New car advice

[returningshrimper]

Ok chaps,

Looking to get a new/used car before the end of the year, and have a budget of around £20k. Now whilst I would love a sporty hot hatch type of car the missus is thinking practicality due to us have two young daughters, as well as the cost of fuel, insurance etc.

I personally would love an Alpha, but not sure I can get both practicality and fun out of one, and not sure how they fare in the reliability stakes these days

Would prefer a petrol, but would consider diesel if the right car came along.

Any ideas?

 

[Kent Shrimper]

Audi A3 the new 09 Diesel is very nice, good insurance, very tax efficient with the new rates coming in and fuel consumption is good also

 

[The Turpinator]

Mazda6 TS2 2.0 petrol hatchback.

Very good car, tons of space throughout, including a huge boot. Sporty ride. Very reasonable tax & servicing costs plus good residual values. Plenty of extras too. Also, Mazdas are just about THE most reliable cars on the road these days.

I got one a couple of months ago & love it!

 

[londonblue]

Get yourself a hybrid. It'll save you a huge amount on fuel. The only issue is there aren't that many to choose from at the moment.

 

[ldnfatso]

Aston Martin DB9 (You may have to haggle a bit though)

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Whatever you get, try & negotiate a service plan with the dealer.
I had one for my Mini, at the time £150 extra gave me full 3 years servicing. At one service they had to replace most of the steering column and even this didn't cost me another penny!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

BMW 3 series, no question, tho just over £20k

 

[Ricey]

Ok chaps,

Looking to get a new/used car before the end of the year, and have a budget of around £20k. Now whilst I would love a sporty hot hatch type of car the missus is thinking practicality due to us have two young daughters, as well as the cost of fuel, insurance etc.

I personally would love an Alpha, but not sure I can get both practicality and fun out of one, and not sure how they fare in the reliability stakes these days

Would prefer a petrol, but would consider diesel if the right car came along.

Any ideas?

Never heard of an Alpha?? Its Alfa Romeo not Alpha!! Trust me it will be the best thing you have ever done buying an Alfa get the 159 its a cracking car and practical for your needs, reliablity is fantastic. http://www.alfaowner.com if you have any questions that is the place to ask.

Had my GT for 6 months now and unfortunately due to buying a flat it has to go but has been amazing great car driver. It is a real petrolheads car and you will never look back. Never had one problem with it either.

 

[Hotman]

You can get a lot of car for your money for 20k at the moment.

I'd suggest a low mileage S class merc (go for the diesel 3.2),

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Never heard of an Alpha?? Its Alfa Romeo not Alpha!! Trust me it will be the best thing you have ever done buying an Alfa get the 159 its a cracking car and practical for your needs, reliablity is fantastic. http://www.alfaowner.com if you have any questions that is the place to ask.

Had my GT for 6 months now and unfortunately due to buying a flat it has to go but has been amazing great car driver. It is a real petrolheads car and you will never look back. Never had one problem with it either.

Oh young and naive Ricey...it is called an Alpha Romeo in various areas in the world...please do your homework before mocking!!

 

[Hotman]

and surprise surprise, the grauniad spell it incorrectly too!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/23/features.weekend10

 

[The Big Shrimp]

Audi A3 the new 09 Diesel is very nice, good insurance, very tax efficient with the new rates coming in and fuel consumption is good also

You won't regret get one. I have an 06 plate A3 2.0TDI with the auto paddle tiptronic thingy gearbox. Its quicker (0-60 in 8.5 secs, I think) than most petrol cars on the road, even if its diesel & an Auto.

Mine came with lots of extras & was about £23K-ish, not that I was paying, so for £20K you should get a top notch nearly new one.

If you want something a bit cheaper, but almost as good, the Golf GT TDI is a superb choice. The 2.0 TDI also flies, but I believe it has a similar set up as the A3. Either would be a good choice!

 

[Southminster_Shrimper]

Depends on your mileage as to whether a coal burner is worth the extra cost.

Focus ST is the cheaper alternative to most afore mentioned and will burn the arse of everything aforementioned except maybe the DB9....maybe.... Only prob is boot space. 0-60 in about 6.5 secs which is quicker than an Alfa driver can finishin doing his hair before selecting first gear.....

Personally I would:

1. Buy a petrol car of 6 months old...much cheaper than a new version. So why bother with new? Do you have money to give away? If so, please visit Southminster and I can spend it for you.

2. Not buy a second hand diesel incase some muppet has put petrol in it. The slow death to a large bill for you!

 

[Ricey]

Oh young and naive Ricey...it is called an Alpha Romeo in various areas in the world...please do your homework before mocking!!

Ok so why on my car does it have 'Alfa' on all the badges, the log book, the service book, the keys and oh wait even the garage says 'Alfa' on the sign.

Ok so I want to look at the Alfa Romeo official website so I try:

http://www.alpharomeo.com

Hmmm doesn't seem to work now lets try:

http://www.alfaromeo.com

I rest my case.

 

[The Big Shrimp]

Oh young and naive Ricey...it is called an Alpha Romeo in various areas in the world...please do your homework before mocking!!

DER!!!!! ;)

Hold your head in shame! Nicely put down Ricey!

Alfa's are great cars, but I wouldn't want to own one unless somebody else pays for its repair bills!

 

[SARF]

Hang on for 6 months and get the new RS Focus.. sub 25k only 4,000 of them so shouldnt collapse in value.. will be as good as the excellent ST with more death.. Actually no need to worry about resale values as it will be nicked in less than 3 months..

 

[steveo]

Will this be a personal purchase or a company vehicle?

 

[returningshrimper]

Thanks for all your suggestions, always good to get an idea of peoples personal preferences and experiences with certain types of car.

In answer to the question above, it will be a personal purchase as I have decided to opt for a car allowance rather than the company car option, as the choice of cars they offer is pretty dire.

I will have a look into the cars you have all suggested, and will brush up on my spelling of Italian car manufacturers;)

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Does it have to be new? With £20K to spend, and wanting a car that was both sporty and spacious, I'd be tempted by something like this - a Mercedes E320 CDI sport. It's a big estate car, massive amounts of space, but a really sporty diesel as well - they go like greased lightning.

This is an 05 model, 32K miles on the clock, and under 20K...

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/MERCEDES-BENZ/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-40-51-55-152-177-240-4294967262/advert.action?R=200834316890670&distance=367&postcode=SE10+8DN&channel=CARS&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&model=&min_pr=15000&max_pr=20000&max_mileage=40000

It is up in Dundee, that said...!

LOL!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Or you could go for this one - a BMW 520d estate with M-sport styling... £17,750

clicky