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Recommend me a runabout please


twobears

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I need a cheapish 'family' car for when we get back to the UK but I'm going round in circles trying to decide what to get. I don't want to spend a lot because I've got Mr Zedders for fun and I think I will use him for motorway driving (Surrey to Yorkshire) but I can't decide whether to get a smallish new car or a slightly older, and possibly larger(?) second-hand one. I can't test drive anything at the moment but will be back in the UK in a couple of months and I'd like to have a plan :)

 

We've always had company cars as the main 'family' car and that was an easy choice because we just picked from a list. Buying your own car when the only real constraint is budget seems a lot harder.

 

I also don't know if I would be better buying the car (if I go for a new one) or getting a PCP. I'm hopeless at maths and I can't figure out which is best. I need some sort of flow chart to help. I don't suppose there is such a thing?

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Well, your options are pretty much limitless until we know a budget... But within the next couple of months (all being well) my Saab 9-3 1.9 TID Vector Sport (150 - Remapped to 185) will be for sale with only 60k and just had well over £3k spent on all of the common and age related problems being replaced and renewed etc... Full cream leather interior with very little signs of wear (except for a bit on drivers seat). In short, it's been "mothered".. Will be looking for around £5,800 when i come to sell due to all of the money that has been poured into it in the last 12 months.

 

However, if that's not for you, i wouldn't think of hire purchase unless you were going to keep whatever you got long enough to make it pay... There are plenty of decent family cars around for between £5-8k.... That said, i'm sure you could pick up a good car for less, but by no means will it have any nice modern refinements!

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Oops, sorry, I think I only want to spend up to 8K. There again I keep changing my mind on that as well. Sometimes I think I should spend more but then my inner Yorkshirewoman overrides that suggestion!

 

I'm not looking for my dream car, obviously, and it has to be something that Mr Twobears won't mind driving either. He's more of a trundler than a speed fan and would ideally like a Defender. All his previous cars going back years have been some sort of Land Rover or Range Rover. I'm sure he will get another one in the fullness of time, in fact there's an old one parked on the drive at the moment, apparently, but for now we just need a car for short journeys, nothing too ugly or old mannish, not desperately underpowered and it doesn't have to be able to tow the horsebox.

 

Hope that's enough info :)

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Ooh ar, ooh ar! I wished I'd packed my wellies when we first got here because we had a few showers and all the women donned

shiny Hunter wellies just like the ones I normally live in a home. Amazingly they appear to be a fashion statement here.

 

Not sure if I like that Subaru or not ...

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Civic Type R, I got chatting to this yoof the other day and he was telling me his tuned one was quicker than a 911 so, you know with the practicality side as well, it's a no brainer.

 

¡Suerte!

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Must admit when I got back to UK was in a similar position. Had the Zed as my weekend ride but needed something for work. After much research went down the long term leasing path. Got a brand new Honda Civic for 229 PCM. Hand it back after 3 years not interested in keeping it. Company pay me an allowance but this worked best for me

 

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Must admit when I got back to UK was in a similar position. Had the Zed as my weekend ride but needed something for work. After much research went down the long term leasing path. Got a brand new Honda Civic for 229 PCM. Hand it back after 3 years not interested in keeping it. Company pay me an allowance but this worked best for me

I agree, how's about a nice shiny red Honda Civic........it's well within your budget :lol:

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Well, your options are pretty much limitless until we know a budget... But within the next couple of months (all being well) my Saab 9-3 1.9 TID Vector Sport (150 - Remapped to 185) will be for sale with only 60k and just had well over £3k spent on all of the common and age related problems being replaced and renewed etc... Full cream leather interior with very little signs of wear (except for a bit on drivers seat). In short, it's been "mothered".. Will be looking for around £5,800 when i come to sell due to all of the money that has been poured into it in the last 12 months.

 

However, if that's not for you, i wouldn't think of hire purchase unless you were going to keep whatever you got long enough to make it pay... There are plenty of decent family cars around for between £5-8k.... That said, i'm sure you could pick up a good car for less, but by no means will it have any nice modern refinements!

 

I have considered one of these as a sensible diesel. What's it like to live with? Mpg, performance?

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Interesting car you've got there Andy :)

 

I did wonder about a Golf because people seem to rate them. Never even been a passenger in one though so would need to have a drive in it first. The Civics look very nice and are definitely on my short list. I've thought some more about it now and think we might go for the PCP option because we do have a company car allowance. Just need to work out how much we want to spend and that's something no-one can tell me. I am such a bloody ditherer and Mr Twobears is leaving it up to me so I've got to come up with some sort of answer soon!

 

I always buy blue cars, not red, ha ha.

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