Advice on car purchase

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 11:00am #1

Suspect this might be a stupid question, but which of these should I go for? I have two small kids, so practicality will also enter into it.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf-GTi/DSG..5DR/201102200837856/advert?channel=CARS

or

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/1.6-TDCi/201105201103373/advert?channel=CARS

All advice greatly appreciated.

andyseadog · 04-02-2011 11:05am

practicality will be similar with both cars, the focus probably having a slightly bigger boot, it just depends are your pockets deep enough to run the golf.

doOh · 04-02-2011 11:06am

LOL ... realy ? Golf GTI and Ford Focus 1.6d ? u have to tell us what u want. Sport car which eats 15l of petrol or a car which eats 7l of diesel ... can u afford ins, tax etc ?

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 11:07am

What would the running costs be, and why would the golf be more expensive to run?

Viper_JB · 04-02-2011 11:08am

*AHEM* http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Octavia/RS-2.0-T/201039199711761/advert?channel=CARS

si_guru · 04-02-2011 11:09am

Focus - mpg 50+ road tax €156 (I guess)
Golf - mpg 30+ road €614

Zubeneschamali · 04-02-2011 11:09am

Bruce7 wrote: »

Suspect this might be a stupid question, but which of these should I go for? I have two small kids, so practicality will also enter into it.

No difference at all in practicality.

The Golf will clearly cost more. Work out how much more (including all costs). If the extra is worth it to have the better car, buy a GTi. If you can think of things you'd rather do with the money, buy the econobox.

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 11:11am

doOh wrote: »

LOL ... realy ? Golf GTI and Ford Focus 1.6d ? u have to tell us what u want. Sport car which eats 15l of petrol or a car which eats 7l of diesel ... can u afford ins, tax etc ?

What I want is a Lexus or an E class merc. What my wife will let me spend is about 10 or 11k.

Hoping to get as much car as I can for this amount. Can afford insurance and tax. Don't drive that much so petrol costs should be manageable as well.

Is there anything else to bear in mind? Is the golf very temperamental, requiring a lot of servicing, work etc? I'm pretty negligent with my cars to be honest.

vectra · 04-02-2011 11:13am

I would go for the Golf.
I will get slated for this but you will get the same performance from this and it is 2 years newer. ( No DSG though) Might be worth considering?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1854976

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 11:16am

vectra wrote: »

I would go for the Golf.
I will get slated for this but you will get the same performance from this and it is 2 years newer. ( No DSG though) Might be worth considering?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1854976

Sorry, for some reason that site is blocked from work. What car is this?

Atomic Pineapple · 04-02-2011 11:22am

A petrol vRS

04-02-2011 11:27am

Bruce7 wrote: »

What I want is a Lexus or an E class merc. What my wife will let me spend is about 10 or 11k

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Mercedes-Benz/E-Class/2005?searchsource=browse&cacheBuster=1296815102279375#nParam=4294961642%2B4294911044%2B200590&sortby=Make|0&channel=CARS&currency=EUROS&searchResultsView=THUMBNAIL&maxrows=30&page=2&year=2005

If you want an E class there should be something there for you.

Zubeneschamali · 04-02-2011 11:39am

si_guru wrote: »

Focus - mpg 50+ road tax €156 (I guess)
Golf - mpg 30+ road €614

Insurance could easily be double or more on the GTi (depending on your age/experience).

You'll want decent tyres, again, double the prices, and you'll use twice as many.

Do all the sums before deciding.

rickyjb · 04-02-2011 12:49pm

Get the GTI, you won't regret it:D

It's really all or nothing though isn't it, a 1.6 diesel versus 2.0L TFSI engine?

You'll get somewhere between 8 & 10 L/100km from the golf which is 28-35 mpg depending on how you drive it. Insurance and tax will obviously be a bit more but small price to pay if you ask me. There's actually a good bit of room in it as well, boot is a decent size and plenty of room for kids in the back.

The one you linked looks like it's been well looked after and the mileage is very low for an '05, timing belt changed, etc. Just make sure the oil in the DSG box has been changed if you are getting it, I think it's meant to be done around the 50k mark.

Think about how many focuses you see every day, I think deep down you know which one you want;)

Nonoperational · 04-02-2011 2:53pm

The focus would be cheaper to run in almost every way.

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 3:07pm

rickyjb wrote: »

Get the GTI, you won't regret it:D

It's really all or nothing though isn't it, a 1.6 diesel versus 2.0L TFSI engine?

You'll get somewhere between 8 & 10 L/100km from the golf which is 28-35 mpg depending on how you drive it. Insurance and tax will obviously be a bit more but small price to pay if you ask me. There's actually a good bit of room in it as well, boot is a decent size and plenty of room for kids in the back.

The one you linked looks like it's been well looked after and the mileage is very low for an '05, timing belt changed, etc. Just make sure the oil in the DSG box has been changed if you are getting it, I think it's meant to be done around the 50k mark.

Think about how many focuses you see every day, I think deep down you know which one you want;)

Is it unusual that the timing belt was done at 55k? I don't know much about it, but thought that this only got done at extremely high mileage - around 100k. Could this be a sign that the car is clocked, and true mileage is much higher than claimed?

EPM · 04-02-2011 3:24pm

Bruce7 wrote: »

Is it unusual that the timing belt was done at 55k? I don't know much about it, but thought that this only got done at extremely high mileage - around 100k. Could this be a sign that the car is clocked, and true mileage is much higher than claimed?

No, different manufacturers have different intervals. It's usually a certain time limit and or mileage limit.

When you say you are negligent about cars, do you service them regularly? Both of those cars have turbos and will require proper servicing to maximise the turbos lifespan. Might be better for you to get a simpler engine possibly.

R.O.R · 04-02-2011 3:44pm

I'd be 95% certain that the Focus is an ex. rental car.

I'm not sure that combination of engine and short hop rental journeys (and having the stones driven out of it) would make for a long lasting engine.

KERSPLAT! · 04-02-2011 3:57pm

R.O.R wrote: »

I'd be 95% certain that the Focus is an ex. rental car.

I'm not sure that combination of engine and short hop rental journeys (and having the stones driven out of it) would make for a long lasting engine.

Im not being smart, just wondering why you think this? Buying a car over the weekend so just for future reference like

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 4:35pm

EPM wrote: »

No, different manufacturers have different intervals. It's usually a certain time limit and or mileage limit.

When you say you are negligent about cars, do you service them regularly? Both of those cars have turbos and will require proper servicing to maximise the turbos lifespan. Might be better for you to get a simpler engine possibly.

Up until now, I have never had a car serviced. I kind of treated the NCT as a yardstick. If car passed, it was fine; if not, I fixed whatever they told me to. But I'm going to treat next car properly. Is there a guide somewhere to treating a golf gti properly?

EPM · 04-02-2011 4:51pm

Bruce7 wrote: »

Up until now, I have never had a car serviced. I kind of treated the NCT as a yardstick. If car passed, it was fine; if not, I fixed whatever they told me to. But I'm going to treat next car properly. Is there a guide somewhere to treating a golf gti properly?

Just service it according to the manufacturers service intervals. It will be a mileage limit or time - whichever is first. The reason I asked about servicing is modern diesels especially need to be looked after, running low on oil and the like is a big no no.

R.O.R · 04-02-2011 5:10pm

IPAM wrote: »

Im not being smart, just wondering why you think this? Buying a car over the weekend so just for future reference like

You don't see pressed Metal plates on many cars, but for some reason rental cars seem to have them. It's also pretty high mileage for that type of car.

bazz26 · 04-02-2011 5:22pm

Bruce7 wrote: »

Up until now, I have never had a car serviced. I kind of treated the NCT as a yardstick. If car passed, it was fine; if not, I fixed whatever they told me to. But I'm going to treat next car properly. Is there a guide somewhere to treating a golf gti properly?

:eek::eek:

A car needs regular servicing irrespective of the NCT.

Bruce7 · 04-02-2011 6:57pm

Yeah I know. Nobody is ever 100% compliant with all the admin and other sh*t that has to be done in life though. For me, it was my cars that I neglected, mainly because I have never had one that I really liked. Hopefully that is about to change though. I'll report back on Monday.

Thanks to all for the advice on this thread

Merch · 04-02-2011 7:24pm

R.O.R wrote: »

You don't see pressed Metal plates on many cars, but for some reason rental cars seem to have them. It's also pretty high mileage for that type of car.

When is that since? pressed metal plates, handy info never knew that

My car has pressed metal plates, had it since new, so that must be since a certain year?

I'd go for the focus (maybe not that one, but a focus)

Merch · 04-02-2011 7:48pm

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

No difference at all in practicality.

The Golf will clearly cost more. Work out how much more (including all costs). If the extra is worth it to have the better car, buy a GTi. If you can think of things you'd rather do with the money, buy the econobox.

econobox? I thought the Focus styles of the last few years were well spec'd?

voteforpedro · 04-02-2011 7:55pm

is it just me or do the new wheels on the golf look like reps too? somethin just seems not right about them....

04-02-2011 8:12pm

Good spot on the number plates, also strange enough having a 08 without number plate surrounds and dealer stickers, another characteristic of rental yokes. Mileage is quite high for a 08, guts of 600miles/week is alot, unless that is the mileage in kms but it does say miles. Generally when a garage removes the original surrounds they throw on their own, so too with the dealer sticker, as there are none on that one you'd have to think that's the way she came in to them.

Those aluminium embossed plates are a good job though, we used to sell them in the factors I worked in, the ones on that Focus aren't perfect though, you can see that the digits are slightly higgledy piggledy for want of a better phrase.

rickyjb · 04-02-2011 8:27pm

The timing belt on the golf should be done after 100k or 5 years whichever is first, so it was done at the correct time. The fact that it's a turbo engine doesn't mean it needs extra attention as such, the GTI will tell you itself when it needs to be serviced but you will need to check the oil/tyre pressures every 2-4 weeks, particularly the oil. It's not exactly a big job though. Never servicing a car is shocking behaviour by the way:)

Those alloys are the originals, they just look slightly different because they're the larger 18" ones. They scuff fairly easily so they might have some marks around the edges but once there are no lumps missing/cracks I wouldn't be too worried.

All in all you'll enjoy the golf much much more and once you look after the basic maintenance it won't give you any problems. Unless you're really worried about fuel costs and are going to be doing serious mileage then it's a no brainer. The focus is just... meh. Ex-rental doesn't sound good either.

I will admit I'm hugely biased but there's my .02c anyway

Advice on car purchase

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