Help me waste some money ( Or save some? )

[rIcK]

Around 5 months ago I purchased a Peugeot 107 Urban Lite for £5600. Decent little car, pretty basic cheap to tax and insure and averages 55MPG so overall not a bad car.

Since then I have landed a new job with a 45 miles per day commute. When I purchased the car my mileage was substantially less so comfort was not so much of an issue.

Luckily the resale value of these cars is reasonable so it currently has 7k on the clock virtually brand new and I shouldn't see a hefty loss if I sold it.

I am considering replacing it with another new car I was looking at the Audi A1s which look decent, had a test drive and they are lovely cars but with the engine and extras I want it would set me back at least 15-6k+. Having a look at drive the deal a SEAT IBIZA DIESEL SPORT COUPE 1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive SE Copa 3dr came up. It has full cruise control, decent rated MPG, free road tax, looks like a nice car and most importantly should be much more comfortable. This would set me back just over 11k as long as I purchase before 30th March, I believe these are ready and waiting to be picked up.

I would like some peoples opinion, should I stick it out with what I have wait a few years and get something a bit nicer. Maybe look at a second hand car (Cruise control / good mileage and comfort are critical). Or are there better new cars?

 

[Frozennova]

I honestly can't see the appeal in driving something that small with such a small engine for 45 miles a day, you'd be better off with something mondeo sized with a reasonably sized engine. It will make the communte much less tiresome

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Second hand, with a warrenty... (ANYTHING other than the seat)

Please do not dump all that cash on a crap car!

First thing i found within 5 miles of my house..

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/d...0JBVVIzMjA1MFZGMjYzODg=&btp=1x12-distance_ASC

Literally, 20 seconds of looking for a 1 series coupe, and thats what i found. Dig about a bit more and you could get one with loads of extras, different body/shape, or even a 3 series!

 

[Frozennova]

Very very quick look on autotrader but this is the sort of thing I'd be looking at in your shoes

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/nn27qe/page/1/radius/1501?logcode=p

less than 12 months old so 2 years dealer warranty, petrol so no huge unexpected bills which may occur outside warranty period, and 12-15k miles a year doesn't warrant a diesel

 

[rIcK]

I did have a 2006 TDCI Mondeo a couple of years ago was a pleasure to drive, was looking for something a bit smaller though. So avoid the Seat... hehe. Literally every bit of driving will be motorway or A road driving, seems silly not to get a Diesel really?

 

[Frozennova]

I did have a 2006 TDCI Mondeo a couple of years ago was a pleasure to drive, was looking for something a bit smaller though. So avoid the Seat... hehe. Literally every bit of driving will be motorway or A road driving, seems silly not to get a Diesel really?

Diesels cost more to maintain and purchase, the amount of miles you do won't offset against the difference is MPG. The seat will have an awful interior, if you want a nice place to be then the A1 would be a better car, but personally they're silly money for what your actually getting.

A mondeo etc will be more comfortable and quieter than a small hatch commuting on A-roads and motorways

Is there a particular reason your looking for something smaller?

 

[rIcK]

Diesels cost more to maintain and purchase, the amount of miles you do won't offset against the difference is MPG. The seat will have an awful interior, if you want a nice place to be then the A1 would be a better car, but personally they're silly money for what your actually getting.

A mondeo etc will be more comfortable and quieter than a small hatch commuting on A-roads and motorways

Is there a particular reason your looking for something smaller?

I have no need for any extra space. Rarely take other people anywhere, a few bits of things in the boot seems ashame to have all that extra car for no reason.

I have no issues with a 107 in size so pretty much any car is going to be much bigger.

 

[Tute]

A Seat Ibiza is barely a step-up in terms of refinement or long-distance capability compared to your 107. And that engine... it's there for eco-morons who believe the government's global warming rubbish. I mean yeah, it's got LOW SEE-OH-TOOZ and GOOD MPGEEEES but it's going to be so woefully underpowered that you'll need to mash your foot to get anywhere, and then your economy drops fast.

I would be looking at something Focus sized (Leon, if you want to go SEAT, although the Focus is a better car) as a bare minimum. Ideally you want a Mondeo or larger for motorway jaunting.

As for diesel vs petrol, well, it's a risk you take. Sure, the diesel will be cheaper to run on fuel I believe, but it's also got more stuff to go wrong on it, like high pressure injectors and DPFs. Personally i'd look at something like an almost new Mondeo petrol - let someone else take the initial depreciation hit.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Fiat 500? perhaps?

Cars of this size are not generally comfortable for this sort of commute, hence the small engines.

Even going up a small bit in size would open up a world of options. if you are doing it mainly for the reasons of getting something slightly more comfortable, but are happy with everything else, just change the seats perhaps?!

 

[rIcK]

I am happy to go up in size, now starting to look at Mondeos / Focus. Anything else I should be looking at or considering?

 

[Frozennova]

Not sure on your location but the one I posted early is worth a look. Looks like a reasonable spec, cheaper than the ibiza , low mileage and a good length of the manufacturers warranty remaining

 

[FerretBoy]

Not sure on your location but the one I posted early is worth a look. Looks like a reasonable spec, cheaper than the ibiza , low mileage and a good length of the manufacturers warranty remaining

Yeah looks a good price. Another vote for the mondeo here, supreme on the motorway, country roads and smooth in town. They are very big though and my 2.5litre turbo drinks petrol, so make sure you check the mpg of the 2.0.

 

[The Running Man]

Diesels cost more to maintain and purchase, the amount of miles you do won't offset against the difference is MPG. The seat will have an awful interior, if you want a nice place to be then the A1 would be a better car, but personally they're silly money for what your actually getting.

A mondeo etc will be more comfortable and quieter than a small hatch commuting on A-roads and motorways

Is there a particular reason your looking for something smaller?

it will also sell for more though wont it the diesel ? fact is 80% of none enthusiasts want a turbo diesel whether they need one or not.

the power delivery will be good compared to lower capacity petrols. i don't get this metric of having to do substantial miles to justify a diesel. for most people they are plenty refined enough.

 

[rodenal]

It's more that unless you do in the region of 15k+ the fuel cost will offset the better mpg and not really see any sort of huge saving. With modern dpf and dual mass fly equipped diesels the potential for having to spend money on it can be too great compared with that small saving too. Of course there are all sorts of increased resale arguments against that etc and the OP is doing enough miles and of the right type imo that they should have no dpf issues.

It does sound as though a focus sized car would suit the OP, will be far more comfortable on a commute of 45 miles than the 107 whereas just a class up may not see so much of a difference - in saying that I would try polo sized cars too as it probably depends on your expectations, maybe the likes of the polo/ibiza/fabia with the 100ish bhp 1.6 tdi (it should be up to the job in a car that size) or the yaris / Jazz. I agree that the interior of the seat, skoda and polo imo is pretty minging but the op might be happy to live with it. These cars are now similar in size to the likes of a mk3 golf so they aren't really that small at all.

Almost every focus sized car out there will give you what you want too - The Ceed, I30, focus, leon, octavia etc etc are all decent cars. You could look for quite a new diesel civic - I think they stopped in 2010. Really like mine though it does have a bit of a harsh ride over our crap roads at lower speeds, not a problem for me as I like a firm setup but would be worth checking. No dpf to go wrong and generally pretty bombproof bar the early cars having chocolate clutches. I believe the part made and installed from 2010 gives a far better lifespan - this is what's in mine and is still going strong from late 2010 with an extra 40ish bhp over the standard car. It's only done maybe 25k since then though. You could spend only a couple of grand more than the worth of the 107 to get a relatively new and low mileage example too.

There are some cracking deals on the outgoing i30 just now too, believe they are being sold off at around 10-11k pre reg.

Definately a world of options out there, go try some cars and then make yourself a bit of a list.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Sure it will sell for more but 10% more when you buy it for 15k doesn't mean you get it all back when you get 10% more when you sell for 5k.

i don't get this metric of having to do substantial miles to justify a diesel. for most people they are plenty refined enough.

A diesel engine in most regular cars, especially small cars, is simply a tool - a tool for more fuel economy. You trade refinement, noise and smoothness for more fuel economy. If this tool does not reap you significant financial benefits there is no need to purchase it. You only want to drive around in a small car that feels like you are driving a van if there is a good reason. It's not really anything to do with performance as nobody buys an 1.2 EcoMentalistSuper£15kwasteofmoneyFreeTaxLOL for performance

 

[Tesla]

I'd flog the 107 and buy something larger but not spend any additional money.

£5-6k is a fair budget to get a nice, comfortable, reliable car for your commute.

It's too much money for a Mk3 Mondeo 2.0 petrol. You'd only need £4k-ish to get a really good example.

It's not enough for a Mk4 Mondeo.

A 1.8/2.0 Focus Mk2 could be an option. (I think the 1.6 have cam belts but the 1.8 and 2.0 are chain driven). My brother and I are currently scouring the net for a Mazda3 1.6 Sport Petrol at the moment. These seem a good alternative to the Focus which my brother dislikes.

I'd always consider the fixed annual costs such as road tax but they'd not be a deciding factor when purchasing a car.
Say a 2.0 Mondeo sets you back £200 (around that) and your 107 is £30 (is it?) then it's only £170 a year difference. A new eco, low-tax car will depreciate by that amount within a couple of months!

 

[The Running Man]

Sure it will sell for more but 10% more when you buy it for 15k doesn't mean you get it all back when you get 10% more when you sell for 5k.



A diesel engine in most regular cars, especially small cars, is simply a tool - a tool for more fuel economy. You trade refinement, noise and smoothness for more fuel economy. If this tool does not reap you significant financial benefits there is no need to purchase it. You only want to drive around in a small car that feels like you are driving a van if there is a good reason. It's not really anything to do with performance as nobody buys an 1.2 EcoMentalistSuper£15kwasteofmoneyFreeTaxLOL for performance

like i said most non enthusiasts don't notice any less refinement from a diesel over a petrol. and its not as simple as you say. sure you could get a 1.6 focus but its not as powerful as the average tdi nor does it have the same torque so feels a lot slower too. so you'd need to compare it against say a 2.0 litre petrol which has less mpg but similar performance and almost zero sellability because everyone wants a diesel.

edit obviously not a 75ps 1.2 tdi but a proper 1.6-2.0tdi in general.

 

[[TW]Fox]

like i said most non enthusiasts don't notice any less refinement from a diesel over a petrol.

Everyone notices - what you mean is they don't mind or don't perceive it to be an issue, or have brushed it under the carpet because they get MPGZ.

I'm a firm beleiver that for predominatly town use, an engine should do one one of two things:

a) Sound nice
b) Not sound at all

Enthusiasts want a), normal people don't care, so would prefer b). The sound of an engine should either not intrude into the cabin in any sort of meaningful way, or it should do so nicely.

Ultra small capacity diesels seem fundamentally pointless cars to me. Why would you ever want one? If you do enough mileage to notice the fuel costs you dont want to be doing it in the sort of car such engines are found in, if you are doing the sort of driving for which such a car is well suited then a small petrol is easily economical enough and quieter.

and its not as simple as you say. sure you could get a 1.6 focus but its not as powerful as the average tdi nor does it have the same torque so feels a lot slower too.

Why would you compare a 100bhp Focus to the 'average TDI', which will have 140bhp+?

 

[The Running Man]

I don't think most people would notice the difference at all. but that's just my opinion, i know that my mum, dad sister would notice nothing different between say a 2.0 petrol over a 2.0 diesel.

as for the 1.6. exactly and what mpg does a 2.0 focus get vs a 1.6-2.0 tdi ? so you either end up with a slightly more mpg but lower powered petrol or a larger petrol with poor ish mpg and similar power..the diesel will likely to be cheaper to insure than the larger capacity na and also have lower tax too.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I don't think most people would notice the difference at all. but that's just my opinion, i know that my mum, dad sister would notice nothing different between say a 2.0 petrol over a 2.0 diesel.

Again - it is impossible not to notice the difference. What you mean is that the difference would not concern them.

A small petrol engine is virtually silent at the lights. A diesel is demonstratably not so.