Decisions decisions

68 lost souls

Right as some of you may have noticed by my posts lately I am in the market for a new motor. I have just over a month to find it, leaving it until September would be better as I will have a little more cash for the deposit. I will most likely be looking from a dealer that will do finance if possible.

Limit of 5k but less is better. No older than 2005. No more than 150,000km for a well maintained car prefer no more than 100,000km

Tax, insurance and running costs mean no more than 2litre. Currently driving a borrowed Ford Focus and Im getting about 8l/100km, would hope to achieve around this or better form the new car.

26 years old, Full licence 6 years, named driver with no accidents in the last 5 years. I dont have my own NCB yet so insurance is steep on a lot of cars.

Hope to hold onto the car for a couple of years.

Will be doing about 20,000km per year at least I reckon so diesel is an option but there is a premium on them at the moment.

I will be bringing a bike around perhaps about twice a month and also will be putting a surfboard in/on the car either seats down or on a roof rack every once in a while, preferably more often than I currently am.

Despite a need to carry these I would love to drive an MR2, smart roadster or similar but no matter how much I try and talk myself into working around the need to be practical I think I have to be unless I can get a bike rack on a roadster of some sort. Smart roadster ticks all my other boxes - cheap insurance and tax, good MPG, great smiles per miles.

Other cars I would love but I dont think are achievable on budget are a hot hatch, specifically a GTI.

Would love an Alfa GT but I dont think I would be able for the running costs of an Alfa or the frequent timing belts when doing high milage.

More practical cars I am looking at and realistically am thinking about Kia Sportage, Hyundai Santa Fe, volve S40

In betwen car that might make me happy Celica or Hyundai Coupe, Octavio vsr estate, subaru outback 2l diesel if I could get one in my budget and afford the nearly €1500 insurance quote on them which I doubt I will.

Previous cars I have owned/been insured on Nissan Micra, Ford Focus, Dodgre Ram 1500, back to the Focus

EDIT: Forgot to add, preferably no french cars (sorry DGT) another possible option is a Mini Cooper

What are peoples opinions?

Karl Stein

Alfa Romeo 156
2004
1.9 Diesel
5 Door Estate
140,000 Miles
NCT 01/14
Price: € 2,300

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-romeo-04-1-9-jtd-16-valve/5250976

00833827

love those alfa wagons - whats the JTD like?

HandsomeDan

The Frenchies actually did pretty well in the last warranty direct survey. Certainly well ahead of a lot of the Germans.

Massive value to be had in second hand french cars.

Max Power1

That estate looks a bargain
Pity about the cloth interior, but replacements arent going to be too expensive surely?

Irishder

"I'm the second owner. The first was a lady who never used 5th gear or 6th." is that a good thing ?

Max Power1

Irishder wrote: »

"I'm the second owner. The first was a lady who never used 5th gear or 6th." is that a good thing ?

That was my reaction too.

I think he is saying it (obviously) as a good thing but to me it is more meaning someone who does not care for or maintain their cars. Thats fine for an old corolla but in an alfa it is a bit different

bear1

The JTD engine is quite good, its been used in other cars too (opel/Saab I believe) I've got the older 2.4 JTD engine and that is a brilliant engine which gives about 800km to a tank on the motorways.
That engine listed above would be the 150bhp one so quite adequate. The main issue with that newer JTD is the water pump.
Easiest solution is to have a metal impeller pump fitted as opposed to the plastic one that is on it.
You should see around 50mpg on long hauls.

ednwireland

that alfa is lovely must be my mid life crisis (in addition to mamil and guitar playing i could top it off with buying an alfa)

bear1

If you can then go for the 20v diesel engine

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-alfa-romeo-gt-diesel-89k-1-owner/5389299

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2002-alfa-romeo-156-jtd/5460532

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2001-alfa-156-jtd-diesel/5387021

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/05-alfa-romeo-156/5361533

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-romeo-156-1-9-jtdm-jet-140bhp/5206086

Happy viewing

Or if you can stretch to 6.5 then here you go http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-159-jtdm-2006/5405940

68 lost souls

That GT looks great. Not sure though still about the running costs of an alfa considering from what I have read at the mileage I do it will need a new belt every 18months or so.

Im seriously considering either a Kia Sportage or maybe a Hyundai Santa Fe after looking at my options and getting a couple of insurance quote. Has any body got any advice on these two cars?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the 4x2 vs 4x4 models, I know that on a 4x4 when you change the tyres you are supposed to do all 4 at once so that will increase running costs but what else?

Was going to go have a look at this one at the weekend. http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/kia-sportage-2-0-litre-petrol/4771393

or this one

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/kia-sportage-2-0-petrol-immaculate-cond/5439219
Thoughts?

166man

A petrol Kia Sportage over 20k km? Are you crazy? Gutless noisy with rubbish fuel economy and a hateful interior is what I think of them.

Also the belts on the engines are 36k miles not kilometres so if you're doing 20k km a year it will be nearly three years before you have to do the belts, its a €400 job, hardly a deal breaker over three years Id have thought.

68 lost souls

166man wrote: »

A petrol Kia Sportage over 20k km? Are you crazy? Gutless noisy with rubbish fuel economy and a hateful interior is what I think of them.

Also the belts on the engines are 36k miles not kilometres so if you're doing 20k km a year it will be nearly three years before you have to do the belts, its a €400 job, hardly a deal breaker over three years Id have thought.

Thanks for clarifying the miles/km mix up on the timing belt. I really do like the GT. do you know what the 2l petrol gt is like? The only diesel on DD is 2 grand over my price range with over 200k km on the clock. Honest John reckons they will only get 30 mpg which is a little lower than I had hoped for with my high mileage.

What are the service costs etc. on them?

Thanks again for your help.

Edit: a quick search online at insurance and I'm looking at 1800 a year on a 1.9 diesel gt so unless I can get better that is out. That is over twice the Kia and the smart roadster.

bear1

Right, The red GT I linked to you is 5,050e so its 50 quid over your budget not 2k.
You could probably haggle him down to 4.5k if you bring cash along and flash it to his face.
Service costs are like any other car. Although the suspension is prone to more wear and tear (wishbones) and as 166man said its 4/500e job for the belt/pump.
That first Kia you linked, the 2007 one, doesnt even have AC.. quite ridiculous for a 2007 and they are both so boring to look at or be inside.
2.0 petrol will always have you bled dry.
If I were you, I'd go sit in that GT and then report back with what you think.. Much much more sexier car.

BTW - Smart Roadster??? Check out brokers and see what they say

discombobulate

68 lost souls wrote: »

Thanks for clarifying the miles/km mix up on the timing belt. I really do like the GT. do you know what the 2l petrol gt is like? The only diesel on DD is 2 grand over my price range with over 200k km on the clock. Honest John reckons they will only get 30 mpg which is a little lower than I had hoped for with my high mileage.

What are the service costs etc. on them?

Thanks again for your help.

Edit: a quick search online at insurance and I'm looking at 1800 a year on a 1.9 diesel gt so unless I can get better that is out. That is over twice the Kia and the smart roadster.

Just on the timing belts the 36k miles is for the petrol not the diesel which would be double that or every 5 years. Usually recommended around 60k miles. It'll get around 40 - 45mpg on average

The red one for 5k looks great and good value if belts are done and it has been serviced properly.

They don't take much more looking after than any other car if their serviced regularly etc.

Good reference here for what to look out for

Also I think Axa take name driver experience into account for no claims discount from what a housemate told me so might be worth ringing them.

I can guarantee that driving the GT would make you happier than any of them other cars you mentioned.

How about a petrol Honda crv ?

Hear me out first, convert to LPG and you would have a cheap car to buy because its a petrol, they are very reliable and it would be as cheap or cheaper than a diesel to run and loads of space.

68 lost souls

Ok I got a quote from aviva of 1100 on the GT, AA wont insure me on it without getting a copy of every policy I have ever been insured on.

Got a quote on a 2007 sportage commercial and it was 600. The fuel efficiency in the GT is 50 better so at 20000km they are coming it at around the same price to buy tax and insure.

Need to go talk nicely to the bank manager next and then hopefully organise an AA inspection.

bear1

Just tell the manager that you have given them money to survive now its your turn