Hi guys, i know i only tend to post here if i need advice and rarely make any input myself, but just take it as a compliment that i trust your opinions!
As it stands, i own a 1996 corsa B, yes i know, laugh away. It handles terribly, it's uncomfortable, i'm too tall for it so i drive in a hunched position, my feet keep getting stuck in the footwell and for a 1.4l it has absolutely no torque. With that said nothing has ever gone wrong with it in the 8 years i've owned it so i guess i can't complain. It's only been in the last 7 months that i've needed it for a commute, before that it's just been for occasional use so it did me fine. However I'm finally gainfully employed (after way too many years of education), i've been putting away money for a deposit on a flat but have now realized i've got more than i need and i'm doing a daily commute so i'm looking to upgrade. Now, this is the part where you will likely really lay into me:
I'm considering buying new.
Now hear me out, Vauxhall offer a minimum of £3k exchange on any old Vauxhall, my car will only sell for around £800 on the second hand market so that's a big plus. On top of that my mum, who works for BA, gets a 10% discount on all Vauxhall cars for family members as an employment perk and to top it off i have approximately £1500 worth of GM credit card points which i can only put towads a Vauxhall. So, for a brand new 1.2l, 3 door Corsa i'm looking at just over £5k. I would look at other brands but the family discount and GM points can only be used for Vauxhalls iirc.
From what i've read the new Corsa is being far more positively reviewed in comparison to its former revisions so it does sound like an upgrade. The downgrade from 1.4 to 1.2 isn't desireable but my cars so old now i imagine the difference in BHP and torque is minimal. Is it still madness to go for a brand new car when i can get it for effectively 50% off? Is a Corsa still a terrible car, should i look at other Vauxhalls (Astra isn't too much more, though i'd rather avoid spending much over £5k)?.
Buying second hand is all well and good but i know nothing about cars and i'm rubbish at bartering. I can see myself buying a pup and paying through the nose for it. If you do feel i should go the second hand route, any tips?
[EDIT] Just had a browse of Atras and it's looking to be about £2k more expensive which is probably a bit much sadly.
As it stands, i own a 1996 corsa B, yes i know, laugh away. It handles terribly, it's uncomfortable, i'm too tall for it so i drive in a hunched position, my feet keep getting stuck in the footwell and for a 1.4l it has absolutely no torque. With that said nothing has ever gone wrong with it in the 8 years i've owned it so i guess i can't complain. It's only been in the last 7 months that i've needed it for a commute, before that it's just been for occasional use so it did me fine. However I'm finally gainfully employed (after way too many years of education), i've been putting away money for a deposit on a flat but have now realized i've got more than i need and i'm doing a daily commute so i'm looking to upgrade. Now, this is the part where you will likely really lay into me:
I'm considering buying new.
Now hear me out, Vauxhall offer a minimum of £3k exchange on any old Vauxhall, my car will only sell for around £800 on the second hand market so that's a big plus. On top of that my mum, who works for BA, gets a 10% discount on all Vauxhall cars for family members as an employment perk and to top it off i have approximately £1500 worth of GM credit card points which i can only put towads a Vauxhall. So, for a brand new 1.2l, 3 door Corsa i'm looking at just over £5k. I would look at other brands but the family discount and GM points can only be used for Vauxhalls iirc.
From what i've read the new Corsa is being far more positively reviewed in comparison to its former revisions so it does sound like an upgrade. The downgrade from 1.4 to 1.2 isn't desireable but my cars so old now i imagine the difference in BHP and torque is minimal. Is it still madness to go for a brand new car when i can get it for effectively 50% off? Is a Corsa still a terrible car, should i look at other Vauxhalls (Astra isn't too much more, though i'd rather avoid spending much over £5k)?.
Buying second hand is all well and good but i know nothing about cars and i'm rubbish at bartering. I can see myself buying a pup and paying through the nose for it. If you do feel i should go the second hand route, any tips?
[EDIT] Just had a browse of Atras and it's looking to be about £2k more expensive which is probably a bit much sadly.
