchildren around £4k in her will which I should be receiving within the next couple of months, so we are thinking that now may be the time to cut our losses with the Astra as we could put a chunk towards a new car without having to dip into savings.
The problem is we don’t really have much clue about cars and I don’t really know where to start with looking. I was hoping that some of you people might be able to recommend some possible makes/models for us to look at.
Our budget is up to £5k. We want a 5 door hatchback, with an OK size boot. Kids likely to be making an appearance within the next 2 years so the car needs to be OK from that POV. Want it to be pretty reliable - it would be extremely annoying to get rid of the Astra and then find that the new car needed similar amount of £ spending on it in the first couple of years. We do not commute with the car. We will use it for shopping and general pottering, but also longer motorway drives visiting people at weekends fairly frequently. Mileage on the Astra over the past few years has been only 5 or 6k. DH is keen on an Audi A3…
So any advice would be great, either on a car recommendation or on the general situation. Also any tips on how to sell a car without a working radiator would be very well received – is it a really bad idea, should we just fix it so buyers can test drive it and not have to get a tow home – I’m wondering if we’d get more than the cost of the repair back in sale price? Why do I only think about selling the car when it's in pieces!
Thanks!
0
Comments
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Forget an Audi A3.;)
All the usual suspects will no doubt be recommended in a while.
Ford Focus has to be a good bet.
Another Astra isn't out of the question
A Mazda3 would be a decent choice and reliable.0 -
I'll back you up on the Audi....Forget an Audi A3.;)
All the usual suspects will no doubt be recommended in a while.
Ford Focus has to be a good bet.
Another Astra isn't out of the question
A Mazda3 would be a decent choice and reliable.
Don't rule out bigger cars, you can probably find the world is your oyster buying a petrol Mondeo or similar with that money, a little bigger than what you're looking for but exceptionally well built and reliable, cheap to service and if you're not doing big mileages you can forgive it for burning a little more fuel than a small diesel box.
Regards,
Andy0 -
I have had a focus and now have a mondeo, and would say the boot is a little bigger on the Mondeo so if your planning on 2 kids more sense. I have a 2 litre ghia X so it has everything on it, and was less than 4 grand for a 2003 plate0
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morg_monster wrote: »It has always been very reliable but the service costs have been creeping up recently. We scraped through the MOT in Feb with a long list of things that need fixing for next time, then had urgent work done on the fuel pump in March which cost about £350, the radiator work I think will be about £300, and we are also due or overdue a cambelt change which I understand will be around £300-400.
Whatever you get, make sure you go elsewhere for the work...... Your garage has been taking the !!!!.
I can get my Vectra's cambelt done for £150, so someone, somewhere is being less than honest.
OR you've been going to a main dealer..... Who charge a premium and let 17year old trainee's do all the work.“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
<><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/0 -
Gosh I'm not sure I can face a mondeo, that'll mean we're really grown up! Focus looks a good prospect. But actually a bigger car might be a good idea, as if we continue both working in central London and living in the 'burbs, we aren't likely to need 2 cars for a long time.
Strider - to be fair it wasn't actually the garage who gave that estimate - that was a "mate" who "knows about cars"! Good to know though, I will get the garage to give a quote for the cambelt as well as for the radiator when I get around to taking it in. Maybe there's hope for her yet. I'm guessing for selling it'd be a more attractive prospect with the cambelt done.0 -
If it's just a basic 1.4/1.6 8v engine, the cambelt is a very cheap and simple job.morg_monster wrote: »Gosh I'm not sure I can face a mondeo, that'll mean we're really grown up! Focus looks a good prospect. But actually a bigger car might be a good idea, as if we continue both working in central London and living in the 'burbs, we aren't likely to need 2 cars for a long time.
Strider - to be fair it wasn't actually the garage who gave that estimate - that was a "mate" who "knows about cars"! Good to know though, I will get the garage to give a quote for the cambelt as well as for the radiator when I get around to taking it in. Maybe there's hope for her yet. I'm guessing for selling it'd be a more attractive prospect with the cambelt done.
I could supply and fit a radiator on one of these for £100 and make a reasonable profit.
Regards,
Andy0 -
I'd look to see if you can get a fairly new Kia.
The 7 year warranty passes on to the 2nd owner, so you could potentially be covered for the next few years.0 -
But then you'd end up driving a Kia every dayI'd look to see if you can get a fairly new Kia.
The 7 year warranty passes on to the 2nd owner, so you could potentially be covered for the next few years.
(;))
They've not bad cars, but a seven year warrenty isn't "everything".
Regards,
Andy0 -
To be honest the Mondeo is not that much bigger than the Focus and has the same good road handling.0
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