Hi
First post :) I am looking for some buying advice before I head round the dealerships. I hate sales talks so would like to have my mind pretty much made up before I go.
I'm looking to upgrade my car, currently driving a Vauxhall Astra 2007 1.6 Design about to hit 60k miles. It's still in great shape and seems a good time to sell it to get the best possible price for it, I think depreciation will kick in quite heavily over the next 12 months as the miles rack up and it starts to show it's age... i've noticed slight wear around the wheel arches.
The problem is I just don't know where to head next. I'm hoping someone can offer some recommendations based on my requirements.
I have about 8k to spend and can go slightly over for the right car but keeping it around 8k would be preferred.
Some pointers in order of importance:
1. The biggest thing for me is space, it needs 5 doors and a big boot. I have twins, two car seats and a large double pram + all the **** that comes with. My Astra just about covers this, so anything slightly bigger is fine.
2. Very reliable - All cars can obviously breakdown, however my Astra has been really good to me, only in the garage for general wear, I hear their petrol engines are reliable as they are 'simple' and rarely breakdown.
3. Has a nice kick / bit of power... I definitely want something more powerful than the Astra, while it's a nippy car in higher gears it's got almost no power in the low gears... it's fine when I am driving alone but with the full family onboard it can struggle. My partner's 1.2 Micra Sport is just as powerful.
4. Good mileage to price ratio - I always worry about milage when looking at cars. What is a good milage to look at for petrol and diesel? If i want to get a good few years out of it on general usage.
5. Something relatively new, within 5 years.. 2011-2015.
There seems to be lots of used Insignias on the market and they appear to tick all the boxes, they're spacious, look nice, lovely interior, lots of features as standard and come with a wide range of engines, I like Vauxhalls.. but the reviews are so bad it has put me off, I guess it would still be much better than my 9 year old Astra?
I appreciate my requirements and price wont open many doors.. i'll be looking at something like a Ford Mondeo/Focus, Vauxhall Astra/Insignia, a Passat with high milage... I'm not sure, i'm hoping some of you guys can give some recommendations?
In short.. a nice modern spacious reliable car with a bit of power that I will get a few years out of for around 8k :)
Sorry about the long post.
First post :) I am looking for some buying advice before I head round the dealerships. I hate sales talks so would like to have my mind pretty much made up before I go.
I'm looking to upgrade my car, currently driving a Vauxhall Astra 2007 1.6 Design about to hit 60k miles. It's still in great shape and seems a good time to sell it to get the best possible price for it, I think depreciation will kick in quite heavily over the next 12 months as the miles rack up and it starts to show it's age... i've noticed slight wear around the wheel arches.
The problem is I just don't know where to head next. I'm hoping someone can offer some recommendations based on my requirements.
I have about 8k to spend and can go slightly over for the right car but keeping it around 8k would be preferred.
Some pointers in order of importance:
1. The biggest thing for me is space, it needs 5 doors and a big boot. I have twins, two car seats and a large double pram + all the **** that comes with. My Astra just about covers this, so anything slightly bigger is fine.
2. Very reliable - All cars can obviously breakdown, however my Astra has been really good to me, only in the garage for general wear, I hear their petrol engines are reliable as they are 'simple' and rarely breakdown.
3. Has a nice kick / bit of power... I definitely want something more powerful than the Astra, while it's a nippy car in higher gears it's got almost no power in the low gears... it's fine when I am driving alone but with the full family onboard it can struggle. My partner's 1.2 Micra Sport is just as powerful.
4. Good mileage to price ratio - I always worry about milage when looking at cars. What is a good milage to look at for petrol and diesel? If i want to get a good few years out of it on general usage.
5. Something relatively new, within 5 years.. 2011-2015.
There seems to be lots of used Insignias on the market and they appear to tick all the boxes, they're spacious, look nice, lovely interior, lots of features as standard and come with a wide range of engines, I like Vauxhalls.. but the reviews are so bad it has put me off, I guess it would still be much better than my 9 year old Astra?
I appreciate my requirements and price wont open many doors.. i'll be looking at something like a Ford Mondeo/Focus, Vauxhall Astra/Insignia, a Passat with high milage... I'm not sure, i'm hoping some of you guys can give some recommendations?
In short.. a nice modern spacious reliable car with a bit of power that I will get a few years out of for around 8k :)
Sorry about the long post.