Help me choose a used car to buy please...

bergerac

I am looking for some advice on buying a used car please. So many cars to choose from and I have no idea what I should go for!

My 2001 Honda Civic finally died and has been scrapped as it was uneconomical to repair. I walk to work and do very little driving so in the past 8 years have clocked up only 10k miles. I don’t enjoy driving and prefer to walk/cycle wherever possible so have toyed with the idea of not having a car but I do like the convenience of having a car for when walking/cycling isn’t an option and there aren’t any car hire places nearby. I have family who have recently moved to Devon so expect I will be doing a few more miles than in the past as it’s a 400-mile roundtrip and guess we will probably visit 2 or 3 times a year.

My main requirement is a large enough boot (with the back seats down) to fit 2 bikes, so I have been thinking something like a VW Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra. Ideally, I would like a petrol automatic. I have been slightly put off the Focus after reading about the issues with PowerShift.

Money isn’t an issue as I have savings and so wouldn't need finance. I know absolutely nothing about cars so would like something that is reliable and low maintenance, but equally I am reluctant to spend unnecessarily on a car that will spend most of its life sitting on the road outside my frontdoor gathering dust and only be used for 2k-3k miles per year. I plan to buy from a dealer and will pay for a mechanic to look over it prior to purchase.

So… do I spend the money on the best car I can find and plan for it to last me 10+ years, or go for something cheaper and save my cash? When buying a 2nd hand car is the age of a car more important or the mileage? Would a 2013 Golf be a better option than a 2016 Astra?!?

Examples of cars I have found locally…

1.       2009 1.8L Vauxhall Astra, 47k miles = £3k

2.       2014 1.6L Vauxhall Astra, 55k miles = £6k

3.       2013 1.4L VW Golf, 50k miles = £8k

4.       2016 1.4L Vauxhall Astra, 38k miles = £9k

5.       2015 1.6L Ford Focus, 10k miles = £10k

6.       2014 1.4L VW Golf, 30k miles = £11k

Any advice gratefully received. Many thanks.

Grumpy_chap

What about this?
https://www.classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/Triumph-Roadster-_-Ex-BegeracBBC-TV-Series/classic-cars-sold/23329

   

Stubod

..Golf....(Or Octavia?....huge boot)

Grumpy_chap

For only 2-3k miles per year, no car, UBER plus hire a car for the trips to Devon would be the MSE way.

Condition and history is more important than age or mileage. 

Alanp

Something Japanese, Toyota, Mazda, ( not diesel) 

poppy12345

bergerac said:

I am reluctant to spend unnecessarily on a car that will spend most of its life sitting on the road outside my frontdoor gathering dust

For this reason, i wouldn't bother.

cymruchris

Of your chosen list - I would take the VW Golf. All cars break down - and older cars need things replacing that wear out - so service history and condition would sway me more than a difference of a few pounds or a couple of thousand miles.

Bigphil1474

OP, I agree with Grumpy Chap - Uber and hire cars. There are plenty of car hire companies that deliver the hire car to you e.g. Europcar, Avis, Nationwide hire, enterprise. They were the first 4 that came up on google. Also, if you live within 10 miles of an Enterprise branch, they'll even come and pick you up to take you to the branch, and take you home when you return the car, for Free. 

bergerac

Grumpy_chap said:

What about this?


   

Now THAT is a car!

bergerac

Thanks all for the advice… think I need to do some sums and work out if I really do need a car or go down the taxi/hire car route.

Somewhere else I asked have suggested a 2013-17 Civic which has “Magic Seats” and looks perfect for transporting bikes.