Help! No idea where to start. Need family car - no idea of budget!!!

[CheshireSplat]

Hi

My faithful skoda Fabia is, I fear, just about to be condemned. Cost £4,000 second hand, have had it over 7 years, it's done 130,000 miles.

And I just don't know what to do, but need to do something quickly as DH and I both need cars for work.

I'd like to take the opportunity to get a car bigger than the Fabia in case DC2 comes along. Not sure how much bigger!

We could pay about 4,000 from savings but any more expensive and we'd need a loan.

The kinds of things we have identified are Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla. Realise Ford Focus would be a sensible addition to the list but I find them rather dull (no offence meant). I always assumed I'd upgrade to an Octavia but they appear to hold their value too well (ie are expensive).

Does anyone have any ideas, there is just too much choice. Any thoughts on mileage vs age. Is it worth spending more (and then even more due to interest)?

Help!!!! Thanks in anticipation.

Hi CheshireSplat. Perhaps if you could give us a bit more of an idea of what matters to you in your next car - image, size, driver enjoyment - and perhaps hone down your shortlist to just one or two cars, that would give some more food for thought, and some answers to your query. A more specific budget - including any loan - might help, too.

Hi
It seems CheshireSplat may have left the conversation but we're in the same situation.

Currently have a 2004 Automatic Vauxhall Corsa which I love mainly because:
a) it's automatic :)
b) the boot is huge - especially when putting the rear seats down
c) it fits my husband (6 ft 5in) and me (5ft 0) really well

Like CheshireSplat, we have a budget of about £4000 and need a new car as we are expecting and so ideally would like isofix and also a car that is not so close to dying all the time!

Also like CheshireSplat, we want to avoid Ford Focus as I can't reach the pedals too well.

So what would be best? I don't want to go into the realms of an executive car - they are too big to park around here.

What hatchback is the most reliable and can suit our needs for £4000?

If you just want a 'car' then look at the new deals. £4k could quite easily buy you a whole heap of trouble if you don't know what you're looking for. Most people these days just 'rent' and hand it back, no worries then and the car is just a monthly payment.

Work out your sums, if you can get a new car with little deposit then you can keep the £4k for a rainy day, or keep saving and buy your 'rental' when you're at the end of the agreement.

I really don't think most people these days just "rent", otherwise there would be no market for second hand cars. It's a pretty expensive way of "buying" a car.

I bought a 3 year old Octavia for half it's new price and I have kept it for 6 years. If I had "rented" it for the first 3 years, the half of it's price that it had lost would have been part of my rental costs and there would have been finance costs in the rent as well, so I would have paid more for less than half the usage. I believe most lease agreements have penalties if you exceed a certain mileage as well.

My personal opinion is that "renting" is mainly for those with money to burn.

If your last Corsa suited you so well, maybe look at another Corsa? There are some 2008 and 2009 automatic Corsas on Autotrader for that sort of money.

I would not have a Corsa. They are not that good a buy but I would consider a Focus! Nowhere near as boring as a Toyota Carolla mentioned by OP. I would seriously consider a Golf. You see so many great examples about and they are well built. Or look for a 4 door Polo. Automatics are slower and more thirsty. Are u sure this is what u want? There is loads of advice in Car Magazines but I would look at the highest rated cars and not consider anything mediocre.

I had a Toyota Corolla and loved it to death, we only ditched it because I had three babies in three years and needed something wider. Highly recommend checking them out. The wee Citroens are nice too, the wee round ones - I want to say C4, but not sure.

I know they get a bad rep but I had a Fiat Punto when it was just DS1 & I, it was huge for our needs, nippy and I could easily fit his travel system in the boot.