suggestions for a new car

almillar

If you need ground clearance, remove the Audi A1 and VW Up! from your list. Add the Nissan Juke, and Daihatsu Terios, Subaru Forester (watch out for fuel costs!) and Toyota RAV4.
Your shortlist of 5 cars included 5 different types of car.
1.5 renault captur - small soft roader
volvo v40 - currently have a diesel one of these - small hatchback (estate?)
Audi a1 1.2 - supermini
volkwagon up 1 litre - city car
nissan qashqui - soft roader

Can you maybe round it down to a type of car?

dannyrst

a pothole isn't a reason to worry about ground clearance unless you are buying something very sporty. A normal city car can handle a dirt track with potholes.

Samsonite1

dannyrst wrote: »

a pothole isn't a reason to worry about ground clearance unless you are buying something very sporty. A normal city car can handle a dirt track with potholes.

I think the other factors such as bumpy adopted roads, country roads and difficult weather conditions are being considered here. I live in London and city cars hit their front bumper on the road every time they go over the giant speed bumps, so ground-clearance is an often - overlooked factor.

Tobster86

I know or have known a few people with 'proper' Nissan 4x4s (Xtrails & Navaras) and have only heard good things about them, so will vouch for them since they've been mentioned. I'd suggest avoiding the 'non-proper' ones though (Squashblob & Joke).

dannyrst

Samsonite1 wrote: »

I think the other factors such as bumpy adopted roads, country roads and difficult weather conditions are being considered here. I live in London and city cars hit their front bumper on the road every time they go over the giant speed bumps, so ground-clearance is an often - overlooked factor.

I was working off the assumption the OP lives near main roads (given that they specified a 70mph a road) and it was just 1 bumpy road.

Difficult weather conditions such as snow and ice? A decent set of tyres and a half decent driver can cope with that in any car. It's like the people who have 1 child and go out and buy a people carrier...

Skinto_7

Are you buying or leasing? what is your budget?

Are you looking for new?nearly new? happy to go older?

Samsonite1

dannyrst wrote: »

I was working off the assumption the OP lives near main roads (given that they specified a 70mph a road) and it was just 1 bumpy road.

Difficult weather conditions such as snow and ice? A decent set of tyres and a half decent driver can cope with that in any car. It's like the people who have 1 child and go out and buy a people carrier...

That is true to a certain extent, but why make things harder? Yes, you can use skill and change tyres, but that does not mean that another car will not make life easier. You may be confident driving in snow and ice in any car, but that does not mean that everyone else is.

Having got one child myself, I used to think like you, but I have some sympathy (within reason). I had a Nissan Micra, fantastic car, but when we bought the car seat, buggy and travel cot, we could not actually fit all 3 in the car, in fact the buggy would only fit in the back seat if it poked the baby in the face. So we took all the baby equipment and tested out the boots of various cars!

A small car always has some compromises, although I would have one again if it was suitable. I think people work out which cars work and do not work for them.

ali-t

almillar wrote: »

If you need ground clearance, remove the Audi A1 and VW Up! from your list. Add the Nissan Juke, and Daihatsu Terios, Subaru Forester (watch out for fuel costs!) and Toyota RAV4.
Your shortlist of 5 cars included 5 different types of car.
1.5 renault captur - small soft roader like this as it is a good size despite being a clio on stilts
volvo v40 - currently have a diesel one of these - small hatchback (estate?) love this car but would get it in petrol but not so keen on the low driving position
Audi a1 1.2 - supermini seems quite sturdy for a smaller car and lots of good reviews
volkwagon up 1 litre - city car a bit concerned about the small engine but have sat in one and like the higher driving position. Salesman told me that due to the weight and build of it, it performs like an older 1.2 sized engine
nissan qashqui - soft roader seems to fit my needs and gets good reviews but not a favourite, would feel like a compromise

Can you maybe round it down to a type of car?

each of them is appealing in their own way which is why they are on the short list.

ali-t

Skinto_7 wrote: »

Are you buying or leasing? what is your budget?

Are you looking for new?nearly new? happy to go older?

It will depend on the car. If I could get something a bit older but still less than 5 years old I would be looking to buy but if it goes to the top of my budget (around £17K) it would be a lease/pcp deal. It will also depend where the best deals are as some of the new cars I have seen only have deposit contribution and free insurance if finance is taken so would have to work out the most cost effective method for me.


Samsonite1 you have summed it up well. that is my situation and I am not a confident driver in the dark/rain/snow etc so feeling safe is very important.

Samsonite1

ali-t wrote: »

It will depend on the car. If I could get something a bit older but still less than 5 years old I would be looking to buy but if it goes to the top of my budget (around £17K) it would be a lease/pcp deal. It will also depend where the best deals are as some of the new cars I have seen only have deposit contribution and free insurance if finance is taken so would have to work out the most cost effective method for me.


Samsonite1 you have summed it up well. that is my situation and I am not a confident driver in the dark/rain/snow etc so feeling safe is very important.

Ok, well I think your budget would get you a decent and recent car. One thing to note is that 4WD vehicles are generally more common in diesel than petrol. My searches found about a 50-1 ratio!

A quick look at under £15k could get you (I always like to start lower):

2-3 year old Ford Kuga 4WD (diesel)

3 year old Nissan Qashqui 4WD (diesel)

2 year old Skoda Yeti 4WD (diesel)

Or even a 5 year old Land Rover Freelander for something different!

These were mostly around 20k miles on the clock.

For smaller cars you can buy new with your budget, although I much prefer used cars to new ones providing they are in good condition. Too much depreciation on a brand new car.

If I get a car that is over 3 years old (or outside of warranty), I haggle the price down by getting an extended 3 year warranty (e.g. £599 with Ford) - they seem quite happy to knock the price down if you get the warranty because I assume that the salesman gets a much bigger commission on selling warranties than the used car sales.