I need a car

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  1. #1
    Pantomime Villain & Car Plan Ambassador Crombers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    G76 South
    Car
    R50 Cooper & F55 SD
    Posts
    7,851
    Sadly the 2007 Fiesta diesel is no more. For those of you not on my FB I hit a badger last week and the resulting damage means the car has been written off. I'd had the car from new so feeling a bit miffed at the moment as it was worth more to me than it's real value.

    Having been offerered a decent settlement figure (after a bit of debate) I've got 2k as a starting point for a replacement.

    Herein lies the problem ............. where the hell do I pitch my spending. I could opt for a 5k loan & limit myself to 7k. 5 door cars that I've looked at recently that fit the bill are :

    2013 Fiesta Zetec Diesel
    2013 Seat Ibiza FR Diesel
    2012 VW Polo Match Diesel

    Do I really need a diesel as I only cover 12k per year or do I just like em?

    However I could opt for the PCP route & get a newer car (MINI Countryman anyone) but I've never been here before. Are MINI any good on APR, does it depend on the type òf car & are MINI flexible with their deals?

    In a word ...... HELP!!


    R50 Cooper ..... Mini Plant Oxford

    19 years of MINIfascination

  2. #2
    Mini Mad chillax's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Scottish Borders
    Car
    MINI Cooper S Convertible R52
    Posts
    164
    No help on the PCP I'm afraid as I've always paid cash for my cars. But on how much to spend, well, it depends on what you can afford mate. Going for a more expensive car will mean you have less left over to mod it, so you need to decide what way you want to go with the car. Standard or modded? Minis seem to hold their value well, so depending on what you decide may mean getting one that's older than the fiestas etc. On saying that, I saw a modded new style fiesta near dalkeith the other night that looked amazing! Had me thinking about getting one! But love my mini so staying with it! Tough decision you've got mate.

    - - - Updated - - -

    And deffo get how you feel about the fiesta meaning more to you than what they paid out bud. I'm the same with my cars, my aerodeck in particular. No amount of cash could replace it.

  3. #3
    We've just bought a 2013 Cooper S Countryman and love it. It was £12,500, but they can be bought for a lot less. They're a lot more top heavy feeling than the hatch and have quite a bit more roll, but still great fun to drive and plenty quick enough. We've averaged 37mpg in just over a month. Great sized boot and seats 4 in comfort unlike my R53. Definitely worth having a go in one to see if you like them. It's great not having to get out to let people in the back. I'm getting so old!

    As for finance, I've always just bought second hand with cash or a loan so can't give advice on PCPs I'm afraid.


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  4. #4
    Personally, I'd never take on a loan or lease deal to buy a depreciating asset - effectively you're paying twice.

    For £2k I'd be looking at a Lexus, either LS400 or LS430. Folk doing decent mileage get hung up on mpg - IMO they should focus more on comfort. You don't want to be getting out of the car tired just to save a few pence


    Feet were made to fit car pedals. If we were meant to walk, we'd have pogo sticks for legs

  5. #5
    Mini Mad a11y's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Central Scotland
    Car
    R56 Cooper S hatch
    Posts
    130
    What sort of use is the car for?

    I'd not get diesel - even for 12k miles a year - if it involved much town driving. Potential for more issues generally with DPFs, EGRs, etc. We cover few miles in our diesel van and would rather have a petrol equivalent, but VW don't offer petrol engines in a mid-sized van (yet...?) - we had new turbo internals after the last one gummed up with stuck turbo vanes and none of the treatments would touch it.

    If you were looking at £7k budget and happy to stick to Ford, then later Fiesta with ecoboost engine?

  6. #6
    MINI Obsessed Craig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Central Scotland, United Kingdom
    Car
    2007 R52 S "Sh**ey White" & 2016 Skoda Yeti "Daily"
    Posts
    17,234
    Jude has the 1.0 ecoboost and is getting nearly 50mpg around town and more on longer runs. Plus it's got 140bhp and goes well... sounds like a bag of bolts but that's what you get with 3 pot cars. We like to change every 3 years (albeit this is a 2 year deal) but the car is only £130 per month for a £16k car so in our eyes it's a bargain. You could pick up a second hand one for your budget tho


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  7. #7
    The wee 3 cylinder 1l Ecotec engine is great. I've had a go in the 100bhp version and it was quite nippy. The ST-Line has 140bhp and all have a great off beat sound. Even the new Fiesta ST is going to be a 1.5l 3 cylinder with 197bhp.


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  8. #8
    MINI Obsessed Craig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Central Scotland, United Kingdom
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    2007 R52 S "Sh**ey White" & 2016 Skoda Yeti "Daily"
    Posts
    17,234
    Jude's is the ST line car John and it's a riot - quite amazing for the price


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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Craig View Post
    Jude's is the ST line car John and it's a riot - quite amazing for the price


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    Absolutely, I love them Craig


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  10. #10
    Mini Mad a11y's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Central Scotland
    Car
    R56 Cooper S hatch
    Posts
    130
    I'm a big fan of the current Fiesta too. An ST was actually a close option for me before buying my Cooper S last year. Drove well apart from a bit bouncy although probably no worse than the R56, interior was a button-fest though.

    Personally I like the 3-pot noise. Haven't driven one although once has the misfortune of taking a Citroen C1 along the motorway, sounded pretty decent giving it hell though.

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