change of car, but what to?

sarah_elton

Idiophreak wrote: »

Yeah, I'm another one of those people - went out to buy a focus, didn't even look at the vauxhall garages, but then got desperate and went for a look at them...so glad I did. Had mine 3 years now, it's only ever had one slight problem (oil pressure sensor), it drives really nicely, a lot of fun, good economy, good speed when you put your foot down. Plenty of load space, comfy front and back - if it's big enough for your needs, I'd really recomment trying one out. (I have the last of the old shapes, but love the new shape ones too...though I've never driven one).

Mine's the old shape too (52 reg - old shape was 98-04). I'd be interested in feedback on the new shape....

Jorgan_2

LJW, what sort of annual mileage do you do? As AdrianHi said, diesel is getting expensive at the pumps and the purchase price of a diesel car can be two three thousand pounds more than the equivilant petrol model.

A lot of people are put off by high mileage cars, in excess of 20k miles per year, but they can be great second hand buys as they price is lower & there can be less wear & tear on the car as the miles will have been added on the motorway rather than the clutch being ridden all over town.

sarah_elton

Jorgan wrote: »

A lot of people are put off by high mileage cars, in excess of 20k miles per year, but they can be great second hand buys as they price is lower & there can be less wear & tear on the car as the miles will have been added on the motorway rather than the clutch being ridden all over town.

Wholeheartedly agree. My Astra had done 86,000 miles in five years so was relatively high. (52 reg bought a month ago)

However, it was in beautiful condition - the interior looked virtually new. It had a full service history, and had been serviced every year at the Vauxhall dealer it was originally bought from. Had every receipt for every job ever done to it etc. It had had two owners but both had lived in the same area in Norfolk, and I knew that it's an area where people tend to do high mileage is it's pretty rural.

Dealer's asking price was £2,999, and he had another 52 reg Astra that had done a much lower mileage on at £4,295 which was way above my budget. I was only able to afford one as new as I got because of the high mileage.

Other Astras in my price bracket were older, lower mileage but in appalling condition. Simple choice as far as I was concerned.

Because I'm only using my car evenings and weekends (I commute by train to work), I'll do a low mileage, probably around 6000/year. Therefore when I sell it in a few years the mileage will be closer to 'average' for its age as I'm evening it out.

AdrianHi

sarah_elton wrote: »

Wholeheartedly agree. My Astra had done 86,000 miles in five years so was relatively high. (52 reg bought a month ago)

However, it was in beautiful condition - the interior looked virtually new. It had a full service history, and had been serviced every year at the Vauxhall dealer it was originally bought from. Had every receipt for every job ever done to it etc. It had had two owners but both had lived in the same area in Norfolk, and I knew that it's an area where people tend to do high mileage is it's pretty rural.

Dealer's asking price was £2,999, and he had another 52 reg Astra that had done a much lower mileage on at £4,295 which was way above my budget. I was only able to afford one as new as I got because of the high mileage.

Other Astras in my price bracket were older, lower mileage but in appalling condition. Simple choice as far as I was concerned.

Because I'm only using my car evenings and weekends (I commute by train to work), I'll do a low mileage, probably around 6000/year. Therefore when I sell it in a few years the mileage will be closer to 'average' for its age as I'm evening it out.

:cool: I think you got that one right then. Those higher miles are indeed most likely "good" miles and not in town all the time. Higher miles of the right kind don't matter so much if you intend to keep the car until the time it hits the scrap yard when it's virtually worthless anyway.

sarah_elton

You can tell just by looking inside any car, regardless of mileage, if it's been loved. They're the ones I go for.

PhilL_3

LJW wrote: »

Hi, I currently have a BMW 3 series but want to change as the petrol is costing far to much, also the tax will be going up soon!!

I need a family car, not to big but not to small, I also use the car for work and do quite a lot of shortish journeys, also it has to be reasonble for insurance and new road tax rates!

Anybody have any advice? I'm hoping to part x the bm and don't want a brand new car.

Exactly what model and year 3 series is it, at what mileage?Also what is your rough budget for your new car and how long do you anticipate keeping it for? Roughly what is your annual mileage?

ihatecharges

I have a BMW 118i which I manage too get 47-48mpg on my daily commute due to the stop/start gubbins, didn't go for the diesel as it is more to buy and more to fuel and I cover 14K miles a year roughly. My road tax next year will go down slightly so I'm happy.

If you buy an ex-demo 1 series from a dealer the chances are it will have a 5 year service pack included in the price so these are always a good option and despite what other people think I find them very cheap to run. I got a 5 year service deal for £190 on mine!!

If you are part exchanging a BM it may also work in your favour at the dealers, however the extra money you will pay for the car would pay for a lot of fuel for your current car!

AdrianHi

ihatecharges wrote: »

I have a BMW 118i which I manage too get 47-48mpg on my daily commute due to the stop/start gubbins, didn't go for the diesel as it is more to buy and more to fuel and I cover 14K miles a year roughly. My road tax next year will go down slightly so I'm happy.

If you buy an ex-demo 1 series from a dealer the chances are it will have a 5 year service pack included in the price so these are always a good option and despite what other people think I find them very cheap to run. I got a 5 year service deal for £190 on mine!!

If you are part exchanging a BM it may also work in your favour at the dealers, however the extra money you will pay for the car would pay for a lot of fuel for your current car!

I've done the sums myself and what cars "real cost" quotes back me up, a 318i or 118i has had lower total cost of ownership over 36 months and 36K miles compared to 318d / 118d for a while now, by around £700 over 3 years.
These BMW's may be high on list price, but they retain their value well and cost peanuts to fuel and service compared to other cars. I will have spent £280 on servicing in the first 36,000 miles on my 320d, £400 on tyres, 46mpg (mines not efficient dynamics, new ones 54mpg) and it's a genuinely quick car that's so good round corners it still makes me smile every time. Superb value for money from my point of view and on average only £120 a month more money (14K miles a year) compared to the 7 year old ageing V6 32mpg petrol car I had before.