Lease a car or buy second hand again? Budget £1500-£2000

[Deleted User]

So about £3000 over 4 years is not so bad really. If you could find a used car supermarket open then I would be looking to buy the smallest economical car that your family can fit in, say a small 5 seater like a corsa or 208, Clio etc with a small 3 cylinder engine so no road tax. You could get a 3 year old low mileage one for 2k down and £100 a month might well be worth considering. These so called small cars are surprisingly roomy inside and great to drive. 

CupofTea

Deleted_User said:

So about £3000 over 4 years is not so bad really. If you could find a used car supermarket open then I would be looking to buy the smallest economical car that your family can fit in, say a small 5 seater like a corsa or 208, Clio etc with a small 3 cylinder engine so no road tax. You could get a 3 year old low mileage one for 2k down and £100 a month might well be worth considering. These so called small cars are surprisingly roomy inside and great to drive. 

Unfortunately it would be too small for us with car seats and travel.

homersimpson246

The best advice I can give is if you don't do huge mileages each year to buy something petrol with as little to go wrong as possible (no turbo etc.), I have a 2007 Fiesta 1.4 and apart from a cambelt change there really isn't much to go wrong with them.  A lot of larger cars are diesels and they have all sorts of issues, dual mass flywheels, diesel particulate filters etc. especially when they start to get older.

Personally I would keep the Zafira and fix it but if thats not possible/sensible then look for something Japanese, Ford etc. stay away from premium brands and anything french (IMHO).  If a car is bland and boring they tend to be cheaper as less people want them but buy a car on condition and reliability rather than desirability.

Maybe a newer Zafira might be worth looking for? I had a ford Galaxy (2000 W reg 2.3) and it was great but they are huge for every day use around town!

CupofTea

homersimpson246 said:

The best advice I can give is if you don't do huge mileages each year to buy something petrol with as little to go wrong as possible (no turbo etc.), I have a 2007 Fiesta 1.4 and apart from a cambelt change there really isn't much to go wrong with them.  A lot of larger cars are diesels and they have all sorts of issues, dual mass flywheels, diesel particulate filters etc. especially when they start to get older.

Personally I would keep the Zafira and fix it but if thats not possible/sensible then look for something Japanese, Ford etc. stay away from premium brands and anything french (IMHO).  If a car is bland and boring they tend to be cheaper as less people want them but buy a car on condition and reliability rather than desirability.

Maybe a newer Zafira might be worth looking for? I had a ford Galaxy (2000 W reg 2.3) and it was great but they are huge for every day use around town!

Thank you for your reply. 
The first car suggested would be too small. 
We have three small children and with the car seat law these car seats are made till like 12 years of age so they are not bulky but they take up a seat each. No squashing in together. 
I think it would be quite tight in a smaller car although I agree the last car your suggested is huge. 
Our budget is £1500-£2000. 

[Deleted User]

You can use booster seats without a back from about 6 years old. Once a child reaches 135 cm then no booster is required meaning as long as your kids aren’t babies then a smaller car could work. The running costs are so much less it’s worth a bit of crampness!
Cars are bigger than they need to be nowadays. 

Mutton_Geoff

A great six page article in this week’s Autocar .. “Bangernomics or bus”.

Alanp

At this age and budget you need to buy on condition, don’t get hung up on mileage and service history, I would go for something Japanese, petrol , and manual gearbox, perhaps a Toyota avensis, or Corolla verso, maybe a Honda accord, or could you lease a Dacia on your budget?, perhaps a duster or Logan ?, it might be best the devil you know and keep your current car

Herzlos

Stubod said:

That would make your car 14 years old which in the grand scheme of things means it is probably "end of life". When they become more expensive to fix then they are worth it's probably time to "get rid"

That's the wrong equation. It may still be viable to spend more than the car is worth in repairs if it's a good car. You want to get rid of a car if it stops being reliable or is going to cost more to fix than replace with something else. If it's costing £1500 in repairs every year, that's still cheaper than paying £150/month for a newer one.

CupofTea said:

I've been sent this link and told it's a good car. My friend has a paid app which allows you to see the history (I need to check the cam belt though) and been told it's a good choice. 
Funnily it is also a 2006 model but not had the same problems as my own car. 
Is this a good or bad choice?
Are there any specific models one can recommend?
I've attached an image to see the car history. 

https://www.expresscarsales.co.uk/used-cars/honda-fr-v-2-0-i-vtec-sport-5dr-west-bromwich-202003078144423

Some of those failures make it sound like a neglected car that presumably only gets maintenance when it fails: binding brakes, wipers not clearing the screen, windscreen damage, missing wheel nuts. I wouldn't touch it.

Do you like the current car, repair bills aside? I'd be inclined to keep it unless you want a change.