Car Advice

RachelBP

Hello all,

I will be returning my motability car soon as no longer claiming DLA. Which means I'm in the market for a 'new' motor. 'New' meaning used.

If I can go about 3-4 months relying on lifts and public transport, I should be able to top up my little savings to around £5k.

Now, I'm looking for the following:

- Can buy and preferably insure for about £5k (I'm female, 26, no claims or convictions)
- Must be automatic
- Must be 5 door
- Not much motorway driving, I do about 4500-5000 miles a year.
- Don't want anything so old I'll be paying out for repairs every 5 minutes and hope to be able to keep it for a few (4/5?) years

Now, I'm used to having Motability vehicles all the time I have been driving, I've had a Corsa and a Fiesta both 1.4 and been very happy with both. It seems that the old style Fiestas in my price range are 1.6 Autos and I think that'll be a bit expensive?

Someone suggested a Yaris?

I have no Dad/Brothers to help me and I know nothing about cars :rotfl: any suggestions?

Lithian

Hmm, its a tricky one this.

I'd be looking at at least a 2.0 focus auto but really you'd get a better pick of mondeos or honda accords. Petrol of course being the version to go for, especially if you only ever do short trips.

Your fuel economy is going to be nerfed much more by using an auto than using a decent engine size* i'd personally consider a 2.0* engine as borderline for an auto anyway. You are only doing 5k miles so its not the worst thing in the world

If the requirement for auto isn't on medical grounds then i'd strongly advise getting a manual simply because in this country people tend not to specify autos when they buy a brand new cheap to run car so while you might have 100 manual cars to choose the best example from you'll only have a handful of autos which may or may not be in a decent condition.

* There are cars appearing that will be exceptions here but won't be in the OPs budget for a while

iolanthe07

The Hyundai i10 is generally well thought of by motoring journalists. For 5 grand you'll get a nearly new one, and the automatic has a proper torque converter, not a jerky electric clutch.

Paperbird

Go on autotrader you can select all your options price auto 5 door etc and get an idea of mpg insurance and tax group but whatever you decide on have it inspected by the AA or RAC.
If you buy from a main dealer they normally provide the warranty ie if anything goes wrong you take it to them and they fix it rather than a purchased warranty where if it goes wrong you pay for the repair then try to claim the cost back from whoever it was bought from.
For example my daughter recently bought an 08 corsa with a 12 month warranty from a Toyota dealer and if anything covered by the warranty goes wrong she can take it to any Toyota dealer to be fixed for free.

getmore4less

Maybe look at an ex motability see if your mobility dealer will do something for you.

RachelBP

The automatic requirement is a medical one (DVLA imposed), the 5 door requirement is also (life lesson), so both of these are a must.

Thank you for the suggestions re: asking my Motability dealer.

Looking on Autotrader I'm getting mainly Corsa and Yaris results....

RDG

What about a Honda Jazz they have bullet proof reliability and are within budget. My dad has had his for 6 years and never needed more than wear and tear items.

5 doors and very flexible interior space.

EDIT:

Also Astras maybe a good shout if you can get a well looked after one

gyromain

I have just been awarded HR DLA and thinking of going on the Motability scheme. This means I have my own car I no longer need. (This is not an advertisement).
It is a Skoda Octavia 1.9 Diesel DSG(Auto) Classic. I had problems with my left leg and had to change from manual to automatic when diagnosed 3 years ago. I have done 70000 miles in it with no problems. My only garage bills have been regular servicing - oil changes, 6 tyres, air filter, timing belt & gearbox oil change. No brake pads/discs or even a light bulb replaced. My average MPG for the 70000 miles is just over 54 MPG.