Where to move to - commutable to Manchester?

[RedPandaMama]

Currently living near Warrington with DP and our newborn DD. We like it here but the commute into Manchester costs DP £2000 a year and involves getting a bus then a train. Train is fine but buses are terrible and never on time so on a bad day can take nearly 2 hours. Driving not an option parking £8 a day plus crazy traffic at rush hour.

We're looking to buy in probably 2-4 years time. Hopefully have a 40k deposit and looking for a nice house, maybe new build, around 180-240k mark. Needs to be computable to Manchester Piccadilly (no more than an hour on train/tram, preferably the tram) - so where would you move to?

Low crime/not a dodgy area and decent schools too.

So far we're looking at Droylsden and Audenshaw. Sale and Didsbury are lovely too but way out of our price range!

Stretford? The areas near the park are lovely

Chester? Much further away and more awkward than where op is now

Bury or Bolton?

Agree with a PP that the Prestwich area would work for you - it's getting really popular now but is much better value than the South Manchester suburbs and is on the Bury Metrolink line into the city centre - Prestwich, Whitefield, Heaton Park, Bowker Vale and Besses o'th' Barn tram stops all have properties in your budget within easy walking distance. Prestwich village itself is really on the up at the moment, a few nice bars/cafes/restaurants etc springing up. And Heaton Park is absolutely gorgeous for walks/days out with kids.

We paid £190k last year for a large (extended top and bottom) three-bedroom semi in decent condition, quite a big garden, two minutes' walk from a tram stop and the park. Not sure how many new builds there are, though - you'd have more luck going for a 1930s place I think. The closer you are to Prestwich village itself, the more expensive places are, but still not extortionate.

Commute by tram into the city centre is about 20 minutes and a weekly season ticket is £15 - 20ish depending on which stop you're departing from, but monthly or yearly ones work out cheaper.

I think for your budget and the fact that prices are likely to be higher in 3 or 4 years, you would need to look at areas such as Irlam which would be close to friends and family in Warrington but only 15 minutes on the train to central Manchester.