Help me OCUK, you're my only hope! - of not making the wrong car choice...

[TW]Fox;15547762 said:
I ended up picking up a Mazda3 for my sister. It's a Focus in drag but doesnt feel as well built as the Focus Mk2.
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No? I have really bad impressions in Focus mk2, those hard plastics like in eurolines bus and the oddest specs where even in top model you can end up with non matching glossy black Mondeo stereo (actually what car was it designed for - it doesn't match any of the Ford interiors) and washing machine knob manual air con. Panels don't fit that well (hard and soft mix and match is always bad idea). You can spend 20 grand and it still looks like Russian rental.

Mazda 3 on the other hand... Everything just fits together. No mix and match. And it's Focus.
 
I think it feels pretty cheap whereas I remember being impressed with Mk2 Focus. It was a few years ago I was in a Mk2 Focus though whereas of course now I drive a '3' occasionally so perhaps its just more fresh in my mind. It feels a tad generic really, the interior isn't all that but it handles nicely for a small hatch and at just over 3k for a '54 plate car with - OMG - 5 figure mileage - it's fantastic value.

Hopefully it will 'just work' despite the lady owner.
 
I think the mondeo is possibly a little too hee-uge for me. I'm beginning to come round to the idea of focus diesel... never driven any mazdas so totally unsure about those.

I did have a mk2 focus petrol zetec 1.6 before the clio... it was just the fuel economy was a bit rubbish (29mpg iirc). My fuel costs per month halved when I got the clio.
 
SqualidChimp said:
I think the mondeo is possibly a little too hee-uge for me.
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You're female?

The only difference you'll notice going from a small crap car to a large ordinary car is that it's actually less effort to drive it, and tight manoeuvres require either 2 more points or a bit of mild thinking.
 
SqualidChimp said:
since I do get around 57mpg combined out of the clio
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if your worried about fuel economy and generally cheapness, spend the 400 quid on servicing the clio and keep it.

you won't find much else that can compete with the clio (i assume its the dCi?) in terms of cheap running costs.

at least it'll allow you some more time to save up for your next car, without commiting to some ridiculous finance deal.
 
Why so fussed about "safe overtaking on motorways"? you dont have anything coming the other way on motoways, so who cares?

Unless its got a million miles on just run the clio into the ground and keep saving.
 
atpbx said:
Why so fussed about "safe overtaking on motorways"? you dont have anything coming the other way on motoways, so who cares?

Unless its got a million miles on just run the clio into the ground and keep saving.
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Driving the motorways with a car barely able to keep up is not fun. You have no ability to move forward if you need to, you have to always move back. It doesn't make you feel very safe.
 
PMKeates said:
Driving the motorways with a car barely able to keep up is not fun. You have no ability to move forward if you need to, you have to always move back. It doesn't make you feel very safe.
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A diesel clio of any capacity has a top speed well in excess of 70 mph.
I've never been on a motorway and constantly had to accelerate/decelerate to overtake or keep my place, even in a van.

You pick a speed and stick to it, very occasionally you might have to concede space for a faster vehicle to maneuver in front of you, thats not the end of the world.

The way some of you talk its as if anything that cant do 60 to a ton in 10 seconds or less shouldn't be allowed on the motorway network.
 
^ exactly.

if your finding your regularly require some signifcant acceleration for motorway travel, your either driving like a pleb or need to revise your cruising ability!
 
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