Car for 4-5k recommendations

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.
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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Never heard of that hill before had to google it.

The QQ’s are definitely in my price range, even the J11 (2014+) which is what appeals to me. I’ve driven the J10 before and it seemed nice.

I’m like a walking contradiction in a way. I want it to look nice but not fussed on it putting a smile of my face when driven (I mean if I don’t have to jump it and constantly put the windows up I’d be smiling haha)

I like the sportage too and do see some of them pop up in my searches.
 
@BAcon I remember reading about your Avensis. I am in the same boat as OP and I couldn't find anything decent within 5 k, so I have upped the budget to 7-8k. There are some decent high mileage Mondeos post 2016 on sale. I cannot find a Superb though that matches the spec, year and mileage to a Mondeo. I do understand that Superb is a better car in tbe right trim.

I came across one 2014 2.2 iDtec Accord priced at 4.5k with 93k mileage. I didn't pursue it as I want something newer. Of course that car is sold now. They are very rare. Another low mileage saloon version is for sale at £9k plus.

Also, I found the Volvos are very expensive. The V70s, XC70s. I did see a low mileage one for £15k for a 2015 car. It is insane.
 
joelk2 said:
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.
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Yeah I hear you, as cars age we stop spending the money on them as we don't think they are worth it anymore, those things accumulate and you end up with a basket case thats one repair bill away from the scrapper!

As for the diesels, the era of cars under consideration is unfortunately mostly diesel, such was their popularity back then! Leaves us with very few petrol options, but I think if you can they are worth* seeking out.
 
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LowEndTorque said:
@BAcon I remember reading about your Avensis. I am in the same boat as OP and I couldn't find anything decent within 5 k, so I have upped the budget to 7-8k. There are some decent high mileage Mondeos post 2016 on sale. I cannot find a Superb though that matches the spec, year and mileage to a Mondeo. I do understand that Superb is a better car in tbe right trim.

I came across one 2014 2.2 iDtec Accord priced at 4.5k with 93k mileage. I didn't pursue it as I want something newer. Of course that car is sold now. They are very rare. Another low mileage saloon version is for sale at £9k plus.

Also, I found the Volvos are very expensive. The V70s, XC70s. I did see a low mileage one for £15k for a 2015 car. It is insane.
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Yeah it's madness.

I enquired with a fair few of the available accord estates at the time, but they were all very far away and didn't really seem worth the trip, given they were all around 5k and 17yrs old.

XC70, something sub 100k miles is £8k to 15k, might get lucky with a late facelift in there. But there is often a large disparity in pricing. it's almost as if they have licked their finger and stuck it in the air.
XC90 prices vary from £5k to 12k, again without much justification for the price variation that I can see, even mileage/spec isn't the clear indicator.

Who knows! I got sick of it and sought out something boring/low risk :P
 
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I've mixed feelings on the Qashqai - they are utterly joyless to drive but the Tekna or n Vision (and 1-2 other variations of those) specs are as far as it goes quite nice and they will eat up miles surprisingly well for what they are. The 1.5dci will get pretty decent fuel economy, I hate the J10 looks and the engines are mostly meh but the facelift J11s I actually think look OK. The 1.6dci is a mixed bag as the fuel economy isn't close to the 1.5 and while it has a bit more poke you do sometimes have to hunt for the power a bit and the R9M is a repurposed van engine with about the same refinement and a tendency for minor oil leaks.

I've a 2017 Qashqai and a colleague has a 2015 (basically same car with some minor differences) and mine is on like 50K miles with a few issues I've had to sort along the way whereas there's is on like 180K miles or something and they've had pretty much no issues LOL.

Personally prefer the n vision spec over the Tekna as the half-leather seats are much better in cold or hot weather than the full leathers of the Tekna specs and they usually come with 18" wheels which with the extra rubber give you a bit more margin against problems from potholes, etc.
 
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Rroff said:
I've mixed feelings on the Qashqai - they are utterly joyless to drive but the Tekna or n Vision (and 1-2 other variations of those) specs are as far as it goes quite nice and they will eat up miles surprisingly well for what they are. The 1.5dci will get pretty decent fuel economy, I hate the J10 looks and the engines are mostly meh but the facelift J11s I actually think look OK. The 1.6dci is a mixed bag as the fuel economy isn't close to the 1.5 and while it has a bit more poke you do sometimes have to hunt for the power a bit and the R9M is a repurposed van engine with about the same refinement and a tendency for minor oil leaks.

I've a 2017 Qashqai and a colleague has a 2015 (basically same car with some minor differences) and mine is on like 50K miles with a few issues I've had to sort along the way whereas there's is on like 180K miles or something and they've had pretty much no issues LOL.

Personally prefer the n vision spec over the Tekna as the half-leather seats are much better in cold or hot weather than the full leathers of the Tekna specs and they usually come with 18" wheels which with the extra rubber give you a bit more margin against problems from potholes, etc.
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The J11 is the one I’m keeping an eye out for, think it looks alright.

I’m kind of only passively looking at the moment judging what is in/out of the picture.

I’ve noticed a number of B class Mercedes for sale in budget which suprises me, similar mileage to th QQ with FSH etc and in budget. My ex father in law has had one for a number of years without any issues and reading up about them they seem pretty reliable with not many common problems. I guess the main thing would be if repairs were needed then it would be more costly than the QQ.

Also some bmw x1’s but I don’t know anything about those.
 
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With Mercedes, the common ones I have read about is the brake pipe corrosion. My friend has a 17 plate A class and his one has a slight swelling on the casing reported this year. Nothing serious but the one to look out for, for him in the future.

Any German marquee in the sub 5k budget may throw a nasty bill, so need to factor that in your costs.
 
cjh2bW1_d.jpeg


Ended up buying this for 4k

63 plate
115k
FSH
A180d

My ability to add images here is shocking. I’m sure Imgur used to be way easier to get the BBcode to share :-/
 
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joelk2 said:
cjh2bW1_d.jpeg


Ended up buying this for 4k

63 plate
115k
FSH
A180d

My ability to add images here is shocking. I’m sure Imgur used to be way easier to get the BBcode to share :-/
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Enjoy the new to you ride.

For Imgur I upload the image and then hold touch on that image to open in new tab on my phone. Copy the URL on the new open image and append .jpeg at the end of the URL, if it hasn't already got the extension. Paste that over here.

Similar for Windows PC, Right click and open image in new tab. :)
 
LowEndTorque said:
Enjoy the new to you ride.

For Imgur I upload the image and then hold touch on that image to open in new tab on my phone. Copy the URL on the new open image and append .jpeg at the end of the URL, if it hasn't already got the extension. Paste that over here.

Similar for Windows PC, Right click and open image in new tab. :)
Click to expand...
I swear you used to be able to click the share button and it would give you options.
 
LowEndTorque said:
Enjoy the new to you ride.

For Imgur I upload the image and then hold touch on that image to open in new tab on my phone. Copy the URL on the new open image and append .jpeg at the end of the URL, if it hasn't already got the extension. Paste that over here.

Similar for Windows PC, Right click and open image in new tab. :)
Click to expand...
I swear you used to be able to click the share button and it would give you options.

Anyways. Thankyou for all the replies on the thread folks.
 
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