Hate hate hate looking for a new car

[2026namechange]

It is both boring and stressful at the same time. I don’t know what I’m talking about and I also don’t care to learn, I find it tedious.

People seem to have such strong and specific opposing opinions about stuff that I have no idea if it’s relevant at all.

AIBU to think you should be able to pay someone to find you a car that meets your budget and requirements and isn’t a lemon?

If this service exists please could someone point me in the right direction? Bonus points to not have to engage in any conversations that involve car terminology at all.

My company does exactly this service. We source cars generally up to 5 year old for our customers. Don't really do electric or French. (My DH decision). Never had a car returned by our customers either. We don't advertise as our business is all word of mouth. You can PM me if you want details of our website. 😊😊

I bought a car online last time which was a great experience - a nice man drove it to my home and I had 100 miles to test it out before I kept it. I googled most reliable cheap small cars and ended up with a Hyundai i10

My brother used to work for a main Kia dealer so I got a really good deal on the new one I bought in 2018. He's retired now so I don't have that luxury any more.

The one I have has been brilliant, one puncture, battery changed last month, two new wiper blades on the front, that's over seven and a half years so they do seem to be pretty reliable. There's loads of them round where I live, they are definitely a very popular make.

What is good with the Sportage? I quite fancy one next. And what is bad apart from the coffee cup holder?

I bought a 3 year old Sportage from Motorpoint. First time ever HEV and automatic. It is a GTLine S, top of the range and it has so many features, Im still trying them all out. Very comfortable, 48mph on mixed driving, charges itself and extremely quiet. I absolutely love it. I joined FB groups to help me get to grips with the features. It can do strange things like move backwards and forwards with you outside the car and controlling it with the key ( I thought it was a gimmick but I've used it quite a few times). According to FB, the model to avoid is the mild hybrid. MHEV.
Also keep an eye on the ongoing road tax, anything which cost over £40k new has a £625 road tax in it for a while.
I can't tell you how happy I am with it. Also delighted to have gone over to automatic and hybrid.

The warranty from Kia 😂

It's an SUV but a small one so I don't feel like I am driving a bus and can still fit into most spaces.

This is my first modern car so I can't really compare it to anything (my last one was a 20 year old ford with structural moss....)

For me, I chose based on make that offers a warranty I am comfortable with (so Kia and Hyndai). Volvo were just out-of-the-question expensive for me.

From there I chose models that I could fit my large musical instrument case in alongside my dog-crate and still see out the back window. Came down to a Tucson or a Sportage.

I couldn't park at the Hyundai dealership...bloody nightmare there... but I could at the Kia one. So that was that! 😂

Anyone who runs a car dealership - customer parking matters!

This is where I'm at too, particularly the whole petrol/EV/hybrid thing.

Car buying bores me, don't drive anywhere near the mileage I used to - and I figure the most environmentally friendly thing of all is not to create another new car. Until it starts to cost me money, the current one will stay.

Same here. I cba with the whole trailing round showrooms, sitting for hours with the salesperson going over the different options (yawn), and the faff of negotiating the value of the car I'm trading in. I had been giving serious thought to buying a BYD, but then the apathy took hold - so my current car will be run into the ground until I'm forced kicking and screaming to a showroom or website.

My choice is narrowed by the need for four wheel drive and good ground clearance, and narrowed even further by what I can actually afford to pay.

I had a new Sportage a few years ago. It was bought using a reverse auction where you agree on the car and spec and then sit back wait for dealers around the country to contact you with their best price. Last year I also hired a current model for a month. It was OK but nothing special. I drive an auto normally but didn’t like the automatic gearbox in it. Around town it always seemed to be in the wrong gear.

Every single time I've bought a new car, (new to me) I've had to give a hard Paddington stare and say "no, I don't need to discuss thos purchase with my husband". That's what puts me off, or the fact that I will be irked about it. When I bought the currwnt car, I almost bought a Toyota, until the salesman rang me up and started calling me "Miss" when I was negotiating price. I asked him to stop, he didn't, I ended the call, he lost a sale.

The sales people are so up against it to get the sales that they tend to be pushy and it’s all for the extras too!
Or they want you to have loans.

If anyone can recommend a car with a boot space as vast as an insignia I would be eternally grateful. I bloody love my car but not sure what to look for next. We normally by pre registered and keep them til they die.

And not electric as we live in the arse end of nowhere and regularly do 300+ mile trips

What car has a used car finder. Look at the 4 or 5 star rated ones and then look for recommended buy. Then search.

I would think the Skoda Superb would be the biggest boot on a estate.

We have found how frustrating it can be when the sales person has to constantly go ‘out the back ‘ to speak to their manager ! I know there is a hierarchy to such showrooms , but it leads to a longer wait and you know they are trying not to do a deal most of the time .. not unless your prepared to pay the actual price they want you to pay!

I hate, hate hate it and I need to buy a new car.
I hate the sexism, hate the sad desperate salesmen (they seem to be men 99% of the time). Hate having to deflect all the extras they make their money on. No I don't want gap insurance or finance . Once they welcomed cash buyers but now it's a disappointing loss of commission to them.

I have a V40. I would buy another but they don't make them any more. I want automatic, heated seats, petrol, 1600 engine and hatchback. It can be smaller than a V40 but not bigger.
I live in the back of beyond and autotrader ignores my 25 mile radius and shows me cars two hours away or Cinch. I googled Cinch and the reviews were shocking.

Any suggestions welcome.

I haven’t bought one in person in years. I changed to leasing my cars so only went to forecourt to see it in person just didn’t tell them that I’m not buying from them! I made excuses to not sit down and talk money. We also bought a second hand car and traded in our old one via cinch about 4yrs ago. Got a great price for the old car and they collected it while delivering the new car.

Do some research and find out what u like then go see if you can view them in person at the car dealership. U can even ask for a test drive.

We needed to buy a replacement car for my wife last November, when her 2005 Skoda Octavia diesel with 220K on the clock, finally became uneconomical to repair.
So, she wanted a medium, diesel, auto, less than ten years old, less than 90K on the clock. It had to be fairly local.
We ended up buying from a dealer (only the second time I have done that in forty years). We bought a 2016 Mercedes A180 auto. The day after we picked it up, the n/s indicator went on the blink, so we took it back and they said they would fix it, which took three hours, which was frustrating. Just before Christmas the same thing happened again, but it took until early January for them to fix and took three days???
My wife took it to work this morning and said it has been doing the same thing again, you can probably guess how I am feeling ATM.
I have been around cars all my life, renovating/restoring them, buying from auction etc. The car itself drives nicely, but it just doesn't feel quite right.
I have a 17 year old Alfa GT with 140K on the clock and we have taken it all over Europe. The only time it has let me down, is the day after a full service, when I took it to get some fuel and it covered the petrol station in diesel - the garage had fitted the fuel filter incorrectly.
My love affair with cars has certainly gone very cool.

Yeah, I won't be taking car buying advice from someone who drives a 18
year old kia, and thinks putting 'simples' on the end of his message somehow justifies it.

Kia Sportage all the way. I had this when my kids were small, brilliant car, boot space is fantastic could get a pram and buggy in it. Also 7 year warranty..

I live in fear of my ancient SmartCar giving up the ghost as there is absolutely nothing on the market now that appeals to me. I like small, quirky cars and all cars seem to be large and dull.

No interest whatsoever in bells and whistles, I want something that makes me smile when I drive it.

Hopefully my little car will keep going for lot longer. It’s 18 years old but only has 27k on the clock. I’ll just need a big repair fund in case of emergencies!

God I love car shopping.

Im like TaxGuru and I love car shopping. Sometimes I car window shop on auto trader even when I’m not actually in the market, like some people browse Rightmove (I do that too!)

My tactic has always been fix the price you are willing to pay, go for good makes (nothing French) FSH, check the MOT history carefully snd compromise on mileage.
e.g I’d rather have an Audi that’s done 100k (especially if it’s a similar number of miles per year) than a Renault that’s done 25 k.

I do this with Android phones

I thought the boot on mine was quite small for the size of the car, and the back seats didn’t fold fully flat.