Help for a total car newbie please!

MoneySpendingLoser

We’re a family of four looking to buy our first car (second-hand). We’ve been fine without one till now – so basically any wheels would be an upgrade.

We just want something safe and reasonable that will be okay doing the occasional 200 mile motorway journey to visit family. Boring as you like!

We were thinking a Honda Jazz. But I heard this can struggle on the motorway. So we were instead thinking perhaps a Cmax or an Smax.

Our budget is about £6,000. For this we’ve seen a Jazz with 40,000 miles or an Smax with 90,000. Which would you pick … is 90,000 too many miles? If so we could keep saving if the repair bills might be too high. Or are there any other cars you’ve reckon would fit the bill?

Finally, I’ve heard a few people say ‘you have to get petrol’. Yet so many second-hand cars seem to be diesel. Will we pay that much extra if it’s diesel? Thank you - any thoughts are really appreciated

macman

What is your predicted annual mileage? Modern diesels with DPF's will give problems if not regularly given fast runs to allow the DPF to regenerate. 10k pa is the typical point at which diesels become more economic.
But I don't understand why you are comparing a Jazz with an S-Max? One is a supermini, the other is a large MPV-a far bigger vehicle. If you want a supermini, I'd also consider the Fabia and the Hyundai i10.
The Jazz has a reputation for being 'dull', but they are pretty much bullet proof for reliability, and there is plenty of room for 4 adults.
A lot of diesels are on the market now simply because the market for new diesels has collapsed, and older ones that will not comply with the imminent London ULEZ (pre Euro 6) are being offloaded, plus environmental concerns and Dieselgate...
90K is not necessarily bad. It all depends how the miles have been accumulated. A car which has been used only for short urban runs (brakes, gearbox, clutch wear etc) will be in a much worse condition than one used for daily motorway cruising with a much higher mileage.

MoneySpendingLoser

Thanks so much for your reply

So I'm happy with the size of the Jazz and boot space, but then I got a bit scared off because I heard it can't do over 60 on a motorway.

So then I heard Smax or Cmax were good too - we just want to have an ok boot for a suitcase and buggy and not to feel thrown around on the motorway. Maybe a Focus or something might be better?

Miles - because it's our very first car, we're not really sure how many add up. Probably just for a day trip every weekend and a few longer trips a year to visit rellies.

TadleyBaggie

MoneySpendingLoser wrote: »

So I'm happy with the size of the Jazz and boot space, but then I got a bit scared off because I heard it can't do over 60 on a motorway.

I had a Morris Minor with a knackered 803cc engine in the early 70's that struggled to get to 60, I suspect a modern Honda wouldn't have any problem reaching the speed limit.

I think you misunderstood, most Jazz drivers probably only drive at 60 on the motorway but that's not because of the car.

jrrowleyws

You can get quite a bit for 6k. The jazz will do 70 easily but doesn't have a lot of guts so if you put your foot down to overtake it won't give you instant speed!

Ford bmax is bigger than the jazz but a vaguely similar size (cmax is vastly bigger). If you want an mpv type vehicle you could also consider a Vauxhall Meriva.

For your mileage I'd suggest a petrol. If you don't regularly drive >10 miles at >50mph then you may get dpf problems.

Make sure you test drive all that you're interested in and if you're not in a hurry to buy then you have the advantage of shopping around and not being pressured into a purchase. Alao, take your pushchair with you and check how it fits in the boot 🙂

System

MoneySpendingLoser wrote: »

Thanks so much for your reply

So I'm happy with the size of the Jazz and boot space, but then I got a bit scared off because I heard it can't do over 60 on a motorway.

It can do over 60 on a motorway. When those Smart cars with 600cc engines first came out the first one I saw was in the outside lane of the M1 just north of the M25 up the backside of a Mercedes trying to shove it up the road.

We long since passed the time when cars would struggle to reach 70MPH.

jimbo6977

most efficient petrol car is allegedly suzuki celerio. if you really don't give a monkeys about brand and image I would suggest fiat tipo or a dacia.

macman

OP, you need to first decide what size and class of car you need. All we can deduce this far is that a petrol hatchback or supermini might be suitable.
Any Jazz will cruise at 70mph. But they don't do a turbo version, so compared to more modern engines like the TSI Fabia, they accelerate more slowly. I doubt this is an issue for you though.
Your mileage is still unclear-will you not use the car for local trips/shopping/work between fortnightly longer trips? A 'day trip' could be 30 miles or 300 miles, only you can tell us that.

mobileron

Check out skoda reviews on the Honest John website.
There one of the most reliable cars in the UK,if you want motorway driving dont get a city car.

Jeannine

We had a Dacia Logan for three years, diesel actually (over 60mpg, £0 tax), bought from new in 2014. Did 35,000 miles without any problems, and it had a huge amount of boot space. You could easily find one that’s several years old for less than £6000, petrol or diesel. And when we sold ours at four years old, it still had a year’s warranty...

Don’t rule our Dacia - there’s also the Sandero / Sandero Stepway / Duster. Have a look at some reviews - we thought the Logan was a great car; just wanted something a bit SMALLER!

andrewf75

No reason not to go for the Jazz based on people saying it "struggles on the motorway", as this is relative. Its clearly not the best motorway car, but of course it is fine for the occasional long motorway trip.