new car..

reiteration

hi chaps,

I'm looking at getting a new car, my current car is a 51 plate ford focus, petrol 1.6...

it runs fine, but burns a hell of a lot of oil and I know it won't pass it's MOT after xmas, plus the tax runs out in Sept so looking to buy one before then...  and who knows, it may die tomorrow, and I'm not going to invest any cash in getting it fixed...

I'm not a car fan so not after anything flash or expensive - but need a workhorse as I commute 70 miles a day

cost? think no more than 3k - was thinking of another focus... same spec really...

but I also saw the hyundai coupe 1.6 siii 2008ish model... can be had for a few grand with around 60k on the clock... any good? seen some mixed reviews, like not as good on fuel economy (focus currently does ~42mpg), and would need one with a FSH...

any other options out there?

noiseboy72

For 70 miles a day, it's worth looking at a diesel. You are just about in '06 Golf territory with your budget and the 1.9 diesel is a good engine. The car is also comfortable and well made - not something I would suggest applies to the Hyundai.

PSM1

You could get a Skoda Octavia for that money which comes with a massive boot.

reiteration

cheers guys - yeah, I've looked at VW's in the past but they always seem to have done way over 100k miles (tho, I know people say this isn't an issue..) - but I'd prefer something with low miles on the clock...

I'll defo check out the skoda too...

tho, I'm hoping to wait as long as possible before I buy one...

also - some dealers are offering part exchange, I assume they'd take in a 51 plate ford focus? if so, how much could I expect? it's done 143k miles so far...

AMc

Depends on the dealer - but I wouldn't expect much more than we buy any car in trade in on a '51 plate car.  Certainly I'd try that and Free Car Valuation – How much is my car worth? – Auto Trader UK to get an idea.
If you were going for new or nearly new you might get a bigger allowance for your trade in by way of a scrappage allowance but you're talking much more than £3k for the new vehicle.
A mate of mine got a very generous "discount" on a new VW polo for trading in his ancient and mainly broken Freelander but you could argue all day if he could have negotiated a better price on the new car if he hadn't traded in his wreck.

Big miles on a VW diesel isn't necessarily an issue but things will wear out on any vehicle either due to age and/or mileage.  At £3K you're really looking at how the individual car has been looked after rather than broad assumptions about brands.  One thing you might want to look at is the cost of servicing and parts.

In case you don't know the VW Golf, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon and Audi A3 are very similar based on the same platform with variations in body shape, engine and interior spec.

reiteration

thankjs, yeah the we sell any car comes in at 140 quid haha... and the autotrader doesn't do cars over 15 years...so, scrap value really...

LJx

a 3K Focus is better than a 3k Golf

IronGiant

It may be better to scrap it for £100 and haggle a better price on the replacement.

ashenfie

Yes basically forget a be second hand vw’s as they expensive and done huge mileage’s. diesel Kia ceed, sister company Hyundai is a good bet and just as nice as a Ford Focus.
Older diesel fords had issues, so could be troublesome.

Good luck finding a good car

reiteration

still looking at what's on autotrader etc, but still hanging on as long as possible before I buy one... but this one looks fairly decent for the price..?

Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Sport 3dr

saw a few others like Peugeot 207s etc...