Can anyone suggest a good 2nd hand car for my situation?

bflare

I am in a bit of a predicament. My car is on it's last legs & I can see an heavy bill coming along. I have had it 4 years so its lasted me but it's time for a change. I need a car as I pick my son up from his mum's then take him to school each morning then commute 40 miles to work each day. I also pick him up during the week to come to mine for a few hours so I need a good reliable car. I am moving house in 3 weeks so I would rather get something soon before my car packs in. I will have to get a loan & the rates are around 2.9%. I am a bit out of touch when it comes to cars & whether diesels are better than petrol or not? My current car is diesel & the DPF packed in which cost me a lot of money but other than that I have enjoyed having a diesel.


Can anyone suggest a good reliable 2nd hand car make / model. My budget is around 6.5k. That's without trading mine in or selling it as I am not sure what mine is worth in its poor condition.

Stoke

Hope you don't mind my tone but your post kind of makes no sense to me, unless I've read it wrong.

You say your car is on it's last legs (define the motoring equivalent of last legs please?), so you need a new one, but then say you have a budget of 6.5 grand? I mean your old car must be absolutely !!!!!!!!ed right? What kind of heavy bill are you looking at? New engine? New chassis?

What car do you own currently? It sounds like you're spending money for the sake of it rather than actually evaluating your options from an even handed perspective.

bflare

Stoke wrote: »

Hope you don't mind my tone but your post kind of makes no sense to me, unless I've read it wrong.

You say your car is on it's last legs (define the motoring equivalent of last legs please?), so you need a new one, but then say you have a budget of 6.5 grand? I mean your old car must be absolutely !!!!!!!!ed right? What kind of heavy bill are you looking at? New engine? New chassis?

What car do you own currently? It sounds like you're spending money for the sake of it rather than actually evaluating your options from an even handed perspective.

It is leaking water & it appears that the head gasket is on it's way out. Both suspension coils need replacing & the ABS unit has gone. To get all this fixed would be uneconomical wouldn't you agree? It is a 2007 Seat Leon FR. I am not looking for a new car I would be looking for something 2nd hand with a budget of 6.5k from a loan.


I welcome any possible options as I do tend to get carried away without thinking things through properly.

bigisi

bflare wrote: »

It is leaking water & it appears that the head gasket is on it's way out. Both suspension coils need replacing & the ABS unit has gone. To get all this fixed would be uneconomical wouldn't you agree? absolutely not, no. It is a 2007 Seat Leon FR. I am not looking for a new car I would be looking for something 2nd hand with a budget of 6.5k from a loan.


I welcome any possible options as I do tend to get carried away without thinking things through properly.

So you're looking to spend £6.5k to avoid paying a few hundred in repairs. As above, makes no sense.

£6.5k second hand cars break down as well.

If you want a new car that's fine but nothing you've said suggests you need one, no point trying to make us believe you're doing this to save money because it's actually the complete opposite.

There's no way a 2007 car is 'on it's last legs' unless you've seriously neglected it over the four years you've had it.

foxy-stoat

My money used to be spent on any manual car with a 1.9 tdi VAG engine in - until I bought a Civic 2.2cdti which I felt was a more reliable engine, although the 1.6 cdti will be better for economy.

My current daily is an Alfa Romeo Giulietta 2.0 diesel - so far so good.

People will say Focus, Mondeo, Octavia, Fabia as well.

£6K will get you what you need but spending £1000 or so on your current car will be cheaper for you.

bflare

bigisi wrote: »

So you're looking to spend £6.5k to avoid paying a few hundred in repairs. As above, makes no sense.

£6.5k second hand cars break down as well.

If you want a new car that's fine but nothing you've said suggests you need one, no point trying to make us believe you're doing this to save money because it's actually the complete opposite.

There's no way a 2007 car is 'on it's last legs' unless you've seriously neglected it over the four years you've had it.

Thank you. You do have a valid point & like I said above I do tend to jump the gun & panic before I consider all other options. So do you think it would be best if I just had it checked over first then possibly have it repaired? What happens if it is the head gasket? Surely at some point the car will become uneconomical to repair? Like I said I am open to all suggestions especially if its in my financial interest.

bigisi

bflare wrote: »

Thank you. You do have a valid point & like I said above I do tend to jump the gun & panic before I consider all other options. So do you think it would be best if I just had it checked over first then possibly have it repaired? What happens if it is the head gasket? Surely at some point the car will become uneconomical to repair? Like I said I am open to all suggestions especially if its in my financial interest.

Get it into a trusted local garage for a good check-over, a few hundred quid to sort the issues you've mentioned it [might] have. Once it's sorted, service it regularly and look after it and it'll go on for a long long time before it's ready to scrap.

bflare

bigisi wrote: »

Get it into a trusted local garage for a good check-over, a few hundred quid to sort the issues you've mentioned it [might] have. Once it's sorted, service it regularly and look after it and it'll go on for a long long time before it's ready to scrap.

I have it serviced every year & I have already spent 1k on it for a new cam belt & dual mass flywheel so spending any more on it will be way above more than it is worth. But do you still think it's better to spend the money on it to repair the leak even if it is the head gasket that could cost over £500.

littlerock

there does come a time when a car develops so many small things wrong with it, and the occasional large one, that it becomes stressful to use and you think about replacing it with something more reliable. This happened with mine. I got a small second hand, low mileage Skoda Fabia automatic as a run around and have been very pleased with it.

bigisi

bflare wrote: »

I have it serviced every year & I have already spent 1k on it for a new cam belt & dual mass flywheel so spending any more on it will be way above more than it is worth. But do you still think it's better to spend the money on it to repair the leak even if it is the head gasket that could cost over £500.

How many miles has the car done?

New cam belt and DMF are standard wear and tear costs, new HG will probably see the car to the end of it's life. Do you really see it as a problem to spend more than a car is worth if it gives you a few more years motoring?

My other half drives a 2002 Micra. Worth £200 at absolute best, looks a state but is good mechanically. It has cost between £0 and £250 per year for in maintenance over and above a service for the last five years, and I can't imagine that will change over the next five. So she can keep this and spend peanuts keeping it going or spend £5-7k on one of the Suzuki Swifts she's been looking at which could very very easily cost the same per year to keep going, but she's £5-7k in debt for it.

bflare

bigisi wrote: »

How many miles has the car done?

New cam belt and DMF are standard wear and tear costs, new HG will probably see the car to the end of it's life. Do you really see it as a problem to spend more than a car is worth if it gives you a few more years motoring?

My other half drives a 2002 Micra. Worth £200 at absolute best, looks a state but is good mechanically. It has cost between £0 and £250 per year for in maintenance over and above a service for the last five years, and I can't imagine that will change over the next five. So she can keep this and spend peanuts keeping it going or spend £5-7k on the Suzuki Swifts she's been looking at which could very very easily cost the same per year to keep going, but she's £5-7k in debt for it.

It's done 150k miles & I can see your reasoning & that's why I spent the 1k on the cam belt & DMF. I also just fitted new discs, pads & a ball joint myself. I know that it needs at least 2 coil springs for the front & the ABS unit has gone. I just don't want to keep spending money on it & it becoming unreliable when I need the car for my son & work.