Car being written off what to buy?

prettypennies

My beloved old Astra is being written off so need to find a new car quick.

I am looking to spend no more than £3500.

I quite like the look of a citroen C3 or a freelander.

The school run involves crossing 300 road bumps a week so it needs to be able to cope with that.

There is normally 3-5 people in my car at a time.

I do a lot of short run journeys during the week but like to poutle out to the dales at the weekends.

Any suggestions?

david29dpo

have to say, buy Japanese.

chewbacca_2

have to agree japanese or german.

please dont buy anything that resembles a 4*4 just for the school run. is it not better to walk?

JWVOODOO

C3 1.4 HDI is only £50 tax a year, which is not bad really

prettypennies

chewbacca wrote:

have to agree japanese or german.

please dont buy anything that resembles a 4*4 just for the school run. is it not better to walk?

I would love to walk to school but would need to break the 4 minute mile to get from my kids school to my work in time!

I want something that is equally reliable on country roads aswell as negotiating the ever increasing number of road bumps that seem to be popping up everywhere.

Also I have big feet! so can't stand cars with little pedals that are too close together for my big kippers.

I did have a peugeot 406 briefly at the same time as the astra but wasn't a fan of the interior layout or visability.

ArsenalFC

How about a ford focus 1.6. They have very good reviews, roomy, reliable, good on petrol/insurance/maintenance. Or go with your initial interest in the C3, although I know nothing about them.

plane_boy2000

I would avoid the C3 - not an awful car but not the best either plus at the 3.5K budget you have they are likely to be out of warranty.

3.5K is a difficult budget, but I owul dbuy japanese at that level, or hyundai - they are pretty reliable to.

prettypennies

Does anyone have any views on a Xsara or Yaris? I need to go looking for a car tommorrow and could do with narrowing down my options a bit.

I sat in a C3 today and to be honest found it a bit on the small side.

My budget is now nearer 2.5k now as I have just for out for central heating and need to get a new bathroom too.

ronnie_2

the Xsara is not a bad car but a lot of citroens do suffer from mechanical problems especially if your buying around the £2.5k area, if your thinking yaris i would say they are pretty reliable, jap cars normally have quite bullet proof engines

a little search on auto trader should bring up plenty for sale, http://www.autotrader.co.uk you can localise the search (i tried putting the link up for whats available but didnt work)

these cars are great on the mpg

prettypennies

How does the Yaris handle road humps?

researcher

Unless you've got a lot of cash coming in for upkeep do not buy a Freelander - it would cost a lot to keep roadworthy. (And your budget would only get one at the end of it's life). Apart from that 4 x 4's are being targeted for much higher road taxes, they use twice as much fuel and are environmentally much less friendly. And insurance will cost lots more too!

The Yaris is an excellent car - as is the Corolla. My parents have had Toyota's for years and if looked after, they go on for ever. Much better value than a C3.

Ford Focus is another good value car - and there is a wide range of options out there -good for repairs too.

Buy carefully - check out the prices on some car sites and be prepared to negotiate - do not pay what you're asked.

Good luck