Second hand car to buy.

[ruthandsam]

Hi

I've got £4,500 to spend on a second hand car. I need a car that is economical to run but haven't a clue what car type to look for.

I've had a ponder at a Toyota Aygo and a Citroen something. To me they look the same, however, can anyone recommend what make of car would suit my needs to comfortably fit one small child in the back and also 3 adults max.

Many thanks

[TWR]

Some advise Ruth, take someone with you that knows a bit about cars, this may save you an awful lot of money in the end, Fiesta, Peugeot, & a few more on the market, get a copy of the Auto Trader to give you some sort of Idea of the prices & models that there is going, In your faviour I presume you have the cash?? that is a good thing in your case as you can barter & barter the price down, do not be a soft touch as a salesman can pick that out straight away, do not go in the rain, & do not bye in haste as you may come unstuck, look at the cars history of maintenance, how many owners, if its had a tow bar on ( That could mean a clutch) view the car in day light & from a dealer as you then have redress if anything goes wrong.
But on saying that you do have redress with a private sale but not the one's at the side of the road???? My wife has a Peugeot 206 Derv, the car is £30.00 P/Years to tax & gives out about 60M/P/gallon, I'll again stress, do your home work, then decide.

[Hymie]

Check out what Honest John (he of the Daily Telegraph motoring section) has to say by searching the paper's archives; here’s one I found:-

http://www.telegraph....frugal-runaround.html

Although I’m not a diesel fan (dual mass flywheels & all that to go wrong).

[ruthandsam]

Thank you for your invaluable advice which I will take on board. Quite looking forward to having a look round now and to doing my homework. Too much cash to make a mistake.

Many thanks again x

[jomifl]

If you are buying from a dealer remember the price they put on the forecourt is ridiculously optimistic. I was looking for a car a few years ago and without me trying at all I got the price dropped from £7000 to under £5000. I didn't buy it because it wasn't the exact model I was looking for.
Decide on the model(s) you are interested in, get genned up on them and don't let anybody sell you a car you don't know anything about.

[percypineapple]

Hi.
If you want economy and cheap repair/ maintainance bills then have a look at a diesel mondeo. Parts are cheap, fuel economy is 50 mpg and they are quite luxurious and a joy to drive. Get the Ghia version, it has rear armrest, computer, cruise control,automatic wipers ( they come on when it rains, speed up if it gets really heavy) and we fit a baby seat in the back plus 2 passengers and a passanger in the front with ease. good boot size. mine has done 175000 miles and is still a joy to drive. Just need to have an oil change every 12000 miles. parts and service is cheap, you need to take that into consideration before spending money. also, if you look at the mondeo's, go for the 130 horse power model,as it goes like a rocket when needed. I live in Lincolnshire, and driving around her ( mostly flat land, no traffic) I am getting 60 plus mpg. on my journey to london and back, i get 56 mpg, and when i get stuck in traffic jams it;s still over 50 mpg.
Go to a large car supermarket, try one out, sit in all the others, get the feel, but beware of what should be expensive vehicles being sold cheaply, they have bad resale value because of servicing costs etc, such as Jaguars) or if you have cash, then go to Autotrader and find a private seller with a vehicle with low mileage ( and bid them down, as they have probably been to a garage and been offered peanuts)
Good luck,
Percy.

[sinderella]

my tip if you go through the classifieds would be ask "could you tell me about the car please?" if they say which car hang up!dealer posing as a private seller

[ruthandsam]

Thank you again for your responses - lots of food for thought and they have given me some good ideas as well as to where to start!!

[Celticv11]

List of economical and free road tax cars. Kia Rio 1.1TD Ecodynamics 88.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Smart fortwo coupé 0.8 cdi Pulse, Passion 85.6 City Car A FREE FREE
Smart fortwo cabrio 0.8 cdi Pulse, Passion 85.6 City Car A FREE FREE
Citroen C3 1.4 e-HDi 70PS Airdream+, VTR+ 83.1 Supermini A FREE FREE
Peugeot New 208 1.4 e-HDi 67PS Start/Stop 83.1 Supermini A FREE FREE
Skoda Fabia 1.2 TDI 75PS Greenline II 83.1 Supermini A FREE FREE
Skoda Fabia Estate 1.2 TDI 75PS Greenline II 83.1 Estate A FREE FREE
Renault New Megane 1.5 dCI 110PS Eco2 Expression+, Dynamique TomTom 80.7 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Seat Ibiza Estate 1.2 TDI 75PS S Ecomotive, SE Ecomotive 80.7 Estate A FREE FREE
Seat Ibiza 1.2 TDI 75PS S Ecomotive, SE Ecomotive 80.7 Supermini A FREE FREE
Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TDI 75PS Bluemotion 80.7 Supermini A FREE FREE
Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.3 JTDm-2 85PS 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Citroen C3 1.6 e-HDi 67PS Airdream VTR+ 93g 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Citroen DS3 1.6 e-HDi 90PS Airdream Dstyle 95g 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Fiat Punto 1.3 Dynamic, Dynamic Eco Start/Stop 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi 95PS ecoFLEX S, Exclusiv, Start/Stop 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Vauxhall  Corsa 1.3 CDTi 95PS ecoFLEX S(AC), Exclusiv (AC) Start/Stop 78.5 Supermini A FREE FREE
Chevrolet Aveo 1.3 VCDi 95PS Eco LT Start/Stop 78.4 Supermini A FREE FREE
Renault Clio 1.5 dCi Expression Eco 88PS 78.4 Supermini A FREE FREE
Hyundai New i20 1.4 CRDi 89PS Blue Drive 76.4 Supermini A FREE FREE
Citroen C3 1.6 e-HDi 88PS Airdream VTR+, Exclusive 76.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Citroen DS3 1.6 e-HDi 90PS Airdream Dstyle, Dstyle Plus 76.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Hyundai New i30 1.6 CRDi 110PS Active, Classic 76.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Audi A1 1.6 TDI SE, Sport, S Line 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Audi A1 Sportback 1.6 TDI SE 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Audi A3 1.6 TDI 105PS Start/Stop 99 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
BMW 1 Series 116D Efficient Dynamics 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Chrysler New Ypsilon 1.3 Multijet SE, Limited Start/Stop 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Hyundai New i30 1.6 CRDI 125PS Style, Style Nav 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Seat Leon 1.6 TDI 105PS S Ecomotive, SE Ecomotive 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI CR Greenline II 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Toyota Auris 1.8 VVT-i HSD 89g/km T4 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Volkswagen Golf  1.6 TDI 105PS Bluemotion Start/Stop 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe ES, SE, SE Lux Start/Stop 74.3 Sml Family A FREE FREE
Citroen C3 1.6 HDi 90PS Airdream+ 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Mini One 1.6D Base, Pepper Pack, Media Pack, Sport Pack 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Peugeot 207 1.6 HDi FAP Economique, Economique+ 74.3 Supermini A FREE FREE
Volvo V50 1.6D DRIVe ES, SE, SE Lux Start/Stop 74.0 Estate A FREE FREE
Volvo S40 1.6D DRIVe ES, SE, SE Lux Start/Stop 74.0 Family A FREE FREE
Peugeot New 3008 2.0 HDi FAP 200 HYbrid4 74.0 Crossover A FREE FREE
Fiat 500 Convertible 1.3 MultiJet Pop, Lounge 72.4 Open Top B FREE £20
Toyota Prius 1.8 VVT-i T3 72.4 Sml Family A FREE FREE
MINI One Clubman 1.6D Base, Pepper Pack, Media Pack, Sport Pack 72.4 Small MPV B FREE £20
MINI Cooper Clubman 1.6D Base, Pepper Pack, Media Pack, Sport Pack, Chili 72.4 Small MPV B FREE £20
Fiat 500 1.3 MultiJet Pop, Sport, Lounge 72.4 Supermini B FREE £20
Vauxhall Astra 1.6 TDI ecoFLEX ES, Exclusiv Start/Stop 72.4 Sml Family B FREE £20

[MantaRay]

Try to look at and test drive as many cars as possible. You will tell fairly early on which cars suit you and your driving style. e.g. does the clutch & gearchange feel refined, or is it a bit sticky or clunky? Do you feel nicely positioned in the car, for both visibility and driver control? Don't be tempted by something that you don't really get good vibes from as it will distract you from your driving. Typically, Japanese & Korean small cars are light and easy to drive so use those as a start point.

[ruthandsam]

Thank you again for your replies - they are really helpful. Quite looking forward to having a few test drives, if not a tiny bit nervous about parting with that amount of money!