2nd hand Hyundai i30 - or other

Guess_Who

Looking into upgrading from my current 1.2 petrol to a 1.6 diesel because I'm doing fairly high mileage & will be for the foreseeable future.

I've been looking at the Hyundai i30 and shopping around for, probably a 2010 model.

I could also look at a Ford Focus but for an extra €2k - is it worth it?

Also, virtually all of the i30's I've looked at are imported from the UK. Is there anything I should be looking for in terms of a check on the cars history etc?
I'll be buying from a main dealer, so should I be fairly well covered?

shooter88

Personally I would go for the focus,good mpg and reliable,it will hold its value too.
Nothing to really worry about buying a import as long as the paperwork is in order and has its service history..
Most people would be surprised with the amount of imports on the road

colm_mcm

I got an i30 for the mother last year. There were a number of reasons for this.

At the time they were quite well priced. In the last year they seem to have hardened up residual wise. I was looking for one for a relative last month and couldn't really find any bargains but there were a lot of well enough priced very tidy looking cars in the UK. Choice in Ireland was limited enough.

They don't seem to give trouble with turbos, injectors, dpfs etc.

They can come quite well specced, for post 08 models though, the i30 isn't quite as well specced as the first run of them

UK cars come with a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, so her 08 is still under manufacturers warrranty

they're very spacious inside and the 116hp version is very nippy. Even the 90hp is decent.

They're not as obvious as a Focus. I'd also have my reservations over long term reliability on diesel focuss.

It's sister car the KIA Cee'd is also worth considering. Longer warranty but not unlimited mileage.

As for buying one, I'd still say you're better off going over there yourself. Have a shortlist of 5-7 cars that fit the bill. Price your VRT and figure out what you can afford in Sterling. Allow €500 for travel. Ring the dealers, figure out service history etc.


Only trouble in the last year was a seatbelt buckle and a tyre pressure monitor valve both done without any drama under warranty.

JohnBoy26

If it's a reliable low maintaince(by modern diesel standards) diesel car your after it's hard to beat an I30 or Kia Cee'd imo.

If looking at UK imports, a verifiable service history is a must. Doing a motorcheck is also a must imo.