Most economical car to run and possible finance options?

silverwhistle

I'd also second having a look at the Hyundai i20: I've a 4 year old one bought s/h last year and in January it took me to Italy and back (one day there and an overnighter on the way back). With snow tyres on it felt very secure in the snow too. Driving steadily I've done 50mpg (petrol), and I believe the newer models are more efficient.

suestipestalker

silverwhistle wrote: »

I'd also second having a look at the Hyundai i20: I've a 4 year old one bought s/h last year and in January it took me to Italy and back (one day there and an overnighter on the way back). With snow tyres on it felt very secure in the snow too. Driving steadily I've done 50mpg (petrol), and I believe the newer models are more efficient.

Thanks! Hadn't really though of a Hyundai but it's looking like a good deal on the PCP thing too. Think I'll me a test drive :-)

disco.stu

suestipestalker wrote: »

Thanks so much on the PCP, I'd already searched and none of the other sites were anywhere near as helpful.

Hi, glad you liked my article

A PCP is aimed at buyers who are likely to keep the car for the finance period, and then return it or part-exchange it. Although you do have the option to settle the finance and keep the car, this is not normally the most viable option. You can't normally take a PCP over more than 4 years.

Having said that, if you take a PCP over 4 years and you are doing 25,000 miles/year, the car will have depreciated down to a very low figure anyway, so the settlement figure should be relatively low.

disco.stu

suestipestalker wrote: »

Someone else has just mentioned the noise issue too! That's why these forums are very useful. I'll move away from the soft top idea.....

The DS3 Cabrio would probably be fine in terms of noise and leakiness. Modern convertibles are much better than they used to be - I have been driving convertibles for the last decade or so, and they are usually tight as a drum (occasional exceptions apply, but it's not usually a systemic problem). Personally I prefer soft-top convertibles to the recent fad of folding hard-top convertibles, but that's a long story for another day...

If you are going to actually put the roof down on a regular basis, then a convertible is a great choice. If you are only going to use it on a few occasions, then you are spending a lot more money for a feature that you are not getting value from. Also bear in mind that a DS3 Cabrio will have less boot space than the regular DS3 hatch.

suestipestalker

Thanks! Nice to hear a more positive angle on the convertible. To be honest, commuting to Clydebank I'm thinking I probably wouldn't get much use from a convertible though. Think I'll need to save that purchase fir a later time...

kkgree1

My husband does similar mileage to you (25k). He bought a Ford Fiesta 1.5 Diesel which does around 55mpg realistically for a commute on mainly A roads.

It's just coming up for a year old and has been a really good car. Services are under £200 each and most of the newer Diesel cars have £0 tax. Fairly cheap to insure.

I would recommend you test drive a few and see which you find the most comfortable.

suestipestalker

Well, not being the compulsive type I've only just committed to the new car! Having spent quite a bit of time test driving and researching I've finally plumped for one. Oddly enough the Ford dealership I went to was strangely unwilling to let me test drive without several days notice so I never did. Anyway, I've gone for a 6 month old Clio Dynamique S diesel for 12900, seems a good price and promises iro 70mpg. Fingers crossed it does! Thanks for all the helpful comments :-)

worried_jim

64.1 Real MPG Average (82% of official MPG)

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/renault/clio-iv-2013/15-dci-90ps

Pretty good and close to the manufacturers claim.

knightstyle

Decent car for you. What did you do about finance, we decided to get a Virgin credit card with 29 months interest free for 3% fee. Should manage to pay it off in that time.

getmore4less

Look at total cost of ownership not just the running costs.

£400 to keep a car on the road for a year is cheap.

Look at depreciation of cars with 100k at 4 years old against a 2year second hand 20k with 120k at 6 years

With that sort of mileage I would go up in size/comfort, plenty still in the 50-60mpg range

Go second hand as the mileage will kill the value over 4 years so let the new brigade take some of the hit.

Also look at things like tyres, you will get through a set a year and the difference in price for 15",16",17" can be significant.
You will be getting at least one service a year so look at those costs.

Over 4 years 80-100k, you could be looking at significant differences in total cost of ownership between vehicles beyond the fuel costs.

Get the right vehicle and it will be good for 6-8 years which is where the real savings happen.

There are some good buys in the VAG stable, Skoda, Seats

For high miles and longevity look at what the taxi drivers use.