Choose me a car

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

These threads are always fun, especially when made by anyone as wildly opinionated as Asher or myself. Seeing as my old warhorse died on the drive home last night, recommend me some wheels.

Think 2-4 years old (I never buy new), capable of transporting a family, and preferably not leaving me looking like a ****. That rules out BMWs or anything French. And anyone suggesting a Prius will be mocked to within an inch of their life.

[Dinner]

Why don't you give us a price range to work with?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Let's say £10,000.

[Dinner]

So in real money that's $15,500.

At that price range I'd look at a used Nissan, Honda, or Toyota. In the US I'd go with a used Acura four door but since they don't sell Acura's in the UK the closest you can get would probably be the European Honda Accord.

[Dinner]

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-1706256/The-10-best-used-cars-buy.html

That list is supposedly the ten best used cars in the UK. It includes the BMWs you don't like and even one Renault but cars which should meet your requirements include:

Best used family car: Ford Mondeo

Last year, the latest Mondeo model knocked its predecessor off the top spot. That doesn't mean the old Mondeo is a bad second-hand buy, as it is incredibly cheap and widely available. Prices are now as low as £7,000, although that will for a car that has had a higher average mileage.
As the new style Mondeo is only three years old, many good cars can still be found within Ford's dealer network. These will be covered by the company's used approved scheme, which offers a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty and two years of pan-European breakdown cover - both a year longer than is the norm with rival used schemes.
Best used small family car: Ford Focus

Auto Express has consistently praised the Focus for its excellent handling and great dynamics, while the wide range of engines means there is something for everyone. Used Focus values have been falling steadily and with a new Focus on the horizon, prices can only get lower. Early 2004-2005 examples have now slipped below the £4,000 mark.
Auto Express believes the pick of the engine line-up is the 89bhp 1.6-litre TDCi diesel. It provides plenty of punch, promises fuel economy of 62.7mpg and emits 118g/km of CO2, so road tax costs only £30 per year.

Best used estate car: Skoda Octavia Estate

The Octavia is a top all-rounder and it's even more practical as an estate. Skoda's family model is a consistently strong performer in our Driver Power reliability surveys. It has a large 580-litre boot which expands to a vast 1,620 litres with the seats folded flat.
The launch of a revised model last year has hit prices, so good, early examples with a few miles on the clock can now be yours for less than £5,000. As the Octavia is a popular buy, you can find one just about anywhere. Excellent customer service and Skoda's superb approved scheme mean dealers are worth a look for a nearly new model.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/c...#ixzz1ybhRaXF0

[kittenOFchaos]

Go second-hand, don't try to buy something new on £10,000.

It all depends on what you want.

At 2007 Prius Spirit with leather seats gives you a big car (awesome leg-room in the back seats) that is very cheap to run (£10 car tax) and loads of equipment. You could pick up a good one for around £8000. I got a 2nd hand Prius as my wife (being a Canuck) cannot drive manual.

Alternatively, if you're wanting my favorite car and don't mind paying quite abit of car tax and petrol - then a Ford Forcus St-3 (not the latest model) with all the works. As it is an expensive car to run you can get ones with low mileage and in perfect condition for under £10,000. 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, loads of room and a huge boot. Just make sure you get the 5 door and the blue version is tasteful I owned this car for a year and I loved it. Had my finances been abit rosier at that time I'd still have that car.

Alternatively a 2nd hand Passat would do the business

Autotrader.co.uk is your friend for finding 2nd hand deals and http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/ for reviews.

[Dinner]

Autotrader UK is showing 2008 Mazda 6's with 25k miles and the 2.0 engine going for ~6000 pounds. There was also a 2009 Volvo S40 1.8 for 6,300. Also worth a look would be a VW Passat and I was seeing 2007 models starting at around 6500 pounds.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Like I said, I never buy new cars.

It was a Skoda Octavia Estate that just died. A very good car in most regards, but designed for people with fat torsos and skinny legs- and that ain't me. It made long hauls a bit of a chore.

Ford Focus- too small.

Ford Mondeo- this is a serious contender. I'm not fond of their image, and they aren't the best for long-term reliability, but they compensate for that by being cheap to buy and run.

Hondas- I like Hondas, but they have two problems. They hold their value so well that it's hard to get decent value when buying used, and although their petrol engines are brilliant their diesels aren't the best- and I'd prefer diesel.

Toyotas- the Avensis is another serious contender.

Nissans- No suitable models in the size I'm looking for.

Passat- I can't think of any reason you'd buy a Passat when you could spend £2k less and get a Skoda.

Prius- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.

[dannubis]

BMW5 Touring baby... Eat my dust!

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

See you in the nearest hedge after the next light fall of snow, BMW driver!

[Dinner]

http://www.vcars.co.uk/used-cars/cardetails.php?t=wjking&u=1085115

That's a 2010 Vauxhall Insignia. You people do have toy sized engines over there though as such a large car with a tiny 2.0L engine must drive like a wind up car. It would be called a gutless wonder and laughed off the road here.

On the upside it was voted European car of the year in 2009 when the new model came out. Personally, I'd take a careful look at the Insignia Sports Tourer.

[Dinner]

See you in the nearest hedge after the next light fall of snow, BMW driver!

All you have to do is know how to drive a rear wheel drive car. It's not that hard really.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

See, you're thinking like an American driver. British roads are narrow, twisty, packed with adverse cambers and hills. They're ancient cattle tracks that have had tarmac poured on them and not properly prepared for winter. The last sudden snowfall here saw every BMW in Somerset abandoned, while me in a front-wheel-drive and a big diesel engine parked over the front wheel, waved merrily at them as I drove past.

This is why US cars are a joke on British roads.

[Dinner]

Very well. Get something safe and boring like the Mondeo and you can still invest the savings into an interesting weekend car like a used MGTF or something.

[Main_Brain]

Most older BMW Drivers store something Heavy in the Trunk, to put more Pressure on the Rear Axis.