Another "Spec Him" thread

stoofa

stoofa

stoofa

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But maybe the difference with this one could be we don't get any silly suggestions?
OK, I've raised a couple of threads with regards my brother and his requirement for a new car.
He is trading in a 51 Plate 1.9 VW Bora and will have a budget of around £5000 in total.
He can go a little over that if needs be.

I asked him the question - so, what cars have you seen on the road that you like the look of?
He came back to me with the list below:

Alfa Romeo 147
VW Golf
Ford Focus
Citroen C4
Renault Megane
Seat Leon
Chrysler PT Cruiser

Now I'm not entirely convinced he "loves" all these; I think he's also being sensible enough to look within his budget - or noticed he can get "more car" by looking at certain other makes.

The Focus I think probably stands out from the croud, but what of his other suggestions?
Anyone want to totally tear apart the list?
Or maybe someone might want to "big up" one of the other options?

Finally, maybe there is something else out there similar to vehicles on his list that might be worth looking at - that I can suggest back to him?
But please, remember his requirements (from the list above this should be obvious) and his budget.
The first one to recommend a BMW for example gets a slap :)
 
OK, we're getting somewhere :)
List now shorter:

VW Golf
Ford Focus
Seat Leon

Now I owned a Megane a long time ago (X plate - so before the "fat bottom" version) and to be honest I really quite enjoyed it as a car.
Are they that bad?

Alfa - Well I'm assuming it's a typical reliability issue?
Citroen - Never owned one - reliability?
Chrysler - Certainly not my choice, I personally think they are as ugly as sin. What's generally wrong with these?

Ta
 
Mate has a Megane as he's given up on life, and random stupid things keep breaking. It's getting annoying.

As for the Citroen, my grandparents have endless issues with their Picasso, and we saw a C4/C5 on fire on the way to the OcUK RR day a couple of years ago. Enough to put me off. :p
 
You can get a new shape 2.0 Focus in a reasonable trim with 40k miles for £5k. By contrast a £5k 2.0 FSi Golf will have more like 60-70k miles on it. Whether this matters to him or not I don't know.

I don't know why a Leon would ever be on a list with a Golf and a Focus in it, unless a cracking deal comes on on his doorstep.
 
Robbie G said:
I don't know why a Leon would ever be on a list with a Golf and a Focus in it, unless a cracking deal comes on on his doorstep.
Click to expand...

Because you get basically the same car, for less, or will get a newer car for the money, or you prefer the styling (god knows why, the new shape Leon is foul, both inside and out).
 
Unless of course you want the known reliability of the VAG platform and mechanicals, and prefer the styling of the Leon?

Or it offers more in the way of spec for your money?
 
The MkI Leon is based on the Golf MkIV and was built in Spain. The MkII Leon is not reasonably available for £5k, unless you want a shed.

I'd rather have a new shape Focus or a MkV Golf than a MkIV Golf.
 
If that is true, then you are correct. I had (apparently wrongly) assumed that the MK2 Leon was readily available for £5k these days.
 
I am confused as to why he is doing this. I'm not being funny, I'm going to make a serious point.

£5k will not buy a car that is appreciably better or more modern than a '51 plate Volkswagen Bora TDI. The Leon will be a Mk1 built on the same platform. The Golf will probably be one of the last Mk4's - ie the car he has now but a hatch instead of a saloon.

He hasn't got enough to really upgrade the Bora, therefore I would recommend either:

a) Stick with the Bora
b) Get more money and consider the natural replacement for a Bora, a Jetta.

As it stands this seems like a bit of a pointless move?
 
Well the Bora was my dad's and my brother got it when he passed away.
It is starting to look a little on the tatty side now.
It has 120k on the clock and the work required to get it through the MOT each year is starting to get a little more expensive each time.

What would you recommend being a sensible budget to actually do a "worthwhile" replacement on his car?
Maybe I can convicne him to wait a little longer until he has a better budget?
 
The interior is horrendous, a mess of poor asthetics and poor quality materials and the whole car looks like some sort of mini MPV. A slightly older Golf, or perhaps a Skoda Octavia, is simply a better way of acheiving more or less the same car.
 
[TW]Fox;18373083 said:
The interior is horrendous, a mess of poor asthetics and poor quality materials and the whole car looks like some sort of mini MPV. A slightly older Golf, or perhaps a Skoda Octavia, is simply a better way of acheiving more or less the same car.
Click to expand...

All a matter of perceptions though, I would be quite happy with a leon and not fussed by the issues you raise.

You seem to forget that not everyone is so spread sheet analytical about their purchases. Fundamentally the Leon is a good car.

At this budget though it does open up a lot more possibilities inc the Skoda Octavia VRs.

In the 5k budget you could go for a newer Astra as they are comparably cheaper than the Focus. Also an Earlier Octavia VRs.

For a £5k fun car you could get a decent 172/182 if you want to run it and can live with lack of space over the roomier options.
 
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