Focus / Golf sized car for town driving

LiE · 21 Jan 2016 at 08:50

iaind said:
The 2 are almost exactly the same size and have identical luggage capacities

This, and the A3 all the same.

Cleisthenes · 21 Jan 2016 at 08:51

iaind said:
The 2 are almost exactly the same size and have identical luggage capacities

Well I'm just speaking from what I've experienced, it's only a mk5 Golf I'm comparing it to but that's how the Leon came across to me.

LiE · 21 Jan 2016 at 08:57

Cleisthenes said:
Well I'm just speaking from what I've experienced, it's only a mk5 Golf I'm comparing it to but that's how the Leon came across to me.

Current A3, Golf and Leon are near identical, as they share the MQB platform.

Cleisthenes · 21 Jan 2016 at 08:59

LiE said:
Current A3, Golf and Leon are near identical, as they share the MQB platform.

Gotcha!

Scythe · 26 Jan 2016 at 17:44

Ok so went out for some test drives today and confirmed my thought, she wasn't too keen on the Leon or Gold, but she really enjoyed the drive of the Focus.

As I expected, the salesmen firstly didn't even drop the price and said that's the lowest they can do, but eventually I got them down to £20k when I showed them the DrivetheDeal quote, tried to make out that the quote was fraudulent and that there's no way I would be able to get that Focus for the quoted DTD price (£17.6k).

Can anyone vouch for the DTD, is it as easy / legit as they make out?

iaind · 26 Jan 2016 at 18:12

Not used them myself but they're generally well regarded, read about plenty people using them. Try carwow too now you know the car you want - you build the spec and it sends it to dealers to bid on. Works really well and you can message them with questions and things

[TW]Fox · 26 Jan 2016 at 19:14

LiE said:
Current A3, Golf and Leon are near identical, as they share the MQB platform.

So does the Audi TT, doesn't necessarily mean they all feel the same inside though does it?

Kenai · 26 Jan 2016 at 19:21

[TW]Fox;29101056 said:
So does the Audi TT, doesn't necessarily mean they all feel the same inside though does it?

Indeed, MQB is a bit more complicated than the old traditional PQ platforms with things like the Passat and Superb using MQB too now. Essentially anything with a transverse rather than longitudinal engine in the VW family will end up MQB I think.

Clearly the Leon, Golf and A3 are going to be broadly similar size wise inside though, one isn't really significantly different in those terms.

rodenal · 26 Jan 2016 at 19:29

The current Leon and Golf do indeed feel pretty much exactly the same size. Same with the A3. I'd say the 3 are closer than ever on an interior material and layout front too

The latest Octavia is a touch bigger inside though, even forgetting about the boot

Op, drivethedeal are fine, they'll put you in touch with a Ford dealer who will take things from there and arrange delivery etc, from then on you just need to take the car to your local Ford

mjt · 26 Jan 2016 at 20:28

Get her to test drive the various options and get whichever she prefers. It's the only way, really.

Whether you get a VAG product or a Ford, you can't go wrong really.
Have you considered an A Class or a 1 Series?

Jonnycoupe · 26 Jan 2016 at 21:56

Kenai said:
Is a Focus/Golf really significantly bigger than a Mini? Maybe the Mini is smaller than I recalled but I have always viewed them as being a similar size.

The new clubman is focus sized and that's the biggest MINI so far.

Jonnycoupe · 26 Jan 2016 at 21:57

LiE said:
Current A3, Golf and Leon are near identical, as they share the MQB platform.

XE and F pace share the same iQAl platform too.... Oh and XF

Skyboat · 26 Jan 2016 at 21:59

Scythe said:
Can anyone vouch for the DTD, is it as easy / legit as they make out?

I purchased my Fiesta ST through DTD and they are very much legit, you literally pay a deposit over the phone and then their partnered dealer for that manufacturer (which could be anywhere in the county) gets in touch with you based on the exact spec you give to DTD. If you can get more money off, do it. Carwow is also another good site to use as you can get local dealers to play-off against each other for the best price.

HangTime · 27 Jan 2016 at 16:50

DTD have been around for absolutely ages and are legit / highly regarded on the web. They've even updated their website fairly recently as until a year or two ago, it looked very 1990s which may have put some people off.

If DTD is quoting £17.6k and you can only get them down to £20k for exact same spec and finance package (be warned a lot of the Ford deals I've seen there over the years seem to be based on getting a deposit contribution so if you don't take finance the discount is reduced) then I would try a different dealer and then go with DTD if they can't get close to it. It is worth paying a bit extra for the convenience of a local dealer, but not over two grand.

rodenal · 27 Jan 2016 at 17:05

See I've never really understood the convenience factor here - but it might be because the only new cars I've had ha e been company cars

As far as I'm aware any Ford under warranty should be looked at by any Ford dealer and repaired foc (so long as it is a warranty issue, as most things will be)? If that's right what difference does it make who supplies the car?

theone8181 · 27 Jan 2016 at 18:22

rodenal said:
See I've never really understood the convenience factor here - but it might be because the only new cars I've had ha e been company cars

As far as I'm aware any Ford under warranty should be looked at by any Ford dealer and repaired foc (so long as it is a warranty issue, as most things will be)? If that's right what difference does it make who supplies the car?

Picking it up at a guess?