Recommendations for mid-range car

stanleyman

Looking for some car buying advice!

I currently have a 2015 1.6l Astra, which I bought for £8k in 2017. My daughter passed her test last year and is now sharing the car with me, but she finds it too large to park and is more powerful than the 1l car she learned in. It's at the age where I should probably think about replacing it anyway, so I'm looking for a car which suits both of us.

Ideally I'm looking for something a little smaller and less powerful, but I want to have a bit of acceleration - I don't want to drop to the kind of car which struggles with a small hill in 5th gear. Daughter is very particular about how the car looks, but I'll take practical over looks any day 🤣

I knew prices had gone up a lot since I bought mine, but I've been a bit shocked. I had in my mind about £12-15k and no older than 3 years, which is definitely doable but I'm not getting caught in the trap of "if I'm spending £15k for an underwhelming car should I spend £16.5k for a model I prefer? It's only £1.5k. Oh but the 2 year old model is only £1.5k more so I should spend the £18k instead. Oh but there's a better spec for £18.5k so I should go for that instead. Oh but the 2024 model is £19.5k, that's not much more for an extra year's warranty etc. Oh and there's an ex-demo for £20k, I should get that". And suddenly I'm £5k over budget with a few small changes. 

I don't have a specific budget, I can afford a £20k car but I just don't feel I can justify it when a £15k one does the job fine. 

I've had a look at a Mazda 2 (felt ok, would do the job, the underwhelming comment above was about the Mazda 🤣), Seat Ibiza (I really liked it but daughter hated the brakes. Taking it out the showroom I nearly went through the windscreen just from gently touching the brake) and Audi A1 (we both loved it, I thought it was really nice to drive and she loved the look and the idea of having an Audi. But it's right at the top end of the budget).

Any advice for what I should do? Or any recommendations about other cars I should consider? Hyundai i20 is tempting since it's a bit cheaper.

Robin9

Dacia Sandero

Have a look at You Tube and the Which? comparison videos.

MouldyOldDough

Or Perhaps a Suzuki Swift - for reliability ?

They also are comfortable and not slow (if you buy a pre 2024 1.0 boosterjet engined model) and economical and safe 

Desmond_Hume

Your daughter wants an A1. Like every other 19 year old. Accept you've lost and just buy one 🤣

jimbo6977

The Ibiza and A1 are the exact same car with the exact same brakes. Remember how she told you only the most expensive on-trend school shoes were comfortable? This is the same only hundreds of times the price. 

400ixl

Hyundai i20 would meet your needs and has a decent warranty.

Zero chance I would put my child in a Dacia with their safety ratings.

Owning both an Audi and a couple of Hyundai's I would pick the latter every time.

Arunmor

Crikey I don't think the Astra is a big car a Skoda Fabia might meet her criteria or a Skoda Kamiq (newer and more expensive but I like it bought for my wife, my daughter has the Fabia Estate)

Northern_Wanderer

MouldyOldDough said:

Or Perhaps a Suzuki Swift - for reliability ?

They also are comfortable and not slow (if you buy a pre 2024 1.0 boosterjet engined model) and economical and safe 

Boosterjet models are insurance group 24-29! So for a new driver this might not be good.

MouldyOldDough

Northern_Wanderer said:

MouldyOldDough said:

Or Perhaps a Suzuki Swift - for reliability ?

They also are comfortable and not slow (if you buy a pre 2024 1.0 boosterjet engined model) and economical and safe 

Boosterjet models are insurance group 24-29! So for a new driver this might not be good.

OK a Baleno - group 14 !!

Mechanically identical to a Swift