No idea what car to get...help!

[Roseberrry]

It's me, my 2 dcs and the dog that will mainly use it. I have a ford zetec at the mo and it's nice and comfy but very boring to drive.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd like it to be good on fuel consumption, spacious but not too big, good size boot is a must, I also want it to have more umph than my 1.2.

not sure what makes a car interesting to drive...

if this is short runs then you want petrol not diesel. 2 kids and a dog will fit in a Focus or similar. I find Fords reliable and cheap to maintain, and a 10 year old car is new as far as I'm concerned.

good fuel consumption is mainly due to how you drive it - a 1.2 is a small engine for a car with a family in it but obviously as you increase engine size you increase consumption.

I would try the Honest John website which contains lots of info on new cars as well as facts about recalls etc. Look at the specific model reviews.

there could be certain components that are known to fail / need replacement and you could use that info to knock the price down, if you still want to go for a specific model.

what about the Ford Focus Red Edition? I know you've said you don't like the Zetec, but the Red Edition’s halfway between a regular Ford and the hot hatch ST.

It’s got a faster turbocharged 180bhp 1.5-litre engine, plus tuned sports suspension that makes it drive much better than a regular Focus but it’s not as hard as the ST, which could be a bit of a pain if you’ve got family/dogs and stuff and you don’t want to clatter over every single bump.

It’s also space for five people and a maximum of 1,215 litres of room in the boot, which is bigger than VW Golf.

Returns up to 51.4mpg, and it’s also relatively cheap for what it is at £22,250