Which hatchback? £15 - £20k

Shoza

Shoza

Shoza

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5 Jan 2011
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727
So the 1.3 Diesel Corsa is starting to annoy and I want an upgrade but not sure which 5dr hatchback to go for.

Prefer a manual diesel usually and have the choice between a Merc A Class, Focus ST or Golf but not sure which is best or if there are any alternative better options. Must have cruise control, at least a 1.6 engine and a good entertainment package / speakers without having to go aftermarket and obviously no more than 30k miles on the clock.

What do you reckon?
 
Also a bit weird to be considering a Focus ST when your criteria for minimum engine size is a 1.6 diesel. Do you want something quick or not?
 
No 1 series? Fiesta? 3gt? New? Old? Why does it have to be diesel cos if the st is in there why not an s3?
 
Prefer diesel for mileage and mostly driven diesel. Only mentioned 1.6 engine as that was the entry level diesel for the ST I think.
 
Shoza said:
Prefer diesel for mileage and mostly driven diesel. Only mentioned 1.6 engine as that was the entry level diesel for the ST I think.
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What mileage are we talking. Diesels just don't compare to petrol. Even a nice six or eight cylinder just doesn't have the smoothness and refinement of a decent petrol.
 
I just don't know enough about petrol's. Haven't driven one but willing to give a test drive a go and see how it feels.
 
10-25k!? Basically, you have no idea how many miles you do? A few trips to France is a few thousand miles, not 15k

I suggest you sit down and work out how many miles you actually do - the lower end of your range is distinctly average and not worth getting a diesel. The upper end is 125 miles for every single working day of a year, well above what you'd want to do in a small hatch.... I'm guessing you mean something more like 10-12k
 
Shoza said:
I just don't know enough about petrol's. Haven't driven one but willing to give a test drive a go and see how it feels.
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Put it this way, I used to have a 2l diesel bmw. A reasonably refined engine but stationary you could feel the vibration and there was always the noise.
I now have a 2l turbo petrol. It's blissfully smooth and when I'm stationary you don't even know it's running. Power delivery is so much smoother than a diesel which often has a shorter power band although some do enjoy the pull that a diesel tends to offer.

I've driven quite a variety of cars from 1l clio's to land rovers with v8 diesels in them and always the petrol engines feel superior in every way.
 
If you're clueless enough about cars to have never even driven one with a petrol engine, then spending anything like 20 grand on one is a stupid idea

"Spec me a Rolex...... And tell me how to tell time because I'm not sure"
 
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Where on earth do these retarded threads just crop up from.

I love the between 10-25k though. Not 10-12, not even 10-15, but to go 10-25 is a whole new level lmao.
 
Unnecessarily harsh? Some years it's 10k some it's a lot more. Right now I don't drive to work so it's a lot less on average.
 
The reason you're not getting helpful responses is because you have said you have a big budget for a mundane hatchback, with a preferred engine choice of a small diesel which would only be advisable if you absolutely had to suffer for the sake of fuel economy. And to top it off given no real indication of what you actually need from the car e.g. mileage and typical use etc
 
£20k on a second hand Ford... :/

If I had £20k burning a whole in my pocket I'd be looking for something far more... German. Surely you must be able to get into nice approved used 3 Series' etc for that?
 
New shape Fiesta ST, economical, quick, not diesel, fun, seems to fit the bill to me even for the potentially varied milage.
 
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