Help choose a new car (again)

fjon

I need to get myself a new car next week - have sold my old one and have no new one lines up.

Budget is €7000, and I'd like a "Golf-sized" hatchback.

My options are (in this order):

Seat Leon
Opel Astra
Ford Focus


I have ruled out the Golf (too basic), Octavia (not a hatch), Laguna, 307 and C5 (crap apparently).

Is there anything else obvious I am missing that I could also look at?

PauloMN

Octavia not a hatch???

fjon

Doh! So it is. Ok, well I guess I could look at those too, but they're not the most exciting cars - would rather something else if possible.

PauloMN

fjon wrote:

Doh! So it is. Ok, well I guess I could look at those too, but they're not the most exciting cars - would rather something else if possible.

The 3 that you have listed are all good cars, the Octavia is also a decent car and will be marginally cheaper probably than any of the above.

The obvious missing ones are Japanese - Corolla, Mazda 3 and the.... erm.... Almera.

If you rule out the Octavia based on its image, you probably won't want to bother with the Almera either. To be honest, I'd never recommend an Almera other than to someone who literally just wants an A to B car and is looking for nothing other than a reliable car.

fjon

Cheers. Mazda 3 is way out of my price range, and Almera - well, you said it
That leaves the Corolla. I like the newer model, but for my price range I would be stuck with the boring older one unfortunately.

unkel

You can do far worse than getting a Focus. For your budget there's plenty of choice out there. You're looking at an '01 - '02 most likely

Having said that, did you consider buying one size bigger? Cars in the D-segment around your budget are usually cheaper in Ireland than same year / same mileage C-segment cars. And you get a lot more car for your money with lots more goodies although the running costs would be (slightly) higher. Resale is a bugger though, so it depends how long you plan to keep it

bazz26

Honda Civic:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=505210

Alfa Romeo 147:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=566214
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=516459

Fiat Stilo:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=569026

fjon

Thanks Bazz!

I like the Alfas - hadn't even thought of that.
Fiat Stilo - seriously ? I haven't heard too many good things about them.

peasant

You could *possibly*, *maybe* just consider a ....



(dare I even say it?)


....Fiat Stilo ???

(the one with the diesel engine, not the wheezy onepointtwo)

list from carzone

EDIT ...bahhh ...I hate work ! ...makes your belated posts look silly

fjon

unkel wrote:

You can do far worse than getting a Focus. For your budget there's plenty of choice out there. You're looking at an '01 - '02 most likely

Having said that, did you consider buying one size bigger? Cars in the D-segment around your budget are usually cheaper in Ireland than same year / same mileage C-segment cars. And you get a lot more car for your money with lots more goodies although the running costs would be (slightly) higher. Resale is a bugger though, so it depends how long you plan to keep it

Yes, I found that too!
I am downgrading actually. I have an '01 Mondeo Zetec which I find much too big for me now, and I also really need the boot-space of a hatchback.
I know that this is a rather big car, and perhaps I could get something in the same class which is a bit smaller and a hatchback - what would you suggest?

HashSlinging

Seat Leon.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=328375

fjon

HashSlinging wrote:

Seat Leon.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=328375

Yep, I had considered that one, but 88k for a 2001 is pretty high. Apart from that it would have been perfect.

The more I look at it, the more I like the one Bazz found:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=566214

Any thoughts?

HashSlinging

im surprised the alfa was thrown in there at all. good looking car but the leon is a safer bet even with that mileage, belt dosent need to be changed again till 120k remember.

bazz26

fjon wrote:

Yep, I had considered that one, but 88k for a 2001 is pretty high. Apart from that it would have been perfect.

The more I look at it, the more I like the one Bazz found:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=566214

Any thoughts?

Alfas are very unforgiving if they are not mentained and serviced properly. Make sure it has a full detailed service history including when the timing belt was last changed. Alfas require the timing belt to be changed every 36k miles. Alfa dealers in general are very poor so a good Alfa specialist for servicing and parts is essential. Ti Autos in Dublin come highly recommended by most Alfa drivers in that corner of the country.