What should I be looking for at the 4k mark, small family car wise
- Thread starter iMacMart
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Just go and test drive some at the weekend. I don't see how anyone could test a Corsa, Fiesta etc and pick that over a a focus which is better in every way.
I think I found that much more funnier than I should, had just taken a slurp of tea and now all over the laptop!
Soldato
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If you are looking at CATD cars, try and go for european cars, and try and get a petrol.
The jap stuff is good, but you do pay more int he 1st place and the panels and what not are quite expensive, as the pattern parts are still a bit iffy. Plus they do seem to fetch silly money as salvage.
Personally speaking, i dont have a favourable experience of modern Jap cars, my old man repairs engines for a living, and certaintly Toyota diesels are poor, the 1.8 vvti petrol isnt brilliant either. We have had numerous Civic/Accord diesels through the door aswell. Small petrols seem to be the ones to go for imo. We have 2 abused Yaris's in the family, 1.0 and 1.3 Mark 1 and 2's and they stand up well to family abuse!
The jap stuff is good, but you do pay more int he 1st place and the panels and what not are quite expensive, as the pattern parts are still a bit iffy. Plus they do seem to fetch silly money as salvage.
Personally speaking, i dont have a favourable experience of modern Jap cars, my old man repairs engines for a living, and certaintly Toyota diesels are poor, the 1.8 vvti petrol isnt brilliant either. We have had numerous Civic/Accord diesels through the door aswell. Small petrols seem to be the ones to go for imo. We have 2 abused Yaris's in the family, 1.0 and 1.3 Mark 1 and 2's and they stand up well to family abuse!
You could try www.fuelly.com for real world figures, but it might not be as easy to find particular engines.
The other alternative, is to take them both for actual test drives, and reset the OBC before you start, and find out.
The other alternative, is to take them both for actual test drives, and reset the OBC before you start, and find out.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/ is also worth a look, as they list bhp / 0-60 / mpg, tax band, approx insurance group etc all on one page under "facts and figures", and tend to show even minor differences between model years, e.g. newer revisions to same engine with lower tax band etc.
They also list both their own reviews and owner reviews, and have guide prices as well.
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Any idea on how long you plan to keep the car?
Just wondering if you've considered leasing... I had a very quick look and you can get a well specced Ford Focus 1.5TDCi or 1.6 for 475 upfront and 158/month for 3 years and then jump in a new one for the same... Tax band A or B so 0 or 20/year road tax and should get 60mpg pretty easily with cheap insurance.
The newer style fiestas aren't that bad comfort wise and they come with the gear you want... I had a 2011 model for 3 weeks in 2011 when I was working in Scotland and thought it was quite a bit better than the polo. I didn't mind the fiesta and was considering getting an ST model for the Mrs until she hissed at the idea...
Just wondering if you've considered leasing... I had a very quick look and you can get a well specced Ford Focus 1.5TDCi or 1.6 for 475 upfront and 158/month for 3 years and then jump in a new one for the same... Tax band A or B so 0 or 20/year road tax and should get 60mpg pretty easily with cheap insurance.
The newer style fiestas aren't that bad comfort wise and they come with the gear you want... I had a 2011 model for 3 weeks in 2011 when I was working in Scotland and thought it was quite a bit better than the polo. I didn't mind the fiesta and was considering getting an ST model for the Mrs until she hissed at the idea...
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Soldato
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AVOID the Corsa, they are dire.
Small engine cars are only good for local town driving, as soon as you get a run a bigger engine (1.6) will be better on fuel.
Small engine cars are only good for local town driving, as soon as you get a run a bigger engine (1.6) will be better on fuel.
Don't be ridiculous - the whole car industry is downsizing engines to meet economy and emission standards. All cars are better on fuel "on a run" rather than round town, small engine vs large engine doesn't come into it.
Take the fiesta for example:
1.0T Ecoboost:
125hp, claimed 65mpg, VED band A, 0-60 - 9.1 Seconds
Top speed 122mph, 200Nm Torque, Insurance group 15
vs
Fiesta 1.6:
118hp, claimed 48mpg, VED band E, 0-60 - 9.6 Seconds
Top Speed 120mph, 152Nm Torque, Insurance group 14
Even if the manufacturer fuel consumption is unobtainable, the 1.0T should achieve better mpg, has more torque and currently has cheaper Tax, why would you pick the 1.6?
I'm on a similar budget to the OP and seriously considering doing this. I bought an 07 plate Swift 1.3 GL three years ago for £4k (which was a bargain TBH as similar cars tended to be £4.5-5k). Three years on, it's worth ~£1800 as a trade-in. So that's £730/year of depreciation, on top of a new clutch, new tyres, a new battery and a few other bits that have been worked on. TCO works out at around £3000 for three years, or £83/month. Brand new ones start from £99/month with slightly better fuel economy and the peace of mind that comes with owning a new car. I've still got year three's tax, MOT and servicing to come. If nothing goes wrong, they'll push the TCO up to around £3300 (£91.66/month).
There are some awesome PCP deals around at the moment. Best one I've seen is from Stoneacre: a brand new Seat Ibiza 1.4 Toca (so plenty of toys) for £159 deposit, then £159/month, fuel & go (so, includes tax, servicing and insurance). Works out about £100/month for me after accounting for the value of the 'Fuel & Go' bit. It'll be that or another Swift TBH. The Fiesta commands something of a premium at the moment.
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That's a great deal on the Ibiza... I'd almost be tempted by that... only promised myself I'd not own anything under 2l again in a hurry (although ideally 3l 6cy +)
I got declined for it. Haven't been driving for three years yet (2 years, 11 months) so they couldn't provide me with the insurance.
Can't decide whether to wait a month or take Drive the Deal up on their current Swift offer - £9451 for the 1.2 SZ3 with SatNav (normally a '£1250' extra, lol) and 0% PCP finance. Seems a cracking deal, with the only downside being they're unlikely to give me a good part-ex price.
Need shot of my current car soon. The gearbox is on its way out and the central locking doesn't work.
Can't decide whether to wait a month or take Drive the Deal up on their current Swift offer - £9451 for the 1.2 SZ3 with SatNav (normally a '£1250' extra, lol) and 0% PCP finance. Seems a cracking deal, with the only downside being they're unlikely to give me a good part-ex price.
Need shot of my current car soon. The gearbox is on its way out and the central locking doesn't work.
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Oops... would they let you insure it yourself or can you wait another month and re-apply?
Just thinking about this as a car for my grandmother...
Just thinking about this as a car for my grandmother...
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Hah... just did the application and they gave me a provisional yes Looks like grandma will be getting a new car
Looks like grandma will be getting a new car 
Although that is true, it's not relevant to the thread as he was looking at 4k used cars, so the new gen of small petrol turbo cars aren't likely to come in that for a few years yet.