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Buying a Used Car

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Ok, so following on from my previous thread about electronic brakes (thank you all - much appreciated!), I wanted to ask what you would recommend as a used car?

Would you go for diesel in 2019, or petrol, or hybrid even and what would you avoid?

I personally would avoid the Toyota Auris or Verso, due to that damn gearbox and it's potential need for a £2k replacement. It's a shame as my sister's old Corolla is a beast.
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Comments

  • What do you need it to do for you ?  Budget ?
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  • exocetexocet Frets: 1948
    edited February 2019
    What size of car?

    Small car for local driving - Petrol all the way.

    Large Car for Long Distance / 20,000 miles plus per annum , I'd still go Diesel.
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  • Based on your comment above, have you seen that Toyota have just released a brand new Corolla? Looks smart and it’s just been reviewed in Autocar...

    https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/toyota/corolla/first-drives/toyota-corolla-20-hybrid-cvt-excel-2019-review
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  • Oh and agree with Exocet, diesel still has its place if you drive large cars and/or cover big distances. Just make sure it’s a Euro6 Diesel engine. Anything else then I’d go petrol. (Or electric if you never drive far and can charge it easily from home).
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    I'd do about 10000 a year and I'd like to pay £9k, but can go up to £12k for something really nice and eat baked beans
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  • Schnozz said:
    I'd do about 10000 a year and I'd like to pay £9k, but can go up to £12k for something really nice and eat baked beans
    How much space do you need? Do you have kids, large dogs, or need a large boot for taking gear to gigs etc?

    You can get quite a lot of car for £9k used, depends entirely on what sort of thing you need.
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    I quite like a bit of space, but I don't have any kids, so removable seats etc is fine
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  • I’m buying a Honda Civic as my anti Brexit car. Well I’m buying a Civic. Sort of family car with a bit of dash. I made the decision to buy an older car with more bells and whistles and a Diesel engine for MPG, the motorway driving I’m now doing and an engine that should go to 100,000. Driving a small car for longer journeys has been awful on my back and really knackering. 
    Although I think I knew more about cars when I was 14 than I do now, if you’re after a late 1970s British Leyland car I’m yer man. 

    https://i.imgur.com/VNvEJ1U.jpg
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    My current car is just £30 road tax for the year. I can't tell you how much I love that!
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  • Don’t bother with a diesel unless you do above average mileage. They can get troublesome if underused. Personally I like a large hatch/4x4 type so I can get all the shit we accumulate to the tip  B)
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  • IamnobodyIamnobody Frets: 6887
    If I had £9-12k and only did 10k a year I’d lease...

    A 3 year lease should cost around £7k all in for a medium sized car.

    You’d probably lose that in depreciation on your £12k car over the same period, but the £12k car won’t be warranted throughout, will need an MOT or two and could have some unforeseen expenses.

    You’ll also be left with the decision when you sell it to chop it in with a dealer for less that’s it’s worth or contend with bell ends coming to your house and tyre kicking if you sell on autotrader. 

    It’s not for everyone but I’m a fan of leasing. 
    Previously known as stevebrum
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  • Schnozz said:
    I quite like a bit of space, but I don't have any kids, so removable seats etc is fine
    Are you a 'badge snob' when it comes to cars? If you're not fussed on something being a more premium brand I would look at the likes of Kia and Hyundai due to their 5 & 7 year warranties respectively. You can get something a 2-3 years old and still have plenty of years of warranty left over for piece of mind.

    They aren't flashy but they're very well built and reliable. It's kinda like in the guitar world - there is still a slight stigma with Korean built somehow being of less quality, bit the reality is Korean cars/guitars are generally very well built and excellent value.

    You should easily be able to find something like a decent spec used i30 (Ford Focus sized family hatchback) for £9k.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12315
    edited February 2019
    Don’t go for diesel if you do lots of short commutes or town driving. It does the engine no favours and will clog the DPF up very quickly, which can be an expensive fix. You can sometimes solve the issue by doing a longish monthly motorway run but it’s a PITA.

    Don’t know if you’re anywhere near London but the new ultra low emissions zone kicks in in April and unless it’s a Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel you’ll get clobbered for £12.50 a day on top of the congestion charge. The ULEZ goes out a lot wider in a couple of years time. Other cities are considering it too, so worth investigating. 
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  • Electro_HamElectro_Ham Frets: 102
    edited February 2019
    I just found a great car on Auto Trader.

    Big Mercedes with lots of toys.

    Edit: no affiliation with seller. Just an example of car and price. Mods delete if inappropriate. 
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  • StevepageStevepage Frets: 3039
    For that budget, Focus with the 1.5 petrol engine. 
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11414
    boogieman said:
    Don’t go for diesel if you do lots of short commutes or town driving. It does the engine no favours and will clog the DPF up very quickly, which can be an expensive fix. You can sometimes solve the issue by doing a longish monthly motorway run but it’s a PITA.

    Don’t know if you’re anywhere near London but the new ultra low emissions zone kicks in in April and unless it’s a Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel you’ll get clobbered for £12.50 a day on top of the congestion charge. The ULEZ goes out a lot wider in a couple of years time. Other cities are considering it too, so worth investigating. 
    In the £9k range, you are probably looking at cars that are new enough that they won't be affected in the short term.

    On 10k miles, I'd steer clear of diesel.  The Tories have been steering clear of doing anything meaningful about the pollution they cause, but there is no guarantee they will be in forever.  I suspect a Labour government might do something meaningful about pollution.

    Also, remember that London is planning to tighten up the ULEZ long term.  Give it 10 or 15 years and you might not be able to drive anything that isn't hybrid into the ULEZ.  Given that a lot of Euro VI diesels don't actually meet the Euro VI standard in real world driving.  They will probably be the first victims.  Even if you don't drive in London, or another city that introduces something similar, it could affect resale value on a diesel.

    On 10k miles, a diesel probably isn't worth it from a financial viewpoint anyway.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12315
    edited February 2019
    I just found a great car on Auto Trader.

    Big Mercedes with lots of toys.

    Edit: no affiliation with seller. Just an example of car and price. Mods delete if inappropriate. 
    Cheap for a reason though. A 3.5L auto petrol engine in a car that weighs the same a black hole. What,15mpg around town? Maybe 25mpg on a run if you’ve got a light foot? BIG bills when it goes wrong too. Oh and a small matter of £540 a year for road tax. 

    Big saloons have always been relatively cheap... our old car is currently up at a dealers for £13.5k...Jag XF 2013 3L V6 diesel, top spec with all the toys. Euro5 though, which means it’s going to be almost worthless in a few years time. 
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    edited February 2019
    Yeah - I was searching for something with a 1.5/1.6 engine and diesel seems to work nicely on the country roads where I am, but I can't see myself getting close to 20,000 miles.

    I'm not adverse to any car brand really, although I'm not so keen on Renault and Citroen, unless their newer models have greatly improved.

    EDIT: Not a brand snob (G&L, Lag and Bacchus etc), but I was looking at VW, Skoda and Ford.
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  • Schnozz said:
    Yeah - I was searching for something with a 1.5/1.6 engine and diesel seems to work nicely on the country roads where I am, but I can't see myself getting close to 20,000 miles.

    I'm not adverse to any car brand really, although I'm not so keen on Renault and Citroen, unless their newer models have greatly improved.

    EDIT: Not a brand snob (G&L, Lag and Bacchus etc), but I was looking at VW, Skoda and Ford.
    I was surprised at how well Skoda hold their value. I was looking at the Yeti and the salesman said almost all new Yeti sales were for motability so they still come up used, low mileage, full service at three years old and he could buy and sell them the same day pretty much.
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5327
    What would people say the tipping point is between petrol/diesel?

    I do around £15k p/a in a mix of short journeys (10 mile each way) but once a week or so a 140/170 mile round trip. I'm looking for an estate, and have a few in mind, but almost all of them are diesel by default ...
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