which would you buy?....and why?

sikas

so im looking into buying a new car, pretty sure what i want is a 4-door diesel saloon, as were a family of 4, we already have a small economical honda jazz for running to the shops n that, but i need a car for occasional business trips and for when we go visit family at the opposite end of the country

my 3 options are

05 honda accord 2.2cdti 75k miles £4k

07 lexus IS 220D SE 105k miles £5.5k

07 mazda6 2.0TD 85k miles £3.5k

so which would you choose?

ultimately i want to be somewhat frugal with my budget but want something uber-reliable, economical and that will b comfortable on long trips

if ud like to suggest a 4th option id like to hear

Hintza

They are all starting to get a bit long in the tooth and to a certain extent will be pot luck. I would be tempted with the youngest (all things being equal but they never are).

Do your research in to reliability, running costs etc and and then weigh that up against personal preference.

Check service history and which has had cam belts done or are due.

wongataa

For occasional longer trips it may be cheaper just hiring a larger car for the trips in question than buying another car and having to pay for insurance & maintenance.

Nodding_Donkey

I'd probably go for the Honda. I've had Honda cars and bikes in the past and for reliability they have no equal in my experience. After a very unsatisfactory run in with Mazda (not a Mazda 6) I would steer well clear* and the mileage would put me off the Lexus.

* rotary engined Mazdas are exempt from this remark but I'd still want assurances that Mazda's untrained monkeys (sorry I mean 'trained technicians') hadn't had their hands on it.

LandyAndy

sikas wrote: »

so im looking into buying a new car, pretty sure what i want is a 4-door diesel saloon, as were a family of 4, we already have a small economical honda jazz for running to the shops n that, but i need a car for occasional business trips and for when we go visit family at the opposite end of the country

I think, at your budget and intended usage, you might do well to reconsider petrol.


You'd probably get this for under £5.5k


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403092374446/sort/default/usedcars/fuel-type/petrol/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/radius/1501/model/mazda6/price-to/6000/make/mazda/postcode/sp61ej/page/6/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/price-from/4000?logcode=p


a couple of years younger and half the miles of your choices.

System

My order of preference would be:

Honda Accord

Lexus IS

I would not even consider the Mazda 6

TBH I would go for a petrol Accord or IS over the diesel ones if I had it for occasional use only.

sikas

why would u recommend a petrol? dont almost all taxi companies and car rental companies use diesel cars as they're more reliable, more economical (more mpg and cheaper roadtax) and last longer? (is this naive thinking)

System

Because diesels have inherent issues in them that can be costly to remedy. For high mileage users this is not an issue as the fuel saving more than covers any extra costs.

sikas

ah ok, i was unaware diesels had such a bad reputation, ty

LandyAndy

Walcott wrote: »

My order of preference would be:

Honda Accord

Lexus IS

I would not even consider the Mazda 6

TBH I would go for a petrol Accord or IS over the diesel ones if I had it for occasional use only.

I wouldn't consider the first generation Mazda6 diesel like the OP is considering. However the second generation 2.2litre ones are a different matter. Mine, bought new in Sept 2009, has now done 81,000 miles and not missed a beat.

andygb

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

I'd probably go for the Honda. I've had Honda cars and bikes in the past and for reliability they have no equal in my experience. After a very unsatisfactory run in with Mazda (not a Mazda 6) I would steer well clear* and the mileage would put me off the Lexus.

* rotary engined Mazdas are exempt from this remark but I'd still want assurances that Mazda's untrained monkeys (sorry I mean 'trained technicians') hadn't had their hands on it.

I wouldn't touch a Mazda with a bargepole after a bad experience with an "under warranty" 58 model.
Look up rust, paintwork and engine problems for that era.:(