I just want a comfortable car

utopia_11

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

The jag suggested above is a good shout. I like leftfield choices, so my vote is a citroen c6, with plenty of change left over to give to your mechanic. £12k might just get you in to 2008 Lexus LS 600h territory. Mmmm. Don't worry if its done 135000 miles, its like 35000 in a jag or beemer.

Quick search on Autotrader reveals that a Lexus LS600H starts from around £15-16k. Maintenance and repairs are likely to be expensive on that car. I still think that a good condition 2009-2010 Lexus IS250 auto is a good bet for the OP and his budget

RS2000.

utopia_11 wrote: »

Quick search on Autotrader reveals that a Lexus LS600H starts from around £15-16k. Maintenance and repairs are likely to be expensive on that car. I still think that a good condition 2009-2010 Lexus IS250 auto is a good bet for the OP and his budget

Have you any idea of maintenance costs on the IS?

utopia_11

No, but according to the JD Power survey and the Driver Power Survey, Lexus are usually amongst the top for reliability. Merc and BMW are average and in some cases below average.


Lexus IS250 should be as reliable if not more than the C class and definitely cheaper to maintain than the LS600H.

colino

OP, I've said it before and I'll say it again. A lot of complaints are generated by people concerning their second largest household purchase because they didn't do their research beforehand and met an order taker (not a salesman) who gave them what they asked for.
Comfy, petrol, auto, 70% profile tyres or more with £12k to spend is a dream for an unscrupulous seller to get rid of an unwanted milestone.
What do you really need and want from your car? No point getting a comfy Jag if you take Aunt Hilda to church every week down a farm track. Bit limiting too if you go camping every year in the south of France with friends and family and need a massive caravan to be towed and you settle for a baby Mercedes.
Doing a bit of homework and reality check now can see you contently riding around in your ideal car for years, not moaning about the occasional squeak because you realise later its the wrong car.

babs98

We are over 65 and hardly ever have anyone in the back seats. Our annual mileage is less than 15000 and most of it is short journeys along narrow, bumpy, poorly surfaced country roads. Occasionally we do a 500 mile round trip on motorways and A roads.

I don't tow or carry large loads. The best (most suitable) car I owned was a Vauxhall Astra automatic 1.6. I would buy a current Astra but many owners say the automatic gearbox is poor.