Car buying advice

3ryan

Hi I am looking at changing my car- I currently have a 2006 3 door 1.4 petrol focus . I travel approx 300 km per week with a trip to Dublin from Kilkenny once every 3 weeks tho I have the option of using another diesel car for this trip.

I want a change of car- the main things are car must be no bigger than the Focus, must be 5 door as I am sick of 3 doors. I don't know whether I should go Diesel- this is the main issue that conflicts me. I kept the Focus for 6 years as I tend not to change too often. Budget is wide ranging between 10k and 15 k.

bazz26

You'll get a 2013 current model Focus on your budget. No 3 door available in that model either.

Another to look at is the Renault Megane hatchback or Fluence saloon, both are solid enough and nowhere near as unreliable as the previous models.

3ryan

Thanks Bazz! I think I need a change from a Focus and I don't really rate French cars but I will take a look. I was thinking of a i30 but Most are diesel and if I was going petrol which I am unsure of I would want a 1.6 as the 1.4 was sluggish in the focus.

bazz26

Not all cars in 1.4 litre petrol form is as sluggish as the one in the Focus but your choice in petrol models will be limited for sure.

The current Auris is available with a 1.33 litre petrol engine since 2013 but the majority of them for sale are the base Terra model which is a dire place to be spending time in.

Maybe have a look at a hybrid like the Prius:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Toyota/Prius/NG-1.8/148214257468288180/

All the benefits of a diesel but with hybrid reliability.

Idbatterim

The 1.4 engine in the older focuses was a joke! Bear in mind with the emissions based cars, its emissions that matter for tax, not cc anymore. BMW for example around 08 or 09 would have hp outputs vastly in excess of some other manufacturers and also had cheaper motor tax... the 320d or 520d for example...

JohnBoy26

3ryan wrote: »

Thanks Bazz! I think I need a change from a Focus and I don't really rate French cars but I will take a look. I was thinking of a i30 but Most are diesel and if I was going petrol which I am unsure of I would want a 1.6 as the 1.4 was sluggish in the focus.

The i30 is a good car but afaik the petrol only came in base spec until recently.

Have a look at the honda civic too. They can be got in 1.4 or 1.8 petrol.

3ryan

Thanks everyone- I may have to go diesel to get a better spec. I don't like the Hybrid or Civic shape so they are out.

vistaphotos

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The i30 is a good car but afaik the petrol only came in base spec until recently.

The Deluxe petrol model appears only to been added as an option as of Jan 1st. The Classic entry level spec is good, key features added with Deluxe (for €1750 more list price) are Alloys, Cruise Control & Parking Sensors.