Hi, this another of one of those please help me buy a car threads

Ralph-y

Hi, this another of one of those please help me buy a car threads

Its a long long time since I bought a new vehicle …. and even then it was a BMW motorbike 30+ years ago (and yes I still have it)

the current car is a 04 Ford Fusion that I was given by my late dad when it was 3 years old (motability), so I have had it for 6 years.

So when it comes to to buying new cars I am a complete newbe!
I have started looking at a new or newish car to be purchased in Feb/March next year.

OK a bit of background......... I retired 5 years ago and invested
some £££ that is due in Feb next year. We will have about £20,000 to spend (reinvest the rest)

Out of that we would like to get the new car / trip the the USA (to see the daughter) / new wooden flooring
(the wife would like old reclaimed wood) / bits of general house decorations/ kitchen tidy up …........
Yes I know …. wish me luck

So I will be trying to squeeze every last penny out of the car deal.

I am tempted by the Dacia Sandero, Stepway or Duster. I am due to do some test drives soon.

I could be tempted to get a used car if the case/deal is right, and
would even consider a Fusion again. The Fusion has been a good all round car for me, but there are some things I would like to change/improve on.

For general round town / semi rural stuff its OK , but it is very noisy on the motorway. The storage /seat combination has been brilliant, all most turning the car
into a small van when needed! (Ideal for tent, dog, etc)
A higher ride would be nice. And any improvement in mpg would be very helpful.

I tend to average about 13-15,000 a year, most is local small town
semi rural driving, with occasional short motorway trips …..
Once ever 2-4 weeks we do a 150 mile each way trip to Northampton.

All the many options involved in looking at just these 2 cars is quite extensive, hence my asking for your advice.
The car will hopefully/need to last 8-10 years , (that's when our two state pensions kick in)

So any tips at all will be most appreciated

Things like how to try and get a good deal out of the salesman, are they likely to discount for cash or throw in any other extras if we haggle? (which I hate doing)

Petrol / diesel, how to work out the best option for me …..

they have things like extended 5-7 year warranty, I have read through it all but any tips on things to watch out for? Same with the fixed service plan.

Smaller things like having to buy a spare wheel was a shock!

So many questions......... any web site / magazines with this type tips?

Ralph:cool:

neilmcl

I think you need to edit your post, it's unreadable.

cajef

neilmcl wrote: »

I think you need to edit your post, it's unreadable.

Maybe because they can't spell colour?

JonathanA

For your type of journeys, my recommendation would be to go for a petrol engine in whatever car you choose, I don't think lots of short journeys are ideally suited to modern diesels.

I'm guessing that you are likely to keep the car for some time, in which case my suggestion would be to try out the Hyundai / Kia range. I from want to use the money to do other things, then go for a used car that has already suffered the bulk of its depreciation.

Is there a particular reason why the Fusion needs to go, or do you just feel like a change? Often it can be more economic to keep the devil you know, rather than buy one you don't. The Dacia is definitely worth a look, if you're not bothered about a car with lots of toys on it, then it may prove to be good value.

Good luck!

Ralph-y

don't know what happened???

I posted as normal ..... strange

I will try to start a new thread and ask the mods to delete this

Ralph

neilmcl

Ralph-y wrote: »

don't know what happened???

I posted as normal ..... strange

I will try to start a new thread and ask the mods to delete this

Ralph

Just edit and replace the html codes you've used.

Ralph-y

first the forum bot said message barred! then it posted it and would not let me edit it ..... now it will .......

I am not sure where the html came from ??? I did nothing out the unusual

Ralph:cool:

neilmcl

Did you cut n paste from another forum?

fivetide

neilmcl wrote: »

Did you cut n paste from another forum?

That was my thought too.

To answer some of the questions the point at which diesel is meant to become economically viable is about 12,000 miles a year which is less than you say you are doing OP so there, diesel makes sense.

However, you also say lots of short journeys and low speed travel so with modern particulate filters etc diesel might not be a good idea in terms of overall reliability.

If you aren't a badge snob, the Dacia you mentioned should be a good runner. If you want to go used then there are many other van like cars out there like the Berlingo. To blow the majority of the budget you could always look at something like the Skoda Yeti. It is it 4x4 action and a small dog the Fiat Panda 4x4 might do a job for you.

Ralph-y

I can think of is I some times use open office if it going to be a long post, due to my poor spelling. I have recently upgraded it ......

Any way it spoilt my thread :-(

Ralph:cool:

fivetide

Ralph-y wrote: »

I can think of is I some times use open office if it going to be a long post, due to my poor spelling. I have recently upgraded it ......

Any way it spoilt my thread :-(

Ralph:cool:

Well not really as you have now sorted it and as you can see... i've written you a serious response.