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New car - advice

Hi all

Looking for some advice, looking to change cars soon as my current (scenic 1.4 04 plate) is costing a bomb in petrol etc


Use of car will be mainly commute to work - 50mins to an hour each way, this is made up of around 30-40 mins dual carriage way, and 10-20mins motorway


Looking at getting a new car.


Something small, and something very cheap to run, small engine.


I have been recommended the following - hyundai i10, citerons. Have looked myself at VW up / polo. dad has a kia picanto which I have driven a lot - that's not bad, long warranty on it too


Really no idea though, useless with cars. Any help appreciated.
(edited 11 years ago)

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Reply 1
What's your budget? How small is small? If you're going to be sitting on dual carriageways/motorways for two hours a day, a 2L turbodiesel would probably be the better option. You'll get much better mileage than anything with a < 1.4l engine.
Original post by FXX
What's your budget? How small is small? If you're going to be sitting on dual carriageways/motorways for two hours a day, a 2L turbodiesel would probably be the better option. You'll get much better mileage than anything with a < 1.4l engine.


less than 10k, so the entry level cars.

fuel economy is main concern
Reply 3
If I remember right a diesel Polo can get something like 70mpg on the motorway?

Like that guy above said, small engine doesn't always mean better fuel economy. An Audi A5 3.0L Turbo gets 50mpg, my 1.6 Astra gets about 40.
Original post by Maccees
If I remember right a diesel Polo can get something like 70mpg on the motorway?

Like that guy above said, small engine doesn't always mean better fuel economy. An Audi A5 3.0L Turbo gets 50mpg, my 1.6 Astra gets about 40.


But things like car tax, insurance, surely they raise with the bigger engines?
Reply 5
Original post by commandant
Hi all

Looking for some advice, looking to change cars soon as my current (scenic 1.4 04 plate) is costing a bomb in petrol etc


Use of car will be mainly commute to work - 50mins to an hour each way, this is made up of around 30-40 mins dual carriage way, and 10-20mins motorway


Looking at getting a new car.


Something small, and something very cheap to run, small engine.


I have been recommended the following - hyundai i10, citerons. Have looked myself at VW up / polo. dad has a kia picanto which I have driven a lot - that's not bad, long warranty on it too


Really no idea though, useless with cars. Any help appreciated.


Don't get anything like those bluemotion polo's or anything like it, in reality they cost quite a lot....not because of fuel but because of the engine component.

Maybe a 1.0l corsa, 1.0l polo or Citeron C1
Reply 6
Original post by commandant
But things like car tax, insurance, surely they raise with the bigger engines?


Don't base insurance on how big the engine is, you also have to think about the number of people who drive that car, they base insurance on how often cars such as ford fiestas are crashed and is a reason why ford fiesta insurance can be high.
Reply 7
Nissan Micra - See if there are any ex-showroom models, got one pre-reg for under your budget with Sat Nav, Bluetooth and stacked with other gadgets. Cheap tax too, and small engine!
Reply 8
Original post by commandant
less than 10k, so the entry level cars.

fuel economy is main concern


10k will get you a lot more than entry level cars. Take a gander at 2.0 TDI A3/A4s. They'll eat up the motorway miles and easily do 55mpg.
Reply 9
Original post by Iqbal007
Don't get anything like those bluemotion polo's or anything like it, in reality they cost quite a lot....not because of fuel but because of the engine component.

Maybe a 1.0l corsa, 1.0l polo or Citeron C1


Try driving them on motorways for two hours a day before recommending them. Not a pleasant experience, and totally uneconomical - a 1.0l revs quite highly to sit at 70mph.
Reply 10
Original post by commandant
But things like car tax, insurance, surely they raise with the bigger engines?


Depends on how good the engine is, the tax will be higher but it all depends. As for insurance I assumed you were 21+? Once you get to around that age it doesn't matter as much, as long as you have some NCB it wont differ massively, although if you are wanting the overall cost to be as cheap as it possibly can then aye, go for the smaller engines.

What can also be useful when looking at new cars is getting a few models you like the look of, then see if you can find some owners forums for reviews/ask questions and stuff. They will be able to tell you about running costs, common faults etc. Also, being part of an owners club can get you insurance discounts as well (depending on whether the insurance company accepts it, most specialists do. You will find specialists usually on the owners website).
As said smaller engine revving at about 3000+ RPM @70mph isn't going to be any more efficient as a 2.0l diesel at about 2000 RPM @70mph whilst being quieter. Since you'll be doing a lot of dual carriageways and motorways.

Depends if you want a new car or used really. For 10k it'll be hard to find a big engine new car.

But for used, dunno if its your taste but you should be able get a 2.0L Diesel Vauxhall Insignia 09 reg done about 25k miles whilst returning about 50+ mpg or similar such as a Passat/Mondeo. Or for hatchbacks a 1.6L Diesel Mazda 2 seems to be even better on fuel for 10k you'd be able to get one thats done <15k miles.

As for tax, diesels generally produce less CO2 so they're not too bad on road tax. And assuming your 21+ the difference for insurance between engine size isn't too big. But as said already above, posting around in owners forum is a good way to find out about common faults and running costs.
Reply 12
What is your annual mileage? If it is any less than 15k ish I would suggest going for a petrol, but it sounds quite high so diesel might be the way to go.

If you really want to save money and have trouble free motoring then I would be going for a VW Passat B5 with the 1.9 TDI engine. Absolutely bullet proof - just look at some of the taxis that use this engine (Octavias etc) and you will see that they can run to silly mileages with little trouble.

Full service history is more important than mileage.

I see the 2.0 TDI being suggested - good engine on the whole but they are known for oil pump failures and being prone to all the common diesel faults (clutch, DMF etc) so give it a good checking over.

Do not buy anything with a DPF (diesel particulate filter) as they are a nightmare and very expensive when they go wrong.

Don't touch anything with a tiny engine for motorway use, they are not designed for that and you would be better with a bigger engine (1.6 +) as more often than not it will be more economical at motorway speeds. A 1.0 3 cyl Corsa will be terrible on the motorway and guzzle fuel. My Mum's 1.2 Corsa sits at nigh on 4k at 75, so is not very efficient at speed. Great in town though.

Have a good look at something with the 1.9 TDI engine (PD 130 version if you can) - A4, A3, Octavia, Passat etc etc. They are very highly respected and known for reliability and economy :smile:
Reply 13
Original post by commandant
.


Does it have to be brand new?

I'm told Suzuki in UK is having an offer on their Swifts, you could get one with fairly good specification for right around 10k, definitely a good car and a newly launched model.
Reply 14
What do you define as "costs a bomb in petrol"?
Reply 15
Original post by FXX
Try driving them on motorways for two hours a day before recommending them. Not a pleasant experience, and totally uneconomical - a 1.0l revs quite highly to sit at 70mph.


ur right, i remember :/ its cos i live in London
Reply 16
Ignore 1.0 petrol cheap Hyundai or Corsa misery boxes you'll have no fun driving anything like that and its going to end up costing you more in fuel if you ever want to travel at anything over 60mph or you want to overtake etc. . . Also ignore the 1.9tdi engines in VAG group cars in favour of the 2.0 tdi, the extra power makes a big difference and the economy doesn't work out much different then when you come to re-sell you'll find it much easier to pass on. The 1.9 engine is ancient by now.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the BMW 318d, its the obvious choice, excellent fuel economy combined with a decent level of comfort (especially if you avoid M sport trim), sharp looks (m sport), really excellent handling and good resale value. Its the obvious choice, you'll find an E90 easily within your budget with a decent spec and you'll like it far more than any cheap jap shoebox. Insist on full service history though.
Reply 17
^ Yeah, nothing says "I've got no imagination" more than a 3 series.
Reply 18
Original post by JC.
^ Yeah, nothing says "I've got no imagination" more than a 3 series.


What exactly is wrong with the 3 series?

Honestly can't fault my E46 328i, it is brilliant.
Reply 19
Original post by JC.
^ Yeah, nothing says "I've got no imagination" more than a 3 series.


Nothing says, "i've got a brain" more than a 3 series. Its the best small executive saloon by a considerable mile and it has been for a long time. If you choose an inferior car to show you have imagination that probably shows something else as well.

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