Purchasing A New Car - Advice Welcomed

[Aurora]

I'm about to purchase a new car.

Have set my heart on a 1.9TD VW Golf.

Any advice at this stage would be more than welcome.

[snow hope]

I hope you are not buying brand new!

I bought my wife a 3.5 year old Megane 1.5 Diesel. She is getting 57mpg with town and suberb driving and could get well over 60 on long distances. Annual car tax was only ?35 because it is only 120g CO2/km ! We are very pleased with it.

My Honda Accord 2.2CDTi gives me 40-45mpg (provided I don't use too much right foot) and is only 140g CO2. I didn't change it this year even though the company contract hire lease was up. I simply extended it for another year - I couldn't justify (to myself) handing it back in and getting a new ?20k company car. I may extend for another year next February too - makes me feel good!

An old school chum who has a small company near mine has just changed his Saab for a BMW 5 series. He thinks he is so big in it, little does he know that lots of mutual friends are laughing behind his back at him for being such a plonker....

[Andy Hunt]

I bought this gas-guzzler a few months back:



I normally get the electric tram to work, but they are digging up and re-laying all the tracks for the next few months, so I plumped for this 'recycled' car.

It's like new actually . . . it's pretty much a complete re-build, engine, gearbox, bodywork . . . and it's a classic car too (25 year anniversary model), so hopefully it will keep its value!



(it's actually transported a good few loads of logs already too, with a tarp over the upholstery)

[Vortex]

An old school chum who has a small company near mine has just changed his Saab for a BMW 5 series. He thinks he is so big in it, little does he know that lots of mutual friends are laughing behind his back at him for being such a plonker...

Big powerful cars ARE fun ... as long as you forget the eco aspects.
I nearly wept when I moved to my current 1.8L Audi A4 after many years of gas guzzlers.

[Aurora]

Thanks for all of your feedback so far. I was actually expecting a storm of contempt at the prospect of someone who is PO savvy even considering a new car.

On retiring some two years ago, I lost my company car and now feel the need to purchase my own. I am 55 and, believe it or not, have never owned my own transport. I have always had the pleasure of running a company vehicle or using my wife's car.

I am currently considering a pre-registered diesel Golf Plus because it offers excellent headroom and reasonable running costs. If any of you know better, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[Kentucky Fried Panda]

I don't like either of your choices. Forward vision is obstructed, they have very thick A pillars and you actually should move your head to see round the damn things.

Apart from that, very much over priced.

Buy a Toyota, diesel Verso or something, far more reliable.
I had a 1.9 Passat and it had a great engine, everything else broke down. VW service was appalling. After that I had an Avensis D4-D that was brilliant in all aspects. A wee bit of turbo lag down low but excellent car.
These were company cars and we used to run them to 130K miles before getting replacements. The Avensis didn't break down. The Passat twice.

If I was spending my own money, I would only buy Honda or Toyota. Not exciting cars but the most dependable on the road.

[Vortex]

Our local car showroom had accepted an unusual vehicle as a trade-in ... and couldn't get rid of it.

A 4WD, automatic, diesel, Jap import people carrier .... very much like the one here:



I bought it (under ?2K) as soon as I saw it.

We can carry up to 8 people up & down the motorways and can also transport plants, freezers, animals, sacks of feed, straw bales etc.

(In mucky mode we simply lay all the rear seats flat to make a "floor" and then lay a blue tarpaulin over them.)

With its 4WD it can also go off road where no ordinary car can .. it has no problem with our orchard or the horrid access track.

I have also seen photos of one crossing an Army tank testing ground.

For us it was an ideal compromise ... without having to resort to a posy SUV.

[PS_RalphW]

A 4WD, automatic, diesel, Jap import people carrier ....

For similar reasons I am considering a Fiat Doblo Family 1.3 Diesel.

7 seats, or 3 cubic metres of storage, and 50mpg quoted. When
my neighbors can no longer afford to drive, I will be able to ferry them
(for a consideration) at 300+ passenger miles per gallon.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

We have the 1.9TD engine in our Skoda Octavia. Cheaper to buy and maintain than the exact same engine with a Audi, VW or Seat badge. The best we ever got from it was 75mpg but for that you need warm weather, a long run and a gentle drive. Typical running is 60mpg.

Was considering trading it in in a few years for a diesel hybrid when they become available (eg Peugeot) but the savage depreciation and the fact that the Octy can be maintained by a local garage even cheaper than the Skoda dealer means we will be sticking with it.

Curiously the newer Skoda diesels don't run on biodiesel but the older ones apparently can. No plans to try it just yet though...

[Pip]

A 4WD, automatic, diesel, Jap import people carrier ....

For similar reasons I am considering a Fiat Doblo Family 1.3 Diesel.

7 seats, or 3 cubic metres of storage, and 50mpg quoted. When
my neighbors can no longer afford to drive, I will be able to ferry them
(for a consideration) at 300+ passenger miles per gallon.

Ughh, don't touch a Fiat with even the longest bargepole you can find....

I bought a Punto 2 months ago, broken down twice, refused to start once, missfires on occasion, and if I had a barrel of oil for each warning light it's brought up I wouldn't need to worry about PO.... The garage I bought it from seem to have it more often than I do!

Not saying it'll happen to every Fiat, but they're not exactly bullet proof!

Fix It Again Tomorrow

[Moadib]

Big powerful cars ARE fun ...

I used to think so, but I now recognise them for the matter of supreme indifference that they should be.

Everyone's opinion will be different, but big powerful cars embody the diversions that are placed in front of us. Comparing the "pleasure" that a big powerful car (say, a new 5-series) brings us in comparison to the time you need to commit to afford it....if someone can't think of something more exciting to do with that time...it's a really depressing thought!

A new 5-series costs ?35k - add in the 40% tax you will pay and you need to earn ?58k to buy it (roughly!). Depreciation of 50% means ?10k per year costs before interest payments, petrol, insurance, tyres etc etc. Surely most people could find more pleasure from 10,000/year than driving a car that's midly plusher than their existing car? I hope...!

[Vortex]

The plush seats etc of a big car never appealed ... but the raw power is what I went for in my callow youff.

[Ippoippo]

The plush seats etc of a big car never appealed ... but the raw power is what I went for in my callow youff.

Must admit, I was the same just three years ago
I still miss my Integra Type-R now at times, adrenaline junky that I am. It was reasonably good on fuel consumption when you pootled around town too... except you complete negate that good work when you hit empty country roads and 'VTEC' it.

These days, my sensible side keeps beating my adrenaline junky side into submission, and I have my lovely 7 year old 998ccToyota Yaris
I get my enjoyment by turning on the mpg readout and trying to get big numbers on it

[emordnilap]

I'm about to purchase a new car.

How did you get on?

What about this? Or this?

[Aurora]

I'm about to purchase a new car.

How did you get on?

What about this? Or this?

Finally purchased a VW Golf 1.9 TDi and am delighted to date.