New car help!

[Andeh13]

Right, as my other thread may have made you aware i am in the market for a new car. Originally i wanted a Citroen C5, but having test driven one & found it to be obscenely slow & sluggish, and not quite as frugal as i thought I was somewhat put off it.

As a result I am in the market for a new car, iv spent hours pouring over them but my problem is too much choice. Everything seems insurable, everything seems within budget...and i want everything for various reasons. My choices so far:

Citroen c5 - £12,500, but it is very very big, and slow enough to put me off
Skoda Octavia vRS - £9,500, not quite as impressive/character as some of the other cars, ticks all of the 'alright' boxes, but not many genuine 'desire' ones.
BMW 520D '05 plate - £10,500, quite high milage (80k), not as fast as id want, very big.
BMW 320d coupe '05/'06 plate - £10,000 looks nice, sportyish, has a reputation for eating turbos though, not best looking, but has some of the 'desire' factor (esp in red).
BMW 320d coupe E90 '07 (new one) - very very expensive £13,500, but massively desirable, lot of money.

Not really looked at Mondeo ST220, but could fit the bill, not so sure about the Ford badge. Can't think of too many other vehicles that fit the bill.

So much choice, esp with price - desirability and how much im willing to spend on a car to really make me grin. I will be doing around 14-15k a year, mostly motorways and want a reliable, practical car that will cheer me up after a lot of difficult journeys (visiting daughter etc).

Any comments, advice, warnings or suggestions?

Thanks guys

[finlay666]

Thought about Japanese cars?

2005 onwards Honda Accord, 2.2CDTI (I think Dave87 has the same engine in his Civic but I'm not 100% on that) decent spec around £6000-7000 (Even the 2.4 VTEC engine is in that price range for the age)
(2007 2.2 ctdi with leather and 50k on the clock pops in around £8.5k on autotrader)

Mazda 6 you can get within the price range. Same for a high end Avensis.

How about an M5? I know Dave87 was looking at some and some seemed pretty cheap, will go like stink too

[Andeh13]

Fuel economy is a big deal for me, lot of motorway miles sat at 85 so do want decent mpg, hence no 'M' cars in the list!

Accord doesn't do anything for me, Mazda 6 is nice but the models i like are way out of my price range.

[mrt9888]

I would suggest a petrol version of the 3 series as the diesel ones are popular and have higher mileage you could get a 320 for much less. The diesels have more complicated designs so have more things that could go wrong e.g . injectors, turbos.

On Parkers website it says buying a brand new 320 compared to a 320D it would take 200k to break even for the added expense of the diesel. It has a tool where you can change the figures so try that.

I would say get the 3 series, but get what you really want so you won't regret it later.

[Barakka]

Have you test driven any BMW's yet ?

Just a note about them, BMW call themselves the ultimate driving machine for a reason, you really do feel like you're in control and they actually handle. As Jezza said in one of his reviews, they were trying to figure out why the BMWs always went round the track faster than they should (for the weight/power) and the Stig said it's easy, the brakes and the computers. BMWs have Very good brakes, as in they work well, and the ABS and Traction Control are not there to "keep you in check" like on most other cars (VAG especially). On a BMW the ABS and TC will only kick in when you really need them, so they handle, they don't stick like a Quattro or correct everything for you like a VW, you do the driving in a Beemer.

Also, what's the requirement ? Large Car ? or is a 1 Series in the running ? 5 Doors, or is an Alfa Brera do-able (now that WOULD make you smile every time you saw it )

[kalniel]

Are image and 'will make me grin' the only characteristics you're concerned with now? If you're not concerned about ride quality then there's a huge range available to you. Mazda 6 does spring to mind, SEAT Leon, the more well-built Alfas, Mercedes C class etc.

[Andeh13]

The C5 was meant to have best in class comfort & i was royally disappointed with that aspect as well. A friend also has a Nissan 200sx which feels like it has no suspension, and having spent an hour on the motorway in that I don't think ride comfort is too important atm. I am still keen on keeping to 40+ mpg though, and size is important, i will be ferrying around my daughter at times so as much as that Alfa Brera makes me go weak at the knees, id struggle with it.

The petrol 3 series coupe (new one) does bring it much more into my price range, though it does loose me 10mpg. Does anyone know how much difference that would make over 14k? Makes things harder that does!

The Merc C-class' that are available to my budget im not too keen on.

[kalniel]

The petrol 3 series coupe (new one) does bring it much more into my price range, though it does loose me 10mpg. Does anyone know how much difference that would make over 14k?

Makes things harder that does!

Work it out! When I was comparing cars I did something like:

14k miles = 311.11 gallons at 45MPG = ~1416 litres = £1656.72 at 117p a litre (my local petrol)
14k miles = 233.33 gallons at 60MPG = ~1062 litres = £1231.53 at 116p a litre (my local diesel)

So using those figures a diesel would save ~£420 a year. But plug your own figures in to be more accurate.

Other factors to bear in mind are diesels depreciate less, but sometimes cost more to service.

[Andeh13]

Work it out! When I was comparing cars I did something like:

14k miles = 311.11 gallons at 45MPG = ~1416 litres = £1656.72 at 117p a litre (my local petrol)
14k miles = 233.33 gallons at 60MPG = ~1062 litres = £1231.53 at 116p a litre (my local diesel)

So using those figures a diesel would save ~£420 a year. But plug your own figures in to be more accurate.

Other factors to bear in mind are diesels depreciate less, but sometimes cost more to service.

Thank you, too much time off university has dumbed me down somewhat i think!

I am swinging quite near to the Octavia vRS, just for the ticking all the boxes and saving £3,000 + cheaper running costs then the BMWs. it might not be as much fun, but £3,000 is very hard to sniff out when i still get a fairly capable car.

Has anyone had any experience with them?

[usxhe190]

Get the 320d coupe. You will like it.

edit - you don't like Audi right?

[kalniel]

Get the 320d coupe. You will like it.

edit - you don't like Audi right?

Probably lacking the grin factor - it's all too easy

[99Flake]

I know I have suggested them before (I must admit I am a big fan) but the Lexus IS would be a good one to have a look at. No diesel in the range (that would fall into your price range) but the reliability aspect, badge, equipement and ride should tick all the other boxes.

[chris_argyle]

Iv not used the vRS, but have used lower spec Octavias when my Fabia vRS has been in for a service, and I must admit I have been very impressed with the build quality and boot size, and that wasnt even the estate.

Also be aware that in 2008 the diesel vRS's moved from Pumpe Düse to common rail, so the newer cars have a smoother torque spike, and therfore more gradual power delivery (and I think that makes them feel slower).

[usxhe190]

I think a black A6 looks quite nice but each to their own

But there is a reason why the 3 series, especially the 320D is one of the most popular cars in the UK

Octavias are great too. As long as you stick with the VW Group or the BMW Group, you will have great fuel efficient engines.

[Barakka]

I am still keen on keeping to 40+ mpg though, and size is important, i will be ferrying around my daughter at times so as much as that Alfa Brera makes me go weak at the knees, id struggle with it.

The petrol 3 series coupe (new one) does bring it much more into my price range, though it does loose me 10mpg. Does anyone know how much difference that would make over 14k? Makes things harder that does!

If you like BMW, do you need a big boot ? The 120d is a very capable car, good chassis and drives well, plus gives you 60mpg but not as expensive to run as a 3-series... don't think of the 1-series as small, think of it as an original 3-series that didn't put on weight and grow up.

As for the Alfa, the Brera would be a 2.4 JTDm giving 200bhp and 50+ bhp, but if you need the 5 doors for convenience your budget would buy a very nice example 159 with either the 1.9 JTDm or the 2.4 JTDm engine.

How about the Mitsubishi Lancer ? £12k would buy a 1 year old one with <10k miles running the 2.0 DI-D engine giving 50+mpg and is nice looking if you like that kind of thing...

[mycarsavw]

I know I have suggested them before (I must admit I am a big fan) but the Lexus IS would be a good one to have a look at. No diesel in the range (that would fall into your price range) but the reliability aspect, badge, equipement and ride should tick all the other boxes.

I suggest Lexarse on his other thread - ES, GS, IS all of those easily came in under the initial £13k budget.

Big planted motorway cars with a lot of kit.