Not a big fan of bmw`s and my brother would kill me if I got a new mini(he loves the old mini and thinks the new one is an abomination.)
I have kinda fallen in love with the civic. i`ve looked at the seat leon before and whilst they do look nice the civic just looks nicer and the interior seems a bit better built.
For 10K I would personally buy a V6 costing 6K and spend the rest on petrol
But hey, how about:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2179795.htm
1.9 jtdm is the most common Alfa GT, so plenty to choose from starting at around 5K. I think 10K just misses out on the 2008 onwards 170bhp model so you would probably only get a 150bhp engine.
I was looking at alfas but arent they pretty unreliable still?
Well, the diesel Civic isn't without its own problems; mainly the clutch due to a manufacturing fault costing £585 to replace (not that Honda have actually admitted there's a fault). Might be worth looking into that when looking around.
the worst thing about the Honda is the interior - it looks funky and feels funky - but it took one trip to Belgium and Back in a week to tell me that its very much style over substance.
I still have my 120d and its rock solid - there are comments about snow driving etc, but I have never had any problems that I would not expect from a rear wheel drive car with 18" 35 profile tyres on. Snow is more about the driver than the car tbh (I grew up in Scotland so I know all about snow driving...)
For me the BMW engines are tidy and on the money, but they are alot of money for what you get - and you have to buy failry new to see the full benefits (mines an 09, £90 a year RFL and 45+MPG with an occasional HRF syndrome).
The Yeti is a good call, as is any skoda, beyond the badge you get silly value for money and the same as a VW underneath - for me, if I was buying again I would have to resist a skoda quite hard - theres very little arguement to the quality/VFM...
As for Alfa, every man should own one in his lifetime...as long as someone else is paying for it (e.g. company car!)
Please do not message me about Scan Free shipping, I no longer work for HEXUS.net
No different to most other cars on reliability really. On my 4th now (a 166), and my wife is on her second (a V6 GT). In a few hundred thousand miles of Alfa motoring I have not been stranded by an Alfa. When I bought the 166 I quite fancied a 5 series BMW, but was looking at 9K for the BMW vs 4K for the Alfa at similar age & mileage and just couldn't face spending so much more money for a car with less features and stuck with Alfa.Originally Posted by kopite
Alfa's need to be serviced by someone who knows what they are doing, because whilst garages will always say they know how to service a car frankly most don't. On the up side, there are lots of independent garages run by enthusiasts up and down the country who will generally do a better job than the main dealer and usually cheaper too.
They are luxury cars, so the service costs are up there with BMW and Audi so do make sure that the car has been serviced. My wife bought her last car from Veloces in north London which again is a well respected enthusiast garage and they serviced and MOT'ed the car as part of the price. This makes them a little more money, but gives lots more peace of mind.
In contrast the last place to service my 166 before I bought it was an independent Volvo "specialist" who, having talked to them on the phone, seemed to be a bunch of monkeys. They just performed the work they deemed necessary and ignored little things like service schedules and bulletins. My first service bill therefore required the work they should have done as well as the scheduled work for my service
My last service & MOT was £600 plus I needed 2 front tyres that were £100 each. The next one will be more, but that is only every 4 years (cam belt change time again).
The up-side? I seem to be one of the few people smiling on their commute in to work every day
If you really want something unreliable, IME I would recommend Renault
If you don't like BMW, how about Audi or VW? Very good diesel company.
Thinking about this bit, I'm sure your brother would get over it if you got a new mini. My first car was an original mini, back in the days when they were mainstream. A few of my friends had them too. Awful they were, gutless uncomfortable smelly things that broke down constantly. I gather the new ones are really nice though. Not had a chance to try one yet, but a colleague who normally seems quite picky loves his and is thinking of replacing it with another.
So you get a new one, and if your brother loves the originals tell him he should get one of those. And RAC membership
I drove a 60 plate Mini One the other day when mine was in for a service - the most horrible, non sensing experience I have ever had behind a mini.
The OH has a 55 plate pepper white Mini One and its the most sense involving experience drive I have had since I used to rag my sisters old style mini round the forests of Scotland as a kid.
Mini is a brand losing its fundamentals now imo - the key to the experience was senses, and the new ones are horrible - not to mention the horrible quality plastics inside it too.
Please do not message me about Scan Free shipping, I no longer work for HEXUS.net
The thing is I tend to agree with him.Thinking about this bit, I'm sure your brother would get over it if you got a new mini. My first car was an original mini, back in the days when they were mainstream. A few of my friends had them too. Awful they were, gutless uncomfortable smelly things that broke down constantly. I gather the new ones are really nice though. Not had a chance to try one yet, but a colleague who normally seems quite picky loves his and is thinking of replacing it with another.
So you get a new one, and if your brother loves the originals tell him he should get one of those. And RAC membership
To me the original mini was fun to drive. it handles like a go-kart.
The new ones seem to have changed to being more of a hot hatch type of car.
I have some irrational opinions on cars like I dont think I could own a skoda. Despite how good they are and all growing up in the 80`s skodas had a rep of being bad cars.
BMW`s I cant get past the opinion that all bmw drivers are idiots which is reinforced nearly every day on the motorway coming to work.
I was looking at getting an audi when i got my current car but For I couldnt get anything with low mileage for a similar price to what i paid. Same problem with VW I worry i`d be able to get as new/low mileage car as looking at other manufacturers
What's low mileage to you? 10k buys a nice spec Audi with 40k miles, for a diesel I consider that relatively low mileage. If you're looking for sub 20k miles then go for Ford.
It was back when my budget for 5-6k I got my current pug with 50k on the clock on a 52 plate whilst an audi for the same money got me 120k on a x plate.
I guess with the higher budget i could get something better.
Out of interest, how come you want a diesel? Are you really doing the huge mileage required to make it necessary?
I really think you can get a good Audi A3/A4 or VW Golf/Passat for £10k.
I drive about 15-25k a year
That makes some sense thenI drive about 15-25k a year
Most people I know with diesels drive 5 to 10K/yr, and their depreciation losses makes the fuel saving insignificant.
Some of the recent mild turbo petrol engines are posting quite bonkers fuel economy, but are only cheaply available in Fiat 500 and Alfa Mito which I wouldn't want to spend much time on the motorway in.
Whilst the GT I mentioned before was a tad silly (but potentially more grin inducing), you can get a rather nice Alfa 159 1.9Jtdm for 9K, and leave a little in the bank just in case. Avoid the 2.4l engine, it goes well but drinks like a fish!
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2350741.htm
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/367150.htm
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