Another spec me a used car thread :)

[kalniel]

So thinking of changing cars as repairs for the A3 are starting to add up (though still may keep with it).

Requirements are roughly the same as the last time I did this several years ago:
-Comfy for long journeys over not great road surfaces
-Nice interior
-5 doors and room for adults in the back
-Decent B-road/dual carriage way economy (~55mpg+ in real world)
-Torquey (>300Nm) and refined engine preferred
-Grippy chassis (don't need go-kart-like handling, but should be secure for B-road blasts in different weather conditions)
-Not too-large exterior dimensions (mondeo too big, sadly)
-Dependable
-Cruise control

Nice to have:
-Good sound system/ease to upgrade to nice sound system
-Premium feel/leather steering wheel etc.
-Steering/brake feel and nice gear change
-Ultra reliable and/or cheap servicing
-Climate control

Budget around 10k.

The most obvious choice is.. another A3 Sportback :/ But I could be missing something. Ford focus... let down by engine/refinement maybe? BMWs too stiff?

[DanceswithUnix]

As long as you don't go for rubber band thickness low profile tyres on wheels of a diameter a penny farthing would be proud of I'm sure a BMW would be fine.

Non German suggestion as everyone else will say "Golf" and "3 series": Giulietta 2.0 jtdm
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1305136735233/

[kalniel]

I know I didn't specify mileage, but I'd probably worry that a car around 80k old would start to get expensive the number of miles I'd put on it quite quickly. Nice looking car though - reviews state poor ride quality and interior though?

I'll have to go testing some 3 serieseses, owners and reviews alike have mentioned they're a bit on the stiff side, but maybe things have improved recently. When buying new a Golf makes sense, in 2nd hand world I find they're slightly less value than A3s because everyone always looks for a golf!

[Guy]

Hang on you mention being good over bad road surfaces, refined engine, with good steering and brake feel. Oh and cheap servicing! Not sure where an Audi fits into any of that...

If you could live with the estate looks Volvo V50?

Otherwise I certainly wouldn't discount a Focus, one of the higher spec ones (Titanium X?) would be a good look.

If you wanted to stay within the VAG stable I'd always say Octavia. Slightly bigger floor pan than the Golf, same engines that that they all use and can come in sport/performance specs or with a bit more luxury (Forgotten what they call they're top end ones!)

[Guy]

Oh and if you were looking at a BMW once the run flats have been replaced the ride certainly isn't bad at all. Only had an SE as a hire car so can't comment too much but it soaked up Spanish roads no problem.

[kalniel]

Hang on you mention being good over bad road surfaces, refined engine, with good steering and brake feel. Oh and cheap servicing! Not sure where an Audi fits into any of that...

Steering and brake feel are nice to haves - they're missing from the Audi, but the rest is there - once warmed up a little you can't tell mine is a diesel, and it's great over bad road surfaces (being the standard, non-sporty suspension).

If you could live with the estate looks Volvo V50?

Otherwise I certainly wouldn't discount a Focus, one of the higher spec ones (Titanium X?) would be a good look.

If you wanted to stay within the VAG stable I'd always say Octavia. Slightly bigger floor pan than the Golf, same engines that that they all use and can come in sport/performance specs or with a bit more luxury (Forgotten what they call they're top end ones!)

No problem with estate looks, as long as overall length of car isn't too much - the newer octavias seem on the large side, but you're right, the Larent&Klein? models are nice.

Are the diesel engines for the focus any good?

[Guy]

Steering and brake feel are nice to haves - they're missing from the Audi, but the rest is there - once warmed up a little you can't tell mine is a diesel, and it's great over bad road surfaces (being the standard, non-sporty suspension).


No problem with estate looks, as long as overall length of car isn't too much - the newer octavias seem on the large side, but you're right, the Larent&Klein? models are nice.

Are the diesel engines for the focus any good?

Out of interest what engine do you currently have? I had a B7 A4 2.0 TDI and utterly hated it. Agricultural, rough, really not that refined nor economical went back to a 3 litre BMW diesel as believe it or not it gave better MPG.

Fair enough on the ride front, I can tell you an S-Line isn't much fun on much bar motorways.

I would be very surprised if they're longer than an A3 Sportback, they've pretty similar chassis.

A few people in the office have had them and had no complaints, although the only Focus left in the car back is now a 1.0 litre ecoboost that's mainly due to the lack of miles being done.

[kalniel]

140ps 2.0 pd unit (BKD). Don't know how they've managed it in the A3, but it's really quiet (and when it makes a noise it's more like a large bore petrol, no diesel clatter), plenty of guts, and I get nearly 60mpg out of it in summer. Also being transversally mounted it avoids the problem of the oil pump link that it suffers from in the A4.

The Octavia's another 30cm longer than my sportback. Still, not as big as an Insignia which might be worth a look?

[Guy]

Hang on so no Mondeo but an Insignia is worth a look?

[kalniel]

Hang on so no Mondeo but an Insignia is worth a look?

Neither are really, too big

[Guy]

Too big for where you live, or just too much space and it's not needed?

[kalniel]

Too big for where you live, or just too much space and it's not needed?

Work car park It's a fiddly underground jobby. There is one mondeo owner among hundreds of cars. He's hated as spaces are at a premium so taking up more room that allocated is a big no-no

[DanceswithUnix]

I know I didn't specify mileage, but I'd probably worry that a car around 80k old would start to get expensive the number of miles I'd put on it quite quickly. Nice looking car though - reviews state poor ride quality and interior though?

I'll have to go testing some 3 serieseses, owners and reviews alike have mentioned they're a bit on the stiff side, but maybe things have improved recently. When buying new a Golf makes sense, in 2nd hand world I find they're slightly less value than A3s because everyone always looks for a golf!

That particular car seems to come with a 2 year warranty from one of the best Alfa garages in the country. It would have been very thoroughly checked over and serviced before being sent out, and you do pay extra for that. [Edit to add: Yes I know most garages would say that, but in this case it isn't a dealer, they are Alfa enthusiasts. They know which bits normally fail on each model and make sure everything is fine.]

I was going to look for a lower milage example, perhaps with leather interior, but I got distracted by http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01309218901453 which fails on seating and economy for you but ticks all my boxes

As I said though, the tyres are a part of the ride quality and I wonder if a lot of the harsh ride comments you get from people is because they insist on the pimp 35 profile tyres with no give in them.

[Zak33]

Lexus IS220D

should get a nie 58 plate for under 10k

lovely thing.. just lovely

[Guy]

Too highly geared (never thought I'd say that!) and poor MPG.

Nice interior though!

[DanceswithUnix]

As this thread seems to have resurrected I had a better look on Autotrader for a Giulietta that hadn't done so many miles (you seemed to think the last one was a tad leggy).

10K gets you 36K miles, same 168BHP engine, 350Nm (though the gutless 1.6l diesel engine is 320Nm so TBH I don't think it tells you much).

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01310119226673