Which hatchback? Golf, Focus, etc

mythical123

Advice appreciated on the below...

Looking to replace an 07 focus with something similar but newer. Happy enough with it (I have the 1.6 petrol zetec) particularly it's driveability, the boot is a bit small tho and i fancy a change. I think I'll stick with petrol due to lowish annual milage and environment friendliness.

Looks like importing from the UK is doable and with a budget of 15k euros plus selling the focus options look like the following, something like a 2014 with 20k miles on the clock. They're all OK on CO2 ratings.

Mazda 3 2L
VW Golf 1.4 TSI
Focus Zetec (again)

Just possibly a BMW 3 series if I stretch and drop to a 2013

Any thoughts or alternatives you might suggest?
I've driven the mazda previously and it felt like the focus but a bit noisier; tempted by the solidity of the golf but not sure what they're like to drive they seem a bit.. eh.. dull.

And any experiences of sourcing and checking out a common-ish car like these in the UK... Surely there can't be too much wrong once they're not clocked ??

Cheers

bazz26

A 2.0 litre petrol Mazda 3 no matter how low the co2/motor tax is, will be unsellable here when you are done with it. People just won't want it here.

From a resale point of view the Golf would be the best of that bunch, however if your going 2014 then don't rule out buying one here as VW upped the standard spec on Irish models during 2014 making standard equipment on them generally higher than UK spec models. Your biggest problem buying a 1.4 TSi here is finding one, the majority are either 1.6 diesel or 1.2 TSi petrol.

ba_barabus

Honda Civic 1.8 would also be worth a look

mythical123

Thanks for the replies

I really like the look of the mazda though and can see myself hanging on to it for another 7/8 years so would be more concerned with reliability and servicing costs than with resale value

bazz26

Problem is that the Mazda3 has a SkyActiv petrol engine which has a higher compression rate than most other petrol engines along with some other wizardry, as they are relatively unknown here so I'd be very wary of who is going to have the knowledge of fixing it in the event something complicated goes wrong. Even Mazda dealers here maybe lacking in the know how of these engines so I cannot imagine Joe the mechanic living across the road having much joy. These engines are relatively new so they haven't been around long enough or sold in enough numbers to gauge how reliable they are.

mythical123

What about a 316i or 316d then ?

Stallingrad

mythical123 wrote: »

What about a 316i or 316d then ?

Small, slow, dull and over rated. If you have more than one kid you will outgrow it very quickly.

bazz26

The 3 Series is a very good driver's car but in 316i/316d form it's nothing to write home about.

What about a Lexus CT200H hybrid? Can be bought for reasonable money in the UK second hand, uses the same running gear as the Toyota Prius so uber reliable, only down side really is that it's not a driver's car.

Stallingrad

I also think the boot on the current Focus is smaller than yours, so that may be a factor.

mythical123

bazz26 wrote: »

The 3 Series is a very good driver's car but in 316i/316d form it's nothing to write home about.

What about a Lexus CT200H hybrid? Can be bought for reasonable money in the UK second hand, uses the same running gear as the Toyota Prius so uber reliable, only down side really is that it's not a driver's car.

Much and all as I admire toyota for bringing hybrid cars into the mainstream I wouldn't be gone on driving one (based also on driving a corolla, really disliked the visibility and gearing) . I find bigger cars like the 520 not so involving just because of their size.

Might be an idea to drive a few current models to see what newer cars are like...

bazz26

Is a Golf GTi an option?

mythical123

bazz26 wrote: »

Is a Golf GTi an option?

Ah I've no need for something that's been thrashed by boy racers, just don't want something very slow (drove the Fiesta ecoboost recently, very plasticky car).

Stallingrad

Golf 1.4tsi would feel like a nice upgrade over a Focus.

https://www.cargiant.co.uk/car/volkswagen/golf/LR62XXJ

bazz26

mythical123 wrote: »

Ah I've no need for something that's been thrashed by boy racers, just don't want something very slow (drove the Fiesta ecoboost recently, very plasticky car).

To be fair there are not too many boy racers who can afford a Mk7 Golf GTi, probably outside your budget anyway I'd say.

Ron Burgundy II

I have a mk7 1.4TSi. Great all round car in terms of power, economy and practicality. Problem I found when buying is that the dealer was pushing 1.2TSi over the 1.4TSi. Might be more margins for him in the 1.2? So I would imagine the numbers of 1.4TSi mk7 on the second hand market maybe very limited.

As mentioned before VW got their act together and the standard specifications are very good and in some cases an Irish can be better spec than it's UK equivalent.

bazz26

Unless yours was a factory order then they probably had more 1.2 versions in stock than 1.4 versions.

grogi

bazz26 wrote: »

A 2.0 litre petrol Mazda 3 no matter how low the co2/motor tax is, will be unsellable here when you are done with it. People just won't want it here.

Absolute nonsense... It is one of the most rewarding car to drive, and with the petrol 2.0 (still N/A) it is reliable and as economical in real world as the turbocharged rivals. Contrary to the 2.2 diesel - mazda still did not make a good diesel...

It might not be a car for an average Pat, but there buyers are out here.

mythical123

Actually... Looking at 0-60 times it seems that engine tech has improved a lot in the last few years... Reckon I'd be happy enough with an 0-60 in or around 10 seconds, similar to my current car, which brings the 1.2 golf (105ps version) very much into the picture.

Might see about a test-drive on a new mazda as I'm not sure if I can be bothered traipsing around car supermarkets in the north of England...

GustavoFring

Could I suggest a 1.4tsi Leon FR? 150bhp, golf running gear, better spec, slightly lower rent interior (but still better than the Focus or Mazda imo), decent space, drive well and good value too.

bazz26

grogi wrote: »

Absolute nonsense... It is one of the most rewarding car to drive, and with the petrol 2.0 (still N/A) it is reliable and as economical in real world as the turbocharged rivals. Contrary to the 2.2 diesel - mazda still did not make a good diesel...

It might not be a car for an average Pat, but there buyers are out here.

Read my post again.

I never said the 3 was a bad car, I said that Joe Public would have little or no interest in buying a 2.0 litre petrol variant of the 3 when the OP goes to sell it on. Why do you think Mazda never bothered selling it or the 6 here to begin with, because there is no demand for cars like that here these days. They struggle to sell 1.5/1.6 litre petrol variants of the 3 here not to mind a 2.0 litre.

grogi

bazz26 wrote: »

Read my post again.

I never said the 3 was a bad car, I said that Joe Public would have little or no interest in buying a 2.0 litre petrol variant of the 3 when the OP goes to sell it on. Why do you think Mazda never bothered selling it or the 6 here to begin with, because there is no demand for cars like that here these days. They struggle to sell 1.5/1.6 litre petrol variants of the 3 here not to mind a 2.0 litre.

Not bringing the 2.0 with Mazda3 is a decision I never really understood... The CO2 of 2.0 Mazda3 is 119g/km - the same as the 1.6 counterpart.

I think it would be very desirable by clued buyers - low tax (it is just €200 a year) with exceptional reliability with no turbocharger.

colm_mcm

you overestimate buyers!

grogi

colm_mcm wrote: »

you overestimate buyers!

I might project a bit

bazz26

grogi wrote: »

Not bringing the 2.0 with Mazda3 is a decision I never really understood... The CO2 of 2.0 Mazda3 is 119g/km - the same as the 1.6 counterpart.

I think it would be very desirable by clued buyers - low tax (it is just €200 a year) with exceptional reliability with no turbocharger.

You're dealing with buyers here whose logic is to happily spend tens of thousands on a car without blinking an eye yet have a big decision to make when the car costs a little more than €200 to tax per year.

Lantus

The 07 focus boot was a great size. Make sure you look at the boots of the golf and new focus as you may be surprised how small they became. We couldn't get a new focus because of that reason. Its not made for families anymore.

What about a Skoda? Or a Jetta? Huge boots, great cars.

mythical123

Lantus wrote: »

The 07 focus boot was a great size. Make sure you look at the boots of the golf and new focus as you may be surprised how small they became. We couldn't get a new focus because of that reason. Its not made for families anymore.

What about a Skoda? Or a Jetta? Huge boots, great cars.

In fairness you are right, it's only on the odd occasion I'd be transporting 4 people plus luggage it can feel a bit pokey. The Golf boot does look to be quite nicely squared off tho.

I think I would rather an Astra or something than a Skoda or a Jetta - gotta think of the image

Stallingrad

mythical123 wrote: »

I think I would rather an Astra or something than a Skoda or a Jetta - gotta think of the image

By all means think of image but the Astra is inferior to an Octavia in almost every way.

Lantus

Stallingrad wrote: »

By all means think of image but the Astra is inferior to an Octavia in almost every way.

That's not true. An Astra will beat an Octavia for depreciation hands down.

Seriously though I had no idea an Astra was cooler than a Skoda!!! The new ones look great and technology wise are pretty advanced.

Autosport

Stallingrad wrote: »

By all means think of image but the Astra is inferior to an Octavia in almost every way.

Have you seen the new Astra?

Lantus

Autosport wrote: »

Have you seen the new Astra?

Quite nice! Generally all today's new cars are on a similar par. You choosing practical aspects against subjective elements like styles.

Stallingrad

Autosport wrote: »

Have you seen the new Astra?

Not many to be fair.

mythical123

To add some info which may be useful to others

Tried out (well, sat into) most of the cars initially mentioned, golf, new focus, Mazda 3, astra, etc .

Focus was the favourite out of all of them based on driving position and visibility (maybe because so used to it by now) but space wise, wasn't any better than the mk2 focus

Ended up going for a 3 series from the UK for the extra bit of space and picking it up in a few weeks. Plenty of choice of spec and model there if you have the patience although with sterling on the way back up may not be worth the effort for everyone.