Looking for advice

laurynsmam

Hey guys

The time has come to change family car. I'm looking for some advice in relation to finding a nice new car. Ideally we're looking for a saloon with the following points to assist in the search:

Budget around €12k +/- the trade in value of a 99 Ford Focus saloon (not much!).
Something with a bit of poke in it, the focus drives like a dog, so I'd like a decent sized engine and bhp (within reason) as we'll both be driving this car from time to time.
A decent specc'd car, again, I'd like leather seats for example, but this isn't that important a point, basically I'd like a well specc'd model of a decent car, that maybe has some toys in it!
Everything else is really incidental, I'd like a newish car but the plan would really be to keep this car for 4 -5 years so no matter how new it is I cant see there being a huge resale value from it.

Anyway, any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

bazz26

How about a Volvo S40? Very well equipped for the money, leather seats, 6 disc cd player, climate control, cruise control, etc. It is based on the newer model Ford Focus and 1.8 litre (from the Mondeo) petrol is nippy enough in them. I bought one back in April (diesel model) and find it to be a great car, very comfortable and nice to drive.

They are expensive new but are great value second hand due to hefty early depreciation. Only real downside is that rear leg room is a bit tight and access to the boot is narrow. For example:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200929194630740

If you need a bit more space then maybe a Saab 9-3 is worth a look too:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200928194577104

laurynsmam

Hey guys

The DH has been looking around at cars today and has picked out the one below. He's going to arrange a test drive for it at the weekend.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200929194598849

Is this a decent looking car and what sort of figure should we be looking to buy at?

Would the car be fun to drive? :P

pedro7

Rather then spending 12000 why not spend maby 3000 on a nissan maxima? you should pick up a 00 modle one for maby 3kish if you hagle! They have a 2litre v6 engine very fast REALLY comfortable and UNBELIEVABLY reliable. Good fuel economy too.

Just thought it would be worth considering. They are a great cheap luxury car.

SK1979

I'm looking around for a similar car and have a similar budget to spend. I like the look of the Accord, and I definitely think that you would pick up a nice 05 model for under your budget.

As an example, have a look at this car:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200928194530856

The location wouldn't suit me, but I would expect you to be able to haggle him down to at least €12k?

laurynsmam

Thanks for the replies guys and the suggestions. The Maxima's look interesting alright! The Accord is a lovely car, and the one linked looks nice, however, would you not be concerned that there may be no service history? I was told that this is almost the most important point to check when buying a used car?

Saab Ed

pedro7 wrote: »

Rather then spending 12000 why not spend maby 3000 on a nissan maxima? .

Uh... Maximas are awful. Heres something else with a V6 and leather but theres no way you'd drive it



Im a fully paid up member of the " buy something older and bigger and spend the savings on running it" club but buy something nice.

colm_mcm

Saab Ed wrote: »

Uh... Maximas are awful.

They're not bad, lovely sounding engine, smooth gearbox, all the toys, it's awful in the same way a Camry or an old model GS300 is awful. It's not German.
They maker a nice 5 grand car, but I wouldn't spend 12k on one.

Saab Ed

colm_mcm wrote: »

They're not bad, lovely sounding engine, smooth gearbox, all the toys, it's awful in the same way a Camry or an old model GS300 is awful. It's not German.
They maker a nice 5 grand car, but I wouldn't spend 12k on one.

Ah in fairness theres a big difference between a GS and a Camry. I dont like either but the GS is a quality product. A Camry is a stretched Corolla. Looks awful , drives awful , is awful. Built for yanks and taxi men

colm_mcm

New Corolla is actually built on a shortened Camry platform

My point is, a lot of people think Camrys are the bizz. I quite like them. I know they're front wheel drive, that it (2.4 that we get) should really have a v6, and that the styling isn't adventurous. but they're unbelievably well built, very comfy, wasy to drive, and spacious. That does it for a lot of people. the Maxima is the same idea, just not as well excecuted.

pedro7

Ah the accord is a great car too i never thought of it,

For the maxima nay sayers, I have one, a 96 i have owned it since 1998 it has 160k miles on the clock now and i've serviced it every 12k miles. The only thing thats been wrong was the starter had to be reconditioned at 148k.
So dont say there awful!

On the other hand... I know of 2 people who have picked up 06 and 07 VW passats with 25k and 30k miles on the clock for €12000 with trade ins from dealers!!!


So what ever you buy haggle hard!

As regards the service history. It is great if you can get it but the reality is in Ireland the majority of people dont have one! You can usually tell from looking at the car if the millage is genuine. A good tip is to look at the seats, If they are worn then the millage should be around the 150k mark.

Buying from a reputable dealer your usually fairly safe because they'll give you a garauntee. But I would always recommend have your own mechanic inspect any car your spending more then €2000 on.

Happy shopping! Buying a car is great fun!

Final Tip... dont buy french or rover..... French cost a FORTUNE in parts... eg headlight for a peugeot 406... €350! €2000 for a bonnet!! unpainted!

laurynsmam

Thanks Pedro, some great advice there, I was also advised to watch for worn signs on the steering wheel, is this another tell-tale sign of a car having high mileage?

EPM

If you're spending €12k it's not a lot to expect a FSH with any of the cars and I wouldn't personally buy one without if I intend on keeping the car for a few years. A missed service or two could cause damage that may show it's face on a couple of years.

With regards mileage, newer cars can hide mileage very well so if you are in any doubt get a mechanic to check it out and verify any stamps in the service book by ringing the garage that did the work. I'd also recommend an S40 SE as it will have leather. Bit small in the back though.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/S40/2.0DSE-D/200929194600989/advert?channel=CARS

R.O.R

laurynsmam wrote: »

Hey guys

The DH has been looking around at cars today and has picked out the one below. He's going to arrange a test drive for it at the weekend.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200929194598849

Is this a decent looking car and what sort of figure should we be looking to buy at?

Would the car be fun to drive? :P

I'd be a bit wary of buying something from a dealer who advertises full leather interior when the pictures show that it's not a full leather interior (half leather, half alcantara in that vintage of Passat Highline). Don't think a 4 year old Passat is worth that money, even if it does have the decent engine.

I'm going to echo most of the other posters and recommend the S40. Fully loaded with all the toys you could want, if you can live with the lack of interior and boot space. The one in Canavans looks good - the Electric Silver was a special colour that cost about double the standard metallic silver (still no idea why). 1.8 engine won't set the world on fire, but it's plenty enough for most people and they do handle very well (brought the wife's V50 in with me this morning )

SK1979

A lot of people are recommending the s40, what about its bigger brother the s60 though?

Is this a good car?

This example seems quite cheap:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200923193022244

Would there be any need to be concerned about that engine having done 80k miles? Should it be good for another few providing the rest of the car is in good shape?

Hard to find opinions on the car, there mustn't be too many owners of them out there....

basherzz

I bought a Honda Accord this time last year direct from the UK. Loads of people are importing them now and you will get one with great spec at a decent price. Mine was c14k but they've come down a lot in price. The uk accords are all ex fleet cars and the rules over there are stringent about the maintenance etc.

Go for a 2.2 Diesel exec - this is what I did and I have cream leather, sat nav, heated seats, 6cd, steering wheel controls, cruise control to name but a few. My insurance didn't go up (tax is high alright cos the govt changed the rules about emissions at the last minute last year and only applied it to 08 cars up). I can get 55mpg on long journeys. The speed is unreal if you like speed. Pick up is fantastic - more like petrol than the usual sluggishness of diesel.

For your info, the volvo s40 is actually a ford focus in a volvo shell. Saab 93 looks lovely too but it's actually a vectra and prone to problems.

Good luck with the hunt & let us know what you buy