Mazda 3 Vs Skoda Octavia

bazz26

OP did you look at the Kia Ceed? A 07 falls within your budget and they come with a 7 year warranty from new meaning a 07 will have the majority of 5 years left on it. They are also very well equipped, reliable and good value for money.

A few examples:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200922192955624
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200919192732703
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200919192701101
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194476128

witless_steve

I hadn't thought of the Kia ceed. Thanks for the tip will look into them. The warranty is very impressive.
I'm learning loads every day from this thread.

witless_steve

The 1.6 petrol only seems to come with an automatic, not sure about automatics. Is the 1.6 diesel a good engine?
1.4 petrol seems to be ludicrously good value with all the extras stuffed into it.

cyborg

witless_steve wrote: »

Is the 1.6 diesel a good engine?

Peach of an engine, the one to go for if you are buying.

witless_steve

Does anyone know what the warranty covers?

cyborg

witless_steve wrote: »

Does anyone know what the warranty covers?

everything bar servicables like brake pads etc

witless_steve

Wow. That is a pretty good deal. When it comes time to test drive a few cars. Do you just take them for a spin and take notes or bring your car guru with you?

EPM

just say you want a good spin. Try any car on a good mix of roads-town,country and motorway or dual carriageway. Throw some bad ones in there too-good to listen for any noises than shouldn't be there. If there's nothing to hide the salesman wont have any bother letting you have a proper drive.

Zonda999

witless_steve wrote: »

bring your car guru with you?

Thats what i would do to be honest. If you know any mechanic or anything that would be handy

witless_steve

Where would i find out how much it costs to service a car? A useful thing to know how much it will cost to service your next car. And does car tax run for engine size or carbon?

bazz26

Car tax is based on engine size for pre 2008 registered cars.

Car tax is based on emmissions (Co2) for cars first registered from July 1st 2008 onwards.

Cars first registered between Jan 1st 2008 and July 31st 2008 had the option of either engine size or Co2, which ever was favourable to the owner at the time.

Servicing charges vary from garage to garage and depend on the make and type of car too. Parts for one make of car can be more expensive than others and labour costs also vary from garage to garage. The best thing to do is shop around.

witless_steve

What is the difference between the Kia ceed and the pro ceed? Can't find a review that lists the specs of both.

bazz26

witless_steve wrote: »

What is the difference between the Kia ceed and the pro ceed? Can't find a review that lists the specs of both.

The Cee'd is a standard 5 door family hatchback or estate, the Pro Cee'd is a sportier 3 door hatchback aimed at younger drivers. Both cars use the same running gear along with the Hyundai i30.

More info at www.kiamotors.ie

witless_steve

I've seen some of the Ceeds going for 14 K or so and others for nearer to 10K.
Is 10K a fairer price for one?
I'm just trying to get a handle on what the going rate for one is so I don't start bidding at too low a price, or worse yet expecting to get much of a discount if the thing is at close to floor level.

EPM

What year/mileage/spec Ceed's are you looking at?

witless_steve

I'm looking at 2007 EX models, I don't really mind if petrol or diesel.
From looking online (I know, I know, never believe everything your read there but a good place to start) I found 2 very similar models with very different price tags.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/KIA/Ceed/5-door-e/200919192701101/advert?channel=CARS
and

http://www.carzone.ie/search/KIA/Ceed/1.4-EX-5/200932194805368/advert?channel=CARS

At this point I'm trying to work out what a fair price for a similar car would be. That way I have some idea when the dealer is asking a fortune for the car but also if there is room to haggle.
Be glad to get your input EPM.

EPM

There's a fair mileage difference between the 2 for a 2 year old car. Still if not racking up a lot it might be a canny buy. I fit was me I'd source one of the diesel ones as they are great. Something like this should fit the bill

witless_steve

Nice car. I'd love to test drive a diesel as I've never driven one before.
Would there be much haggle room on the prices listed online?
I can only really put 10K in the hat to change and 12 is out of my price range.

witless_steve

I've seen some with no reasonable offer refused.
If the car is going for 14k is 10k a reasonable offer?

EPM

You wont know until you try them. Some might jump at it, others might tell you where to get off. Have a look at that one in Limerick if 10k is your limit. It's still got 50k miles of warranty left and might come in cheaper than the price quoted. Very good value for a 2 year old car.

witless_steve

I can only find the Kia Ceed in 1.4 petrol. The more affordable Mazda 3's are also 1.4 petrol engines. Is there a big difference between the 1.4 and the 1.6?

deRanged

in terms of the Mazda3 anyway, the 1.4 is a little underpowered for the size/weight of the car.
it'll drive fine, and you might never care, but I recommend the 1.6.

bazz26

Kia Cee'd 1.4 litre has 109bhp, does 0 to 62 in 11.4 sec and a top speed of 116mph which is pretty respectable for a normally aspired 1.4 litre petrol engine.

The Mazda 3 1.4 litre has 84bhp, does 0 to 62 in 14.5 sec and a top speed of 105mph. The 1.6 litre Mazda 3 has similar performance figures to the 1.4 litre Kia.

So in the real world your are probably getting the same performance from the 1.4 Kia as the 1.6 Mazda. I'd imagine the Kia will be better on fuel too.

witless_steve

Very good to know. Thanks guys. I've been asked to look into a Prius. Granted it'll have to be an older one to meet the budget. Anyone have any info on the 2003 or 2004 models?

witless_steve

I'm looking into the Prius because I do a lot of urban driving. I'm told that the Prius gets great fuel economy when driving in town by using the battery. Has anyone driven a Prius? I'm curious to know more about them. They mainly seem to be available used in Dublin or Galway.

bazz26

The Prius are generally expensive to buy, even the old models are asking silly money. The money you might save on fuel may be spend on buying the car. The styling is also very subjective, personally I dislike the look of them.

If you want a hybrid then maybe the Civic IMA is something to look at, they were never offically sold here so most you see are UK imports, they are more conventional than the Prius and better equipped too, most come with full leather interior & air conditioning. Here are a few examples:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200848191010503
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200840190252078
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200931194780650
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200929194648630
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194398639
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200916192506376
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200932194848256

It is also worth talking to JHMEG on here who owns one.

witless_steve

Thanks for the suggestions. If you do have a hybrid i take it only a main dealer has the gear to repair or service them?
Is there any kind of national warranty for them like the nissan gold standard? That means you can get it serviced in any dealer.

EPM

i'd avoid a prius. The economy is apparently nowhere near what is quoted-a decent diesel will beat it without trying too hard. A neighbour brought in an 05 civic ima from the uk last year. Nice car-full leather and climate control. Brought it in for well under 10k including vrt which is very low on them. Much better buy in my opinion. Under the bonnet it all looks like a normal car bar some items coloured illuminous orange as they are part of the hybrid drive. If you're buying an old hybrid there could be the possibility of replacing the battery packs in the future. This could be more than the car would be worth then.

I'd keep with a 1.6 3 or a ceed if i were you. As an all round package they are far superior to the civic or prius

witless_steve

Good to know thanks EPM. I'm kicking around some ideas to make sure I get the best car for the money that i can. All the posts in this thread have been very helpful. I'd put the ceed and the touring spec mazda 3 on my short list. I'm looking into hybrids to make sure I properly look into the cars that might meet my needs.
If I have any more ideas or questions I'll post them here so I can get some good advice.

witless_steve

One idea did occur to me. Diesels are mentioned as giving great fuel economy. So my question is this. If i don't want to go bigger then a 1.6 and only have 10k for a newish car. What diesels should i be looking at?