Car recommendations budget of around £10k

[cherrybakewells3]

Could stretch to 12k at the most but around 10k would be ideal. DP and I don't have a decent car between us. His is never out the garage and he travels a lot for work so adds a lot of miles. We are now in a stable financial position where we can afford to get something half decent. It will be shared but he will be the one who uses it the most. We can't seem to agree on any. I really like the Volkswagen Tiguan but I think they are out of our price range. Is there anything similar to this within our price range? It needs to be spacious, have a generous amount of boot space and 5 doors.

[LongBlobson]

We have a Skoda Fabia - the estate version which has a bigger boot. It's really reliable and cheap to run. We got a 4yo one for about £8k and been so pleased with it, would definitely recommend a Skoda. They have good safety and eco ratings too.

[Stinkyjellycat]

What about a Kia Sportage or a Hyundai Tucson (or Kona)? They are more in your budget, have long warranties and also come with loads of kit. You could get a newer, better spec car with these type of cars than with a Tiguan.

[FizzyPink]

We have the VW polo and love it. Never had such a reliable car. The only thing I would say though is that it’s a small car and we struggle getting big suitcases into the boot so not ideal if you have children.

We’re probably going to upgrade to the new version in a few months which I think is slightly bigger. I’m not sure on upfront cost but we pay £140 a month on a 4 year finance deal.

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

The Skoda range. The Karoq is similar to the VW and they’re built on the same platform. The Kodiaq is bigger and there’s a smaller one whose name I forget. But that’s a new range and may be out of your price bracket.

DH has a Golf and the Karoq is virtually identical in terms of the build, the interior, dashboard and instruments.

[FizzyPink]

Sorry just read the rest of your post about needing space, definitely don’t get a Polo!!

[Horehound]

I got a vw jetta, automatic 2litre. It's the dogs bollocks. Work horse, powerful, looks nice and is very comfortable inside.

[Horehound]

Oh and I got it on buyacar.com or .co.uk so they deliver it to you. You can pay it all or put a deposit and pay monthly.

[Horehound]

And the boot is Huge!

[moonlight1705]

We've got a 2011 Ford Focus which has decent space although it is a saloon car rather than an estate. It can fit DD's pram plus extra in though.

I really like driving it and only had one fault in the 5 years of owning it.

[HoneyWheeler]

We have had a Toyota Yaris - loved. Practical economical car! We had our two year old in there too, so it was a little bit squashed towards the end but was perfect for just the two of us. Bought it at 1yr old for just under 10k. Only bought a new car because I had an accident and it was written off.

Now we have a Renault Captur which is definitely bigger and more of a family car but still very economical. We also love it! It's like a small SUV. Not 4wd but perfect for town driving.

[HoneyWheeler]

Re reading your post - Yaris is probably out of the question, but highly recommend the Captur!

[cherrybakewells3]

I like the look of both the Skoda Fabia and karoq. DP did mention a Skoda that he liked I can't remember if it was one of them. This make seems like a good choice!

[meow1989]

I bought a 3 year old captur for around that and love it! Spacious, fun to drive and quite an elevated driving position which I love.

[Bowerbird5]

We have a Vauxhall Cavalier been very happy with it. We have had Vauxhall’s before and had no real problems just the usual wear and tear as we tend to keep them for a long time. We had a Ford Focus before too. Good car just don’t go through any water in it. Low exhaust apparently. It was less than my ankle boots! Never again. So warning to you moonlight

[RandomMess]

DH is very tall - the Fabia is roomy in the front, it gets great reviews so I think the estate version is worth looking at.

A brilliant website is called "honest John" you can pick your criteria and gives suggestions to look at, has a 5 star rating system.

Has current and older models on there.

[Effy1990]

I've got the 2015 Vauxhall meriva and it seems quite spacious with good fuel economy. I can get a double pushchair in the boot with a couple of bags and there's a plenty of space in the back. We have 2 car seats and still plenty of space for what won't fit in the boot.

The back seats can also move (when no car seats are there) to give that bit more space in the boot. And when I brought it last year I got in for 8k with less then 20k miles on the clock so you can get some really good deals with them.

[AriettyHomily]

Vauxhall Zafira - I think you could get one of newer tourers for your budget. It's not as nice to look at as the Tiguan but huge boot, 7 seats if you need them and it still has enough boot space wit 7 seats up to get things in.

Fits 4 of us, ddog and all our camping shite in with no problem ands has a nice high driving position despite not being an SUV.

[Nottobesoldseparately]

Skoda Octavia estate.

Huge boot, easy and comfortable to drive, really roomy in the back.

I'm about to get rid of mine (I've lost my job and no longer realistically need it) and I'm absolutely gutted.

[mylittlesandwich]

I like my Sportage. I've had mine 7 months and it's nice to drive. Not the biggest space wise but much better than others I looked at. I paid 7k for a 64 with average mileage so you could get something newer and with less miles.

[cherrybakewells3]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I think a Skoda is winning and it's a make we both agree on. We will sit down at the weekend and have a propper look.