What car would you buy?

gilbert_and_sullivan

If its got to be auto, then it wants to be a proper auto, not some electronic automated manual or dual clutch nightmare likely to cost the best part of the purchase price to fix when it goes on the blink.

Consider BMW 3 or even 1 series.

Jamie_Carter

I was looking for a new car about a year ago. I searched all the usual places including Autotrader, Ebay, as well as loads of car dealerships (both main and independent). And it really surprised me that the best deals were with Evans Halshaw, where I managed to buy a Vectra that was just over 2.5 years old for £5200.

I don't normally buy from main dealers, as they are usually expensive. But I couldn't beat this deal anywhere.

http://www.evanshalshaw.com

victor2

Something a bit different to consider...
Toyota Prius. For £6K you'll get a nice 2nd generation one.
They're easy to drive, very much like an automatic, but never change gear. Economical, probably 50-60 mpg on typical M25 (ie. slow) traffic. £10 a year road tax, but no longer exempt from the London congestion charge (only the latest model is).
Roomy 5 door car and good performance. I'd look for a T-Spirit with the reversing camera, which is excellent. The auto-parking is no more than a gimmick though.

Jamie_Carter

victor2 wrote: »

Something a bit different to consider...
Toyota Prius. For £6K you'll get a nice 2nd generation one.
They're easy to drive, very much like an automatic, but never change gear. Economical, probably 50-60 mpg on typical M25 (ie. slow) traffic. £10 a year road tax, but no longer exempt from the London congestion charge (only the latest model is).
Roomy 5 door car and good performance. I'd look for a T-Spirit with the reversing camera, which is excellent. The auto-parking is no more than a gimmick though.

The only problem with buying a second hand Prius is that the batteries don't last for ever. And they can be extremely expensive to replace.

gilbert_and_sullivan

victor2 wrote: »

Something a bit different to consider...
Toyota Prius. .

I agree, the the anti's will be out with the usual venom shortly.

Batteries seem to be lasting for many years, almost impossible to find a posting anywhere from someone who's had to change them, hopefully someone could link to complaints about poor battery life..

victor2

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

I agree, the the anti's will be out with the usual venom shortly.

Batteries seem to be lasting for many years, almost impossible to find a posting anywhere from someone who's had to change them, hopefully someone could link to complaints about poor battery life..

I've yet to find a story of a battery failing, and the 2nd generation ones came with a 10 year warranty. I don't think even Toyota are clever enough to make them last 10 years and a day!

harveybobbles

People who buy a Prius see dieing as something to do..

skivenov

victor2 wrote: »

Something a bit different to consider...
Toyota Prius. For £6K you'll get a nice 2nd generation one.
They're easy to drive, very much like an automatic, but never change gear. Economical, probably 50-60 mpg on typical M25 (ie. slow) traffic. £10 a year road tax, but no longer exempt from the London congestion charge (only the latest model is).
Roomy 5 door car and good performance. I'd look for a T-Spirit with the reversing camera, which is excellent. The auto-parking is no more than a gimmick though.

I'm not a hater of green cars, one of my personal vehicles is a full-electric.

But Priuses really aren't brilliant on fuel. Most diesels will see the topside of 55mpg in the same circumstances.

Personally, I'm a big lover of the Mazda 6. So many people overlook it and buy a Mondeo or an Insignia because it's what they've always had, but the Mazda is a by far the best car in it's class and they stand the miles well.

Jamie_Carter

victor2 wrote: »

I've yet to find a story of a battery failing, and the 2nd generation ones came with a 10 year warranty. I don't think even Toyota are clever enough to make them last 10 years and a day!

Neither have I. But I remember hearing that the expected life of the batteries is 10 years. So even if you buy one that is two or three years old, and then keep it for lets say three years, then when you come to sell it, the value will hit the floor, as buyers won't want to have to fork out for new batteries.

arrowsmith

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Neither have I. But I remember hearing that the expected life of the batteries is 10 years. So even if you buy one that is two or three years old, and then keep it for lets say three years, then when you come to sell it, the value will hit the floor, as buyers won't want to have to fork out for new batteries.

The prius is one of the most (if not the most) long term reliable cars you can buy. Most diesels will have suffered turbo, injector or dual mass fly wheel failure long before the batteries in a Prius need replacing.

Modern diesels are in no way long lasting engines like they used to be.