[Matt Simis]

Originally Posted by RXMPS

Honda DC5

You will want to drive that day and night.

You waiting on the tow truck?

[antiskeptic]

Originally Posted by JohnK

I'm currently driving a focus convertible but that'll be gone at some point in the very near future so I need to find something else. Problem is though, what I know about cars could all be put in very large type on the back of a stamp and you'd still have plenty of space left over so I dont have a clue what to be looking for.

Based on my driving over the last year I can guess that realistically it'll be used almost exclusively for very short journeys and very likely only get used every second day so from my most basic of understanding that rules out a diesel but I'm open to correction on that point. Distance wise since mid Jan 2011 I've only done 8700km and of that a minimum of 3500km was done on holidays in France & UK over a two week period and a further 1500~2000km done on trips to between Cork & Dublin so that leaves in the region of 2500km of regular driving and those trips would probably be an average of 5 minutes in length, although a very significant number of them would be less than 1km in distance.

About the absolute max I could justify to myself is 15k although I'd very much like it to come in under that. At the same time though I'd like a "nice" car because if I just get a real cheap A-to-B type car I'm never going to use it; in other words I'd like to be able to look at it out the window and feel the desire to get into it if you understand me rather than look at it and feel completely disinterested about going for a drive. A convertible would be very nice although not essential as the last year has amply demonstrated we dont exactly have the weather for it in this country. I like gadgets stuff so a nicely spec'd car would be a plus so I suppose primarily stuff like properly integrated bluetooth, radio that can support mp3 cds or play stuff off my phone etc.

So, any suggestions? Is that even remotly achieveable on my budget?

Thanks

Can I ask why you're contemplating spending that kind of money on a car that sees so little use. Even if you drove to France every year your mileage is next to nothing. Which means you're losing vast amounts of money in annual depreciation.

Take this as an example. It's been sold (unsurprisingly) but it illustrates a point:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2855438

It's a decent spec Audi A4 1.8T (T for turbo). Talking to the woman who owned it lead me to conclude it was a diamond amongst the bunch and it sold for Euro 200 less than asking. The mileage is pretty low for that kind of car - despite the age.

Now. A plush car (Audi A4's are classed as "junior executive") with room for you, with plenty of power, which would be noticeably more enjoyable a drive than the Focus, with loads more years left in it given your mileage, which is attractive to look at (without being tacky)

You'd have escaped the depreciation problem, would have spent a third of your budget, would have a mint car to last you years...

[antiskeptic]

Originally Posted by RXMPS

They all look the same anyway, s4, a4, 330i, 320d, all boring.

All is relative - have you read what the OP is stepping out of?

[JohnK]

Thats a fair point antiskeptic and your right based on my past usage it does seem a bit of a waste but I'm hoping that by splashing out a bit more on a nicer car that I'll also be more inclined to actually make proper use of it.

[JohnK]

Heres another question that maybe someone can answer for me. So far any of the convertibles I've seen in my price range seem to all be softtops but at the same time I saw on some random site that a softtop usually has to be replaced after about 5 years which is about the age of a lot of the cars I've seen so is that somewhat accurate? I'm guessing anyone who is selling their car wont be replacing it so would I be looking a situation where I could buy the car and almost immediately need to spend a few thousand on replacing the roof?

[antiskeptic]

Originally Posted by JohnK

Thats a fair point antiskeptic and your right based on my past usage it does seem a bit of a waste but I'm hoping that by splashing out a bit more on a nicer car that I'll also be more inclined to actually make proper use of it.

A lowish mileage 2003/4 A4 1.8T in tip top condition would cost you 4-5k and would be a fair step up from where you are at the moment (I should know, I just bought one myself, stepping out of the Focus' ancestor, an Escort ). If you don't use that more then it's not likely you'll rack up more mileage in anything more expensive.

If you're silently ageist (), you could push up a bit (say 7-8k) and get a an Audi A4 1.8T in the more recent version (the model I linked to ran from 2001-2004, the next most recent model ran from 2005-2008). And still not lose a pile in depreciation.

It's not so much that I'm pushing the A4, it's that it's a buyers market and you can get a hell of a lot of car of that class and performance for not at all silly money these days.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by bijapos

They all come with an optional hard top and the fact thats its a convertible makes them desirable to drive on a nice sunny day, be it in winter or summer.

Hi bijapos just having a read back over some of the thread and this poped out at me - what exactly do you mean by the bit on bold? Is it possible to convert a softtop into a hardtop in some cases?

[JohnK]

Well, I've now had a test drive in a Lexus LS250 Executive and while its a lovely car it felt very cramped - anyone know how it compares to the 3 Series & A4 in that department?

Given that it would be aiming at the luxury end of the market I would have thought there'd be more space in it but my head was touching the roof and I couldnt help but be distracted by the sun visor which was almost directly in my eye line even with the seat in its lowest position. Its a pity because it was lovely to drive.

[MidlandsM]

Take an M3 for a spin.

[JohnK]

The M3 looks nice alright though it does seem a little on the pricey side

[bazz26]

Originally Posted by JohnK

Well, I've now had a test drive in a Lexus LS250 Executive and while its a lovely car it felt very cramped - anyone know how it compares to the 3 Series & A4 in that department?

Given that it would be aiming at the luxury end of the market I would have thought there'd be more space in it but my head was touching the roof and I couldnt help but be distracted by the sun visor which was almost directly in my eye line even with the seat in its lowest position. Its a pity because it was lovely to drive.

The 3 Series and A4 are not much better, they are junior executives. The 3 Series in particular is not great on headroom, I'm only 5"7 and don't have a whole lot of headroom in my 3 Series. Have a look at the 5 Series or A6 if you want more space and don't cost a whole lot more than their smaller siblings second hand.

[JohnK]

Well thats a pity as it pretty much rules out any chance of a convertible. Supposed to be looking at some kind of suv style thing today so will see if I can get into any of those models even just to see what it'd be like.

[FunkBlaster87]

How about something like this http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1903076

Was in one recently, thought it was very comfy.

[MidlandsM]

Naaaaaaaaa, I'd not spend my hard earned on that saab - there's better.



http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2681288

[JohnK]

Well today I took a drive in a mondeo and a qashqai. The qashqai had a real cheap feel to it and while the mondeo was nice it was a deasel and unfortunately quite loud. Also sat into a Mercedes and if anything I'd say it was a tighter fit than the Lexus. Think there was a Lancer there too but didn't think much of that. Tried to sit into a 3 Series but the cars were so tightly packed I had no chance. Didn't help that it was raining so I got drenched while pressed up against the car.

Another thing that's surprised me actually is the amount of scratches and dents on relatively new cars and interiors with labels almost wiped off, buttons almost falling off etc. Given that the original owners would have spent in some cases €50-€70k I would have thought they'd take better care of them but apparently not

Something tells me I'm going to have a hard time finding something I'm actually willing to put my money on.