Recommend a car 12k please

comewatmay

Wondering any recommendations for a car in the region of 12k. 29 year old male looking for reliable car ( my current 98 Astra had lots and lots of unreliabilty) so finally deciding to upgrade.

Ideally I'd like a black car with low enough mileage that is reliable. Was thinking something along the lines of a ford focus or BMW 3 series although I hear the latter is expensive to fix if something goes wrong. Any recommendations?

Something that is a diesel and low tax. Was thinking of this


http://m.westlinkcarsales.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=37713877960234490

veetwin

Focus is good but a Mondeo is a better buy used IMHO. This one is overpriced but you get the idea;

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-mondeo-2-0-litre-diesel/5921529

Had a black car once and never again. Impossible to keep clean and every scratch shows.

Idbatterim

what kind of mileage you do?

comewatmay

Roughly 10k a year. In and around the city mostly. The occasional longer drive from around Galway county or the very odd time to Dublin.

bazz26

You don't need a diesel.

bazz26

What about a Honda Civic:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/1.8-TYPE/36313850524137500/

1.8 litre is very frugal, you should get close to 40mpg from it. Tax is €570 a year and a very reliable motor.

nd

The father sold his 12 fiesta titanium with 23k km on it for 11k. Still had a years warranty on it.

Imo they're a very nice car and I don't think a car that new is ever going to be unreliable.

veetwin

comewatmay wrote: »

Roughly 10k a year. In and around the city mostly. The occasional longer drive from around Galway county or the very odd time to Dublin.

In that case;

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GOLF-HIG/201351220425145/advert?channel=CARS

marc1

veetwin wrote: »

In that case;

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GOLF-HIG/201351220425145/advert?channel=CARS

Agree 100% :-)

comewatmay

I would like a diesel for the cheaper running cost. Sick of petrol and how quickly it goes.

Thanks for your recomemdation. Don't like the look of a mondeo or a Honda civic.

Also I'd rather buy from a dealer with a warranty than privately

Sobanek

It won't be cheaper once you factor in the DMF, EGR Valve, DPF failure....

comewatmay

Sobanek wrote: »

It won't be cheaper once you factor in the DMF, EGR Valve, DPF failure....

Can you explain these to a non-cars person?

comewatmay

comewatmay wrote: »

I would like a diesel for the cheaper running cost. Sick of petrol and how quickly it goes.

Thanks for your recomemdation. Don't like the look of a mondeo or a Honda civic.

Also I'd rather buy from a dealer with a warranty than privately

Diesel can be a false economy, especially in lots of town driving and it will take forever to warm up on a cold morning, unless vw's come now with the electric heater like the Audi's have had for years ??

You can risk dpf and flywheel failure but my brother does 10 miles a day in Dublin traffic and has never had a dpf blockage.

Dpf have an average life of about 75 k miles and future nct testing will check for removal.

Tbh what you may save over the petrol will most likely take you 100,000 miles to recoup as the diesel will cost 2-3 k more and will have much higher mileage.

The 1.4 tsi is a much smoother engine too. And the 7 speed dsg doesn't need oil changes every 40 k miles either.

MuppetCheck

comewatmay wrote: »

Can you explain these to a non-cars person?

Basically if you buy a diesel particle filter equipped diesel it may clog up due to persistent city use leaving you with a sizable bill. Diesels also use dual mass fly wheels which decreases vibration through the box. These can fail and a clutch and dmf replacement is another sizable cost.

It's up to you really if you want to risk it. You're not guaranteed to have the parts fail but it's something to bear in mind. Personally I have found any diesel I've owned to be horrible to drive in town compared to a petrol. First gear is usually short and only enough to get the car rolling meaning more gear changes. They are also noisier and allow more vibration into the car at idle and not particularly economical in traffic. In fact the savings on juice would be minimal and certainly not enough to make the other downfalls and potential issues worth it. You'll buy a better petrol car than diesel for the money too.

Or just buy a Prius, bullet proof reliability and better than most diesels and petrols in town and city driving, in fact probably better than anything for the equivalent size and power and it's an automatic.

It's a really good car tbh. Not as nice as the golf above but you can't have it all.

MuppetCheck

Deleted User wrote: »

Or just buy a Prius, bullet proof reliability and better than most diesels and petrols in town and city driving, in fact probably better than anything for the equivalent size and power and it's an automatic.

It's a really good car tbh. Not as nice as the golf above but you can't have it all.

If he's looking at BMWs I don't think the prius holier than thou image would cut it. They also look horrid and the interior is downright nasty looking. If they made one with a more conventional interior and styling then it would be the best option.

Or the ultimate cheapness buy a Nissan leaf in the u.k for 12 k, ex travel and wall charger. You'll more than recoup the costs with the savings on fuel and it will still do the Galway/Dublin trip with the fast chargers.

Get a night meter installed.

If you think electrics are not so good then take one for a spin.

MuppetCheck

MuppetCheck wrote: »

If he's looking at BMWs I don't think the prius holier than thou image would cut it. They also look horrid and the interior is downright nasty looking. If they made one with a more conventional interior and styling then it would be the best option.

Well if he's complaining about fuel consumption then it's an option.

Interior is not perfect, sure but it shouldn't automatically be written off either.

veetwin

At 10k kilometres a year any savings by driving a diesel will be minimal. Factor in higher potential repair costs, service costs and the fact that a better petrol car can be bought for less money. Petrol at this mileage/price point is a no brainer.

comewatmay

Thanks for your thoughts lads.

Don't think I'd drive a Prius or a leaf.

Economy is high up on my wish list but so is the look of the car.

I'm thinking Audi A3, BMW 3 series, Golf, Passat,Golf or focus

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote: »

What about a Honda Civic:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/1.8-TYPE/36313850524137500/

1.8 litre is very frugal, you should get close to 40mpg from it. Tax is €570 a year and a very reliable motor.

Tax on a post 08 1.8 ES will be cheaper again.

MuppetCheck

I'd be looking at something along the lines of this bar the headlight which could mean a hit:
http://m.carzone.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen-Golf-2.0-GTI-DSG-200BHP-LIKE-NEW-AMAZING-CAR-TO-DRIVE---/37213838202476900

It will be reasonably economical but not overly so. I'd have one in the morning if I was doing your sort of mileage.

veetwin

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I'd be looking at something along the lines of this bar the headlight which could mean a hit:
http://m.carzone.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen-Golf-2.0-GTI-DSG-200BHP-LIKE-NEW-AMAZING-CAR-TO-DRIVE---/37213838202476900

It will be reasonably economical but not overly so. I'd have one in the morning if I was doing your sort of mileage.

Now you're talking.

Then I'd much rather the 09 Golf or the GTI, but the interior of the 09 is far nicer imo.

MuppetCheck

Deleted User wrote: »

Then I'd much rather the 09 Golf or the GTI, but the interior of the 09 is far nicer imo.

Not a hope of getting a mark VI GTI for 12k though.

MuppetCheck

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Not a hope of getting a mark VI GTI for 12k though.

Ah no I know but I was referring to this http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GOLF-HIG/201351220425145/advert?channel=CARS that veetwin linked to on the previous page.

Far nicer interior IMO, and TBH in Dub traffic what use is a GTI ?

Can't believe a Golf Highline still comes with climatronic ac ? WTF ?

comewatmay

Any other recommendations?