Can someone please recommend me a car? (max 15k)

JohnK

I'm currently driving a focus convertible but that'll be gone at some point in the very near future so I need to find something else. Problem is though, what I know about cars could all be put in very large type on the back of a stamp and you'd still have plenty of space left over so I dont have a clue what to be looking for.

Based on my driving over the last year I can guess that realistically it'll be used almost exclusively for very short journeys and very likely only get used every second day so from my most basic of understanding that rules out a diesel but I'm open to correction on that point. Distance wise since mid Jan 2011 I've only done 8700km and of that a minimum of 3500km was done on holidays in France & UK over a two week period and a further 1500~2000km done on trips to between Cork & Dublin so that leaves in the region of 2500km of regular driving and those trips would probably be an average of 5 minutes in length, although a very significant number of them would be less than 1km in distance.

About the absolute max I could justify to myself is 15k although I'd very much like it to come in under that. At the same time though I'd like a "nice" car because if I just get a real cheap A-to-B type car I'm never going to use it; in other words I'd like to be able to look at it out the window and feel the desire to get into it if you understand me rather than look at it and feel completely disinterested about going for a drive. A convertible would be very nice although not essential as the last year has amply demonstrated we dont exactly have the weather for it in this country. I like gadgets stuff so a nicely spec'd car would be a plus so I suppose primarily stuff like properly integrated bluetooth, radio that can support mp3 cds or play stuff off my phone etc.

So, any suggestions? Is that even remotly achieveable on my budget?

Thanks

vader65

audi S4, BMW 320D

JohnK

OSI wrote: »

Beyond toys, what else are you looking for in a car?
Have you seen any cars around that you would be interested in?
What reasons are you getting rid of the focus for?

Answers to these will help narrow down your choices a good bit.

What am I looking for? Well, comfortable driving would be the biggie so not cramped. I'm a fairly big guy and I'd need a of space so a particularly small car wouldnt really work. I perfer quiet cars over something loud, theres someone in my apartment building with a car I can hear from the 3rd floor through double glazed windows and I just cant understand how someone would want to drive around in something like that. While 90% of the time I'm the only person in the car being able to fit more than one other person into it is handly so having a back seat, even if it has very little leg room would be a plus. I'd like a bit of power in it too so it can take off properly, one thing I absolutly hate is trying to take off at a junction and the car just crawls to a start. Have had my life flash before my eyes a few times in the past in just that situation :eek:

Cars I've seen around? I liked the look of the Ford Kuga but I've not seen any of those for under 20k and even thats over my limit. Unfortunaly thats about all I can think of as although I've seen plenty of nice cars out there I just dont know enough to recgonise what they are.

Only getting rid of the Focus as it was leased for a year and thats now up so they'll be looking for the car back any day now.

That any use to you?

vader65 wrote: »

audi S4, BMW 320D

Will have a look at those, thanks

sean1141

if your willing to pay high motor tax you could buy a lot of fast and comfortable cars and have change left over.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3017806

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2998728

or maybe something smaller like a golf gti
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2988321

or
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2834196


running costs should not be a major issue for you as you do small millage

For Paws

Good point made about going for a bigger engined or older model.
More Road Tax, but more comfort, available power and, usually, more leg room.

Lots of 2nd hand (or as they say in the States 'Previously Loved')
AUDI or MERCEDES out there.

15K will get you a nice yoke like this
http://www.cbg.ie/car_detail.aspx?ID=4865322

Test drive, test drive, test drive

Then

Haggle, haggle, haggle.

Good Luck

barura

There is a really nice thread at the top of the forum here's a link to it: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056198864

On the subject on what car to get? You don't need 15k to spend on something like a car to get a "good" one!

I mean, check out this Volvo for 4k, but you could probably get it for 3500, with full service history and in a nice colour too! I can't tell if it's leather, but it says it has all the extras. Also, petrol means no complications from short trips as it doesn't have a dpf filter like diesels.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2706629

This is just an example! I mean there are plenty of really nice cars around!

walus

Lexus IS250 is another choice: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Lexus/IS250/IS-250-E/201150206088588/advert?channel=CARS.

bijapos

BMW 3 series convertible or maybe a Z4 seems to me what you want. Or the Merc / Audi option of a SLK, CLK convertible or A4 convertible. €15k would give you a very good trouble free one with a good service history.

They all come with an optional hard top and the fact thats its a convertible makes them desirable to drive on a nice sunny day, be it in winter or summer. The 3er, CLK and A4 are all very comfortable, decent sized cars and should fit you easily.

Example here, 05 3 series for €13k with plenty of options, shop around, it tends to be a buyers market in that price category.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/318-CI-S/2413282869475000/advert?channel=CARS

Marcusm

JohnK wrote: »

What am I looking for? Well, comfortable driving would be the biggie so not cramped. I'm a fairly big guy and I'd need a of space so a particularly small car wouldnt really work.

When you're narrowing down your shortlist, be careful not to discard what you think might be small cars but which are in fact very suitable for bigger people.

I'm 6'5" and about 25 stone so big by most people's measurements. Currently I have two cars, a Mini Clubman Cooper S and a fullfat Range Rover.

The Mini has a much more comfortable driving position than many other cars I've driven or tested. PArticularly I find that the soft roaders, X3, Tiguan etc fall into this category. They seem big on the outside but the space is wasted. (The MIni's is fairly well recognised as having a good amount of driver space.)

THe other thing I'd say to you is maybe look at 3 door variants of cars if you can. E.g. you'll find the doors on your Focus Convertible are larger than ont he 5 door Focus which makes it easier to get in an out.

skyhighflyer

Big guy + likes gadgets = massive BMW with lots of gadgets:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2805955

Perhaps a 530i?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2858557

A Merc CL500?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2992067

An Audi A8?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2854736

JohnK

Thanks everyone, some really great suggestions there. I'm nearly guzeyed from all the ones I've looked at and that 32 page used car thread

Now this is probably a really stupid question but are the likes of BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz & Audi actually better quality than other makes or is a lot of it down to the badge?

And are there any particular things to look out for or models to watch out for? I seem to remember reading in some thread a while back about one of the (I think) BMW models that had problems if water got into the boot it could short out the car.

Thanks

Matt Simis

JohnK wrote: »

Now this is probably a really stupid question but are the likes of BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz & Audi actually better quality than other makes or is a lot of it down to the badge?

You ask that on a car forum and you will find drivers of the non-prestige marques out in droves telling you how its not true. And its while not unilaterally true,in general you will have the perception of higher build quality in a decent Merc, BMW, Audi and to a lesser extent VW than a Mazda, Alfa, Honda, Ford, anything French (;) ) etc.

Note I said perception, the weight of the door, the clunk, the feel of the materials, the design and ergonomics are designed to make you feel "quality". Now if you equate "quality" to "reliability" then you will sadly find all the German makes fairly pants. While door handles and trim wont fall off, paint doesnt fade, it doesnt mean the car will actually do its core function of starting and running as consistantly as a Honda (or Nissan etc). Lexus are just a US and later EU Toyota local brand btw, so they straddle the line on these two extremes.

MidlandsM

OP, this would be a bit o' craic.......
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2626796

and this is given a proper detail, and a service......
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2989118

RXMPS

Honda DC5

You will want to drive that day and night.

That BMW is nasty

They all look the same anyway, s4, a4, 330i, 320d, all boring.

Matt Simis

RXMPS wrote: »

Honda DC5

You will want to drive that day and night.

You waiting on the tow truck?

antiskeptic

JohnK wrote: »

I'm currently driving a focus convertible but that'll be gone at some point in the very near future so I need to find something else. Problem is though, what I know about cars could all be put in very large type on the back of a stamp and you'd still have plenty of space left over so I dont have a clue what to be looking for.

Based on my driving over the last year I can guess that realistically it'll be used almost exclusively for very short journeys and very likely only get used every second day so from my most basic of understanding that rules out a diesel but I'm open to correction on that point. Distance wise since mid Jan 2011 I've only done 8700km and of that a minimum of 3500km was done on holidays in France & UK over a two week period and a further 1500~2000km done on trips to between Cork & Dublin so that leaves in the region of 2500km of regular driving and those trips would probably be an average of 5 minutes in length, although a very significant number of them would be less than 1km in distance.

About the absolute max I could justify to myself is 15k although I'd very much like it to come in under that. At the same time though I'd like a "nice" car because if I just get a real cheap A-to-B type car I'm never going to use it; in other words I'd like to be able to look at it out the window and feel the desire to get into it if you understand me rather than look at it and feel completely disinterested about going for a drive. A convertible would be very nice although not essential as the last year has amply demonstrated we dont exactly have the weather for it in this country. I like gadgets stuff so a nicely spec'd car would be a plus so I suppose primarily stuff like properly integrated bluetooth, radio that can support mp3 cds or play stuff off my phone etc.

So, any suggestions? Is that even remotly achieveable on my budget?

Thanks

Can I ask why you're contemplating spending that kind of money on a car that sees so little use. Even if you drove to France every year your mileage is next to nothing. Which means you're losing vast amounts of money in annual depreciation.

Take this as an example. It's been sold (unsurprisingly) but it illustrates a point:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2855438

It's a decent spec Audi A4 1.8T (T for turbo). Talking to the woman who owned it lead me to conclude it was a diamond amongst the bunch and it sold for Euro 200 less than asking. The mileage is pretty low for that kind of car - despite the age.

Now. A plush car (Audi A4's are classed as "junior executive") with room for you, with plenty of power, which would be noticeably more enjoyable a drive than the Focus, with loads more years left in it given your mileage, which is attractive to look at (without being tacky)

You'd have escaped the depreciation problem, would have spent a third of your budget, would have a mint car to last you years...

antiskeptic

RXMPS wrote: »

They all look the same anyway, s4, a4, 330i, 320d, all boring.

All is relative - have you read what the OP is stepping out of?

JohnK

Thats a fair point antiskeptic and your right based on my past usage it does seem a bit of a waste but I'm hoping that by splashing out a bit more on a nicer car that I'll also be more inclined to actually make proper use of it.

JohnK

Heres another question that maybe someone can answer for me. So far any of the convertibles I've seen in my price range seem to all be softtops but at the same time I saw on some random site that a softtop usually has to be replaced after about 5 years which is about the age of a lot of the cars I've seen so is that somewhat accurate? I'm guessing anyone who is selling their car wont be replacing it so would I be looking a situation where I could buy the car and almost immediately need to spend a few thousand on replacing the roof?

antiskeptic

JohnK wrote: »

Thats a fair point antiskeptic and your right based on my past usage it does seem a bit of a waste but I'm hoping that by splashing out a bit more on a nicer car that I'll also be more inclined to actually make proper use of it.

A lowish mileage 2003/4 A4 1.8T in tip top condition would cost you 4-5k and would be a fair step up from where you are at the moment (I should know, I just bought one myself, stepping out of the Focus' ancestor, an Escort ). If you don't use that more then it's not likely you'll rack up more mileage in anything more expensive.

If you're silently ageist (:)), you could push up a bit (say 7-8k) and get a an Audi A4 1.8T in the more recent version (the model I linked to ran from 2001-2004, the next most recent model ran from 2005-2008). And still not lose a pile in depreciation.

It's not so much that I'm pushing the A4, it's that it's a buyers market and you can get a hell of a lot of car of that class and performance for not at all silly money these days.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

JohnK

bijapos wrote: »

They all come with an optional hard top and the fact thats its a convertible makes them desirable to drive on a nice sunny day, be it in winter or summer.

Hi bijapos just having a read back over some of the thread and this poped out at me - what exactly do you mean by the bit on bold? Is it possible to convert a softtop into a hardtop in some cases?

JohnK

Well, I've now had a test drive in a Lexus LS250 Executive and while its a lovely car it felt very cramped - anyone know how it compares to the 3 Series & A4 in that department?

Given that it would be aiming at the luxury end of the market I would have thought there'd be more space in it but my head was touching the roof and I couldnt help but be distracted by the sun visor which was almost directly in my eye line even with the seat in its lowest position. Its a pity because it was lovely to drive.

MidlandsM

Take an M3 for a spin.

JohnK

The M3 looks nice alright though it does seem a little on the pricey side

bazz26

JohnK wrote: »

Well, I've now had a test drive in a Lexus LS250 Executive and while its a lovely car it felt very cramped - anyone know how it compares to the 3 Series & A4 in that department?

Given that it would be aiming at the luxury end of the market I would have thought there'd be more space in it but my head was touching the roof and I couldnt help but be distracted by the sun visor which was almost directly in my eye line even with the seat in its lowest position. Its a pity because it was lovely to drive.

The 3 Series and A4 are not much better, they are junior executives. The 3 Series in particular is not great on headroom, I'm only 5"7 and don't have a whole lot of headroom in my 3 Series. Have a look at the 5 Series or A6 if you want more space and don't cost a whole lot more than their smaller siblings second hand.

JohnK

Well thats a pity as it pretty much rules out any chance of a convertible. Supposed to be looking at some kind of suv style thing today so will see if I can get into any of those models even just to see what it'd be like.

FunkBlaster87

How about something like this http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1903076

Was in one recently, thought it was very comfy.

MidlandsM

Naaaaaaaaa, I'd not spend my hard earned on that saab - there's better.



http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2681288

JohnK

Well today I took a drive in a mondeo and a qashqai. The qashqai had a real cheap feel to it and while the mondeo was nice it was a deasel and unfortunately quite loud. Also sat into a Mercedes and if anything I'd say it was a tighter fit than the Lexus. Think there was a Lancer there too but didn't think much of that. Tried to sit into a 3 Series but the cars were so tightly packed I had no chance. Didn't help that it was raining so I got drenched while pressed up against the car.

Another thing that's surprised me actually is the amount of scratches and dents on relatively new cars and interiors with labels almost wiped off, buttons almost falling off etc. Given that the original owners would have spent in some cases €50-€70k I would have thought they'd take better care of them but apparently not

Something tells me I'm going to have a hard time finding something I'm actually willing to put my money on.

MrDerp

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2805955 ?

If I drove 7,000km per year, and not 30,000km, I'd drive something stupid altogether like this.

MrDerp

Hey, according to this ...

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-sedans-for-taller-drivers-for-2010.html

... the Honda Accord is one of the roomier front seats. Have you looked at any?

JohnK

MrDerp wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2805955 ?

If I drove 7,000km per year, and not 30,000km, I'd drive something stupid altogether like this.

Looks like a fun car but the €1683 road tax is a wee bit on the high side. I'm terrified to even enquire as to what my insurance cost would be :eek:

MrDerp wrote: »

Hey, according to this ...

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-sedans-for-taller-drivers-for-2010.html

... the Honda Accord is one of the roomier front seats. Have you looked at any?

No, not looked at any of those - will add them to my list

mailforkev

MrDerp wrote: »

Hey, according to this ...

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-sedans-for-taller-drivers-for-2010.html

... the Honda Accord is one of the roomier front seats. Have you looked at any?

The American Honda Accord is no relation to the one they sell here, it's a bigger cheaper yoke (our Accord is the "upmarket" Acura TSX over there).