Golf vs Astra vs Megane?

El Stuntman

OK, so I have promised to buy the wife a new car :cool:

I know less than nothing about cars

she wants a five-door hatchback, we have a dog and a baby so I'd like it to be as safe as possible - we live in Dublin so don't do much mileage.

the above 3 models look to be similar - can any of you experts let me know which one I should choose and why? The price ranges seem reasonably similar too for a 1.4l engine...

Your help would much appreciated

El Stuntman

I'll go with the Corolla so

carpainter

We bought a new Astra SXi this year as a family car and are very happy with it. It drives very well and the 17" alloys hug the road. We've two kids and find it a fine small family car. On the downside: there aren't much storage cubby holes in the cabin, I'm not sure how durable the upholstery will be long term and the boot is a little small on the width side- some buggies will be a tight squeeze. Build quality is good and the car is not as light (in terms of body panel steel etc) as some other small cars we've owned. There are no significant faults or recalls on this model yet. When we were looking at comparable models Citroen C4, Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Peugeot 307 and Golf are all in this class. I'd stay away from Renault, Peugeot or Citroen in terms of reliability and resale value- the French makes depreciate heavily. although you'll probably be offered far more equipment as standard as an incentive to purchase. Golf is still regarded as the best of the lot, but I didn't like the look of the car and they are over priced, based on a perception of they being of higher quality. Standard equipment tends to be basic also. I never really liked the Focus so I never considered it. We haggled hard and got a good deal (with trade in) on the Astra and that clinched the deal in the end. Best thing is nearly a year later I still think it beats the rest hands down in terms of looks.

dvega

I'm driving a Golf for the past 3 years and i highly recommend them,the only thing is some golfs are all electrical and some tend to 'calapse' as there is a chip that controls every electrical aspect of the car.My mother drives an 2006 astra and had some trouble with the central locking and had to bring in her new car nearly 3 times before it was finally fixed.All in all i would go for the golf as its a good stable car and best of all it holds its value.:)

Henry Ford III

Focus is market leader, and the best car in this class, by a distance.


p.s. It's not great (underpowered as is a Golf) as a 1.4, but spot on as a 1.6.

colm_mcm

Golf 1.4 if you're not doing big mileage.

junkyard

I'd go for the Focas any day too but go for the 1.6 Zetec,the 1.4 is as dead as a maggot.

colm_mcm

Golf getting standard aircon? and better resale value/image

crosstownk

El Stuntman wrote:

I'll go with the Corolla so

Problem solved Seriously.

But of the 3 you mention I'd be inclined to go with the Astra. The Megane *covers mouth* is unreliable *uncovers mouth* - less reliable than the other two, the most reliable being the Astra. the Astra is not a bad looking car but the interior is a bit mundane.

The Golf is a solid yoke, but could cause a headache or two and will be easier to sell and at a higher price.

The Megane will loose a bit of value, but if you get a reliable one you'll have the best looking car of the 3, imo.

junkyard

I had a 04 Astra in for a service on Friday and I thought it was a diesel, the thing was seriously noisy, the woman who owned it said it started getting noisy over a period of two weeks. We serviced it and tbh its no better. There were a list of problems with it, dash lights intermittently flashing on and off, radio packed up, indicator light switch packed up, seat adjuster came away in her hand and loads of other stupid problems. I have to say that the cars that are being turned out these days just aren't up to scratch, it seems to me that the buyers of these cars are being used as guineapigs to test these cars out for the motor manufacturers.

louie

I will go for VW Golf. More reliable then other models listed above and holds the price very well.

bazz26

louie wrote:

I will go for VW Golf. More reliable then other models listed above and holds the price very well.

Of the others mentioned above maybe, but still nowhere near as reliable as VW's reputation claims to be these days.

El Stuntman

Thanks people,

I'm gonna go ahead and order her a '07 Corolla seeing as I got feedback from a friend who is a car nut saying it's the most reliable (he said not to touch the Megane with a bargepole btw and also said the Gold is overrated)

so I guess my original question was badly flawed!!

Plug

Why not splash out the cash and get the new golf GT?
Its a 1.4 with a 160hp and more efficant than a 2 litre.

bazz26

El Stuntman wrote:

Thanks people,

I'm gonna go ahead and order her a '07 Corolla seeing as I got feedback from a friend who is a car nut saying it's the most reliable (he said not to touch the Megane with a bargepole btw and also said the Gold is overrated)

so I guess my original question was badly flawed!!

Just take note that the new Auris which replaces the Corolla is available from about April/May 2007 if you can wait that long.

spank_inferno

Skoda Fabia 1.2 hatchback

Dont laugh!..... try it you'll be so surprised you'll look like this guy -> :eek:

junkyard

spank_inferno wrote:

Skoda Fabia 1.2 hatchback

Dont laugh!..... try it you'll be so surprised you'll look like this guy -> :eek:

I look like that too when I've driven one.:)

colm_mcm

spank_inferno wrote:

Skoda Fabia 1.2 hatchback

Dont laugh!..... try it you'll be so surprised you'll look like this guy -> :eek:

That guy looks like he's gonna vomit!