Opinions on these please

chelseablue

Just getting a plan in place for when my 2006 Nissan Note gives up

Hopefully have it a while yet but when it does die I want to be prepared instead of going out and panic buying

Currently like the look of the following:

Nissan Qashqai
Kia Sportage
Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Kona

I prefer the higher up driving position

Mainly drive around town and currently have an automatic so will be getting auto again

Obviously I'll be test driving them but thought I'd ask the experts on here for their opinion

Herzlos

They are all much bigger than a Note. If it's more the height you're after than an SUV/Crossover, then you may find something like a Seat Altera or Vauxhall Meriva might do the job a lot cheaper.



To be honest, you're probably best waiting until it's on the way out and then go sit in any local autos until you find one you like. The market could be completely different between now and then.

chelseablue

Thank you, not really considered a Seat, I'll take a look

I had a Vauxhall in the past and hated it

Of course my Note could go on for years yet (how long do cars usually last?)

AdrianC

They last as long as they're maintained properly. The newest car I own is 22yo, R-reg. It's covered 40k in the three and a bit years since we bought it.

Perhaps the single most important questions... Are you looking new or used? What budget? Annual mileage and type of use? What size of car do you want?

Most of those that have been named are a segment up in size from your current Note. The Meriva is the same size as the Note. If you're looking new, the Meriva has been replaced by the Crossland X. You clearly aren't against the concept of an SUV/Crossover, going by your list. It's the same car as the Citroen C3 Aircross.

The Seat Altea was replaced four years ago by the Ateca, which is very closely related to the VW Tiguan and Skoda Karoq, as well as a whole raft of other mid-size VW-group taller stuff... VW T-Cross, T-Roc, Golf SV, Skoda Kamiq, Seat Arona - they're all out of the same parts-bin, and on the same platform.

chelseablue

AdrianC wrote: »

They last as long as they're maintained properly. The newest car I own is 22yo, R-reg. It's covered 40k in the three and a bit years since we bought it.

Perhaps the single most important questions... Are you looking new or used? What budget? Annual mileage and type of use? What size of car do you want?

Most of those that have been named are a segment up in size from your current Note. The Meriva is the same size as the Note. If you're looking new, the Meriva has been replaced by the Crossland X. You clearly aren't against the concept of an SUV/Crossover, going by your list. It's the same car as the Citroen C3 Aircross.

The Seat Altea was replaced four years ago by the Ateca, which is very closely related to the VW Tiguan and Skoda Karoq, as well as a whole raft of other mid-size VW-group taller stuff... VW T-Cross, T-Roc, Golf SV, Skoda Kamiq, Seat Arona - they're all out of the same parts-bin, and on the same platform.

My Note has only done 58,000 so sounds like it could go another 10 years :rotfl:

I probably wouldn't buy brand new, was thinking of buying one at about 3 or 4 years old and keeping as long as possible (if that's the best way of car buying?)
I've had my Note 6 years so far, cant be doing with keep changing cars every few years

Budget would be up to £12k

I mainly drive round town, never more thank 8k a year (last 12 months I've only done 5,500)

jimbo6977

Vauxhall is now owned by PSA, which is owned in part a chinese automaker called Dong Feng.

Most Vauxhalls are rebadged Peugeots

eg in the segment you are looking at, the Vauxhall Crossland is a Peugeot 2008 underneath.

AdrianC

chelseablue wrote: »

My Note has only done 58,000 so sounds like it could go another 10 years :rotfl:

Low mileage is not always a good thing.

I probably wouldn't buy brand new, was thinking of buying one at about 3 or 4 years old and keeping as long as possible (if that's the best way of car buying?)

It depends entirely on what you want.
If you prioritise total cost of ownership over recent-plate-bling, then it may well be the cheapest, depending on your attitude to maintenance and when to sell. But newish cars now are a LOT more complex and electronically fragile than they were when your Note was new.

(...3-4yo...)
Budget would be up to £12k

I mainly drive round town, never more thank 8k a year (last 12 months I've only done 5,500)

Whatever you do, restrict your search to petrol. Do not consider a diesel.
That alone may tip you towards something new and financed, then possibly buying it out of the PCP by paying the balloon - simply because 3-4yrs ago, diesels outsold petrols hand-over-fist.

chelseablue

AdrianC wrote: »

Low mileage is not always a good thing.


It depends entirely on what you want.
If you prioritise total cost of ownership over recent-plate-bling, then it may well be the cheapest, depending on your attitude to maintenance and when to sell. But newish cars now are a LOT more complex and electronically fragile than they were when your Note was new.


Whatever you do, restrict your search to petrol. Do not consider a diesel.
That alone may tip you towards something new and financed, then possibly buying it out of the PCP by paying the balloon - simply because 3-4yrs ago, diesels outsold petrols hand-over-fist.

Yes definitely getting a petrol
I looked at PCP deals and the balloon payment seemed to be about £9,000 on the cars I looked at which seemed a bit steep

AdrianC

chelseablue wrote: »

I looked at PCP deals and the balloon payment seemed to be about £9,000 on the cars I looked at which seemed a bit steep

The balloon is simply what the car's estimated to be worth at the end of the PCP. So, in your case, a 3yo 25k car.

In effect, you're borrowing the whole purchase price, then repaying the depreciation over the term, plus the interest.

Yes, it'll work out more expensive than just buying that 3yo car now...

chelseablue

Thank you. You can tell I've never actually had to buy a car before

What I wanted to do was put 5 or 6k down as a deposit and take out a personal loan over 3 years for the rest

walwyn1978

With what you’re spending, ditch the Tucson from your list. It’s exactky the same as a Kia Sportage underneath but with different warranties - the Hyundai is unlimited mileage but 5 years, the Kia is 100k OR 7 years whichever comes first.

At your price point and assuming a second hand purchase you should get at least a couple of years warranty left on a Kia, far less or nothing at all on a Hyundai.