£7000 and one car to rule them all - what to buy?

bartman100

Some f*%^£$" idiot wrote off my Mini Cooper JCW.

I've got a budget of £7k.

I commute no more than 30 miles a day. I have one child at Uni and am currently single. I may have dog(s) in the future.

Head says dull, reliable cheap to run - Honda Accord, Golf TDI Bluemotion, Focus Ecoboost.

Heart says an older BMW 335i or a Focus ST.

Don't want something massive - must fit a dog / bike / woman in the boot on the odd occasion (though I wouldn't think at the same time). Plus luggage. Might want to take abroad for a cruise now and again.

What to do? Oh the tyranny of choice

Pross

Why would you get a TDI Bluemotion for 30 miles a day?

Silly Old Hector

Try this:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/350z/nissan-350z-gt-3-5-v6-2005-tastefully-modified/8887487

pblakeney

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

FishFish

PBlakeney wrote:

Life is too short.

Speak for yourself.

BelgianBeerGeek

SEAT Alhambra. Drives like a car, holds stuff like a van. Great for throwing bikes, dogs, kids uni stuff when they move back home, hedge clippings, old furniture, mates moving house etc in the back. And you can go to France and buy lots of bottles of wine before we leave the EU.

eric_draven

Cheap estate car and a quick motorbike,as you have said you are single,so have the maximum fun we only here once

verylonglegs

Last chance saloon for anything with grunt that might be interesting to drive. The move to electric cars will only accelerate and before you know it they will be the norm. Get that 335i or equivalent why you can if you really want it.

pblakeney

FishFish wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Life is too short.

Speak for yourself.

You want for yours to end sooner than hoped.
Hmmmm.

Stevo_666

verylonglegs wrote:

Last chance saloon for anything with grunt that might be interesting to drive. The move to electric cars will only accelerate and before you know it they will be the norm. Get that 335i or equivalent why you can if you really want it.

True, get something good to drive before they force us to drive milk floats. That said, a £7k budget does restrict his choices a bit for something decent.

Mad_Malx

my nearest city and others are looking at big emission charges for older vehicles. I’d say stay away from pre 2015 diesels (when the standard changed, even if they did then cheat).

lesfirth

Silly Old Hector wrote:

Try this:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/350z/nissan-350z-gt-3-5-v6-2005-tastefully-modified/8887487

My car needs are very similar to the OP.
This is totally impractical but still a wonderful piece of machinery that I am drooling over....... Now how can I manage to have two cars?

pblakeney

lesfirth wrote:

Silly Old Hector wrote:

Try this:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/nissan/350z/nissan-350z-gt-3-5-v6-2005-tastefully-modified/8887487

My car needs are very similar to the OP.
This is totally impractical but still a wonderful piece of machinery that I am drooling over....... Now how can I manage to have two cars?

Some young whippersnapper buy this car please!
Do it while you can. Milk floats are your future.

robert88

When at school we used to get a ride on a milk float, save our bus fare and buy sherbert fountains.

Get a milk float.

arthur_scrimshaw

Stevo 666 wrote:

verylonglegs wrote:

Last chance saloon for anything with grunt that might be interesting to drive. The move to electric cars will only accelerate and before you know it they will be the norm. Get that 335i or equivalent why you can if you really want it.

True, get something good to drive before they force us to drive milk floats. That said, a £7k budget does restrict his choices a bit for something decent.

You won't even be allowed to drive it.

keef66

I commute 30 miles a day. If I was 20 years younger I'd do it by bike, but as I approach retirement age I'm afraid I use the car (in it's defence it's a tiny weeny A1 which emits less CO2 per mile than I do)

If I was you I'd get a scooter for work and a 2 litre petrol Focus ST estate, for dogs / bikes / women / university shuttle.

proto

Citroen Berlingo. The end.

drlodge

The car you have, or the next one you buy, may well be the last car you buy. Ever.

trek_dan

Buy a cheap car for commuting and get a future classic like a 205 GTI or Escort RST for fun.

I say this for 2 reasons;
1. All modern cars are boring
2. You'll have an appreciating asset rather than a depreciating one

Stevo_666

drlodge wrote:

The car you have, or the next one you buy, may well be the last car you buy. Ever.

So make it a good one. Which is why he needs more than 7 grand.

Stevo_666

trek_dan wrote:

Buy a cheap car for commuting and get a future classic like a 205 GTI or Escort RST for fun.

I say this for 2 reasons;
1. All modern cars are boring
2. You'll have an appreciating asset rather than a depreciating one

1 - There are quite a few interesting ones I reckon. Maybe not ones that the OP can afford though.
2 - Some have already appreciated. Take your 205 GTI example:
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/87/205+gti/

cycleclinic

Buy a bike and ride it to work.

mr_goo

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.

Get a Volvo estate.

mouth

Girl form work had a 135m (same running gear as the 335) and it was chuffin' mental. My first thought was Focus ST estate, but if it were my cash I'd be looking for a BMW 530D Estate.

pblakeney

Mr Goo wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.

Get a Volvo estate.

I wonder how many people on their deathbed have had the thought, "I'm glad I bought that nice sensible Volvo"? About the same number as have thought "Alfas are reliable".

mouth

PBlakeney wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.

Get a Volvo estate.

I wonder how many people on their deathbed have had the thought, "I'm glad I bought that nice sensible Volvo"? About the same number as have thought "Alfas are reliable".

but for the 10 minutes (there's no saying that those 10 minutes will be consecutive though) that the Alfa actually works, its motoring heaven.

My mate had a t5 estate running near to 300 brake, and it was fun for all of the first half of the tip run it was clearly designed for. The novelty soon wore off.

rolf_f

Stevo 666 wrote:

trek_dan wrote:

Buy a cheap car for commuting and get a future classic like a 205 GTI or Escort RST for fun.

I say this for 2 reasons;
1. All modern cars are boring
2. You'll have an appreciating asset rather than a depreciating one

1 - There are quite a few interesting ones I reckon. Maybe not ones that the OP can afford though.
2 - Some have already appreciated. Take your 205 GTI example:
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/87/205+gti/

205 Gti (and any classic Ford for that matter) is a bad example. A very obvious (and predictable) choice; everyone wants them. But look at the prices for Peugeot 309 GTi's. Rated as better cars (particularly in the handling department) by the Peugeot crowd they cost a fraction of the money of the 205.

Those generally all in budget (though a lot rarer than 205s) - and many similar less known cars. You just have to avoid the stuff that everybody else wants because they read about them in an issue of Top Gear magazine in the dentists.

veronese68

PBlakeney wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.
Get a Volvo estate.

I wonder how many people on their deathbed have had the thought, "I'm glad I bought that nice sensible Volvo"? About the same number as have thought "Alfas are reliable".

My Alfa was more reliable than the Audi I had in spite of having done over double the mileage. Audi was dull as ditchwater, uncomfortable and not particularly reliable. I hated that car. The fast ones may be fun but the standard ones have nothing to recommend them.
Reliability is a matter of luck, both cars had Bosch engine management so the same could have happened to either.
Now got a Ford Smax in turbo petrol form, goes better than it looks and is comfortable but hardly exciting. If you want a fun car don't buy a diesel. If you don't do a lot of miles don't buy a diesel.
Rolf makes a good point about not buying the obvious cars.

pblakeney

Veronese68 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.
Get a Volvo estate.

I wonder how many people on their deathbed have had the thought, "I'm glad I bought that nice sensible Volvo"? About the same number as have thought "Alfas are reliable".

A copy and paste post.

That's the one happy Alfa owner to match the one happy Volvo driver then.

Pross

Veronese68 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

As long as you can afford it, always go with the heart.
Life is too short.

Nope!
Couple of years ago did that and went for an Alfa Giulietta. Lovely car but a more trouble than it was worth.
Get a Volvo estate.

I wonder how many people on their deathbed have had the thought, "I'm glad I bought that nice sensible Volvo"? About the same number as have thought "Alfas are reliable".

My Alfa was more reliable than the Audi I had in spite of having done over double the mileage. Audi was dull as ditchwater, uncomfortable and not particularly reliable. I hated that car. The fast ones may be fun but the standard ones have nothing to recommend them.
Reliability is a matter of luck, both cars had Bosch engine management so the same could have happened to either.
Now got a Ford Smax in turbo petrol form, goes better than it looks and is comfortable but hardly exciting. If you want a fun car don't buy a diesel. If you don't do a lot of miles don't buy a diesel.
Rolf makes a good point about not buying the obvious cars.

Same here, 100k miles in my Giulietta with no issues other than the occasional software update being needed whereas my A4 had 3 or 4 turbo problems in the 3 years I had it. Luckily it was a company car (as was the Alfa). I didn't find the Alfa to be the 'driver's car' owners go on about but then it was a diesel.

Agree on avoiding diesels for such low mileage (as I said in my first post). If you're getting something at £7k you're probably going to either be getting an older version diesel where the tax man will hammer you or a fairly basic and / or high mileage vehicle. There are some incredibly efficient petrol cars out there these days that haven't been so demonised. I say this as someone who has had a diesel since 1991, only my very first car was petrol but that is likely to change when I next have to buy.

drlodge

In my case, the car in front might be a Toyota, but the car behind him is a Lexus :-)