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Advise please - Need to buy car Max budget 12k

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  • Fords are excellent but I buy 3 year old cars and keep for several years and of all the cars I've owned (currently running 5) I've found VWs and Audi to be the best buys. There are well build, safe and go on forever. The Ford diesels run a PSA unit (it's not a Ford engine, whatever you might hear) which are good engines until they are a few years old and then tend to cause lots of expensive problems. The Vauxhalls run a Fiat diesel, again a good engine but not when they get older. The VW engines go on and on whether the mileage or age and the particulate filters are cheap to replace although I've not needed to replace one yet - not even on a 8yr old low mileage golf.
  • Thanks all, good advice and some food for thought.


    I have been lucky as I have driven company cars for nigh on 30 years. So have missed the transition from being able to understand and recognise engine parts to flipping the bonnet and struggling to find where you put the oil.


    The suggestion re the auction houses for the car is quite intriguing. I have just spent a couple of hours looking at a couple of the Scottish ones. I am not entirely comfortable but one of my pals sons is a mechanic so hopefully he would come along and advise.


    He also suggests that a look at VW Passat according to him the engine is superb, car is safe and reliable and overall a good deal. He also states that the Skoda Yeti is hard to beat. Guess Im a bit in the past as I always link Skoda to cheap and unreliable.


    Think I have decided to definitely go petro, maybe not spend as much as I was going to, might cut the budget back to 6k - 8k although am relaxed if I have to go 10 -12k.


    The suggestion re snow tyres is a good one as is the snow chains. I have seen them in Lidl before and will now keep my eyes peeled.


    Think Mondeo is winning over Focus.
    Research Insignia, Passat and Yeti
    Nissan Quashai also seems to get good reviews.


    Still hoping to buy something to last 9yrs covering 100k miles.


    Thanks guys for all your responses, really appreciate it as you can gather not really a car guy.....cheers
    Nissan Quashai also seems to get good reviews
  • force_ten
    force_ten Posts: 1,931 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If I was looking for a car that was going to last me for the next ten years then i would be looking to go as new as possible with as low miles as possible, if you can spend the full 12 K then you should get a very nice fresh low miles motor that should last you many years

    www.motorscoalville.co.uk/used-cars/1163/ford-mondeo/

    that is an example of what i was talking about, it will have 18 months left on the manufactures warranty so loads of time to sort out any problems that you may encounter, being the 1.6L turbo eco boost with stop start it is not going to set the world on fire performance wise but it will be adequate and will do the job and return reasonable MPG

    good luck and happy motoring what ever you decide to buy
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    force_ten wrote: »

    the best way to do it is to buy a spare set of alloys and fit them with good quality mud and snow tyres, this will seem expensive to start with but as you will have the winters on for up to six months a year it will reduce your summer tyre bill

    This, but I get my tyres on steel wheels so I don't need to worry about the state they'll get into with salt and general conditions during the winter. I've done 45000 miles in my Fiesta over the last 2.5 years and I'm still on the original sets of both summer and winter tyres (despite the efforts of Macrae and !!!!!! to tell me that the summers had less than 1mm tread depth when it was visually obvious that the tread were well above the tread depth markers:mad:).
  • guilo67
    guilo67 Posts: 17 Forumite
    Thanks Forceten.....good site
  • getmore4less
    getmore4less Posts: 46,882 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper I've helped Parliament
    For that money with change

    Octavia 1.8 petrol DSG in L&K spec

    buy a set of winter wheel/tyres
  • Get a used e46 BMW M3, you can get it for around £12k good condition low mileage. Very comfortable for long trips and good on fuel considering its moderate power output.

    Either this or 2013 Honda Civic 1.8 VTEC. I would only get either German or Japanese. Forget the Fords and Vauxhalls, they are rubbish
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Apart from the very high running costs of an M3, you _are_ aware that both European Fords and Opels are German, yes?
  • AdrianC wrote: »
    Apart from the very high running costs of an M3, you _are_ aware that both European Fords and Opels are German, yes?

    Yes but when I mean a German car, I mean the traditional VW, BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

    I disagree that a M3 has high running costs. The OP only does 4k miles/year. Petrol costs in a E46 M3 which does around 25-35mpg would only be £200/year more than a typical Ford or Toyota that gives 40 mpg on average. £200 fuel costs for a car that is vastly superior in pretty much every way is worth it.

    Once thing to note is insurance. If the OP has a clean record and above 25 years of age with 1 year NCB then it will be fine.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yes but when I mean a German car, I mean the traditional VW, BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

    Riiiight.
    I disagree that a M3 has high running costs. The OP only does 4k miles/year. Petrol costs in a E46 M3 which does around 25-35mpg would only be £200/year more than a typical Ford or Toyota that gives 40 mpg on average. £200 fuel costs for a car that is vastly superior in pretty much every way is worth it.

    Have you seen the price of other parts? Consumables such as brakes are _considerably_ more expensive for an M than for a normal E46.
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