AIBU to buy a 'cheap' make of car?

[Newcarwhatcar]

I have about £10k to spend on a new/ nearly new car. I currently drive a tiny old banger but want to replace it with something newer and bigger which can do longer journeys, we can take on holiday etc.

My plan is to buy a Dacia Stepway, or something similar. However everyone I know is telling me I will regret this, and that I should buy a smaller car, some are saying I should go for either a Ford or Vauxhall as repairs are cheap, generally reliable etc. Others are telling me to go for a BMW or Audi. However any of those makes (esp the prestige ones) I'd have to get a car that was years old to get in my price range which isn't what I want.

So If you were in my position what would you do? Go for a new cheap car, or not?

[Newcarwhatcar]

Meant to say I mainly use my car for a commute to work (7 miles but takes about 30-40 mins due to stop start traffic) and local journeys. No small children so no car seats or prams to have to fit in.

[DuchyDuke]

Speaking from experience, a 15 yo BMW, Toyota, or Merc is better quality, runs better, and retains it’s value more than a brand new car of other brands. Ultimately the choice is yours, but you’d be a fool not to at least do your research.

[SheSparkles]

I’d go for an older Audi before I’d have a new or nearly new Ford or Vauxhall. They do cost a bit more but that means they also hold their price

[DBoo]

Ive had fords last 6 years and no problems with either just general wear and tear. Have you looked at kia's? Ive heard they are very reliable anf also come with a manufacturers warranty.

I know someone who has had theres around 8 years with no problems and still going strong.

[SparklySeashell]

I just came on here to say have a look at Kia's, you could get one only a couple of years old and they have the 7 year warranty, I have one and it's very reliable.

[MelanieSmooter]

YANBU. I bloody love my Dacia!

[StaySafe]

I do more or less the same mileage as you. I am on my third Fiat Panda. they are reliable, seat four in more comfort than you would imagine. You can fit in a dog and quite a lot of shopping. They are cheap to buy, very cheap to run and my experience has been that after 5 years you still have a decent deposit for a new car. My last one ( a Lounge, the top of the range model) cost me £6,500 plus my old car. The one I traded in passed all its MOT test without any work being done. The problems with the premium brands like Audi and BMW is that if you get a big problem it will be very expensive to fix. I would go with the new but cheap car, or a nearly new Ford.

[Newcarwhatcar]

My concern is that for my 10k I'd have to buy a prestige car that was at least 7 years old and I'd be taking a complete punt as to whether it was reliable or if it was about to have something major go wrong. And the service and repair costs would be huge in a car like that.

With a Dacia I'd be getting a 3yr warranty. I'm also considering a Kia, I probably can't afford a new one but if I get one that is a couple of years old it will have the balance of the 7 year warranty. Which I just feel give me a bit of piece of mind?

[Newcarwhatcar]

X post about the kias

We had a Fiat Marea some years ago. Worst car I've ever owned! I'm not sure I could ever contemplate another Fiat.

[adaline]

DP and I both have fairly old Fords (mine is 2006, his 2003) and neither have had any major repair bills. Our local garage is really good and doesn't charge over the top for parts either.

I bought mine outright for less than 2k. If it starts costing too much money, I'll just sell it/scrap it and buy another cheap car outright. I don't see the appeal of spending thousands on a brand new car though.

[glasshalfsomething]

Even if you want a Dacia, don’t go brand new. Nearly new all the way; ideally 6 months old! Will save you thousands.

If you don’t have huge spare cash for fixes, I’d go with the lower end ‘brand’ rather than prestige. 7-8 year old Audi, BMW, VW still need MOT, higher road tax, more expensive parts at annual service etc

KIA is a good shout.

[BlueBug45]

I wouldn't get a Vauxhall as they are horrible to drive and plasticky.

I was having a discussion with my old garage mechanic before I swapped my car. Apparently the only older cars he sees that pass their MOTs with ease are Fords, VWs and Toyotas. This explained why in my area the only non-prestige cars that have plates over 10 years old tend to be those makes.

They don't get the prestige cars as they are normally taken to the dealers or a specialist for those cars. However if you can afford it get an older Audi, BMW or Merc.

Btw I swapped from a 11 year old Ford to an Audi. There was nothing wrong with my car except from the London T charge. A lot of my neighbours have done similar.

[Hereshopingforimprovement]

Yanbu. I have a Hyundai and it's great.

[Magicstar1]

Go for an older Toyota...they're so reliable and you wouldn't have problems getting parts if necessary. I have a 1999 Corolla, and my dad has a 1996 Carina E. Both pass every year with ease. Of course with the 10k yours would be a lot newer.

[MyMarmitePurrs]

You are not being unreasonable - I bought a Dacia Sandero picked up on 01/03/2016 - first brand new car and it only cost £5995 on the road Looked under the bonnet and every part is labelled Renault ! My other half wants me to trade it in next year for a new car !! ABSOLUTELY no way - I love it! It's small enough to park, economical as hell to run and a dream to drive !!!!

[Newcarwhatcar]

I was thinking of nearly new, so a pre reg or an ex demonstrator, to get a bit of discount.

My current car cost £600. It's ok for town driving but it's too small to do a long journey in comfortably. I can't help feeling that in buying a 2nd hand prestige make car that's 7+ years old I could be buying a world of problems. My current car was 10 years old when I bought it but for £600 If it had suffered a serious issue after a few months that would have been annoying but not the end of the world. If I've got 10k invested I'd be screwed if the car went badly wrong - the point of spending that amount is that I did have reliable low cost motoring for at least 5 years hopefully 10.

[adaline]

Could you compromise and go for something pricier than £600 but not more than 3-4k? My worry about buying a really expensive second-hand car is the costs if it starts to go wrong.

I drive 250 miles a week in mine and I've never had any issues at all. It's solid, drives well, manages in the snow/ice, and is very cheap to maintain (in fuel and parts when necessary).

I know if mine goes massively wrong, I'd happily scrap it and buy a newer model because I know it wasn't expensive in the first place. I do think the one issue with spending a lot on a car is the sunken costs fallacy. There was a recent thread where someone bought a duff car and ended up spending more on repairs than the car cost her in the first place, because she loved the car and didn't want her original investment to be wasted.

I'd personally rather buy a cheap car that can be scrapped or sold for parts once it gets too expensive to maintain anymore.

[Newcarwhatcar]

If I'm honest I'd rather spend the 10k on something that's either a few months old like a Dacia, or say a Kia that's a couple of years old, and then I've got a 5 yr warranty on the Kia (balance of the 7), or 3 on the Dacia, but realistically as it's so new it shouldn't have anything go wrong.

Whereas to buy a bmw for ex. I'd be buying one that was nearer 10 years old. Even a Vauxhall or Ford it would probably be 5+ years and it's such a lottery when it comes to older cars.

[noctu]

For that sort of money you could get a 2 year old (new model) Vauxhall Astra. I had a chuckle at the plasticky comment, mine is beautiful to drive, full leather, responsive (auto) gearbox, cruise control, high spec nav/audio system, no rattles or niggles. shrug

The only thing I'd caution against for things like Dacias are the availability of parts - or lack of.

I'd echo the comments about Toyota or other Japanese makes - they are generally reliable, and you could get a nice city car for your 7 mile commute.

[FASH84]

Dacias are fantastic, very mechanically reliable, ask James May. Friends of ours have a Dacia stepway and a flash Audi. Guess which one was fine in the snow..... I would love a stepway but only have an auto licence and they don't sell autos in the UK yet.

[HildaZelda]

I'm on my third BMW. All of them pre-owned. I've never had a problem with any of them.
I'd never buy a new car. They depreciate about £3000 five minutes after they're driven off the forecourt.

[ChocolateTea]

Kia. I got a 6 month old ex demo top of range Rio for £12k. You could easily get a decent 3 year old one for a great price with 4 year warranty still. I've had a Kia for years now, and wouldn't change now.

[Dubdoor]

Look at nearly new Seats. Really reliable, basically a VW with a slightly cheaper interior. Last forever.

[Icklepickle101]

I have had my Dacia Sandero 2 months and I LOVE it! I ideally wanted an ex demo but they are so popular at the moment there wasn’t any in the whole of the UK available and the one they’d sold from the showroom I was at was only £200 cheaper than new anyway!

It is really a brilliant car and got 850 miles for £51 of fuel

[Bluelady]

Forget "prestige" cars, they're gas guzzlers and road tax is high. I drive a Toyota hybrid Auris. No road tax and I get 65 mpg. A second hand one would be well within your budget and they have a five year warranty. They're also the best drive ever.