UKC

Hello,

Disclaimer: This is all just pondering at this stage, so I don't have a precise idea about our budget, etc.

We're considering replacing my car for a newer, smaller car. I currently drive a 53 plate Focus estate that's just been MOTed. It's cost me quite a bit this year with timing belt, front brakes, new tyres through the year, and then a suspension bush and some welding for the MOT. It runs well and whilst it's not the most glamorous car in the world, it suits my needs, and the only significant issue I know might come up relatively imminently is replacing the rear brake drums.

If we were replacing it we'd be looking at something like a 6 year old Focus hatchback, a Golf or (my idea) a Toyota Auris or something of that ilk. It has to be able to fit a reasonably large dog in the boot (she refuses to go in her cage in the car any more so fitting the cage in isn't an issue) or fit a mountain bike in (wheels off bike, back seats down). We have a big estate car as Mr TC's car so we don't really need two estate cars.

My questions:
1) if you've got a car to this stage and fixed lots on it, and it is perhaps worth £1000-£1200 (on a good day with a following wind!), is it better the devil you know, as all cars have problems, some bigger than others.

2) if you were considering a larger hatchback, which makes/models would you be looking at?

As I say, all just speculative at this stage... Thanks in advance!

In reply to Tall Clare:

I'm running a knackered old Octavia at the moment (T reg). It keeps passing its MOT, much to my surprise, and I say to Dave at the garage each year 'I think I ought to get something a bit newer', and every year he sucks his teeth and says 'I don't know, cars are so expensive, and at least you know what you've got here'. So I keep it another year.

I'll have to bite the bullet soon - the kids keep getting bigger and it seems a bit underpowered now (1.6 petrol). But for now...

- Bob

In reply to Tall Clare:

1) How much can you afford on depreciation and repairs / servicing? Will a newer car drink less? more insurance? - break out the calculator(!)

2) I've been driving a 56 plate Renault Scenic for the last 3 years and would deffo get another or similar. Don't know what size your dog is but the back seats can be slid forward to make the boot bigger, if required the back seats come right out for a flat load area usually does 50 - 53mpg (more on motorway)

In reply to Tall Clare:




I'd keep it. The only "repair item" there is the bush and the welding, the others are just a standard cost of servicing that are guaranteed on any car. Your repair costs are going to be vastly outweighed by depreciation on a newer vehicle.

We finally got rid of old 51 Passat. It needed timing belt, exhaust hose, brake disks, and tyres, and it would still have had crappy suspension and the oil leak from the head gasket at the end of it. Even then, that would still have been worth running it for another year - the reason we sold it was because our third child is due in two months time.

In reply to Tall Clare:




I always found that the problems became much more frequent as cars got older. Also, a new to you car is fun for a bit so yeah, get shopping.


Honda Civic or Seat Leon as alternatives to Golf, Octavia or another Focus if you want more boot space.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Keep it - get some benefit from what you have spent.. timingbelt is a multi year job, new tyres will last a while etc etc. 6 year old cars will invariably need lots of similar stuff replaced (most of what you have done is generall running wear and tear)and generall running costs on the newer car will probably be the same if not higher (as somebody has likley sold/traded in ahead of half a dozen things they know are getting towards end of life needing done).

You can get a good 6 year old that needs nothing bar a service per year for a year or two but its less likley... plus it'll be busy depreciating.

If the cars solid enough, reliable enough and so on, replacing is a false economy even allowing for (possibly) lower fuel/tax costs on a newer more economical model). Takes an awfull lot of lower running costs to cover the depreciation.

In reply to Ferret:



All this is my gut feeling too. My car definitely has quite a bit of life left in it.

In reply to Tall Clare:


I'd keep it. Drums are cheap and easy to swap so that's not a concern and having two cars I guess it's less of a problem if one needs a bit of work doing occasionally.


They're all pretty good, I'd look to see what my money could get me then see what I actually liked to drive then go for the best value example left on that list.

jk

In reply to Tall Clare:

Depreciation is a killer, and it's a gamble that you won't get stiffed with bigger bills for a new car than for the one you've already got, so I'd stay put.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I've only recently replaced my Y-reg Focus estate - mechanically sound, but my wife didn't like driving it and I'd had it 8 years, I think, and wanted a change/something newer/cruise control/ISOfix.

I now have an Audi A3, bought from a dealer for, as it turned out, less than they gave the previous owner as trade-in

Got the A3 for reasons similar to yours - still need to get a bike in it, etc. My wife will have the family estate as her company car.

I test-drove Hyundai I30, Toyota Auris, Honda Civic, but the A3 drove so much better and had lots of options on it.

You might also consider a Honda Jazz - my Mum has one and loves it. Clever folding seats give loads of space in the back - a friend of mine regularly got a tandem in his (wheels off).

Seat Leon? My sister had one as a company car and loved it.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

A friend swears by her Jazz - and it turns out they go quite fast if you know how to drive them

Another factor that's making me think 'stay put' is my low mileage. I used to do 12,000 miles a year when I lived alone, but now if we go anywhere we tend to go in Mr TC's car as it's fundamentally more pleasant than mine. I thought I was doing around 8,000 miles a year but it turns out it's closer to 6k!

In reply to Tall Clare:


Contrary to the earlier suggestion, I'd say the A3 is too small for your requirements. Yes, they're nice to drive but it's a small car with a ridiculously small boot. Not sure how it commpares to the Focus as I've never been in one.

Weren't you thinking about a Volvo a while back or was that for Mr TC?

In reply to Fraser:

We were considering Volvos and Mondeos, yes - Mr TC now has a BMW 5 series touring.

Small boot - not good for a pointer who likes to stand and lean against the back of the back seats, or sit staring out of the back window to disconcert drivers behind us.

In reply to Fraser:

There isn't that much difference between the A3 and the Focus hatchback - my sister has one. I have the A3 Sportback, which is the 5-door variant and has a couple more inches length than the 3-door.

This review says the A3 sportback has "a massive boot": http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/audi/a3/sportback/review
Quote: The standard A3 hatchback has 350 litres of space, but that increases to 380 litres in the Sportback.

Parkers lists the Focus mk2 hatchback as 396 litres - the new mk3 is smaller at 316 litres.

Yes, I was bored and curious

In reply to Tall Clare:

If the Focus runs well as you've looked after it I would keep it until something big (more than the value of the car) breaks.

I'd also second the idea of a Jazz, a friend replaced her Focus with one last year and she loves it. Surprisingly practical and of course, being a Honda it's rather better engineered than the European equivalents.

In reply to Tall Clare:


What's the total mileage on the car at the moment?

If the mileage isn't astronomical then I'd be inclined to side with those suggesting you hang on to it for a bit longer. As you say, better the devil you know, and the upcoming costs you are aware of are maintenance items rather than faults.

I hung on to my Impreza (not one of the boy racer versions with the gold wheels and fat exhaust) for nearly 12 years from new, and would have kept it for longer if the dealer had been able to source a used gearbox in decent nick to replace the original one, which had managed to knacker its centre diff. Apart from the transmission fault there was nothing whatsoever wrong with the car and the engine had plenty of miles left in it, but a brand new 'box - or even a rebuild of the old one - would not have been worth the cost, sadly.

The longer you keep your current car, the more time you have to save up towards its replacement (am I being terribly old-fashioned saying that?) and the more astonishingly whizzy and hi-tech that replacement will seem. I was blown away by some of the technology in my Yeti when I got it three years ago, although things like Bluetooth phone connectivity are actually commonplace these days - and the technology just keeps moving on. (Not that technology is always a good thing - there's little that's more frustrating than a modern car that refuses to work because its computer has decided that it's a bit poorly. Nah, come to think, buy a Landy and you can repair pretty much anything that goes wrong by hitting it with a hammer - or by swapping parts in from the second Landy that you also bought.)

In reply to Martin W:

Lots of good points.

The money is there for a newer car but I'd rather not waste money buying one we don't need, but I definitely know what you mean about an old car feeling 'hi-tech' - I went from a P-reg Fiesta to my 53 plate Focus and that felt like a big leap!

The focus only has about 87,000 miles on it, and because I do try to look after it mechanically (washing it is another story altogether) I reckon it probably has a good while yet.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I'm saving up to replace my 2000 Focus this year. It seems to keep going

I've got enough now for another but might MOT it in July anyway to see what happens. It is starting to show rust around the wheel arches and looks a bit scruffy but still drives really well.

Better the devil you know isnt such a bad thing.

In reply to Tall Clare:

My Focus had 176k miles on it and was still going strong when I sold it.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I've heard that Fords should be good for 200k, I don't know if they're good for longer than that, but I gather 200k is what one can expect from them.