Could we have got a better deal on a cheap new car ?

Boomstick

Boomstick

Boomstick

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Joined
2 Feb 2004
Posts
908
Location
West Mids, near Walsall
With the following aims in mind could we have done better for our money buying a "Brand New" car not used.

Budget was £5500 or less.

The car is primarily my girlfriends but I will use it at weekends

Prioritys:

Small supermini/hatch
Air con
Cheap to buy (for a new car)
Reasonable build quality
New i.e. with warranty
Some luxuries like electric windows all round, CD player

Oh and a nice light clutch for the girlfriend :D


Not a priority at all:

0-60
Top Speed
The badge
Boot size
Doesnt need sporty handling...etc.
Basically performance not a priority


On sunday we put a deposit down on a brand spanking new Kia Picanto 1.1 LX
It has Air-con, Electric windows all round, A cassette player but its an aftermarket unit by JVC so already has ISO cable fitted for ease of changing later on. I would say the build quality and the material quality was easily on par with renault and superseeds peugeot (having owned a clio and a 206)
It has a 2 year manufacturer warranty as the car is from another EU country so doesnt get 3 year uk warranty.



We paid nearly spot on our budget of £5500 including a years tax (£115) and new car registration fee(which the supermarket adds on after grrr). It will be an 2007 57 plate and we collect it in a few weeks.



I only found one new car that was cheaper and came with a 5 year warranty @ £4999 ish OTR and it was a Hyundai Amica but had no aircon and generally is not as nice a car.



So can you beat it !



So can you do better ?
 
You forgot to add one important item to the spec list: Savage depreciation that will leave you with a car that is worth £3.50 in a couple of years.

Cheap? Yes.
Sensible choice? No way.
 
emailiscrap said:
You forgot to add one important item to the spec list: Savage depreciation that will leave you with a car that is worth £3.50 in a couple of years.

Cheap? Yes.
Sensible choice? No way.
Click to expand...

Not exactly what he was asking, but never mind.
 
I read somewhere recently that in 2005 the Kia Picanto above all other new cars sold that year showed the least depriciation of any car !!!

Also the price we paid is cheaper than a 12 month old UK sourced car so your sweeping statement holds no ground lol
 
A nearly new fiesta i.e. 1 year old would have been another £1000 from what I could see :)

We plan on keeping this car for many years hence taking the plunge and going for brand new so that we know exactly where its been and whats happened to it in its life.
 
Seems like a good deal, list is £6645.

As for depreciation - it should be worth 3500-4000 in 3 years, so £500/year isn't too bad at all.

Did you buy it from "motorhouse"?
 
I retract my statement, but stand by buying 6 month old cars as the best balance between age/value.
Part of me is jealous as I've never bought a brand new car!
 
Yeah I spotted the Amica and mentioned it in my first post but it has no Air-con and buid quality was a bit tacky

Commited - Spot on its from motorhouse in Cannock, West Mids. I live only a few miles away from them


emailscrap - I go by that normally as my Mazda 3 Saloon was a 6 month old ex-demonstrator ;) If we had bought a 6 month old UK sourced car it would have been more than we paid for a brand new EU car
 
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Cheapest Panda with Aircon is £6000 unless you know cheaper ?
The Fabia 2 is about 8k and no aircon :\
 
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There is no better new car deal.

Whether a new car is the best idea if you only have £5k to spend remains a completely different issue, though.
 
Well for us it is as we plan to keep the car for as long as possible, we wont be replacing it in a year or two. Im talking more like 6 - 10 years. The peace of mind of knowing where its been and whats happened to it during its life is worth more to us.

Its got nearly everything we want
Plus in reality it costs so little to buy new it was worth buying new, especially as second hand ones cost more which is barmy !!
 
Congrats :)
Tis not easy getting a new car for this budget, especially with A/C.
Remember the pics when it arrives :)
 
Spec wise and money wise its cheap as chips and if its only going to be doing 5k or something a year then thats fine.

However if i only had 5.5k to spend i wouldn't have got a new car, how much damage can you do to a year old car with 10k on the clock...

Not much is the answer and the car would have had 2 years main dealer cover left, which is all this kia has to start with.

Also http://www.euroncap.com/tests/kia_picanto_2004/200.aspx

Speaks for itself, not for me thanks :)
 
Regarding the NCAP results:

Well when you buy a small "small" car you dont expect it to perform aswell as a big saloon for example. It performs well enough for my liking. Its nearly as good as a Fiat Panda for adult occupants and it scored better for children !
 
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This might sound a bit daft but......your in the UK, why do you specify aircon as an option you require? Sure i like having aircon, but in the year ive owned my car ive used it maybe twice.

I would rather have went out and bought a slightly older car with about 10k on the clock, but since you said new i suppose you would struggle to beat that.
 
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