Please tell me about your car purchase criteria

[carconomdrum]

My car is 14 years old. I've had it 7.5 years, and it's the only car I've ever had. Cost me £3000, cash. Will never get a bargain like it nowadays.

My mechanic has told me it's going to need significant work at my next MOT, in 4 months. At least £600 just for parts, and that it might be time to look at replacing it.

So, I'm wondering how how long people expect to get out of a car when they buy one, how new or old you'd be prepared to go, max price, max mileage, etc.

I drive every day, but no more than 5k a year.

I've been looking at ones no older than 2017/2018, so around same age as my current one when I bought it, but now more than twice the price. I want something I really like, but not sure if spending £8/9k is a waste, even if I did then expect the car to last me another 6 years or so?

I second the Honda recommendation. My mum hasn't been able to drive for a number of years and sold her Honda Jazz at 12 years old having had no problems. I still see it doing the school run several years on.

60k on the clock is nothing , id repair it .

It depends what work needs doing but on the basis of better the devil you know and used car prices still being high I'd pay for the repairs if your cars good otherwise. As cars get increasingly complicated electronics, there's more to go wrong and then be traced and fixed.

Thanks for the replies. Although I'd really quite like a new car, I'm also a little attached to it, as I bought it with money my gran left me. Silly I know!

I do think some of you have persuaded me to pay for the repairs and then I'll try and get a bit longer out of mine, and keep saving for a newer corsa.

I've just had it serviced and the garage I went to in a panic told me it needed £300 of work. Took it to my normal guy and he said it needed nothing done! (Aside from the repair likely needed at MOT, and he'd already told me that)

Doing a search of mine on auto trader, same age, mileage, engine size, etc. I'd hopefully get around 1.5 - 2k for it.

I saw Honda Jazz's recommended on another post the other day, but I just don't like the look.

I don't need anything big, or with much boot space, as it's mostly only me and DS in the car, and he's learning now anyway. I wouldn't be comfortable driving anything much bigger anyway!