Too good to be true?

anksta

anksta

anksta

Soldato
Joined
19 Jan 2005
Posts
2,722
Just in case it is, I'm not posting a link sorry but I've been looking for a car for about a month now, definitely diesel and I was gonna get a golf but its pushing my price range a lot(and I reduced my price range) for a mark IV diesel that hadnt done excessive miles (excessive being 150k+ I think) so I've started to loko at focuses, I've found a white (worst part) W reg Focus 1.8Tddi Zetec which is obv diesel, done 74k miles and its at 1395 at the minute.

From the others that I've seen its certainly in the price range even if its at the lwoer end but all the others I've seen at that price have been bottom range and done around twice as many miles.

What do you think?
 
mjt said:
the white one could be ex-police, although the mileage is a bit low..

why have you decided on a diesel, do you do a lot of miles?
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yeah I do like 80 or 90 a day as I live just outside Manchester but work just outside Leeds.

What about this? this is another that seems far too ridiculously cheap:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200938342034466/sort/priceasc/search-target/usedcars/make/audi/price-to/2000/fuel-type/diesel/body-type/hatchback/search-used-vehicles/update%20results/page/1/postcode/ls270ry/radius/1501?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fls270ry%2Fradius%2F1501%2Fmake%2Faudi%2Fprice-to%2F2000%2Ffuel-type%2Fdiesel%2Fbody-type%2Fhatchback%2Fsearch-used-vehicles%2Fupdate%2520results%2Fpage%2F1%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc&anchor=advert200938342034466&logcode=p
 
Why is the engine bad? I thought they were pretty mint in Focuses/A3s? I just want summat (thats not a mondeo) that is reliable, I really cant be arsed or afford to be replacing stuff on it all the time and I cant be bothered worrying about it breaking all the time. I've got about 1500 to spend, whats a better option?
 
that xsara isnt taxed and MOT runs out in Jan so thats a bit more, not trashin or anythin I appreciate the opinion.

I have had 2 french cars now though and both have turned out to be crocks, I've had Citroens recommended before now though, what makes them so much better than Renaults? Or Audis? Or Fords?

I thought a diesel focus would be the same engine as a mondeo diesel wouldnt it? I thought it would go 200k+ plus quite easily?
 
Toledo is a saloon though isnt it, I dont want anything that big, I want a hatchback, what about a 306? What sort of mileage are they capable of?

Am I right to be thinking a golf/A3/Leon are the 3 best options for what I'm after? And diesel?
 
na I dont want one, I'm only 22 I have no reason whatsoever to drive a saloon, the only reason I dont drive something like a smart car or Ford Kais because I'd get blown off the motorway.

I just want something, small(ish), economical and reliable for about 1500 quid, preferably cheaper.
 
If the only reason I had to drive a car was what I could get for 1500 quid I could get a million different cars, I dont know why people try and force cars on people, you're not gonna convince me that I'd like to have a saloon, last time I asked for advice on a car people were tryin to force me into a mondeo.

Does anyone have any decent advice about a small, reliable, economic hatchback please?
 
iaind said:
Nobody's trying to force you into anything, just giving advice on the best cars for the money. If you were interested in the Leon, the Toledo is the same car for less money - you've got to have pretty messed up priorities to dismiss it because it has the wrong type of back end. Especially at this budget - you couldnt have "a million different cars", with only 1500 quid there's actually very little worth owning!
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yeah and I appreciate the input but when I say I dont want one, I dont want people to go "no you do, you just dont know enough" I dont particularly like the old shape Leon (and I cant afford the new one) the reason I have been looking at them though is that they are hatchbacks, cheap and reliable (from what I've heard) as I've said, if I really didnt care, I'd have bought a mondeo 10 minutes after deciding I need a new car.
 
iaind said:
I think people just need to understand what your thinking is for specifically wanting a hatchback - if we understand then we can help better. So why don't you want a saloon? If a Leon is cheap and reliably, so is a Toledo. The Toledo's actually cheaper to insure IME anyway. Is it an image thing?
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is it a bit of an image thing I have to admit, I'm trying to save money and it keeps me up at night worrying about things like getting a new car and there isn't much stopping me just going and getting cheap, crappest thing going like a corsa or something, simply because it goes.

I know that that argument could be easily used to justify buying a toledo or a mondeo, but if I resort to buying something like that, I definitely wont be spending that amount of money, I'd drive a mondeo or a toledo and perfectly satisfied with both the reliability and the looks, but certainly not for 1500 quid.

If I have to drive soemthing like that, then I'm definitely not paying more than a grand, and even then begrudgingly, if I'm spending 1500, then i'm getting something that I like.

I hope that clears it up a little bit, sorry for snapping a little bit in my last post, I know you guys only come on here to offer advice and I do appreciate it, I just really worry about spending this amount of money.
 
yeah I appreciate those 4 points iaind, does a golf not tick all 4? There hasn't been much talked about golfs, they might be dearer to buy than say a toledo, or in fact anything that has been mentioned other than an A3 perhaps but I have seen some decent ones, diesel, mileage around 100k for about the 1500 mark, is that not worth it?

That xsara is alright for the money, but again my point from before is if I'm gonna spend that money, I wanna get something that I at least like, I'd get a xsara for less, around the grand mark, but the way I see it, if I have to sacrifice one of the points iaind said above, I'm gonna do it to boost one of his other points.
 
but would you not want a golf/A3 for that money because you dont particularly like them or for a specific reason? Because I've always liked Mark IV golfs and I'd definitely take a half decent one without ridiculously high mileage for 1500 quid.
 
iaind said:
I'm probably one of the few people on here who like the Mk4 Golf! I still wouldnt have a 1500 quid one - double that and you're probably onto something.

I'd never buy a car at the very bottom of the price range - they're cheap for a reason. Mk4 Golfs only start at about 1500 quid, whereas something like a 306/Focus/Toledo will start at sub 1k

I'd just get a Tidy 1.6 Focus
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I was thinking about that but they're petrol aren't the 1.6s? What with it being 1.6 and petrol the insurance wont really drop and how reliable are the petrol engines? What sort of mileage as well on a 1.6 petrol Focus?
 
iaind said:
The 1.6s are petrol yes. They're prretty well suited to the focus and relatively bulletproof. You'll still get 40mpg. £1500 should buy a sub 80k mile car
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well I checked the mpg in my coupe for the first time the other day and it said 38.8mpg and that was over 800 miles, of which I'd say at least 700 were motorway so 40 in a Focus isn't gonna make that much difference is it?

Having said that though, 45 in a diesel isn't gonna make any difference in my fuel costs is it given the cost of diesel?
 
does it matter which Focus 1.6 petrol? Which is the one that is cheap to repair? I'd spend around 1200 I reckon on a Focus as I think they're alright.
 
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