Many Questions, looking at options for next car choice

ShiWarrior

ShiWarrior

ShiWarrior

Underboss
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
34,498
Location
Oxfordshire / Bucks
SEE POST #27





Edit//
Upto 140 tax in mind


I've been looking on AutoTrader for the past year and ive been itching to upgrade, even though i cant afford to upgrade but borrowing money from family is no problem, so its 0% for a loan for me ;) over many years if i wanted.

Anyway, currently got a Focus 1.8 Zetec (2009 model) and to be frank i want a change and I want a lot of tech and equipment like parking sensors and HID lights, Bluetooth for hands free calling and automatic collision braking assist etc etc, but most important of all , going to change to an AUTO because my health isn't all that good and feel the need for a better (easier) driving experience, although i love fast cars etc

I bought the Zetec Focus over a Titanium model but when i test drove both, i found the Titanium had softer suspension and a lot more body roll, which i hated. the Zetec felt like a good balance and i find it holds the corners better, so i want something like that again


Also is it really worth getting another petrol car now?
i'm hoping this next car will be the last car i buy, so i need to choose wisely, hoping it will last me like 10 years+


I've been looking at another "focus sized" car, with £30 tax each year with a good MPG, but quicker than my Focus

I currently get around 29/30 mpg, doing roughly 8000 miles a year

Budget of say 10,000, want something reliable, top spec car, been looking at Leon FR, Octavia, Focus (1.5 version)


Thanks for reading, hope you guys can throw some good idea what to do my way





Autotrader Urban for my car says 29.4 mpg which is what i get, so taking an urban for say a 1.4 TSI that does 47 mpg, would save me £700 a year on fuel alone if that's real world fugues?
 
Last edited:
Mk 3 Focus Zetec S or Titanium with the 182 engine? Easily get 30 MPG out of mine and has a bit of poke. Zetec S is short on your requirements and isn’t available as an Auto.

BMW 1 Series 130i?
 
MissChief said:
Have to say that does look very good!
Click to expand...
It does I’m tempted to get one myself :D it’s a lot of car for the money and having owned various Focus’s and Mondeo’s the mk4 Mondeo feels such a step up in quality and tech even compared to the newer gen mk3 Focus while still having enough power to make it enjoyable and fun. Howard on here has one Identical to that and seems to highly recommend them on the thread he started.
 
MissChief said:
Mk 3 Focus Zetec S or Titanium with the 182 engine? Easily get 30 MPG out of mine and has a bit of poke. Zetec S is short on your requirements and isn’t available as an Auto.

BMW 1 Series 130i?
Click to expand...

6 months ago i was dead set on a Titanium X 1.5 ecoboost, but they are like £15K ish
 
Dav4 said:
It does I’m tempted to get one myself :D it’s a lot of car for the money and having owned various Focus’s and Mondeo’s the mk4 Mondeo feels such a step up in quality and tech even compared to the newer gen mk3 Focus while still having enough power to make it enjoyable and fun. Howard on here has one Identical to that and seems to highly recommend them on the thread he started.
Click to expand...

Although mine has more optional extras, it is identical to that one indeed. I still think the mk4 is a brilliant car.

That looks like a very nicely-presented example. It's good to see there are still some dealers in existence who can be bothered to put a bit of effort into their adverts.
 
Howard said:
Although mine has more optional extras, it is identical to that one indeed. I still think the mk4 is a brilliant car.

That looks like a very nicely-presented example. It's good to see there are still some dealers in existence who can be bothered to put a bit of effort into their adverts.
Click to expand...
Would you recommend the auto over the manual or did you buy the auto due to lack of choice? They are very rare In petrol form sadly. I’m getting rid of my 220 soon and that dealership actually had 2 black titanium X Sports which is rare. They had a 2008 manual with the 2.5T focus engine in for 5.9k and then that 2010 with the newer 2.0 ecoboost and auto for 6.8k. Prices seem to suggest the more modifiable 2.5T and manual gearbox are more sought after. Any common problems to look out for on them? Thanks
 
Dav4 said:
Would you recommend the auto over the manual or did you buy the auto due to lack of choice? They are very rare In petrol form sadly. I’m getting rid of my 220 soon and that dealership actually had 2 black titanium X Sports which is rare. They had a 2008 manual with the 2.5T focus engine in for 5.9k and then that 2010 with the newer 2.0 ecoboost and auto for 6.8k. Prices seem to suggest the more modifiable 2.5T and manual gearbox are more sought after. Any common problems to look out for on them? Thanks
Click to expand...

The Ecoboost is only available with the DCT autobox. It’s a reliable enough box, just not quite as nice as a VW DSG.

The 2.5T has a smidge more power as standard (215 vs 200bhp) and can be tuned up to a fair bit more. Has known issues with bore liners I think, like the Focus.

The 2.0 can be remapped to 240bhp from 200. The later 240 facelift can go up to about 260 I think.
 
Howard said:
The Ecoboost is only available with the DCT autobox. It’s a reliable enough box, just not quite as nice as a VW DSG.

The 2.5T has a smidge more power as standard (215 vs 200bhp) and can be tuned up to a fair bit more. Has known issues with bore liners I think, like the Focus.

The 2.0 can be remapped to 240bhp from 200. The later 240 facelift can go up to about 260 I think.
Click to expand...
Is there some kind of service schedule I need to check for with the dct auto box if I’m going to buy one? What does the Titanium X sport actually offer over the normal Titanium X? Because they seem to be around 1.5-2k more expensive with the same age and mileage and apart from a slightly better bodykit and visible twin exhausts I can’t really see what else they offer.
 
Dav4 said:
Is there some kind of service schedule I need to check for with the dct auto box if I’m going to buy one? What does the Titanium X sport actually offer over the normal Titanium X? Because they seem to be around 1.5-2k more expensive with the same age and mileage and apart from a slightly better bodykit and visible twin exhausts I can’t really see what else they offer.
Click to expand...
Leather and alcantara sports seats too.
 
And “sports” suspension and bi-xenons.

37k miles or 3 years - service interval for the Powershift box.
 
47mpg vs 29.4mpg is more like £600 not £700 if you are only doing 8000 miles a year.

£30 tax is very restrictive given your other requirements, you want an auto the same size and quicker than your current focus but that constraint means for example you are ruling out the Focus 1.5 Petrol on the grounds of tax, the 1.0 Petrol and 1.6 Diesel aren't really any faster than your current car, so in a Focus pretty much the only option you would be left with is the slower of the 2 litre diesels (150bhp), as the 182 is out of budget.

My immediate thought was the VAG 1.4TSI (150hp) was probably a good option so I'd say the Leon and Octavia you have identified are good choices.

However I would strongly recommend relaxing that constraint, say you spent an extra £100/year on tax and kept the car for say 8 years, that's cost you £800 more than something cheaper on tax, but you'll have got a better car. Look at it this way, if spending £10k then that's 100 years worth of tax savings anyway. Plus you want all this tech in the car, again that is spending way more than the cost of VED to get it, and by limiting your options on engines could end up costing you more anyway because you will have fewer cars to choose from with the spec you want (i.e. force you into spending hundreds more, or get something older / higher mileage, or indeed just completely rule out an entire model because it doesn't meet this arbitrary criteria).
 
Thanks hangtime, I like to see posts like this, criticism but for good reasons, I was hoping to save 200 a year on tax , mine costs me £230. Got to try and save for my own place but need to change car really (health reasons) to an auto

I've been looking at Leon FR , Octavia se-L both 1.4 TSI engines

Previously looked at focus 1.5 ecoboost Titanium X

Ok I will up the tax bracket to 140
 
ShiWarrior said:
Autotrader Urban for my car says 29.4 mpg which is what i get, so taking an urban for say a 1.4 TSI that does 47 mpg, would save me £700 a year on fuel alone if that's real world fugues?
Click to expand...
Manufacturers have been gaming the emissions and fuel efficiency tests for quite a while now, especially for the newer small capacity forced induction engines.
I'm pretty sure you won't see that kind of economy figures in real world driving
Hence the recent change to the testing regimen.
 
The Peugor 308 is very fuel efficient and supposed to be comfortable and low road tax, they seem to have the 3 pot engine similar to Fords
 
HangTime said:
47mpg vs 29.4mpg is more like £600 not £700 if you are only doing 8000 miles a year.

£30 tax is very restrictive given your other requirements, you want an auto the same size and quicker than your current focus but that constraint means for example you are ruling out the Focus 1.5 Petrol on the grounds of tax, the 1.0 Petrol and 1.6 Diesel aren't really any faster than your current car, so in a Focus pretty much the only option you would be left with is the slower of the 2 litre diesels (150bhp), as the 182 is out of budget.

My immediate thought was the VAG 1.4TSI (150hp) was probably a good option so I'd say the Leon and Octavia you have identified are good choices.

However I would strongly recommend relaxing that constraint, say you spent an extra £100/year on tax and kept the car for say 8 years, that's cost you £800 more than something cheaper on tax, but you'll have got a better car. Look at it this way, if spending £10k then that's 100 years worth of tax savings anyway. Plus you want all this tech in the car, again that is spending way more than the cost of VED to get it, and by limiting your options on engines could end up costing you more anyway because you will have fewer cars to choose from with the spec you want (i.e. force you into spending hundreds more, or get something older / higher mileage, or indeed just completely rule out an entire model because it doesn't meet this arbitrary criteria).
Click to expand...

What would you recommend if I relaxed the tax constraint ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom