Possible Change of Car

pmartin86

Hi all

I'm considering changing my car for something a little more economical. I (think) I can get around £3,000 for my current car (will need to check properly first though) so that will be around the budget (can probably afford to throw in an extra thousand or so if absolutely needed).

I currently drive an 07 plate Ford Focus (climate) with a 1.8l petrol engine. I have a relatively small commute to work each day (12 miles each way) and probably do another 50-100 miles on the weekends for "leisure" travel. So, all in all, probably between 11 and 12 thousand miles a year.

Can anyone recommend cars to look at for this sort of price range? I'm hoping to get something that gets more than my current 32-24 MPG! I'm happy to go without "luxuries" but it HAS to be 5 door and preferably has a decent sized boot. Air con is also high on the list but not essential.

Thanks for reading
Paul

sh0597

Probably a hybrid of some sort.

forgotmyname

Get a 1.6 petrol focus? It will use slightly less fuel than the 1.8. But i dont think you dont do enough miles for a diesel.

£3000 is dealer money. I think your going to be offered £1500 - £2000 depending on condition and miles.

So with your car as trade in and an extra £1000 you maybe able to buy your own car. I think you should just drive as economically as you can and stick with it.

pmartin86

I based the £3000 figure ont he fact their going on auto-trader for about £3500-£4000, so I think getting 3 for it should be reasonable. It's in good nick and has full MOT/Service history etc and other than the odd sign of aging for a 7 year old car, cant really complain about the condition. Its also just under 50,000 miles on the clock, which for a 7 year old car I thought was pretty good.

How many miles would I need to do to get a Diesil? And even if not, surely there are more economical Petrol cars out there?

tykesi

But are they going for £3500-£4000? They might be advertised at that but if they're not actually selling it's a pointless comparison to make. As has been said, £3000 is dealer money so yo're being too optimistic in thinking you'll get this for it IMO.

I think the usual recommendation is 12000+ for a diesel to work out more economical. I drive a 1.4 petrol Civic and average between 35 & 40 mpg (real figures, not what the car tells me) throughout the year. Short journeys are never going to be economical, it's a fact of of car ownership unfortunately.

Foxy-Stoat_3

What does it cost you pence per mile for fuel in your current car?

I suspect that unless your car has an issue with over fueling or running badly, sticky brakes etc etc your not going to make any savings, unless your buying a much smaller, older or high mileage car.

I would check the brakes if they are sticking, change the fuel filter, MAF sensor, change thermostat and clean egr valve, change spark plugs etc and check the cat(s) for blockages.

As comparison my £1500 Audi A4 1.9tdi costs me around £0.14 per mile in diesel (£0.12 if I get the full 20p saving from a certain supermarket fuel save scheme).

Paperbird

For a diesel it's not the total mileage you do it's the type of driving needed to allow the DPF to regenerate fully, as most cars the age you will be looking at will be fitted with a DPF the type of driving you do means you should probably stick with a petrol engine.
I do a similar mileage to you in my diesel car with a DPF but I do at least one 40 mile motorway trip every week and the car has now done 90,000 miles with no DPF problems.

saveallmymoney

Your current car sounds fine to me, with that commute i think you'd need a hybrid to do any better.

If you fancy a change thats fine, but you'll struggle to beat your current running costs.

gingerdad

I'd stick with what you've got and save for a year or two, as you know your current car and for the money you've got you're not going to get anything much newer or better and you could be opening up all sorts of problems.

Hintza

Generally the cheapest car is the one you own.

From what you have said you are not going to get anything much younger so you are probably best sticking with what you have for couple more years and save some pennies for buying something a year or two old.

Mr_Toad

pmartin86 wrote: »

Hi all

Can anyone recommend cars to look at for this sort of price range? I'm hoping to get something that gets more than my current 32-24 MPG! I'm happy to go without "luxuries" but it HAS to be 5 door and preferably has a decent sized boot. Air con is also high on the list but not essential.

Thanks for reading
Paul

Is that right for 1.8 Focus?

When was the last time it was serviced?

My Jeep Wrangler 4 door does 35mpg on a motorway run and 28/29mpg round town!!