Any suggestions for a new (second-hand) car?

[deltic]

You realize you can pretty much get a new car for that amount ? I found a Suzuki Celerio Celerio 1.0 SZ2 5dr for £7,995. (68 plate) 65.7mpg (combined) pretty basic model but I'd rather go new/nearly new than second hand and trawling through Autotrader.

Toyota AYGO (18 plate) £7,540 or AYGO (16 plate) (570miles) £6,985

Given how much a new car depreciates and the fact it will be parked on street where my present car has been hit and vanadalised a few times I would rather get something secondhand, more for my money and not to bothered with the odd dent etc

 

[telstarbox]

And it will spend 90% of its time parked anyway.

 

[deltic]

And it will spend 90% of its time parked anyway.

Probably 99% in my case!

 

[cactustwirly]

Can't go wrong with a Skoda or Volkswagen!
You want to avoid French cars, Vauxhall's aren't brilliant either.
I'd also consider looking at Honda's as well.

For a more left wing choice I'd look at Volvo's (very good underrated cars) but that might be stretching your budget a bit

 

[EM2]

You want to avoid French cars, Vauxhall's aren't brilliant either.

Yet I've never had a bad French car or Vauxhall.

 

[cactustwirly]

Yet I've never had a bad French car or Vauxhall.

They're not bad, but there are much better cars out there, like Skoda's etc

 

[HH]

I've never had a bad Skoda. Capisce-nik?

Listen to the man.

 

[EssexGonzo]

Look at the reliability stats from What Car or Which. This will lead you to Japanese cars which, by some margin, are far more reliable and easy to own than most others.

You'll find newer Toyota Yaris' or the odd Auris in your price bracket if you need something larger. Or if you want something far cleverer and more useful, a 2015 Honda Jazz is well within your budget. It's not cool and you certainly don't get it for the image but it's supremely easy to own. Our family has two - one of which was bought new, 14.5 years ago. Nothing has been spent on it beyond maintenance, it's on the original clutch and it starts first time, every time, even when left for weeks.

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17798

The Korean cars don't do too badly either and they'll have some warranty left.

 

[dgl]

Another quirky option is a previous generation Nissan Micra, my sisters '14 plate has done a far few miles (over 60k) and apart from rear wheel bearings (which was probably down to her bashing the wheels into the kerb when parking, being a new driver and all), tyres and new brake pads only regular servicing has taken place.
Best model would be an Accenta Nav, has many toys (inc. cruise control, climate control with A/C, traction control, Bluetooth, USB, satellite navigation, automatic lights and wipers and fog lights) and is surprisingly spacious, more so than the Nissan Juke my step mum owned (esp. rear seat access which is terrible on the juke).

 

[xc170]

Going from a Renault Grand Espace 3.5 Initial to a C1 is a massive culture shock - and that's as a passenger!

We had the 207 but that was absolutely terrible on fuel and doing almost 400 miles a week we needed something a little bit more efficient, we've gone from spending £50+ a week on petrol to £35 max.

I'm currently eyeing up a new 2018 Aygo or Vauxhall Viva at the moment...

 

[HOOVER29]

I'm currently eyeing up a new 2018 Aygo or Vauxhall Viva at the moment...

I wonder how many people said that about the original Vauxhall viva in the 70’s

 

[cactustwirly]

We had the 207 but that was absolutely terrible on fuel and doing almost 400 miles a week we needed something a little bit more efficient, we've gone from spending £50+ a week on petrol to £35 max.

I'm currently eyeing up a new 2018 Aygo or Vauxhall Viva at the moment...

You might want to consider a Volkwagen UP! or Skoda Citigo as well.

 

[thejuggler]

We had a first generation Aygo for four years. The Japanese bits , engine and gearbox were great. The French bits (electrics) let it down. Electrical gremlins were the reason we sold it.

 

[HLE]

Remember that with nissan they have been owned by Renault since the early 2000's. They're not in the reliability top 10 which is literally a jap fest year after year.

 

[thejuggler]

Renault are also tied with Mercedes and it is showing and not for the better.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

What about a proper British car ? Free road Tax, very Cheap Insurance, very comfortable

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1013581

 

[cactustwirly]

What about a proper British car ? Free road Tax, very Cheap Insurance, very comfortable

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1013581

Depends on how long the OP wants to spend under the bonnet!

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Depends on how long the OP wants to spend under the bonnet!

At least you actually could repair them yourself and with relative ease - these days any problems and it's a trip to the garage at xxx per hour plus parts at a mark up

 

[bspahh]

What about a proper British car ? Free road Tax, very Cheap Insurance, very comfortable

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1013581

You also get features like cross ply tyres, drum brakes with single circuit brake pipes (so a leakage leaves you with a handbrake), 3000 mile oil changes, Lucas Prince of Darkness electrics, poor fuel economy, awful emissions, and not a car you would want to be in case of a crash.

The original poster said they would drive 3000 miles a year, so the oil changes might not be so bad, but old cars don't like having lots of short journeys.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

You also get features like cross ply tyres, drum brakes with single circuit brake pipes (so a leakage leaves you with a handbrake), 3000 mile oil changes, Lucas Prince of Darkness electrics, poor fuel economy, awful emissions, and not a car you would want to be in case of a crash.

The original poster said they would drive 3000 miles a year, so the oil changes might not be so bad, but old cars don't like having lots of short journeys.

They are more fun though - people used to come round gawk at the little A30 I had, moreso after the Wallace and Grommitt film. There was actually a lot less to go wrong and never needed to call out anyone for a flat battery though had to watch the old knuckles starting it that way. on acceleration for 0 to 60 it said n/a - though had no problems keeping up with slower traffic in London. Drove it to and from work for about two years in the early 2000's and never let me down. The P4 Rover was more of a handful though but it was the most comfortable car I have sat in. - could stretch out and have a kip on those seats.

 

[deltic]

Ended up with a 4 year old Skoda Fabia. Got a massive £100 trade in for my battered 19 year old 306!

One thing that struck me having tried a few cars is that visibility in modern cars seems a lot poorer than what I was used to. Not being able to see the bonnet at all in some models was very perplexing and the view out the rear window seems more constrained- seem to be more reliant on vehicle sensors now.

 

[richw]

Yet I've never had a bad French car or Vauxhall.

I’ve got a dead 2015 Vauxhall outside at the moment, it’s the third serious fault it’s developed in 2 years. It’s done less than 50k Miles.
Luckily I still had my old bmw on SoRN so that’s back on the road for now. 12 year old never missed a beat yet.

 

[Cowley]

Ended up with a 4 year old Skoda Fabia. Got a massive £100 trade in for my battered 19 year old 306!

One thing that struck me having tried a few cars is that visibility in modern cars seems a lot poorer than what I was used to. Not being able to see the bonnet at all in some models was very perplexing and the view out the rear window seems more constrained- seem to be more reliant on vehicle sensors now.

I reckon you made a pretty good choice there.
What sort of engine has it got?

 

[Billy A]

Ended up with a 4 year old Skoda Fabia. Got a massive £100 trade in for my battered 19 year old 306!

One thing that struck me having tried a few cars is that visibility in modern cars seems a lot poorer than what I was used to. Not being able to see the bonnet at all in some models was very perplexing and the view out the rear window seems more constrained- seem to be more reliant on vehicle sensors now.

A lot of that's to do with crashworthiness. You might notice very thick windscreen pillars compared to older cars as well.

 

[GusB]

A lot of that's to do with crashworthiness. You might notice very thick windscreen pillars compared to older cars as well.

I've been driving my dad's 2017 Vauxhall Meriva while he's currently unable, and I've noticed that the A-pillars (?) are much fatter than on previous cars. My own previous motor was a Citroen Xsara which wasn't great for visibility in that area either, but I now find myself having to physically move a lot more when exiting junctions.

 

[168lover]

Had a 2014 Skoda Citigo for about a month now and it's an awesome little car. Handles well, well made, easily fit 4 grown adults in it eventhough it's the size of a shoebox and for a 59hp 3 cylinder engine it sounds actually quite good.

 

[Modron]

Depends very much on your budget.

Are you looking to buy the car in one go, or pay so much per week for it?

A friend of mine recently got a 2016 Vauxhall Corsa for £20 p/w from The Trade Centre Wales (Neath) and says it's a fantastic car, very happy with it and the terms.

 

[deltic]

I reckon you made a pretty good choice there.
What sort of engine has it got?

1.2 petrol

 

[deltic]

A lot of that's to do with crashworthiness. You might notice very thick windscreen pillars compared to older cars as well.

Rather ironic - you are more likely to crash because you can’t see as well but you will be safer when you do!

 

[HH]

Rather ironic - you are more likely to crash because you can’t see as well but you will be safer when you do!

It's the one thing I really hate as well, driving on a lot of roads with sharp bends. I sometimes feel like a giraffe as I extend my neck and peer back and forth trying to see either side of the pillar...