Looking for a Family car. Advice Please

Associate
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Hello. Just had the news from my latest MOT attempt that my 2006 Mk8 Civic is basically ready for the scrap heap. Im pretty gutted really and I didnt see it coming to be honest. I've had the car for 4 years and its been a pretty good car. The exterior is in good condition as far as rust goes but apparently the underside is rotten to the point its uneconomical to have it repaired.

Anyway I have a son so even if I did have the car repaired I wouldn't feel safe having him in it. So Im looking for a replacement. I need 5 drs and a good sized boot. The Civics boot was fine but I felt the rear passenger space was pretty cramped.

My budget is probably £4k. I have always bought cars maybe 10+ years old that after 3/4 years of my ownership started going down hill mechanically so I would like to pick up something newer if possible.

I would prefer to have something that isnt only family orientated but something I can enjoy driving myself. Any help and advice will be appreciated. Thanks
 
Soldato
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Focus seems like the right choice here. My mum owned one as a family car for 3 years. From memory, it was the 1.6 TDCI.

Great little car and over the 40K miles she did (20-60k) there weren’t any costs outside of the standard maintenance.
 
Associate
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Lots to choose from , personally I'd avoid anything with the 1.6 hdi (tdci in fords) engine, their not the best and reliability can be poor with leaking injectors , blown turbos, fuel rail, dpf and egr faults. Audi a4s are pretty reliable, handle well for an estate and easy to diagnose faults without needing a parts shotgun.
 
Associate
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Newer Civic? Not sure your budget will see you in a Mk9 but if you find the size of the Mk8 boot good then almost anything of a similar size will feel like a disappointment as the Civic's boot is 50% bigger than similar sized hatchbacks - skoda rapide may be the only other comparable unless you want an estate, but I found it very dull to drive.

Otherwise I think you may need to look for something bigger - mondeo always seems to be the right choice!
 
Associate
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Another question regarding my insurance. I have sorn my current car and my insurance covers me for driving other vehicles so does my insurance still cover me to drive other cars. It was just renewed last month
 
Soldato
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Another question regarding my insurance. I have sorn my current car and my insurance covers me for driving other vehicles so does my insurance still cover me to drive other cars. It was just renewed last month

Probably, but different insurers have different terms so really you need to ask them. Also bare in the cover will probably be 3rd party only and not for vehicles that you own. It may also have other clauses and the vehicle you're driving will still need to be insured by someone.

Recommendations wise I'd look at Octavias. How many miles do you do a year?
 
Associate
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I do about 6/8k a year I would think. Someone recommend a Toyota Auris? I do realize my budget is fairly low especially in this climate. Im considering taking out finance from a garage to get a "better" car as is less miles and newer. My budget would be around £150pm over 4years. Every car I have had I've kept for at least 4 years anyway. What are peoples opinions on financing this way. Thanks
 
Soldato
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I do about 6/8k a year I would think. Someone recommend a Toyota Auris? I do realize my budget is fairly low especially in this climate. Im considering taking out finance from a garage to get a "better" car as is less miles and newer. My budget would be around £150pm over 4years. Every car I have had I've kept for at least 4 years anyway. What are peoples opinions on financing this way. Thanks
If you're looking at financing this way I'd take out a personal loan and buy the car that way, interest rate would be lower I'd imagine, £150 over 4 years would get you £7-8k I imagine (disclaimer I've not actually looked at loans for this magical figure I've just mentioned)
 
Associate
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As above, 4k gets you plenty of car still albeit maybe slightly less than this time last year.
Personally i'd be buying something around the 1k mark to wait out the storm until prices (hopefully) get closer to normal.
 
Soldato
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If you're going to take out finance I'd definitely go down the personal loan route rather than using the garages finance package which will undoubtedly be a far worse interest rate. This obviously all depends on what sort of credit rating you have.
 
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