Car Suggestion - Around £6000

[Gerrard]

(I drive a 2015 C220D, gets 45mpg average 10 miles into manchester...)

Funny enough, that's what I drive now as well! The coupe version anyway.

But I take your point on going slightly larger; a Focus might also be an option.

[herulach]

Funny enough, that's what I drive now as well! The coupe version anyway.

But I take your point on going slightly larger; a Focus might also be an option.

Do you have a particular aversion to going really big? Given a choice between a Focus and an A6/Phaeton or even something like a 508 I know which I'd be picking.

[Gerrard]

Only that it seems like an overkill for my situation of just me in the car, with no passengers.

[scaryjim]

I had a Hyundai i30 diesel on hire a couple of weekends back and it's one of the most comfortable drives I've had in a couple of years (advantage of not owning a car is that I get to pootle around in all sorts of fun things when the fancy takes me ). I used it for a couple of motorway stretches, some country A-road driving and to pootle around town a bit. Not exactly nippy, but a responsive and very, very easy drive.

Looks like (from autotrader) a 2011/2012 diesel i30 with < 100k on the clock shouldn't set you back more than £4k, and similar age low mileage examples are between £5k and £6k.

EDIT: AFAIK the Kia Cee'd is built on the same platform: unsurprisingly you get very similar age/mileage/price on those...

[spacein_vader]

I had a Hyundai i30 diesel on hire a couple of weekends back and it's one of the most comfortable drives I've had in a couple of years (advantage of not owning a car is that I get to pootle around in all sorts of fun things when the fancy takes me ). I used it for a couple of motorway stretches, some country A-road driving and to pootle around town a bit. Not exactly nippy, but a responsive and very, very easy drive.

Looks like (from autotrader) a 2011/2012 diesel i30 with < 100k on the clock shouldn't set you back more than £4k, and similar age low mileage examples are between £5k and £6k.

EDIT: AFAIK the Kia Cee'd is built on the same platform: unsurprisingly you get very similar age/mileage/price on those...

The Cee'd also comes with a 7 year warranty vs 5 years on the Hyundai.

[scaryjim]

The Cee'd also comes with a 7 year warranty vs 5 years on the Hyundai.

Would that be transferable on a second hand purchase? Interesting if so, given the decent pricing in 4 - 5 year old models...

[mistral_blue]

Unless you're doing 20k/yr diesel is a false economy, tax(emissions)/servicing, complexity, dpf(if fitted) etc all need to be considered, I've had diesels in the past, nothing against them but you need to do your research and not just accept the trend/mpg figures at face value! Just Google it... Also see: http://www.which.co.uk/cars/choosing...-buying-guide/

Have you looked at Skoda Fabia, for the higher end of your budget you could get a petrol VRS with a decent mileage...

[kalniel]

Would that be transferable on a second hand purchase? Interesting if so, given the decent pricing in 4 - 5 year old models...

Usually they are transferable, yes.

edit: indeed, see FAQ number 6:

http://www.kia.co.uk/new-cars/7-year...-answered.aspx

[mistral_blue]

Although petrol version only has DSG gearbox though...

[dave87]

How about the Focus? Petrol or Diesel they are both good cars - better to drive than an Astra (I've driven both!) and fuel consumption should be fine in either petrol or diesel. Or the next step up to a Mondeo will give you a few more toys?

[mistral_blue]

See also Peugeot RCZ. Top end of your budget but a bit more interesting than a Fiesta... 156bhp petrol is basic model which is nippy, I have 200bhp GT which is swift! Also 163 bhp diesel. All come with 6 speed manual and all the usual toys. Boot is surprisingly spacious and you can fit small people in the back (adults on an occasional basis!).

200GT... http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...01602231313248

@gerrard just seen your previous list of cars - a fine selection, sounds like you're a bit of a petrolhead... I've currently got an XKR and Octy VRS as well as RCZ - trust me, based on your previous... go drive an RCZ! (driven heavy, I avg 35mpg, mostly B roads in my 200GT work commute) 156 petrol and 163 diesel obviously do better, but not quite as fun (NB, GT spec has full leather etc etc)

And before anyone mentions French cr@p, it's built by Magna Steyr - http://www.autonews.com/article/2011...oreUserAgent=1

[Zak33]

Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi (dont worry about the mileage. .. look for all Honda History)

my missus has one... 140k now.. bought with 95k on it.

goes well.

Or look at a Suzuki Swift if Fiesta good size.

[Tumble]

I drove a Fiesta the other day when my motor was having a service. I didn't like it - it felt too small, like the roof was trying to squash me. The Focus I had and put 80k miles on in just over 2 years however was a very capable vehicle. 1.6 Diesel - regularly returned 50+mpg. Definitely get the cruise control if you can though. Tis a godsend!

[Gerrard]

I am looking closer at the Focus now; trying to decide to go for a decent MkII or stretch to a MkIII.

Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi (dont worry about the mileage. .. look for all Honda History)

my missus has one... 140k now.. bought with 95k on it.

goes well.

Yep, had one for a couple of years. The clutch started to slip on mine and that was when I found it was a common problem (same clutch for petrol and diesel models despite massively different torque). It would be £580 for the clutch and another £500 for DMF, but I luckily sold the car before needing to do the work. When I looked three years ago, the latest clutches still seemed to have the same issues.

The Kia is an interesting choice with its 7 year warranty. I imagine there's bit of a price drop after that period though!

RCZ is a bit out of my budget, but is again another interesting line of inquiry.

[mistral_blue]

VW Golf?

[circuitmonkey]

RCZ is a bit out of my budget, but is again another interesting line of inquiry.

I recently had a similar dilemma, but after I test drove an RCZ GT200 I looked down the sofa and found the difference. I'm so happy I did.
Personally I think it's quite hard to beat for price, performance, spec and looks.