New small car

whizzing

Hi. We have two cars in the family. My husband drives the bigger one and I and my two kids drive the smaller one. Hubby and I are insured for both and kids just for the small one. ( Due to insurance costs !!!). Smaller one is 12 years old and has just failed its Mot. Cost to repair £200+. We have only been driving the small one locally for the past year as I am not sure I like the idea of me or the kids driving it on the motorway. Anyway time has come to buy a new one. So two questions 1) Should we get the old one repaired and then sell it or just sell it as is? I expect it is only worth a few hundred but have no idea.

Bigger question is what should we buy for me and the kids. Most of the time it will be driven by me locally and the kids when they are home. I want this one however to be able to drive on the motorway etc. We want to spend about £5000. Any ideas? Kids would like it to be a bit trendy, I would like it to be safe (when do you stop worrying about kids driving?) and hubby and I would like it to be good value. Purchase price, and depreciation is relevant as is insurance (due to kids !) but petrol is not the main thing as most days it only does short journeys.

jaydeeuk1

Hyundai i10 or fiat panda imo. Doubt you'll get anything small thats 'trendy' for £5k unless you can find a cheap Toyota IQ. And as I have one it must be cool.

Strider590

Depends on the 12yr old motor, if it's French or Italian i'd get rid of it......
Otherwise £200 is nothing compared to the capital lost in buying another one. Not to mention that much like yourself, most people sell their cars when it's "starting to go wrong"........
Not only this, but you could end up spending £5000 and then another £1000 once the dealers "MOT" runs out.

AlexisV

Seat Ibiza? Mazda 2?

getmore4less

What's the current car, mileage?
(Tax, insurance and mpg)

What's needed to fix it?

What is likely to need doing in another year?


£200-£300 is not that much for a years motoring,


If the basics are good or have been done in the last few years, brakes,tyres,exhaust,cambelt then this could be good for a couple more with just MOT's.

whatmichaelsays

I'd second the suggestion for the Ibiza. I bought a new one last year and it's fantastic value for money.

Mine's a 1.2TSI Sport to it's the top spec (before you get into the FR / Cupra models) but even the base models have plenty of gadgets that are usually expensive options on similar models. They look the part as well.

whizzing

I am afraid the time has come to buy a new car. The kids need a car which hubby and I are comfortable for them to drive on the motorway. Re the old car I just wanted to know what people thought would be financially better. Selling it without an MOT. Or paying £200+ for repairs and then selling it. In terms of a new car kids have mentioned a Fiesta, a Swift, a Corsa, a Polo etc. Any one have an opinion on these? Can't remember the others mentioned.

whizzing

Thanks for suggestions. I will add to the list.

Obukit

Just a quick question - not wanting to tempt providence but young drivers often have a prang at some stage (I drove into a bollard when I was 19). On your cheap car you can either scrap it when this happens or get scrapyard parts to fix it, so no insurance claim.

On a £5000 modern car repairs will be a lot more expensive so you are more likely to need to go through insurance, which will have a high excess for younger drivers. Also an at-fault claim will make the premiums eye watering for the next five years - even when your kids have left home and are having to insure cars themselves.

As I said hopefully it wouldn't happen but we all make mistakes and "bangernomics" works particularly well for young people where keeping claim-free is so important. If you're not sure about the safety of the current car swap to an old Volvo or something - not "trendy" but safe and if it's crashed, you've lost less than £500 and it won't be on their record until 2017.

colino

Why, especially if you are transporting kids around, would you even consider a supermini? Have a look at the NCAP site for any model you fancy and ponder why these things get high scores, yet appear to think its OK for the people inside to be part of the crumple/intrusion zone. A nice practical Focus/Punto/even Panda will be good allrounders.

avantra

A 3 years old i20 will be in the budget plus two years left on the warranty. It is safe, quiet on the motorway and reliable.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201210454257675/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/price-to/5000/model/i20/make/hyundai/radius/1500/postcode/gl116hx/page/1?logcode=p