Swift or Mazda 2 or Pro'Ceed?

smoc

In a hurry to buy a car at the moment as after next week I wont have any transport to work (no buses no nothing) plus I work all week so I've only time to go to the dealers this saturday if i'm to buy a new car. I'm only 22 and on my 2nd car at the moment but I simply sold it because i got offered what i paid for it and was a little girly for me (peugeot 206)(and their collecting it next week).

I've narrowed it down to these 3 cars. I've really only a max of 14k to spend without some kind of finance deal.

The swift is the cheapest at 14k new and most fuel economic and looks fairly nice. The mazda 2 got 2nd place in european car of the year, looks wierd but ok I guess and its 15,500 euro, while the Pro'ceed is just the best car i've ever driven and comes with a 7 year warrenty. However the pro'ceed is 19,200 euro (most basic model). Now I know this is way out of my budget but it'll last me a long time and I can get 0% finance with that over 36 months.

I'm really divided on what to do because i'm not sure if I even trust myself enough with a new car despite being a slow and careful driver and having a full licence.

Can anyone advise me on what to go for?????!?


...and yes I would consider nearly new cars of these models as well.

smoc

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I have driven all 3 of the above cars and they are all very nice motors. I personally would go for the Pro`ceed as I think its the best looking,got more space and has the 7 year warranty. I`m sure you will get some goons giving out about the KIA badge but dont listen to them. The mazda is quite a nice drive,having good standard kit but it is quite small. The Swift is a perfect alternative to the mini but at a greatly reduced price!

is the pro'ceed worth the extra 5,000 euro though? I also had an option of a 2007 kia pro'ceed for 19,000 as well but it had everything! its a showroom model with 900 miles on it. what ya reckon?

--amadeus--

smoc wrote: »

while the Pro'ceed is just the best car i've ever driven

Not something I ever thought I would see written!

I appreciate that you are in a bit of a tight spot time wise but €14k is a lot of money to spend in a hurry. What do you want from a car? What priority do you put on running costs / economy, style, space, performance and comfort? Working out the answers to those questions will help you decide what's best. Think carefully about it and do research because you say that the 206 was "girly" but the cars you've mentioned would be bracketed in the same market segment.

Likewise now is a bad time to buy a new car - with the new VRT rules coming in prices (especially in this sector) should be falling over the summer and whatever you buy will be stuck on the old tax regime and that will hurt at re-sale time.

Final point - buying new hurts when it comes to resale. You lose thousands when you drive a car off a forecourt. I don't know about the mazda but Kias are woeful for depreciation and I can't see Suzuki's being much better.

So, if you must have one of those thre then I guess the Mazda would be the best - economical, easy to sell and will never, ever (ever) break. But look at second hand cars (some tasty things available for that money) and maybe consider buying a €500 banger to get you through to the summer when you can shop at your lesusre. You may still think that the Kia is the best car ever but at least it'll be a decsion taken in context and not rushed.

O7Pat

smoc wrote: »

I've narrowed it down to these 3 cars. I've really only a max of 14k to spend without some kind of finance deal.




...and yes I would consider nearly new cars of these models as well.

Am I reading it right - are u spending €14k of your own money with no loan etc? Unless u have alot of other cah reserves would seem like alot of cash to spend at 22 on a car? For finance stuff (loans/keeping saving and using someone elses money to purchase on low to zero finace etc, keep cash for emergencies/ hols etc) maybe have a look at askaboutmoney.com - savings and investments

D proceed is defo nice and the 2007 seems ok, bargain hard.
It is a pretty good budget particularly if u are going 2nd hand so u have alot of options


edit post crossed with previous 2. I would go with amadeus - lot of money to spend in a hurry get anything to keep u going for a few months and buy something at ur leisure.

smoc

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Nah its not worth the extra 5k the standard Ceed is just as nice! The top of the range model has everything apart from cruise. Seems like a decent price, I know somebody who is looking to buy one and was quoted a similar price.

5k more than the swift I mean. The 07 'full' pro'ceed is 19,000 and the 08 'basic' is 19,200

bazz26

Pro'ceed is from a segment up from the Swift and 2 plus it is marketed as kind of a sporty hatch in the same sense as the Astra Sporthatch.

smoc

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Not something I ever thought I would see written!

I appreciate that you are in a bit of a tight spot time wise but €14k is a lot of money to spend in a hurry. What do you want from a car? What priority do you put on running costs / economy, style, space, performance and comfort? Working out the answers to those questions will help you decide what's best. Think carefully about it and do research because you say that the 206 was "girly" but the cars you've mentioned would be bracketed in the same market segment.

Likewise now is a bad time to buy a new car - with the new VRT rules coming in prices (especially in this sector) should be falling over the summer and whatever you buy will be stuck on the old tax regime and that will hurt at re-sale time.

Final point - buying new hurts when it comes to resale. You lose thousands when you drive a car off a forecourt. I don't know about the mazda but Kias are woeful for depreciation and I can't see Suzuki's being much better.

So, if you must have one of those thre then I guess the Mazda would be the best - economical, easy to sell and will never, ever (ever) break. But look at second hand cars (some tasty things available for that money) and maybe consider buying a €500 banger to get you through to the summer when you can shop at your lesusre. You may still think that the Kia is the best car ever but at least it'll be a decsion taken in context and not rushed.

thanks for long reply but I was advised (by a dealer today) that i'd only save about 500 euro waiting until july and i'd have nothing in the mean time anyway. is this true? He said only the diesel cars were coming down alot, the petrol was not

--amadeus--

bazz26 wrote: »

Pro'ceed is from a segment up from the Swift and 2 plus it is marketed as kind of a sporty hatch in the same sense as the Astra Sporthatch.

You're right - clumsy writing on my part. What I was trying to say is that if he was bothered by the 206 being "girly" he needs to think about the cars he's buying from an image POV as well - none of teh 3 would be exactly "manly"! Now all he needs to do is decide if that's important to him or not.

SMOC - €500 is still €500 but the saving would probably be wiped by whatever "stop gap" you put in place. I would verify the numbers independently though. No offence to the salesman but he's trying to sell a car, of course he'll tell you to buy now. Likewise it might be worth checking how much CO2 tax will be as it'll be a factor at resale (and of course for your own running costs). I just wouldn't feel comfortable going out on a Sat morning thinking that I had to buy a car that day. You also miss half the fun of buying brand new, speccing the car up, becuase you have to buy from thier new showroom stock.

How much would it cost to hire a car for a week or two? Just so that you have time to look at some alternatives? I'm not saying that they aren't good cars, just that you'll be living with this for teh next 3 years, you might as well take the time and make an informed decision.

pburns

smoc wrote: »

is the pro'ceed worth the extra 5,000 euro though? I also had an option of a 2007 kia pro'ceed for 19,000 as well but it had everything! its a showroom model with 900 miles on it. what ya reckon?

Are u sure that's not a C'eed (5 door) rather than a Pro'ceed (2 door A3 clone)?

One way or the other a nearly-new Kia would (IMO) be far a better buy than a brand new 2 or Swift (and that's coming from a dyed-in-the-wool Mazda-man who also has a soft spot for the little Suzuki). Don't mind the Kia nay-sayers - the C'eed/Pro'ceed is class...

--amadeus--

The only Kia I have ever been in was one of thier Jeeps. The owner raved about it (cheap to buy and cheap to run) but the interior didn't look as robust as the likes of a Mazda (my Mum had a Mazda 2 for a while and my parents have had a string of them, mainly 323's and an MX5).

Not having a jibe but how well made are the interiors on the cars? Do they look like they will last? Genuinely curious

smoc

O7Pat wrote: »

Am I reading it right - are u spending €14k of your own money with no loan etc? Unless u have alot of other cah reserves would seem like alot of cash to spend at 22 on a car? For finance stuff (loans/keeping saving and using someone elses money to purchase on low to zero finace etc, keep cash for emergencies/ hols etc) maybe have a look at askaboutmoney.com - savings and investments

D proceed is defo nice and the 2007 seems ok, bargain hard.
It is a pretty good budget particularly if u are going 2nd hand so u have alot of options


edit post crossed with previous 2. I would go with amadeus - lot of money to spend in a hurry get anything to keep u going for a few months and buy something at ur leisure.

I actually have a little more but thats for the insurance. college is starting to pay off

---

To answer another question about my priorities, I'd say build quality and drivability (i.e. handling etc) are number 1. Safety number 2, looks, power, fuel economy etc comes next.

Tragedy

The Mazda 2 is getting rave reviews, honestjohn and topgear love it, it looks utterly gorgeous and the five door is said to be very practical.
The whole mazda2 range will be coming down 1100-2000 euro down if the savings are passed on, and all(including the apparently very hot 1.5) will be in the €150 tax bracket.

I know you said you cant wait, I was just replying to other posts

I'd have a mazda2 1.5 from the UK in june, in that gorgeous metallic green they're advertising.

Churchy

Ignore the C'eed bashers. I had a diesel one on hire - great all round car.

Would have bought the wife a nearly new one , but a Focus came at the right money

smoc

the million dollar question though is would I be mad to spend 19k on a kia pro'ceed (basic model) considering i'd have to borrow 5/6k from the parents?

I've only this weekend to look around and i'm starting to get worried. I've driving bikes much longer so I am thinking of getting a cbr 600f for a while first and then take my time picking a car. its either that or go for a banger for a while but i'm thinking it would only be hassle getting rid of it come the summer. i know scrappage is an option but i reckon i wouldn get as good a deal then (or would I?)

chump

you know you could rent a car

or buy a car with a grand or two to keep you going in the meantime

you are rushing far too much into this

you haven't even looked at the vrt and tax implications of your choice

and you've narrowed it to 3 cars, 2 new 1 second hand

if your willing to not buy new doesn't that open a whole new range of cars?

how long are you planning on keeping it for?

what if you get bored of it like the 206?

will resale value be important?

relax and think about it some more

smoc

chump wrote: »

you know you could rent a car

or buy a car with a grand or two to keep you going in the meantime

you are rushing far too much into this

you haven't even looked at the vrt and tax implications of your choice

and you've narrowed it to 3 cars, 2 new 1 second hand

if your willing to not buy new doesn't that open a whole new range of cars?

how long are you planning on keeping it for?

what if you get bored of it like the 206?

will resale value be important?

relax and think about it some more

intend keeping it for at least 3 years. Even if I get bored i'll stick it out. I wasnt bored of the 206, just got an offer i couldn refuse. rental! eh that would cost alot i'd say although i'll look it up. any more than 500 euro and its not worth it.


Does anyone actually know how much you'd get off of the petrol 1.4l pro'ceed in VRT this summer? now that would really help answer things for me. cheers by the way

bazz26

smoc wrote: »

Does anyone actually know how much you'd get off of the petrol 1.4l pro'ceed in VRT this summer? now that would really help answer things for me. cheers by the way

Look up E92's very good sticky on this subject. I haven't checked the Kia out myself but I would image that it may infact go up in price on the 1st July unless you buy the diesel.

Edit: Just checked E92's sticky and apparently the C'eed will drop by around €560 in July assuming Kia pass the savings on to the customer.

jimmycrackcorm

I'd go for the C'eed with 3 year 0% finance and 7 year warranty. Lovely car and would be easier to sell on with that warranty to pass on.

Guy:Incognito

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I'd go for the C'eed with 3 year 0% finance and 7 year warranty. Lovely car and would be easier to sell on with that warranty to pass on.

The 2nd hand Pro'Ceed will still have 6 years of the warranty left.

furtzy

parents picked up their new pro cee'd a couple of weeks ago and I had a quick spin. Very very impressed. Its the top spec CRDi. Very torquey little engine and interior is miles ahead of their previous Sportage. I thinks it going to a very popular car especially second-hand with that warranty

smoc

my mate is in a similar position to me. although hes going for a 2nd hand suzuki swift. He has one worry though and its to do with his insurance. He was in an accident 2 years ago which was deemed his fault but he was a named driver under his parents insurance policy at the time. There was a large enough payout (12k) for the injury to the other driver too. In saying this hes parents were not mad as they had no claims bonus protection on their insurance.

This time however he's going with his own policy so hes wondering if he has to state that he was in an accident when going for it!? what ya reckon?

i'm unsure myself as its a wierd one. If there was an accident again in the future would he be ok? i wonder do they keep record of who on the policy was actually driving. the reason I say this is because he was just put in an ambulance straight after the accident and the gardai didnt do any investigation work into it.