advice on getting new car?

cybershot_2

hi looking to but a new car not brand new but sat 2/3 years old,
is there a best time of year to go to a dealer to get better bargings?
dont even know what car to get whats the best these days?
budget of around 6/7 grand

quickstepqueen

All depends on your requirements cybershot. Personally we love Skodas. My partner has an octavia 1.9 tdi that is a real workhorse. (Work couldn't give him a company car so this is his equivalent.) It's economical, huuuuuge boot space, great family car and easy to maintain. (apparently taxi drivers looove octavias for all these reasons.) I, on the other hand have the Fabia 1.4 which is small and compact but adequate for my little runaround needs.

Skodas however, in my experience are really hard to get hold of (the Fabias and 1.9tdi octavias anyway) so I guess that proves my point of how well liked they are. They do what they say they can and for £6/7k you would easily get a great car. (oh and the insurance is good too - my x reg fabia cost me no more to insure than my old clapped out Ford Orion!)

As for when the best time to get a car is, I'm sure someone once told me to try and get one towards the end of the salesman quarter as they will want to reach their targets. I think new cars come out beginning March and Sept so perhaps try end Feb,May, August and November. If someone can correct me then please do.

Nile

Hello cybershot

I think your thread will be better placed in the 'Motoring & Public Transport' board, so I'll move it across for you.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

Hintza

Need more information than this. What is the car for? Single person? Family?
Town Car or Country car?

For a small car take a look at the new Fiat Panda. As above poster states Skodas are cheaper alternative to VW as are Seat. The Ford C-Max gets good write ups.

My first port of call would be Whatcar magazine and create a short list.

Llyllyll

Depends what you want/need from it.

Have a look at http://www.parkers.co.uk/ for some advice/guidance. They also have a forum there and as it's a car specific site you can usually get some good reliable advice from current/past owners of the car you are interested in. Also try a copy of Autotrader. You can then narrow you choices down.

You mention 'dealer' in your posting. Does this mean manufacturer's dealership and if so you may be paying a premium for buying from them? Consider car supermarkets as many of these offer cars that are 'nearly new' to a few years old. They still have the balance of the manufacturer's warranty with them and you can offen knock thousands (depending on screen price) off from that you would pay at a dealership.

My one piece of advice would be to go for the car you fancy, rather than the one that may be best according to reviews, mileage and other stats. I made this mistake recently and ended up with a SEAT Leon (which was a right dog!). Traded it in within a month and got myself the Volvo that I'd wanted for ages - cost a bit more but was well worth it.

Edit - You could also try http://www.whatcar.com/used-car-chooser.aspx. It's not brilliant, but should help to give a a rough guide as to what you can get for your money.

saintjanet

Im afraid that as stated by other posters,you need to be more specefic about your needs.i could spend all night talking about which is the best to buy,where from etc.,but at the end of the day,only you can decide what you need from a vehicle.

cybershot_2

hi, i currently have a rover 25 thats a nice size dont want nothing bigger and dont want another rover the parts have gone far to expencive,
im 32 just want the car ofr general use have a 7 year old son of course he want me to get a convertable but that just wont fit the budget!

delboyuk_3

What exactly do you want from the car.

Rate the following on importance

Reliability
Style
Size
Cheap Repairs
Driving fun
Orginality

(and anything else you can think of)

tee_pee_2

I always think now is a good time to buy as the garages are trying to amke room on the forecourt for the new reg. My sister has just got a good deal from Peugeot on a 207. But it obviously depends on what type of car you want.

Tee
x

cybershot_2

delboyuk wrote:

What exactly do you want from the car.

Rate the following on importance

Reliability
Style
Size
Cheap Repairs
Driving fun
Orginality

(and anything else you can think of)

in order from top to bottom

5
3
4
4
3
2

skintas_2

i got a diesel 306 peugeot had it 2 years very reliable. its 1.9turbo , insurance high at first but worth it as i made it up in fuel cost, insurance was £105 a month fire and theft, 1 year no claim went down to £72 a year fully comp, now £56 a year