Downgrading My Car

Casdawer

Casdawer

Casdawer

Soldato
Joined
14 May 2009
Posts
4,285
Location
Hampshire
Evening gents,

Some of you might remember my thread last year asking for advice on what saloon car to get. In the end I got the Mazda6 and it's proven to be a great buy.

The reason I got it was because I was doing a lot of motorway driving and I was having to carry a lot of work equipment with me and at the time I had a Citreon C2.

I've now left the job i needed the car for and feel that the Mazda isn't really needed anymore, plus I can save myself a lot of money going back to a smaller car.

Anyway, I'm looking to get a smaller car either a C2 again or something similar! I've been eyeing up the Ford Fiesta and the Vauxall Corsa (not the newest models) due to reviews and running costs.

My budget is £3250, that's including the P/E for the Mazda so I know that doesn't leave me with much.

One of the key questions I want to ask is this - is there much difference from a 1.2 from a 1.4? I can find loads of 1.2s but not many 1.4s and I'm wondering if there's much difference?

I travel from Bognor to Worthing for work and that includes a bit of dual carriage way so would a 1.2 handle going 70-75 and it would be good for the MPG plus would the road/engine noise be that bad?

Thanks for the help guys, I really do appreciate it :)

Cas.
 
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How much is your Mazda6 worth?

EDIT: just seen you paid £2,750 for your Mazda back in November....yet you want to spend £3250 in order to save money...? Seriously? It's so not worth it. The Mazda will be better to drive, more comfortable, much better on the motorway and quicker. I can't for the life of me understand why you'd want to sell this and get a POS £3k Corsa.
 
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So you want to pay money to downgrade?

What kind of mileage do you see yourself doing in your new "eco box"
 
Keep the car you got and work out how long it takes to break even on the money it costs you to swap.
 
I understand what you guys are trying to say, but the yearly cost to run the Mazda is a lot more than that of a Fiesta or a Corsa so with my amazing calculation skills, I reckon I can break even by Xmas.

The servicing is cheaper, the parts are cheaper, the tax is cheaper, the insurance is cheaper and the MPG is going to be better so petrol is cheaper.
 
Casdawer said:
I understand what you guys are trying to say, but the yearly cost to run the Mazda is a lot more than that of a Fiesta or a Corsa so with my amazing calculation skills, I reckon I can break even by Xmas.
Click to expand...

Christmas 2014 perhaps. You think in 6 months you are going to recoup £500 worth of running costs??

Casdawer said:
The servicing is cheaper, the parts are cheaper, the tax is cheaper, the insurance is cheaper and the MPG is going to be better so petrol is cheaper.
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Tax on the Mazda - £210
Tax on the Fiesta - £165

Servicing should be about same for both of them. If you're paying more than £150 for a yearly service on the Mazda, you're paying too much. Yearly service on the Fiesta is around £120.

Insurance - i should imagine there is very little in it.

MPG - 42mpg for the Fiesta, 36mpg for the Mazda

I honestly cannot understand why you'd want to go from a respectable car like the Mazda, to a Corsa or Fiesta! AND spend more money by doing so!

I think you're looking at saving around £250-300 A YEAR by having some rubbish, tinny hatchback over your current car. Which will mean it'll be 2 years before you start seeing any savings. This, to me, would be absolutely crazy.
 
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fart power im near the final solution zero tax and good running costs my scientists are working day and night for the solution :)
 
Also, what happens if your job situation changes again and you suddenly need to do a lot more mileage? Go through the rigmarole of changing cars again?
 
Go the whole downgrade way if you want, get a Fiat Panda for £35 / year road tax.
 
Mental.

My scenario, car is worth 4.5 to 5K. Buy a car for £2k that has good history and in good condition for age to avoid any big bills, sell current car privately, quids in.

You're doing it wrong.
 
I have yet to ask how much any place would offer. Looking around it's not much - about £2,200!

I slept on it last night and I think you guys are right (when are you never :D ). The Mazda is a little bit more expensive each month but I suppose I'm paying that little bit extra to have a decent car, though I believe one of the headlights is going to need changing :(

So, I think I'll stick with the Mazda...
 
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