mcerd1
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 12:33 PM |
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New tin-top ideas?
well I don't think I'm going to get much more out of my old focus 
its using oil, the coolant has gone a nice shade of black, the water pump looks iffy, the timing belt needs done and I can't seem to get the fan
to go for anything - all fixable, but it'll cost me more than the car's worth just for the parts
so time to think about a replacement...
it needs to be rot free, mechanically sound, with say no more than ~50k on the clock (I want something I can keep for a while) - and my empty bank
accounts say it needs to be cheap! (ideally £1k, but £3k max)
for preference i'd like to avoid things like dual-mass flywheels, variable geometry turbos and EGR valves.
also the GF won't drive anything much bigger than my current focus (and it took me a year to get her to try that!)
so my list so far is:
1 - a newer focus mk1.5 or mk2 (1.8 petrol)
2 - c-max (1.8 petrol)
I've tried astra H's and I'm not really a fan, and most decent VAG cars I've seen are wanting too much money...
what else I've missed ?
[Edited on 16/9/2013 by mcerd1]
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adithorp
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 12:41 PM |
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Your list looks good to me.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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swanny
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 01:21 PM |
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we have a cmax the 'rice pudding friendly' 1.6 diesel and actually really like it.
slightly elevated driving position is much loved by the other half, get a decent spec one rather than the poverty spec style one we ended up with.
there are some lovely ones with leather and panoramic roof etc. they did some very light coloured fabric interiors which get very grubby quickly too.
plenty of space for us for kids etc, nicer place to be than the focus.
we had an 03 1.8 petrol focus before and found it a bit painful on fuel.
quoted figures for the 1.6d are about 62mpg on a run. most days it gets used for short trips, but the majority of its miles are trips from
Nottingham to York/Manchester so we see good figures.
have a look at the cmax owners forum, scare yourself to death! seems its worth avoiding the automatics, especially on the smaller engines.
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stevegough
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 01:30 PM |
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Go Japanese for reliability - we have a Mazda 2 which is basically the same as a fusion. Its pretty good, and they have a great track record. Not a
great performer, though - its just a 1.4.
Luego Locost C20XE.
Build start: October 6th 2008.
IVA passed Jan 28th 2011.
First drive Feb 10th 2011.
First show: Stoneleigh 1st/2nd May 2011.
'Used up' first engine may 3rd 2011!
Back on the road with 2nd engine may 24th
First PASA mad drive 26/7/11
Sold to Mike in Methyr Tydvil 19/03/14
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mcerd1
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 01:41 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by swanny
we had an 03 1.8 petrol focus before and found it a bit painful on fuel.
yeah, my Y reg 1.8 can be a bit thirsty when you let it (I've had as low as 16 mpg average) - but it can be fun too  
i figured TDCi's have too many bits to go wrong, the old 1.8TD are a bit agricultural and the 1.6 petrol is hardly any better than the 1.8 on
the economy side so why not just get the 1.8 zetec E.....
looking at the newer ones the same seems to be true, except that the 1.8 is a duratec HE with even more power 
I hardly even do 10k a year so I'm happy to trade a little economy for a nice simple engine with a bit of life in it...
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Slimy38
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 03:17 PM |
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There are cheap options on VAG, both SEAT and Skoda are still VW cars just without the posh badge.
You might get more Mondeo than Focus for the same money, ok it's a bigger car to haul around but the Focus is still a useful 'family
hatchback' whereas a Mondeo is 'just a car'. Same with the Insignia rather than the Astra.
You must be able to get some sort of BMW for that money?
I do like what Hyundai and Kia are doing recently, but then again a lot of other people do as well which means the prices are staying high. I wanted a
Cee'd or i30 for my other half but I won't be affording one of those anytime soon.
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mcerd1
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 03:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
There are cheap options on VAG, both SEAT and Skoda are still VW cars just without the posh badge.
a leon might just about fit the bill (ideally needs to be a hatch so the octavia is out) but the ones I keep finding seem be older than my focus or
have a very high milage
not as bad as the golf's, but not that far off
(for the record I quite liked the mk6 golf, but they are still way out of my budget)
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
You must be able to get some sort of BMW for that money?
i wouldn't mind a nice E30, but a 3 series would be too big for her
and I can't stand the 1 series (also its boot is way too small) - my dad had one as a courtesy car for a day or so, I couldn't see why
anyone would pay the extra money for an f*** ugly car with no space inside and it didn't even feel that great to drive  [edit: can you
tell I'm not a fan ]
[Edited on 16/9/2013 by mcerd1]
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TimC
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 03:52 PM |
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ETDWM and not meeting your 50k requirement, but this is yours for £1000
Honda Civic
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 04:17 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stevegough
Go Japanese for reliability - we have a Mazda 2 which is basically the same as a fusion. Its pretty good, and they have a great track record. Not a
great performer, though - its just a 1.4.
I tried a Mazda 2 when I was buying my last car - I'm a gnat's short of 6ft tall and I couldn't get the seat back far enough. Also
my wife and I both hated the gear-change.
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stevegough
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 07:07 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
a leon might just about fit the bill (ideally needs to be a hatch so the octavia is out)
Sorry, got to correct you there - the Octavia IS a hatchback (I've got one of those, too!)
Though mine is a diesel VRS with a little extra 'something' giving it 210 bhp.
And David Jenkins wrote about the Mazda 2 - yes, the gearchange is very tight and a bit notchy, but I actually find it 'precise' - I am
5'9" and have loads of room - did you try the later model, maybe?
Luego Locost C20XE.
Build start: October 6th 2008.
IVA passed Jan 28th 2011.
First drive Feb 10th 2011.
First show: Stoneleigh 1st/2nd May 2011.
'Used up' first engine may 3rd 2011!
Back on the road with 2nd engine may 24th
First PASA mad drive 26/7/11
Sold to Mike in Methyr Tydvil 19/03/14
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Slimy38
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 07:21 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stevegough
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
a leon might just about fit the bill (ideally needs to be a hatch so the octavia is out)
Sorry, got to correct you there - the Octavia IS a hatchback (I've got one of those, too!)
Though mine is a diesel VRS with a little extra 'something' giving it 210 bhp.
The third gen Octavia is a hatch, but the second gen continued up to 2004 which was either saloon or estate. I'm not sure you'd get a
third gen Octavia for that sort of money? Definitely not your VRS (insanely jealous by the way...  )
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morcus
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 08:00 PM |
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There has never been an Octavia saloon in the UK, just saloon shaped Hatches.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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Slimy38
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 08:41 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by morcus
There has never been an Octavia saloon in the UK, just saloon shaped Hatches.
I stand corrected, i always thought the mark 2 was a saloon! Even honestjohn talks about a saloon and estate, but google images says otherwise.
Apologies to both of you.
Mmm, might go new car shopping soon...
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ettore bugatti
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| posted on 16/9/13 at 09:31 PM |
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May I throw in some oddballs?
Ford SportKa
Mazda RX-8
MG ZR
Peugeot 206 GTI
Renault Clio 172
Suzuki Swift
[Edited on 16/9/13 by ettore bugatti]
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mcerd1
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 07:13 AM |
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cheers guys - but so far I'm still looking at focus's
oh and I completely forgot, the GF says it must be a 5 door - in a few months it'll need a baby seat in the back
otherwise I'd be out now looking for a good s1 106 rallye
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38quote:
Originally posted by morcus
There has never been an Octavia saloon in the UK, just saloon shaped Hatches.
I stand corrected, i always thought the mark 2 was a saloon!
so do I - I honestly thought they were all saloons....
not sure I'll convince her on that one, the shape will make it harder for her to judge where the back of the car is (she struggles with a clio
)
[Edited on 17/9/2013 by mcerd1]
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Slimy38
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 07:48 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
cheers guys - but so far I'm still looking at focus's
oh and I completely forgot, the GF says it must be a 5 door - in a few months it'll need a baby seat in the back
We have a similar restriction, I've seen my sister struggle with her kids in a 3 door car and it's not worth it. It's partly why my
wife has got a Nissan Almera, unfortunately the fact that it's got five doors is about the only good thing about it!!
Don't forget, it's not just the baby seat in the back, it's all the rubbish in the boot as well. If you go too small you'll
struggle to even get a pram in the back.
The focus is on the top of my list when it comes to replacing the Almera. There are better cars out there, but value for money and the sheer number of
them available means that we can be a bit picky and get a good one.
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Norfolkluegojnr
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 09:24 AM |
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We've got a C-Max 1.8 petrol. Its poor on fuel (average about 32mpg) but great at everything else.
We got the 'zetec' spec, which is ok (air con, leather wheel, sliding rear seats), but i'd go for 'titanium' if we
bought again.
C-Max's hold their money better than a normal focus, so you'll be looking at an older leggy car for your money, but servicing etc is all
the same so good and cheap.
Nothings gone wrong in two years except a broken spring and a flat battery. cant complain with that kind of reliability.
Boot is tall, but not that deep so good for carrying pushchairs etc, Seats are high and comfy, steering is direct but not xactly sporty. its dog slow
unless you rev its nuts off which you wont because of the fuel. I can get a lot more in the boot than in my A4 Avant.
great but dull family car. My wife loves it!
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mcerd1
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 01:33 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Norfolkluegojnr
We've got a C-Max 1.8 petrol. Its poor on fuel (average about 32mpg) but great at everything else.
well thats no worse than what I've got now at least
but its looking like it could even just be a mk1 focus again (a later facelifted one) as there are alot more to pick from at the bottom end of my
budget, also better the devil you know and all that.....
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ianm67
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 02:45 PM |
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Just my two pence worth...... For under £3k you will get a low mileage (sub 60k) 1.6 16v Renualt Megane. I had one for two years, super reliable (no
I'm not joking) and you will get 42ish MPG on a run. Worth a look IMHO......
Always biting off more than I can chew.....
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ettore bugatti
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| posted on 17/9/13 at 06:34 PM |
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Mercedes-Benz A-class are pretty cheap and a lot low mileage examples available.
Although they are a bit unreliable (facelift was a bit better, I recall), Lot of space and easy to manoeuvre.
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timbedford
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| posted on 2/10/13 at 08:53 PM |
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We have a 2 litre petrol automatic c-max as our family car. Can't fault it at all. Well equipped, perfectly capable, reliable, smooth, quiet,
moderate, well-mannered, comfortable, efficient.
I can't stand it it.
[Edited on 2/10/13 by timbedford]
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mookaloid
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| posted on 2/10/13 at 08:54 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by timbedford
We have a c-max as our family car. Can't fault it at all. Well equipped, perfectly capable, moderate, well-mannered, comfortable, quiet,
efficient.
I can't stand it it.
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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