Time to buy a new car - any suggestions or advice?

Ishtar

I'm currently driving a 206 which I'm now looking to replace. It's 10 years old (I've had it from new) and until recently it's been relatively trouble-free. However, over the last six months it's started to cost money...so, rather than fritter away what savings I have to keep it on the road, I'm looking to buy something newer.

I've got up to 8k to spend, need room for two children (7 and 2) and want a reasonable amount of boot space (but probably don't need an estate though!).

I'm currently looking at either a Citroen C4 or a Ford Focus - but, because I've taken little interest in cars for the past 10 years (:o), I was hoping to tap into the knowledge here to see if there's something else out there that might be more suitable...So, I'm after some hints, tips, suggestions and opinions as to what will give me best value for money.

I'd be grateful for some advice
Thanks in advance

Honeydog

Would recommend Fords. Focus is OK but Mondeo is better. Loads of space and reliable in the long run because you will keep it longer.

Just don't buy a Vauxhall. Any Vauxhall. Seriously. They're rubbish.

lostsheep

I'd go ford, too. If I had been able to get a focus with my mondeos engine in it, I'd have been even happier. Also, if you get the zetec level or better, it comes with a heated windscreen, which is a huge godsend in winter.

wba31

Honda Civic. If you keep it another 10 years your kids will be 17 and 12. the Civic has room in the back for adults, incredible car, great engines, extremely comfortable.

BlueC

You'll get lots of people recommending Fords, especially the Focus and Mondeo and there is good reason why the Focus has been the UK's most popular car for more than 10 successive years - it is a great car and returns very good value for money over its lifetime. A major advantage of Fords is the relatively low cost of ownership as servicing and spares are cheap and plentiful.

The Honda Civic is another great car and very reliable, but should it go wrong it will likely be more expensive to repair than a Ford. It is likely more expensive to service and maintain too. And more costly to purchase in the first place so you'd be looking at an older molder compared to a Focus.

Personally I wouldn't touch a Peugeot or Citroen or anything French as they are not reknowned for their build quality - they are pretty cheap though but I think its a false economy compared to a Ford which is only marginally more expensive. Vauxhalls are ok but given the choice between say and Astra and Focus I'd go with a Focus every time.

Personally, given your criteria I'd go for either a Focus or Mondeo - and probably buy one around 2 years old for best VFM and some outstanding warranty. You don't mention what kind of driving you do so can't comment on Diesel vs Petrol.

Ishtar

Thanks for your replies - very useful. I think we'll start by looking at a Mondeo then - there's a fairly new one on the forecourt round the corner (3yo I think).

BlueC I mostly do short trips, the occasional longer journey, but not much in the way of motorway/dual carriageway driving. OH, on the other hand, does - but won't be using it that often. Totally understand what you're saying about build quality on French car - the 206 never looked that well put together and the interior is full of cheap-looking plastic.

Thanks again for advice.

pinkteapot

The Mondeo is FAB (we got one in July) but I'm not sure I'd recommend it for you to be honest. The Mondeo is built for motorway cruising (they're very popular as rep cars). That's where it comes into its own. We bought a 10 plate, 2.0l TDCI. We do a lot of UK holidays and my husband has to travel around the country occasionally for work. It eats up the miles on long trips. It's cavernous inside and a family of five could live in the boot.

However, I don't think it's the best car out there for driving around town:

1) It's not as nippy at junctions as our 1.6l 2002 Vauxhall Astra (though that's petrol rather than diesel), or most other cars I've previously had.

2) The diesel engines for the Mondeo are better rated than the petrol ones and so there aren't as many petrol second hand ones available. Diesel cars are only economical if you do a high mileage which it doesn't sound like you will. Diesel cars also don't like being used in town only - it's bad for the engine and diesel repairs can be more expensive. If you do end up with a diesel, make sure it gets a decent length run down a dual carriageway periodically (saw a piece on Watchdog a little while ago which said that diesels should be run at 2500rpm continuously for 15 minutes, once a week).

3) The Mondeo is about the size of a cruise ship so it is tight for parking in supermarkets, multi-storeys etc. You get used to this in time but you won't be able to tuck into that awkward gap right by the shop door between the two badly parked 4x4s.

flashg67

Don't discount the latest cars from Kia/Hyundai - I've had a Hyundai i30 for some months now and been very happy - 5 year warranty & breakdown cover included, local dealer was fine for the one warranty repair I've had (seat cover stitching, that's all). Mine's a 1.4 petrol and is nippy enough and gets 40mpg without driving that carefully.

Each to their own, and I admit they're not to everyone's taste, but to me, it represents good value and is similar in size to an Astra/Focus and your budget should get you a late-model one with loads of warranty left.

BlueC

Ishtar wrote: »

Thanks for your replies - very useful. I think we'll start by looking at a Mondeo then - there's a fairly new one on the forecourt round the corner (3yo I think).

BlueC I mostly do short trips, the occasional longer journey, but not much in the way of motorway/dual carriageway driving. OH, on the other hand, does - but won't be using it that often. Totally understand what you're saying about build quality on French car - the 206 never looked that well put together and the interior is full of cheap-looking plastic.

Thanks again for advice.

For short trips and lower than IRO 20k miles per year you're better off with Petrol rather than Diesel. In your price range you'd get a nice 2010 or even 2011 plate Focus Zetec from MotorPoint with less than 20k on the clock...

http://www.motorpoint.co.uk/VehicleSearch/Ford/Focus/options/-MaxPrice=10

BlueC

Oh, and everything pinkteapot said I would agree with... Mondeo is an amazing car but its a high mileage motorway cruiser so I think you're way better suited to a petrol Focus.

Weird_Nev

Check out Ford S-Maxes too - a bit more room and a high driving position.

Or how about a Volvo V50 or S40? Ford platforms but lots of car for the money. Once you've had an estate you won't look back. Nice to drive ,good range of engines to choose from and plenty available at £8k.