Suggestions for a new car

.Lethal · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:04

Hi there,

I'm doing a bit of looking around for a new car but I'm not really sure what car I would like with the price range I have, hence me dropping by here for some of your opinions.

I would be looking for a new car on finance with the car being no more than 7 or 8 grand.

The car will be used by myself and my wife which is where the problem comes in, kinda.. I tend to like big fast cars and she wants something comfortable that is small and easy to drive!

Has anyone got some ideas where to go with this?

[DOD]Asprilla · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:13

Damonic said:
The car will be used by myself and my wife which is where the problem comes in, kinda.. I tend to like big fast cars and she wants something comfortable that is small and easy to drive!

I was in a simlar position, so we compromised and bought what I wanted because it was my money.

Either that or get something with only two seats - fast fun and easy to park.

Spleen Sauce · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:17

Honda s2000. Quick and actually deceivingly small.

Crizzy · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:31

Do you do much mileage? Do you need rear seats? Is insurance an issue?

For that budget you would get a nice Mondeo ST220 which would satisfy your 'big fast car' criteria or if you wanted something smaller then maybe a Seat Leon Cupra R would fit the bill. Both worth looking at.

n3vrmind · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:37

Seraphic said:
Honda s2000. Quick and actually deceivingly small.

Also RWD, she will spin off and die

Tute · 1 Jul 2009 at 11:42

I'm in a similar boat, and after a few test drives have all but settled on a Golf GT, although I can't afford a proper hot hatch as insurance is still steep.

I also tried a Ford Focus, Fiat Bravo, Skoda Fabia vRS, and Civic Type-S. All different cars with different good and bad points.

I'd also consider an Audi A3 or S3?

Best bet IMO is to go to dealerships and give some of the suggested cars a test drive. From my experience, women - in general - really aren't fussed about a car as long as it looks alright and is comfortable to drive. So get testing.

.Lethal · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:10

Crizzy said:
Do you do much mileage? Do you need rear seats? Is insurance an issue?

For that budget you would get a nice Mondeo ST220 which would satisfy your 'big fast car' criteria or if you wanted something smaller then maybe a Seat Leon Cupra R would fit the bill. Both worth looking at.

Regarding the mileage I wouldn't say we would do a lot of miles each year. Rear seats would be a must though. As for insurance I'm 26 so it isn't to steep for me these days.

We had a booklet from SEAT sent to us as she tends to think they look quite nice. I'll take a quick look at the Cupra R now over my lunch break. Thanks!

.Lethal · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:11

Tute said:
I'm in a similar boat, and after a few test drives have all but settled on a Golf GT, although I can't afford a proper hot hatch as insurance is still steep.

I also tried a Ford Focus, Fiat Bravo, Skoda Fabia vRS, and Civic Type-S. All different cars with different good and bad points.

I'd also consider an Audi A3 or S3?

Best bet IMO is to go to dealerships and give some of the suggested cars a test drive. From my experience, women - in general - really aren't fussed about a car as long as it looks alright and is comfortable to drive. So get testing.

Sound advice regarding the test drives, I wouldn't buy a car until I had tested a few we both agreed were nice cars. I had no idea Audi was within 8k these days?

nate247 · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:37

It would be the older Audi A3 based on the old Golf MK4 platform.

Still nice cars though...

Scrutinize · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:39

Damonic said:
Hi there,

I'm doing a bit of looking around for a new car but I'm not really sure what car I would like with the price range I have, hence me dropping by here for some of your opinions.

I would be looking for a new car on finance with the car being no more than 7 or 8 grand.

The car will be used by myself and my wife which is where the problem comes in, kinda.. I tend to like big fast cars and she wants something comfortable that is small and easy to drive!

Has anyone got some ideas where to go with this?

Either a Mondeo ST220 or Volvo S60 T5

Tute · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:50

Damonic said:
Sound advice regarding the test drives, I wouldn't buy a car until I had tested a few we both agreed were nice cars. I had no idea Audi was within 8k these days?

Old shape, or you might be able to find a new shape going cheap if you're lucky and hunt around a fair bit.

I was totally stumped with my choice, but trust me, test driving is a fantastic way to narrow the choices down.

Although I want a mid-sized hatchback, so obviously my recommendations reflect that. But the Mondeo is a good choice and I think you'll also find the BMW 3 series come highly recommended too (you'll have to go older to secure one at that price though).

[DOD]Asprilla · 1 Jul 2009 at 12:57

mrk1@1 said:
Volvo S60 T5

Terrible car for parking. My Mrs thinks a 5 series turns on a sixpence in comparison.

Scrutinize · 1 Jul 2009 at 13:05

[DOD]Asprilla;14394754 said:
Terrible car for parking. My Mrs thinks a 5 series turns on a sixpence in comparison.

I agree useless, I had a 2.0T S60 and there were many car parks I could not get in to.

Brilliant drivers cars though.

leaskovski · 1 Jul 2009 at 13:05

Damonic said:
Regarding the mileage I wouldn't say we would do a lot of miles each year. Rear seats would be a must though. As for insurance I'm 26 so it isn't to steep for me these days.

We had a booklet from SEAT sent to us as she tends to think they look quite nice. I'll take a quick look at the Cupra R now over my lunch break. Thanks!

Stupid question time as Im going through the mill as well and am compiling my shortlist...

As I have never been to a dealership looking to buy and test drive, whats the normal plan of action? Turn up, walk around the used cars until someone appproaches, or go and grab the nearest spod and ask them to test drive the car you are looking at?

[DOD]Asprilla · 1 Jul 2009 at 13:10

mrk1@1 said:
Brilliant drivers cars though.

I miss my T5 sometimes, but fortunately it sometimes visits on weekends.

leaskovski said:
As I have never been to a dealership looking to buy and test drive, whats the normal plan of action? Turn up, walk around the used cars until someone appproaches, or go and grab the nearest spod and ask them to test drive the car you are looking at?

My recent experiance is that they will jump on you as soon as you enter the door, offer you a test drive and then bombard you with calls every two days following.

Scrutinize · 1 Jul 2009 at 13:10

leaskovski said:
Stupid question time as Im going through the mill as well and am compiling my shortlist...

As I have never been to a dealership looking to buy and test drive, whats the normal plan of action? Turn up, walk around the used cars until someone appproaches, or go and grab the nearest spod and ask them to test drive the car you are looking at?

Take someone with you who knows the ropes and what they are doing. Even if you are just looking at cars, car sales people cannot be trusted.