Please help me buy a new car :/ Soooo confused!

Jess8989

Hey everyone,

Long time lurker on the forums here, but really need some help Any chance of some advice?

For the last 7 years (omg time flies!) I've been driving an old 2001 ford focus and it's finally starting to give up the ghost. The guy who's helped me with the car over the years, has told me that he doesn't think it'd be economical to keep going past June-ish when the next MOT is due.

So here's my problem... I haven't bought a car for so long... and I don't really know what I'm looking for or how to get a good deal

It's going to go straight on 0% whether it's a private sale or from a dealer - and I think i can safely spend £4,000, but could stretch to £6,000, or maybe even £8,000 for something if you guys thought it was the right thing to do?

I don't really 'do' cars, so all I can say in terms of preference is that I quite like VWs (but they seem SOOOO expensive) and Audis (eeek again), and I've loved my Ford focus. But I'm a little less keen on Renaults and Peugeots and Mazdas. Parking sensors would be handy

I'm happy to travel if that helps me get a better deal.

Have you guys got any advice you can arm me with? Or little hints on getting the right car and not getting ripped off? Better yet, are there any car enthusiasts out there who can tell me what I should look for? Or even listings for cars that you think could be a good shout?

Thanks in advance,

Jess x

PS Sorry for lurking so long!

MX5huggy

Keep it simple, the Ford Focus is a good starting point why not get another one? If not the Focus then is it too small, too big, too slow, too fast, too common, etc. How far do you drive? Over 14k then diesel should be considered.

Londoner_1

2007 + Focus 1.6L all the way ghia plus spec.

forgotmyname

Just remember the more you spend the more it can depreciate.

I bought a ar in 2009 for just over £2000 sold it recently for £800. It averaged nearly 30,000 miles a year before i bought it, But with my lower usage the average dropped to under 20,000 miles a year. Still high but the service history spoke for itself.

How many cars get a 6 monthly oil change and a full yearly service even on the years where i covered under 6000 miles.

0% on a private or dealer sale? A dealer may charge 3 or 4% if paying with a card.

Tiddlywinks

You are going to get a whole list of cars here - all based on the posters' own preferences.

Those suggestions aren't necessarily relevant to you.

So, back to basics....

What do you need the car to do for you? Commuting, school runs, carrying equioment or whatever?

What's your annual mileage?

What are your 'must haves' and 'like to haves'?

keith1950

You say you are not that keen on Mazdas......the Mazda 3 is basically a Ford Focus so I would advise researching various cars and double check who makes them.

richy999

If you have a car supermarket near you, I would pay them a visit to narrow down your choice of car. They are a great place to compare cars back to back without little or no pressure from sales people as the are either already unlocked or you just have to ask for the key.

I've previously read/watched car reviews to choose the 'best' model but when I actually sat in the car, poked and prodded and decided that the hype does not match the reality.

If it's a new model car that you are after, you might consider renting one for a weekend to see if you can live with it. The big rental companies can often get hold of a specific make/model for you if you give them enough notice. This is definitely what I would do if going for a new(ish) car.

harveybobbles

Put your current Focus in for MOT and decide.

I'd be tempted to keep it - is it really going to cost you minimun of £4000 to keep it going, as thats the lowest you're wanting to spend on a new one..

You could spend £4000 on new car and it's an utter pig and costs a fortune to fix. (which is why i'm driving around in a 14 yr old car with 207,000 miles on that refuses to die..)

0% with private sale? Not sure how that would work? And a dealer will generally charge you 3% to pay on credit card..