To buy or not to buy?

Ok so last year some idiot destroyed my lovely car and being broke and needing a car fast I ended up with a 2000 1.2 Fiesta LX. Heap of ****e...well it wasn't but it is now. I've had it 8 months and done 18000miles (~540 miles a week, some weeks I do about 750-800). Obviously this is too much for such a little car. Not only is the petrol costing me a fortune but it's so pokey and uncomfortable that my back is in bits.

Anywho it looks like I'm going to have to be doing more driving but my finances are very limited. I'm thinking of maybe getting a loan from the credit union for about 7 grand to get a car but am nervous as I've never had a car loan before and the usual job/finance worries are there. I was looking at 2007 1.4 Fiesta diesel. Still a relatively small car but huge compared to my old model fiesta, and being a diesel will be slightly cheaper to run. The tax is cheaper too.

So anyone got any thoughts or suggestion as what to do? I just don't feel safe, comfortable or have any spare pennies with the crappy motor I have now!

colm_mcm

7 grand gets you loads of great cars, I'd suggest something bigger given your mileage.

bazz26

Doing that sort of mileage I would agree, get something bigger and more comfortable. Might have to go for something a bit older but you soon will not regret it.

stevenmu

Tax on a 2007 1.4 diesel would be more expensive than a 1.2 petrol wouldn't it?

(unless you mean commercial)

Peavy

I prefer older cars i own a VW GOLF mk3 1994 . 1.4l petrol great little car with low petrol consuption in town with loads of traffic would be around 7l/petrol for every 100km on faster roads around 5l/petrol for 100km cheap to repair not fast but comfortable . .very good reliability i have it for a year and i had to change a pulley which costs for it around 40 euro becouse i crashed it into a kerb while on icy roads by accident ;/ the car is cheap to buy 1000 euro for a 1996 mk3 on carzone i have a lot of mileage on it 130k and i drive it a lot tax is also cheap 96 euro for 3 months i love it to bits woudnt change it into any new car unless it will acctualy die on me beyond repair but i don't see that happening any time soon .

THall04

Starla.........

Please invest in a bigger car with a good quality drivers seat with adjustable lumbar support.

Assuming the high mileage you do is work related , 7 grand budget seems a bit miserly.
But you can't put a price on your health.
If you continue to do 30K miles a year , in a small basic car ,not only could you suffer from chronic back problems but in the long term you could be at a higher risk of circulatory and digestive problems.

For that mileage you should be driving something like a higher spec Mondeo or Avensis , but on your budget I'd be looking for a 05/06 1.9D Octavia Elegance (I hear they have a big boot......)

EPM

Peavy wrote: »

low petrol consuption in town with loads of traffic would be around 7l/petrol for every 100km on faster roads around 5l/petrol for 100km .

How are you managing that? That's 40mpg around town and close to 57mpg on N-roads. I have a modern diesel and no matter how carefully I drive around town I can't beat low-mid 30s and on a long spin it takes a lot of effort to get it above 52.

I'm thinking your calculations are out a tad.

Henry Ford III

EPM wrote: »

How are you managing that? That's 40mpg around town and close to 57mpg on N-roads. I have a modern diesel and no matter how carefully I drive around town I can't beat low-mid 30s and on a long spin it takes a lot of effort to get it above 52.

I'm thinking your calculations are out a tad.

Might be oil consumption? :rolleyes:;)

THall04

THall04 wrote: »

Assuming the high mileage you do is work related , 7 grand budget seems a bit miserly.
But you can't put a price on your health.
If you continue to do 30K miles a year , in a small basic car ,not only could you suffer from chronic back problems but in the long term you could be at a higher risk of circulatory and digestive problems.

€7000 is a bit miserly? In all fairness.

A 50 mile commute to work daily is 500miles/week, add another 100 miles for the weekend and the odd trip or two in the evenings and you have more than 30K miles/annum. Hardly unusual these days for folks who don't actually do work related mileage.

Peavy

ya it does consume a bit more oil than usual but in all fairness its 1994 ;D

RoverJames

RoverJames wrote: »

€7000 is a bit miserly? In all fairness.

A 50 mile commute to work daily is 500miles/week, add another 100 miles for the weekend and the odd trip or two in the evenings and you have more than 30K miles/annum. Hardly unusual these days for folks who don't actually do work related mileage.

yeah I wouldn't have thought 7 grand was miserly!! I do have the 50 MILE (note, miles, not kms!) commute to work but I'm not exactly earning a huge amount so 7 grand may as well be 70k for me.

So people are recommending an older saloon car? I've only ever driven a hatchback so saloons scare me a bit (I admit it, I can't park!!!). I know it will be a million times more comfortable but my worries with an older car were reliability, how much I'd have to spend on it (i.e. servicing etc) and seeing as it's older it probably has a fair bit of mileage and I'd be adding even more to it thus reducing it's reliability. Now I'm sure it's obvious I don't know a whole lot about cars, but I was thinking a slightly newer car would last me a bit longer? And going for a diesel might save me a few bob?