Clueless (shockingly) in Cars! Help me to buy a car!

[SaritaBella]

No males or knowledgable women around to ask besides you ladies!
I have a budget of around £6K, looking for something that will accommodate me and young DC (car seat) but I still want it to be a bit stylish rather than just a boring family car! My dream car is Nissan qashqai but this is for the future 😀 Always liked Audi, VW but seems not for my budget or rather aged.
Need Ulez complyint. Looked into hatchbacks but would prefer 5 door. Just passed my drivers license so nowhere near to drive a saloon 😀
Sniffed around various websites but don't even know what's good/bad.
Is it better a bit older but go for known brands? Understand this is individual but just need a guide on what to focus on.
AIBU to ask what you'd recommend??🤔 Help, really clueless here!

In my experience with that budget you're better buying an older German car than a newer cheaper brand. I have an 11yo Mercedes ML (though was more than your budget but a huge SUV), have had it for 3 years and very little issues. Compared to a 5yo Ford Cmax I had before that which constantly had stuff going wrong. Merc or Audi. Although maybe a Skoda or VW could be decent too. Check the service history and previous MOT history.
They're just better built.

An old German car on a small budget?

Repair bill will be more expensive than the car!

Eg something like this www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105253073938?
Low mileage, full service history.

Do you have any connection with a garage, maybe where you've had other cars fixed? My local garage told me they would look any car over I was considering buying and I trust them from past experiences.

I have a Hyundai i10 although the i20 is a bit bigger

All the garages I asked about car said Hyundai as they rarely repairs them bar maintenance costs.

I’m happy with mine. Easy to drive and park

@araiwa not in my experience. I use an independent garage that specialises in Mercedes; they're very reasonable. Obviously don't get it fixed at an official Benz garage.
As I said I've had very few problems, unlike my younger Ford. Friends with an old Audi have similar experience - car was over 15 years old before they started having real problems.

The Honest John website is brilliant.

You need something cheap to insure! You put in what you want and it recommends cars and they are rated out of 5 and you can read why they have that rating etc

Could you stretch to a new Kia of some kind? They come with a 7-year warranty.

Also, if you go for a lease, aka PCP, you pay a small deposit (or occasionally, none at all) then make a monthly payment. This might allow you to afford something better than you think you can afford. After the PCP ends, usually 3 years, you either buy the car outright or - more likely - you trade up and keep making monthly payments. Might be the right purchase model for you?

Disagree with the merc recommendations, they are expensive when they go wrong.

The i10 is a fair option, but I'd go for a small Nissan or Honda. Look for good service history, a higher mileage car that has been fully service and issues put right is better than a lower mileage with no knowledge of work done. Find out big service intervals such as cam belt if required. Also buy from a garage, much better come back if there is a problem.
If stylish really matters you'd get a decent polo for 6k, stay with petrol.

Eg something like this www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105253073938?
Low mileage, full service history.

I’d be cautious of a 10 year old diesel with such low miles. Diesels need to be driven to avoid DPF problems.

@19lottie82

Eg something like this www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105253073938? Low mileage, full service history.

I’d be cautious of a 10 year old diesel with such low miles. Diesels need to be driven to avoid DPF problems.

I'd run a fucking mile

A Qashqai wouldn't be the worst option and you could definitely get one for six grand. They're smaller than you'd think and very easy to drive. If it's too big you could look at a Nissan Juke, it's the next size down.

If you go to the Autotrader website, you can search by price, make and model, and filter by ULEZ compliance too.

I tend to prefer Japanese or Korean cars, generally. More reliable. So: Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai. If you want the crossover style you could look at Honda CRV, Kia Soul or Sportage, Subaru XV, Mitsubishi ASX, Toyota UrbanCruiser.

I'd actually steer (!) you away from Audi, Mercedes, Mini, BMW or VW. They're no more reliable than anything else, and statistically less so than most Japanese makes. And when German cars go wrong, fixing them can be expensive. (I know this from personal experience, having had two Audis in the past.)

@19lottie82

Eg something like this www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105253073938? Low mileage, full service history.

I’d be cautious of a 10 year old diesel with such low miles. Diesels need to be driven to avoid DPF problems.

Also that won't be ULEZ compliant (although a petrol B Class of that vintage would be).

The advice I was given before I bought my first car was was to buy German or Japanese as they tend to be reliable - no idea if that advice is out of date now.

I love a Honda Jazz. Small, spacious, versatile. Brilliant.

Kia had quite a long warranty when we looked a few years ago (like 7 years rather than the more typical 3). We looked at a Kia Rio but ended up with a Seat Ibiza. Also looked at a Toyota Yaris but ruled that out as the Seat Ibiza had a bigger boot.

None of them are exactly glamorous cars but all are reliable and we’ve had no trouble from it in three years (it’s now 5 years old). Cheap to insure, cheap to run.

As above, German or Japanese.
Not sure what size you need (how many DC and what age/ages?) but I've got an older Honda Civic and love it so maybe a Jazz?
My son has a VW Up! and it's a brilliant little car - like a Tardis inside (but not much room in the boot so no good if you need to fit a pushchair in)

Another vote for Toyotas, age well and very reliable in my experience.

My mini is awesome it’s a countryman couldn’t recommend it more.

Another vote for Toyota or Honda.

Don’t be swayed by a really low mileage. It’s better to go for a higher mileage car (within reason) with one or two owners, that has been used regularly and looked after.

Avoid German, get a Toyota or Honda. For £6k you should get something decent and reliable.

Just recently bought a Honda Jazz 2015 for £5k. From Honda approved used so all history etc and certified. It meets ULEZ. I think they are very underrated cars but are very spacious inside and reliable. We had an existing 2006 jazz and purposely replaced with the same. They have a ‘magic seating’ feature I encourage you to look into as makes the car so versatile especially with kids/buggies. It’s also 5 door. I have had PCP before and would not recommend. We saved up the money and bought outright instead. Check Honda approved website - that’s what we used as wasn’t keen on a private sale

Avoid Merc Audi and BMW. Apart from their image problem they are over engineered and expensive to fix. I'd say a Kia or Hyundi with a couple of years left on the (7 year) warranty.

To add to my previous comment if it’s useful, it was the sport edition (so a little more stylish) and it has around 55k mileage (echoing other commenters advice of not discounting higher mileage cars with full service history)

@Shade17

Avoid German, get a Toyota or Honda. For £6k you should get something decent and reliable.

Yes, this. German cars have perceptions of reliability but data from surveys suggest otherwise. Honda Civic or Jazz or Toyota Auris / corolla will be perfect. You'll need petrol for ULEZ compliance and diesels are more complicated and less likely to be reliable anyway