Family car with cheap tax and a decent mpg

smiler34

Hi guys I have looked all over the net but am really struggling to find the right car. The suitable ones I have seen are Renault megane 1.5, ford focus (after 2007). Not really sold on the hybrid cars but if anyone can change my mind I would like to hear your opinions. I know a lot of the small hatchbacks are cheap tax but we need a family car can spend up to £5000 for the right car. Any ideas?

martinthebandit

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201308068185379/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/body-type/estate/fuel-type/diesel/model/stilo/make/fiat/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/1/radius/1500/postcode/ng348nh?logcode=p

There ya go, leaves you 2.5k to stick in the bank for maintenance etc

oliverr

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Octavia (and especially the estate version) offers a lot of space for the money and should be pretty reliable.

I would steer clear from anything french though as it could end up costing you a lot down the line. Have a look at the Octavia but also Golfs and Focuses. If its mainly town driving or a lesser mileage a petrol will be better, if you do more motorway miles then a diesel will make most sense.

27col

I got rid of my Fiat Stilo Multiwagon after 9 years and bought a Kia Cee'd. Nice car, but I really miss the load carrying capacity of the Fiat. It never let my down in 65,000 miles. But it did need some quite expensive repairs. Clutsh, rear suspension bushes(twice) suspension springs, brake discs and pads, timing belt etc. The only reason that I sold it was because the paint on the roof was starting to peel. now, 6 months on,. I still miss it.

forgotmyname

Mondeo diesel estate.

Done almost 500 miles today, Mixture of Seaside traffic, Fairly clear motorways and A roads.

57.1 MPG. Full car of real people not stick insects. Some stuff in the boot.

To me thats amazing for a car that weighs over 1.5tons and not the most aerodynamic shape and roof rails also which according to the manual also uses more fuel.

Tax £170 a year. But cheap to buy and run...

rob7475

I've had a megane 1.5dci (08 plate) for the past 3 years. It's got 100,000 on the clock and still drives like new. It's easy to average 60mpg and costs £30 to tax.

Only problem I've had with it is the window regulator, which was repaired by renault out of warranty for about £100 (they do a 75% discount as it's a well known problem). You can ebay the parts and DIY much cheaper if you want though.

The 1.5dci is a good engine if it's looked after. Regular servicing and Castrol edge oil keep it running nicely. I reckon i'll easily get another 100,000 out of the car before trading it in. Not bad for a car that cost me 5,500 at 2.5 year old and has all the toys (cruise control, climate control, electric everything, panoramic roof etc)

OddballJamie

oliverr wrote: »

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the Octavia (and especially the estate version) offers a lot of space for the money and should be pretty reliable.

I would steer clear from anything french though as it could end up costing you a lot down the line. Have a look at the Octavia but also Golfs and Focuses. If its mainly town driving or a lesser mileage a petrol will be better, if you do more motorway miles then a diesel will make most sense.

Same goes for Focuses with the French (PSA) diesel engines in them. Best avoided.

Strider590

I'll say what I always say, go for a large rep-mobile type of car, like the Mondeo, Vectra, etc (but not BMW, Merc, Audi).
You won't get cheap tax, you won't get great MPG, but you'll pay so little for the car that it won't matter a damn.
One of these will set you back almost half the amount of the same year small/medium hatchback or MPV and because they're build for the fleet market, they're NOT designed to fall apart and keep you coming back to the dealerships for repairs.

Foxy-Stoat_3

+ 1 for the Octavia

Dont be put off by 100,000+ mile diesel as long as they have full history, cambelt and water pump changes are a must.

I sold mine MK1 at 160,000 miles and its still going strong at over 200,000 (sold it to a friend and I still sleep peacefully at night)

If you want to pay for the badge then Audi A4 is for you, cambelts/water pumps are cheaper and easier to change.

Mondeo's are another good shout.

fivetide

Curve ball for things like Toyota Avensis which is comfy, reliable and cheap to run.

Not a looker in any shape or form but does come in an estate version if you need load lugging capabilities.

jase1

I'm probably going to be shot down in flames for this, but the Mitsubishi Lancer is a great cheap family car. Very reliable (was recently judged the most reliable car of the last decade), can be bought for next to nothing and does everything quite well.

The styling is just about the only thing letting it down.

The 2004-2008 model will almost certainly be my next second car when the current Mitsubishi dies.

Solid, reliable, well-built, but overlooked cars that drive well, and because the technology is old (these cars were designed in the late 1990s for the US market and only came here when the Carisma production ended) the parts are reasonably-priced as well (and labour is low due to the lack of sophistication and complexity).