Buying a used car and can't choose - help!

LunaStar15

Hi folks,

I'm in desperate need of some guidance, and I'm hoping one or two of you knowledgeable people will be able to help. I'm currently in the market for a new (to me) car, and I've found two I'm interested in but can decide between them. I'm an automatic driver, which really limits the choice when it comes to used cars in my budget, and which are in my reachable area, but I think both of these seem like good deals:

- The first is a 2014 Citroen C3 1.6 e-HDi Airdream Exclusive 5dr (auto). There are just over 30,000 miles on the clock and the ticket price is £5,745.

- The other is a 2012  Mini Country I Countryman 2.0 Cooper D 5dr (auto). This one has just over 85,000 miles and is £6,795.

I currently drive a small city car and had been looking for something a bit bigger, but nothing too huge. Obviously the Citreon is a bit smaller, has signifcantly less miles, and is newer than the Mini. But! This may be a case of my heart ruling my head. I've always loved the Countryman, and hear good things about it, so I suppose my main question is - is the Countryman good enough to justifying paying more for an older car with many more miles?
Any words or wisdom, at all, would be much appreciated!

daveyjp

Do you need a diesel?  If not there are is a wider choice of auto petrols, but you need to know a good auto from a bad one.

LunaStar15

Nope, those two just happen to be diesel, but I'm not fussy. In fact, all my previous cars have been petrol. It is true about there being plenty more of them about, but I'm afraid to admit I know about as much as I can learn from a Google search about what makes a good auto from a bad one! (And this will be my third.) Also, I'm in NI, so the choice is even more limited and most of the petrols in my price range I've been looking at have quite high  mileage. I probably should just be a bit more patient!

CasualBagger

Mini is one of BMW's brands now so if anything breaks... which is likely on a car of that age / mileage... then it will cost a fortune to fix. I would avoid this car like the plague at 85k. 

If it is between those two then I think it would be best to opt for the Citroën. However, I would recommend you look in the direction of Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, or maybe a Kia Ceed? These are all similar to the C3 and Countryman, more reliable, and plenty autos are available on Autotrader. 

Citroën and Mini just don't make reliable cars, in my opinion, and you will end up paying for it in the long run.

LunaStar15

CasualBagger said:

Mini is one of BMW's brands now so if anything breaks... which is likely on a car of that age / mileage... then it will cost a fortune to fix. I would avoid this car like the plague at 85k. 

If it is between those two then I think it would be best to opt for the Citroën. However, I would recommend you look in the direction of Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, or maybe a Kia Ceed? These are all similar to the C3 and Countryman, more reliable, and plenty autos are available on Autotrader. 

Citroën and Mini just don't make reliable cars, in my opinion, and you will end up paying for it in the long run.

This is exactly the type of info I was after, thank you!
Funny you should mention the Honda Jazz, there actually was one with low mileage and a decent price I had spotted. Will definitely be taking a second look now.
Thanks again!

CasualBagger

LunaStar15 said:

CasualBagger said:

Mini is one of BMW's brands now so if anything breaks... which is likely on a car of that age / mileage... then it will cost a fortune to fix. I would avoid this car like the plague at 85k. 

If it is between those two then I think it would be best to opt for the Citroën. However, I would recommend you look in the direction of Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, or maybe a Kia Ceed? These are all similar to the C3 and Countryman, more reliable, and plenty autos are available on Autotrader. 

Citroën and Mini just don't make reliable cars, in my opinion, and you will end up paying for it in the long run.

This is exactly the type of info I was after, thank you!
Funny you should mention the Honda Jazz, there actually was one with low mileage and a decent price I had spotted. Will definitely be taking a second look now.
Thanks again!

Yeah the Honda Jazz has a very strong reputation for reliability. So if you like it, and you get someone who knows a bit about cars to check it over, it should be quite a clever buy. 

Mercdriver

Be wary of overly low mileage.  It isn't automatically a good thing to have low mileage.

The_Rainmaker

Just keep your powder dry, redundancies are going to start in earnest over the next few months.  Which must have an effect on the market.

Is your job safe?  Really safe?

Keep an eye on prices and perhaps look in the new year.

Grumpy_chap

Of the two cars the OP listed, the Citroen looks to be the best option.
If the OP only does low mileage, diesel might be a problem.  

macman

What is your annual mileage? Diesel is really not a good idea for short commuting runs as you will be liable to the DPF clogging up.

LunaStar15

Mercdriver I've heard that, and can kind of understand why, but it's hard to shake the 'low miles = good' mindset!

The_Rainmaker Definitely understand the need for caution, but unfortunately I don't have the luxury of being able to wait. Hoping to buy in the next couple of weeks. As for my job, well I don't work in the public sector so it's definitely not 100%, though I am thankful to be in a *relatively* safe position. Still, scary days.

Grumpy_chap and macman The reason I'm looking for something a bit bigger than the wee thing I'm driving at the minute is I've found myself with more driving to do. It will be for the short morning commute, but also a couple of 200 mile trips each month. Would that be enough to prevent problems with a diesel?

Thanks for all the advice folks, it really has been helpful and is much appreciated!