Sold my car. Need a new one!

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:08

Hi guys,

Unfortunately i had to sell my car (MINI Cooper S JCW) to raise some funds. I have now given myself around 5k to spend on a new car but struggling a bit to choose.

It must be more comfortable, cheaper to run and bigger than my MINI was. In the near future i might be commuting a lot further to work so will be spending quite a bit of the time on the motorway. Will prob end up doing 10-15k a year.

I don't want to have anything too slow but i don't need anything as fast as i had. Was thinking along the lines of maybe an Audi A3/A4 1.8T. There is the obvious Focus/Mondeo for cheap motoring but not sure if they would be too slow compared to my old car. I do like the 3 series but worried about running costs.

Any help will be appreciated!

[TW]Fox · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:24

There is no way an A4 1.8T is going to be any cheaper to run than your Mini was. You will 'unfortunately' need to go for something like a Ford becuase I cant think of many larger cars that are as quick as the Mini Cooper S and not as expensive to run!

rG-tom · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:30

£5k would get you a facelift mk3 mondeo 2.5 v6 ghia x in very good nick, ticks all the boxes?

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:30

[TW]Fox;12765554 said:
There is no way an A4 1.8T is going to be any cheaper to run than your Mini was. You will 'unfortunately' need to go for something like a Ford becuase I cant think of many larger cars that are as quick as the Mini Cooper S and not as expensive to run!

Hmm really? I know servicing costs etc may be nearly as expensive but i am happy to use an indy.

Things like mpg will surely be better with the 1.8T VAG engines? My friend has an Audi A3 1.8T Which at the moment he gets 32mpg whereas i got 25mpg out of my car. I don't need something as quick as my MINI by any means just something that doesn't take an age to get anywhere.

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:37

rG-tom said:
£5k would get you a facelift mk3 mondeo 2.5 v6 ghia x in very good nick, ticks all the boxes?

I've seen 28mpg combined figures for these. Bit low for my liking really.

Something like an Accord 2.0 i-vtec maybe? Should be pretty bullet proof to run.

iraiguana · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:38

The A4 is a lot bigger than the A3 and will be a bit more expensive to service surely ?

zetec452 · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:41

If you've sold your Mini to raise some funds why not get a sensible plain car like a 2.0 focus and save more dosh?

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:44

JonRohan said:
If you've sold your Mini to raise some funds why not get a sensible plain car like a 2.0 focus and save more dosh?

That is certainly a possibility. I have been looking at the 2.0 models.

zetec452 · 25 Oct 2008 at 10:54

They will be more cost effective to run than an A3 1.8T. Boring yes, but will save you a little extra cash.

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 11:09

JonRohan said:
They will be more cost effective to run than an A3 1.8T. Boring yes, but will save you a little extra cash.

Yeah thats the problem. It will be boring and i would have liked something in between really. Already had to sell my car so really would still like something with a bit of poke.

richolmes72 · 25 Oct 2008 at 11:37

rG-tom said:
£5k would get you a facelift mk3 mondeo 2.5 v6 ghia x in very good nick, ticks all the boxes?

£4k would be enough. I have one of these and when I sell soon - I'm not expecting more than £4k and mine is fairly low mileage with loads of extras!

with a bit of 70mph motorway and a bit of town I average 31mpg but I think the op is looking for something Mid-30's

triggerthat · 25 Oct 2008 at 12:16

How much did your Mini go for?

EvilDreams · 25 Oct 2008 at 14:27

Petrol prices are coming down. Get a V8

Tombles · 25 Oct 2008 at 14:53

triggerthat said:
How much did your Mini go for?

Sold it for 11k in the end. Less than what i wanted it to go for but that was the only interest i had apart from someone else offering 10k.

gareth.e · 25 Oct 2008 at 15:20

you should have kept your mini to be honest!

...lol

Hawk Tuah · 25 Oct 2008 at 16:41

How about a Leon with the same 1.8t engine. Should get a better / newer model for the same money as the audi and still retain decent performance.

Tombles · 26 Oct 2008 at 09:33

Bug One said:
How about a Leon with the same 1.8t engine. Should get a better / newer model for the same money as the audi and still retain decent performance.

Yeah i have looked at these for that reason but surprisingly the difference in price is not as great as i thought it would be :/

Tombles · 26 Oct 2008 at 20:07

I have to ask but can anyone tell me the running costs of a E46 320i? i know it is not the most sensible purchase but it ticks all the boxes and for the money you can pick up some very good examples.

Would it cost as much if not more than my MINI to run?

I know the 330i is similar to run but i don't feel i need the extra performance and the increased insurance costs and older models for the money would sway me toward the 320i.

Maz · 26 Oct 2008 at 20:12

I ran a 08 Mini Cooper S auto for a few weeks and that thing was majorly thirsty, I averaged about 23mpg!

I do drive quite fast though.

[TW]Fox · 26 Oct 2008 at 20:18

Tombles said:
I have to ask but can anyone tell me the running costs of a E46 320i? i know it is not the most sensible purchase but it ticks all the boxes and for the money you can pick up some very good examples.

Would it cost as much if not more than my MINI to run?

I know the 330i is similar to run but i don't feel i need the extra performance and the increased insurance costs and older models for the money would sway me toward the 320i.

As you've correctly identified, the 320i has the same running costs as a 330i. And a 330i is more expensive to run, more expensive to repair, more likely to need fixing at £4k, and just generally more expensive in everything other than purchase cost, when compared with your Mini Cooper S.