Help choosing a car!

[clare8allthepies]

I passed my test 6 years ago in my late thirties. When it came to getting a car I just went for a fiesta as it was what I had learned in and I was too nervous to try anything else!

Now we are looking to get a new one and I don’t know where to start. We can buy new but with depreciation is it better to buy second hand (but not very old) or lease or a PCP scheme? Or petrol, electric or hybrid? Or manual or automatic? Not to mention the thousands of makes and models available? Can anyone recommend a good online guide to give me some pointers? Or if you could just tell me what to buy that would be great! 🤣

I'd start with what you need it for - do you have child seats to consider, or a dog that needs space? Do you do long drives with a lot of luggage or are you mainly driving in urban settings? Those would be my first considerations, along with annual mileage, before I started narrowing down fuel types and makes/models!

It really depends on what you need it for. If you want a bit more space, you could go for a Ford Focus? I learnt on a Ford Focus and so also opted to buy one for my first car - it was great! I then bought a Toyota Yaris when I moved to London (also great, but smaller).

We just had to replace our old beloved Kia.
We ended up getting a one -owner second hand car. It's automatic, hybrid, and very well appointed (much nicer interior than I could normally afford if new) reasonable milage.
We have been driving it for ten days (mostly city, some highway driving) and have used a third of a tank.

Ours is the Ford C Max (focus wagon in the old days)

This is it

Tbh I rarely drive long distances, 100 miles is about my max. I would prefer a bigger car than our fiesta but not massive. My eldest is just out of her car seat at 11, my youngest is still in a HBB. Annual mileage is about 5000 though that might increase with a lovely new car 🤣

Perhaps a Focus then if you’re used to your Fiesta and just want something a bit bigger.

I like Hyundai’s. For the size you’ve suggested, an i30 might do the trick.

I’ve had loads of different cars and imo Golfs are the nicest to drive. But look first at what’s important to you. I would never touch PCP unless you’re in some kind of salary sacrifice scheme because owning a car outright is important to me. So is peace of mind.I’d always buy a nearly new or 2/3 year old car with plenty of warranty on. The service plans are quite good value and with Toyotas, if you have it serviced with them, younger a warranty on the car too.

Financially the best way to buy a car is usually to buy it outright, nearly new. That way you own the car straight away, you're not locked into payment plans, you don't have to pay interest, you get the benefit of a nearly new car with a discount compared to the price brand new. Some dealers will let you pay some of the cost on a credit card, it's a good idea to do this as you get added buyer protection, and you can choose whether to pay off the credit card in full or use a 0% interest credit card if your credit score allows that option.

If I were you I'd buy a nearly new Skoda Scala. They're very good value for money, made by the VAW group which makes VW etc, so very similar, just cheaper. Skoda cars tend to have generous cabin and boot space as well.

For other options I suggest reading reviews on WhatCar, I've wasted spent a lot of time on there

www.whatcar.com/skoda/scala/hatchback/used-review/n22548

I'd avoid the PCP schemes too - I've read lots about people having to pay a lot extra where any damage has happened, no matter how slight.

Go for an ex-demo if you can - they're the cars that the showrooms use for test drives, and generally will be around 6 months old and with not too much mileage on the clock.

If you like the Fiesta but want something bigger, I'd go for a Ford Grand C-Max. Seats 5, but also has two extra seats folded into the boot. I wouldn't use one for 7 people on a long journey, but it's great for shorter-length journeys.

However, thinking about the future of petrol engines, I'd probably be checking out electric cars, especially if you're never driving more than 100 miles in one journey. They tend to be expensive, but there are more and more second hand ones coming on to the market, so worth looking at those.

There’s some great advice here, thank you all.