I don't think a car exists that suits my needs?

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
12,870
Hello,

Looking for some advice on a car change please.

I currently have a 5 door 2009 Civic, its got a decent sized boot which is great and comes in handy for when we go on road trips etc but its not quite enough, I would really like to replace it with a newer Estate and one with an Automatic gear box.

The car is used for road trips at weekends and weekends away so bear that in mind when I say that my place of work is only 4 miles of B roads from Home. A push bike isn't an option, I don't have anywhere to put one, I'm in the process of renovating a house so every spare minute goes into that and I need my car to visit various locations for work which again is mostly B road driving.

I'll be buying used from a main dealer and will want a 3 year warranty. I'm not interested in leasing and not interested in BMW, VW or Mercedes. Not interested in Electric due to road trips. Budget will be around £12 to £14k, would prefer to spend £12 but could push to £14 if absolutely necessary. This'll be the most expensive car I've ever bought so want to get it right.

I've considered 4 cars and looking for ideas for cars I've missed, the cars I've considered are -

Another Civic 1.8 Auto
Same engine as what I've already got and fancy a change, bit bored of revving the nuts off it to get it to move and the estate will be even heavier. Only 1 year warranty so would have to pay to increase it.

Skoda Ocativia 1.4TSI DSG
Ticks all the boxes but only 1 year warranty so would have to pay to increase it. Highly concerned about DSG reliability and reliability in general.

Toyota Auris Hybrid
Comes with a 5 year warranty so might get close to 3 years if I can afford a couple of year old example but that might be unlikely due to Hybrid premium. Not sure if a Hybrid is completely pointless on my weekly commute?

Skoda Fabia 1.0 TSI DSG
Sat in one and the interior feels small, suits the commute perfectly but with a load full surely the engine will struggle for long trips on the motorway? Reliability and warranty concerns as per the Octavia.

Thanks
 
I think you may be putting too much emphasis on default warranty offerings; if that is important to you then paying to increase it could be the sensible option if it means you have a much wider range of cars to choose from. You might find it is cheaper to buy car X with 1 year warranty plus a warranty extension, than it is to buy car Y with a 3 year warranty. Or it might be a better car for the same money etc.

Your choices are quite broad also, I mean an Octavia 1.4 just seems better all round than a Fabia 1.0, but obviously will cost more also. £12-14k is about the right number to spend on an Octy, as it should get you into a Mk3 with appropriate trim level (SE L).

Edit: Regarding the Fabia Estate, if you pushed the budget slightly you could get a brand new one via a broker (£14.4k on DTD), not that I think it is the right option.
 
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HangTime said:
I think you may be putting too much emphasis on default warranty offerings; if that is important to you then paying to increase it could be the sensible option if it means you have a much wider range of cars to choose from. You might find it is cheaper to buy car X with 1 year warranty plus a warranty extension, than it is to buy car Y with a 3 year warranty. Or it might be a better car for the same money etc.

Your choices are quite broad also, I mean an Octavia 1.4 just seems better all round than a Fabia 1.0, but obviously will cost more also. £12-14k is about the right number to spend on an Octy, as it should get you into a Mk3 with appropriate trim level (SE L).
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Do you mean a 3rd party warranty?

The thing with Fabia vs Octavia is the Fabia suits the commute and the Octavia suits the weekend stuff but I'm really concerned about reliability with them after a long line of Honda's and Toyota's
 
Why worry about the commute, you'll only be spending what 10mins each way on that, admittedly a couple of hundred times a year but I can't imagine an Octavia 1.4 being worse for commuting than a Fabia 1.0 Estate, whereas the converse is definitely true, you don't want to trotting off on a road trip in a less comfortable car that struggles to accelerate up hills when fully loaded. I remember going for a week in Cornwall in my wife's old Corsa 1.2, literally had to abandon overtakes on dual carriageways because it was going nowhere! You'll obviously save a bit on fuel but 40 miles a week isn't going to break the bank.
 
HangTime said:
Why worry about the commute, you'll only be spending what 10mins each way on that, admittedly a couple of hundred times a year but I can't imagine an Octavia 1.4 being worse for commuting than a Fabia 1.0 Estate, whereas the converse is definitely true, you don't want to trotting off on a road trip in a less comfortable car that struggles to accelerate up hills when fully loaded. I remember going for a week in Cornwall in my wife's old Corsa 1.2, literally had to abandon overtakes on dual carriageways because it was going nowhere! You'll obviously save a bit on fuel but 40 miles a week isn't going to break the bank.
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To be fair, I doubt there's much difference in economy real world. The 1.4TSI is a remarkable engine for economy.

@Relentless81 don't worry about reliability, I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine, you're not buying a Golf R, it's a 1.4 Octavia with a solid engine.

You'll be looking at 5 Years or 120/130k (can't recall what exactly) whichever sooner for the timing belt. I'd expect a lifetime average of around 45 MPG.
 
I'd be looking at a Skoda Octavia Estate 1.4 TSI in SE L trim within that budget. Should be able to find a '15-'16 model with reasonable miles.

Alternatively, maybe a Ford Mondeo 1.5 Ecoboost (Zetec or Titanium, but I don't think the latter comes in a 1.5 petrol) or Seat Leon 1.4 TSI FR (with Tech Pack)?
 
Buy the Octavia, take the Skoda insured warranty when the year runs out. For a 14 plate 46k 1.4 TSI DSG it's £30 per month with a 0 excess for all component cover.

The Octavia is a good all rounder and on the whole pretty reliable.
 
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Thanks for comments, last time I looked at ford I found their specs a bit strange I think it was something like titanium spec only came with AC and not climate but that was years ago and on a focus so I'll have another look.

I think the Octavia is favourite at the moment but still need to drive one which I'll do as soon as the house is nearing completion in the next couple of months
 
Of the original cars listed, the Hybrid is probably going to be best for the day to day commute assuming it's stop start / town driving.

The Mk3 Octavia is decent, however I'd at the very least go and look at a Superb - they're big, wafty, well designed inside and more of a special (if a big Skoda can feel special) feeling car. Unfortunately I'm not sure how the 1.4 will cope with such a big lump of a car but i'm sure there are plenty of reviews to check. You'll also definitely be pushing the budget but could get a 2 year old car
 
rodenal said:
Of the original cars listed, the Hybrid is probably going to be best for the day to day commute assuming it's stop start / town driving.

The Mk3 Octavia is decent, however I'd at the very least go and look at a Superb - they're big, wafty, well designed inside and more of a special (if a big Skoda can feel special) feeling car. Unfortunately I'm not sure how the 1.4 will cope with such a big lump of a car but i'm sure there are plenty of reviews to check. You'll also definitely be pushing the budget but could get a 2 year old car
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I read the Toyota Hybrid system probably wouldnt suit my needs because the electric side would never be used on such a short commute so I wouldn't see the benefits of it in terms of cost over another petrol estate of a similar age. Apparenetly the electric side of things won't kick in until the engine is up to temp but not sure if I've reading outdated info

A superb is a bit too big, I could probably get away with an Octavia hatch but would prefer an estate just to be sure

Cheers
 
I'm 90% certain I've been in a Prius with the same system where it pulled away from cold on just the battery, but I am by no means an expert! I assume it will also run out of charge a few days in and use engine only - best way to check would be to drive one and see how far it will go on electric only.

I can't over emphasise how much I would rather drive a Superb over an Auris though.
 
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