Car for 4-5k recommendations

joelk2

joelk2

joelk2

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looking at getting a new car. Have a budget of 4k ideally but up to 5k

I drive about 150 miles a week on A roads. Every few months a motorway trip of about 100 miles ish.

I’ve driven a mk6 1.6tdi golf which I really liked but I also know I don’t really do the miles for a diesel really but then the petrols seem to either be unreliable or too expensive from my research.

The qashqai’s seem to be in abundance in the area albeit the 1.5dci engine which I’m led to believe is ok reliability wise but then again it’s a diesel. You also seem to get more extras with these cars (cameras, parking sensors, navigation etc)

Needs to be a 5 door as have children.

Really want to avoid ford as my track record with them hasn’t been great.

I know Honda gets recommended a lot but to be honest I find their lineup hideous.

Any other recommendations you guys think I should be looking at?
 
What don't you like about the Honda's?

I've recently got a CRV, has all the toys such as front and back parking sensors, reverse camera, AWD, heated seats etc. Easy and comfy to drive, very reliable.


amour gif
 
Camalot said:
What don't you like about the Honda's?

I've recently got a CRV, has all the toys such as front and back parking sensors, reverse camera, AWD, heated seats etc. Easy and comfy to drive, very reliable.


amour gif
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Apologies. I kinda meant the Civic or Jazz. I didn’t think my budget would be in th CRV range, especially not the ones of your model. They are nice compared to the older ones.

What year did you your variant start?

Will have a look. Cheers
 
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I paid about that for my Toyota Avensis estate a couple years ago. I really rate it, comfortable, reliable, loads of space.

50mpg, £35 a year tax.

Most importantly, all manual controls. Although I did install a double DIN Sony head unit for CarPlay/android auto.
 
joelk2 said:
Apologies. I kinda meant the Civic or Jazz. I didn’t think my budget would be in th CRV range, especially not the ones of your model. They are nice compared to the older ones.

What year did you your variant start?

Will have a look. Cheers
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You'd be looking at a 3rd Gen CR-V for your budget. That's a 5th Gen and much more expensive.
Saying that though, a 3rd Gen CR-V in EX trim is actually a pretty nice car. We ran a 2008 model from 2013 until 2023. We put 140k on it in those 10 years before swapping to a Mazda CX5. The guy we sold it to is still driving it and it's over 200k now.
 
Rilot said:
You'd be looking at a 3rd Gen CR-V for your budget. That's a 5th Gen and much more expensive.
Saying that though, a 3rd Gen CR-V in EX trim is actually a pretty nice car. We ran a 2008 model from 2013 until 2023. We put 140k on it in those 10 years before swapping to a Mazda CX5. The guy we sold it to is still driving it and it's over 200k now.
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Mines a MK4, it's 2015 but the last of the MK4's pre facelift. The MK5's are more expensive yes.
 
Rilot said:
You'd be looking at a 3rd Gen CR-V for your budget. That's a 5th Gen and much more expensive.
Saying that though, a 3rd Gen CR-V in EX trim is actually a pretty nice car. We ran a 2008 model from 2013 until 2023. We put 140k on it in those 10 years before swapping to a Mazda CX5. The guy we sold it to is still driving it and it's over 200k now.
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The 3rd gen I’m not keen on. Will keep an eye out though for a 4th though.

Just thinking back to the golf are the diesels really that bad with my kinda mileage?
 
I've just had to make this same decision, I was looking at cars ranging from 2 to 10k to do 12k miles a year. Though mine was more motorway than A road.
What I noticed was the 5k cars of today are almost the 3k cars of a few years ago. Used car prices are a bit of a mess. You'll pay £3.5 to 5k basically for a last gen 100k mile Honda Accord saloon for example, estates turn up but are low in numbers.

I looked at suv style crv and RAV4 petrol models and felt they were expensive for what you got. Approx 2008 models with 90k were about 4 to 5k.

I also looked at Ford Mondeos (big Mondeo fan) but the newer lineup of engines mostly being petrol ecobooms put me off, as did the risk of a powershift gearbox.

I did consider Octavia's and superb estates as well, was looking at 1.8tsi models, though did look at the 2.0tdi, the superb was my first choice, lovely roomy interiors, just didn't find one that I liked closer to 5k, mostly at the upper end of my budget for reasonable mileage.

Was also looking wantingly at Volvos, specifically the diesel d5 engines models, V70, xc70 and XC90. But I felt I'd need to spend the full £10k to get one that could avoid being a money pit with high mileage, especially the XC90. I still want one though, xc70 that is, or an XC90, but I'll wait for funds to build back up, and get something tidy. The old car coming to it's end was poorly timed unfortunately.

In the end spent £4.3k on a 2011 avensis estate with 49k on the clock, petrol model, admittedly it's a cvt so also not without risk, but a Toyota cvt is going to be a dam site less risky than the old Audi A6 I had that spat it's CVT years ago, that went at 155k miles. It's not exciting but it's well made, smooth, quiet and getting high 30s mixed/early 40s motorway, return on fuel which in my eyes is acceptable for a large roomy petrol car without fancy tech. The Achilles heal of this car (they all have something!) however is of course the cvt and the electronic parking brake. But we will see how they play out longer term.

Good luck finding a car
 
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BAcon said:
I've just had to make this same decision, I was looking at cars ranging from 2 to 10k to do 12k miles a year. Though mine was more motorway than A road.
What I noticed was the 5k cars of today are almost the 3k cars of a few years ago. Used car prices are a bit of a mess. You'll pay £3.5 to 5k basically for a last gen 100k mile Honda Accord saloon for example, estates turn up but are low in numbers.

I looked at suv style crv and RAV4 petrol models and felt they were expensive for what you got. Approx 2008 models with 90k were about 4 to 5k.

I also looked at Ford Mondeos (big Mondeo fan) but the newer lineup of engines mostly being petrol ecobooms put me off, as did the risk of a powershift gearbox.

I did consider Octavia's and superb estates as well, was looking at 1.8tsi models, though did look at the 2.0tdi, the superb was my first choice, lovely roomy interiors, just didn't find one that I liked closer to 5k, mostly at the upper end of my budget for reasonable mileage.

Was also looking wantingly at Volvos, specifically the diesel d5 engines models, V70, xc70 and XC90. But I felt I'd need to spend the full £10k to get one that could avoid being a money pit with high mileage, especially the XC90. I still want one though, xc70 that is, or an XC90, but I'll wait for funds to build back up, and get something tidy. The old car coming to it's end was poorly timed unfortunately.

In the end spent £4.3k on a 2011 avensis estate with 49k on the clock, petrol model, admittedly it's a cvt so also not without risk, but a Toyota cvt is going to be a dam site less risky than the old Audi A6 I had that spat it's CVT years ago, that went at 155k miles. It's not exciting but it's well made, smooth, quiet and getting high 30s mixed/early 40s motorway, return on fuel which in my eyes is acceptable for a large roomy petrol car without fancy tech. The Achilles heal of this car (they all have something!) however is of course the cvt and the electronic parking brake. But we will see how they play out longer term.

Good luck finding a car
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Know how you feel about the prices. It’s nuts how the prices have shot up.

I don’t need an exciting car either I just want something I like the look of and which isn’t going to **** itself.

i really don’t have a good track record with cars and i tend to read a million different things about them before buying only to end up with a lemon. I’d be no worse off just walking to a forecourt and just buying the one I like the look of the most. It’s so frustrating.
 
I know how you feel. 2 of my recent purchases were bad ones unfortunately.

In 2021 I replaced my 150k mile petrol Mondeo for a Saab 9-5 1.9tid with 105k on the clock. And I changed the wife's VW polo 1.4 diesel for a Avensis estate 2.2D4D 180bhp model.

The Saab cost me about 1.5k in the first year, sub frame polybushed, drop links, ARB bushes, front struts, top mounts and bushes, power steering delivery pipe spat oil all over the floor and needed recovery.....plus normal servicing etc. This is the car that has just met it's end, bought the Avensis to replace it.

The wifes diesel avensis was a different story entirely. Bought on 75k miles or so it seemed perfect for my wife to commute with and for us to use for our long weekend journeys.
15miles a day (yes this is not ideal), 3 days a week commuting and we used it for the family use weekends. We visit family or go places quite a few weekends each month. Each family visit is a 2 to 4hr drive each way (100mile to 200miles each way), mostly motorway. I thought this would keep the dpf clear no problem.
However driving home one day, her car lit up like a Christmas tree on the dash, smoke bellowing out the exhaust and it ground to a halt. Got it towed to our family friend mechanic and there it stayed.
I won't bore you with details, but short version is we think the dpf blocked, 5th injector keep chucking in fuel and caused overheating of everything upstream. I bailed after spending 2.5k, sold the set of expensive injectors I had bought for diagnostics and scrapped the car.

She now drives a little Honda Jazz 1.2 VTEC which has been perfect for her for the last 2 years ish.


So don't feel bad. We all buy lemons from time to time! Hoping this recent purchase isn't one of them though :p

Safe bet is to avoid diesel unless you really need one though.
 
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BAcon said:
I know how you feel. 2 of my recent purchases were bad ones unfortunately.

In 2021 I replaced my 150k mile petrol Mondeo for a Saab 9-5 1.9tid with 105k on the clock. And I changed the wife's VW polo 1.4 diesel for a Avensis estate 2.2D4D 180bhp model.

The Saab cost me about 1.5k in the first year, sub frame polybushed, drop links, ARB bushes, front struts, top mounts and bushes, power steering delivery pipe spat oil all over the floor and needed recovery.....plus normal servicing etc. This is the car that has just met it's end, bought the Avensis to replace it.

The avensis was a different story entirely. Bought on 75k miles or so it seemed perfect for my wife to commute with and for us to use for our long weekend journeys.
15miles a day (yes this is not ideal), 3 days a week commuting and we used it for the family use weekends. We visit family or go places quite a few weekends each month. Each family visit is a 2 to 4hr drive each way (100mile to 200miles each way), mostly motorway. I thought this would keep the dpf clear no problem.
However driving home one day, her car lit up like a Christmas tree on the dash, smoke bellowing out the exhaust and it ground to a halt. Got it towed to our family friend mechanic and there it stayed.
I won't bore you with details, but short version is we think the dpf blocked, 5th injector keep chucking in fuel and caused overheating of everything upstream. I bailed after spending 2.5k, sold the set of expensive injectors I had bought for diagnostics and scrapped the car.

She now drives a little Honda Jazz 1.2 VTEC which has been perfect for her for the last 2 years ish.


So don't feel bad. We all buy lemons from time to time! Hoping this recent purchase isn't one of them though :p

Safe bet is to avoid diesel unless you really need one though.
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Ahh nightmare.

Most of my cars have been lemons. I mean the car I have now is a lemon too which is why I’m looking to get something new. Granted it hasn’t really cost me anything in the few years I’ve had it but I’ve just learnt to live with the faults it does have. Engine management light on constantly (use a dongle just before mot) as there’s some electrical issues. I have to jump start it regularly and when I turn on ac it sounds in pain, speakers have all blown, windows drop when I drive, randomly the power steering stops when I’m reversing. It’s a lot to live with haha.

I don’t really need a diesel as such but they seem to be more common and cheaper than a petrol equivalent.
Or the petrol versions of the engines are utter tripe.
 
i had a nissan QQ 1.5 diesel for over 8 years. in general it was a very reliable car and the top trim we had did have a lot of toys and a panoramic roof which once i had in that was a prerequisit for my next (current) car. I like the driving position and i think the later facelift vehicles look ok inside and out........

that said it sounded like a tractor when it was cold and whilst it objectively had enough power to do everything that was needed of it (it did Porlock hill fully loaded and with a bag on the roof) and would cruise on the motorway at 80 all day long................ it was a joyless car to drive. So it really depends how much importance you put in a car putting a smile on your face when you drive it imo, if that is not a problem then imo its hard to fault the QQ - or at least not the one i had... maybe i got lucky but there is probably a reason they have sold so well for so long.
It was in immacualte condition when i sold it aside from a small crease where i clipped my garden wall... and with under 70000 miles on it i sold it for £4500, i still see it going now around work, probably only worth £3.5- 4k now so well in your price range.

my work colleague has a kia sportage (not the new one either). That seems a nice car. nicer inside than my QQ. no idea what sort of prices they go for but would have thought the older one would be in your price range.
 
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bigmike20vt said:
i had a nissan QQ 1.5 diesel for over 8 years. in general it was a very reliable car and the top trim we had did have a lot of toys and a panoramic roof which once i had in that was a prerequisit for my next (current) car. I like the driving position and i think the later facelift vehicles look ok inside and out........

that said it sounded like a tractor when it was cold and whilst it objectively had enough power to do everything that was needed of it (it did Porlock hill fully loaded and with a bag on the roof) and would cruise on the motorway at 80 all day long................ it was a joyless car to drive. So it really depends how much importance you put in a car putting a smile on your face when you drive it imo, if that is not a problem then imo its hard to fault the QQ - or at least not the one i had... maybe i got lucky but there is probably a reason they have sold so well for so long.
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That hill made my auto Saab a little unhappy last autumn, couldn't work out if the brakes on the way down or the gearbox was the least happy about it. Brakes certainly stank going down :p
 
1st time i went up it i was a kid, we were in my parents 1.4l renault fuego. i made them go up and down it 3 times before my dad said no more the car cant take it :D

the clutch and brakes absolutely stank!.

but i digress, sorry ;)
 
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