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Worth buying a new car?
patronniall
Posts: 48 Forumite
in Motoring
Hello, looking for some advice on whether it is worth me splashing out on a newer used car. I currently drive a 54' plate Alfa Romeo 156 which I have owned since 2006. The car has been reliable but its expensive to service/maintain and its quite thirsty. I only get high teens to mid 20s at best mpg. The waterpump and cambelt are now due and I'm starting to wonder if I should upgrade to a car that's more economical with a budget of £4-5k. I still want a fairly powerful car that drives like an "Alfa" so to speak which I'm beginning to realise might be difficult with my budget.
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You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose.0
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patronniall wrote: »Hello, looking for some advice on whether it is worth me splashing out on a newer used car. I currently drive a 54' plate Alfa Romeo 156 which I have owned since 2006. The car has been reliable but its expensive to service/maintain and its quite thirsty. I only get high teens to mid 20s at best mpg. The waterpump and cambelt are now due and I'm starting to wonder if I should upgrade to a car that's more economical with a budget of £4-5k. I still want a fairly powerful car that drives like an "Alfa" so to speak which I'm beginning to realise might be difficult with my budget.
Theres no guarantee spending £5K is going to get you anything better - and you'll also have to factor in depreciation.
I've been looking at a similar price point for "something interesting" to replace my 2001 MG ZT v6 and whilst £5K is a sizeable amount of money, you're still buying something thats going to get around 10 years old and / or heading towards 100K miles on the clock, with associated maintenance costs.
Very demoralising really.0 -
Get one of the souped up Fords, like a focus or fiesta. They go quite well, are reliable, and don't cost the Earth to service & maintain.I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science
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I assume your current car is a petrol? Even so your fuel consumption is high.You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose.0
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Theres no guarantee spending £5K is going to get you anything better - and you'll also have to factor in depreciation.
I've been looking at a similar price point for "something interesting" to replace my 2001 MG ZT v6 and whilst £5K is a sizeable amount of money, you're still buying something thats going to get around 10 years old and / or heading towards 100K miles on the clock, with associated maintenance costs.
Very demoralising really.
Couldn't agree more. I sometimes fancy something different at that sort of price range but the choice can be pretty depressing.You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose.0 -
Rain_Shadow wrote: »How about something like this?
I've always liked the 159s but worried about the newer JTS reliability with them being direct injection and what have you.
Fords have never really excited me so thanks anyway.Get one of the souped up Fords, like a focus or fiesta. They go quite well, are reliable, and don't cost the Earth to service & maintain.
Yes I have the 2.0 petrol twin spark which besides routine maintenance has been bullet proof. From what I've read on the Alfa forums my mpg is pretty normal.Rain_Shadow wrote: »I assume your current car is a petrol? Even so your fuel consumption is high.0 -
If you like your Alfa just put a cambelt on it and keep it.
Even Clarkson found it difficult to keep praising up a modern Alfa on the new top gear last week.I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)0 -
Yes I do like my 156 just concerned about running costs. For my budget I can't seem to afford a newer Alfa in good nick, except maybe a Mito which I've test driven and absolutely hate, it drives nothing like how an Alfa is suppose to. Been lingering on the thought of buying a BMW 1 series from 2007 onwards which should be in my budget. Should provide better fuel economy and are chain driven so no cambelt worries.If you like your Alfa just put a cambelt on it and keep it.
Even Clarkson found it difficult to keep praising up a modern Alfa on the new top gear last week.0 -
patronniall wrote: »[...] BMW 1 series [...] are chain driven so no cambelt worries.
That's all fine, but though there is no cambelt, see the many and very expensive chain related issues with the N47 engine.
Don't really know about the petrol engines though, so they might be a better bet.0 -
From what I have read these issues seem to be attributed to the diesel engine which I have no intention to buy. Not particularly a beemer fan but from the ones I've trued, they do give me the same driving pleasure as Alfa's, shame about their imageThat's all fine, but though there is no cambelt, see the many and very expensive chain related issues with the N47 engine.
Don't really know about the petrol engines though, so they might be a better bet.0
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