hyper Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Go for a bigger car - mondeo size/class. Speeds are higher, traffic density is higher, you're spending more time on the road - you need more protection. Some smaller cars may offer 5 stars safety protection, but like for like, I reckon you stand more chance in a bigger car, should you have an accident. But I'm not professional expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlfc Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'd tend to advise the biggest car possible. If you are buying second hand, large Fords and Vauxhalls like the Mondeo and Insignia tend to depreciate quickly too and they often end up cheaper than the Focus and Astra. You can probably get either for £10k and less than 2 years old 50 - 60 mpg isn't out of the question either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAHAM F Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I once owned a Ford Focus 1.6 tdci that you are thinking about getting, when i bought it the car had 40k on it, i had it for 2 years before scrapping it, i had nothing but trouble with it and major problems at that, eg clutch, turbo and fuel pump to name a few, Ford did,nt want to know and neither did the extra warranty cover company that i took out on it, they both said it was wear and tear so not covered unbelievable. The money i spent on that car was ridicoulous, i would avoid like the plaque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm79 Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 I once owned a Ford Focus 1.6 tdci that you are thinking about getting, when i bought it the car had 40k on it, i had it for 2 years before scrapping it, i had nothing but trouble with it and major problems at that, eg clutch, turbo and fuel pump to name a few, Ford did,nt want to know and neither did the extra warranty cover company that i took out on it, they both said it was wear and tear so not covered unbelievable. The money i spent on that car was ridicoulous, i would avoid like the plaque. Thanks for the heads up. I will take this on board, however, I also have two friends who have had these and they say they have been fantastic cars (hence why I was sort of drawn to them). I guess with most cars, there will always be two completely different experiences. Just thinking out loud, but maybe the previous owner hadn't looked after it or serviced it properly and you were unfortunate to take the brunt of the inevitable repairs. I will keep your comments in mind though, so thanks for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongle Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have a Nissan qashqai 1.5 diesel on the motorway it averages around 55mpg and the services are every 18,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAHAM F Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 No problem jm79, im sure there are many happy owners of the focus, i was just giving you my experience of the car, thanks for taking it on board, good luck with the car hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANGELFIRE1 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have a Nissan qashqai 1.5 diesel on the motorway it averages around 55mpg and the services are every 18,000 miles Aye, I had 2 of these, they are really good motors and value for their money. Angel1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I once owned a Ford Focus 1.6 tdci that you are thinking about getting, when i bought it the car had 40k on it, i had it for 2 years before scrapping it, i had nothing but trouble with it and major problems at that, eg clutch, turbo and fuel pump to name a few, Ford did,nt want to know and neither did the extra warranty cover company that i took out on it, they both said it was wear and tear so not covered unbelievable. The money i spent on that car was ridicoulous, i would avoid like the plaque. That 1.6 engine is also in many Peugeots and is absolutely terrible (although the 2L one is fantastic). I don't know if it performs better in a Ford but the 20,000 / 2 year service interval does it no favours whatsoever. Not to mention garages not knowing about the correct low ash oil to use. One of the biggest problems is the turbo oil feed gets gummed up and once the engine starts eating turbos its terminal. Which is a shame because the 407 is a brilliant motorway cruiser - comfortable, quiet, well loaded, and great MPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anywebsite Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) Mercedes A class is quite nice. Petrol 1.6 from 2008 gets over 45mpg easily on motorways & not far off around town unless it's heavy traffic. They do diesel versions & more efficient petrol engines too, the newer model will be better too. There's a 1.8 diesel version that claims 78mpg Edited June 18, 2014 by anywebsite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Topgear do a car chooser http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-chooser-launch It says I should buy a 911. it's based on new prices though, so adjust accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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