knoppy1987 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Hello fellars! I have not been a regular over the last year but I do pop back for a browse every now and again. With the new job though, I have been managing to get to a lot more Villa games which you should be pleased to know. Anyway, I have been looking to buy a car for about 4 months. I was very close in January; I nearly bought an Audi A1 but had a change of mind. Since, I've just become very unsure about the process but also what car I want. I am one of those people who has to have something that I want rather than something that is useful. The A1 was ideal, I liked it as a nippy supermini but I'd be buying new and parting with a lot of money for a small and reasonably efficient car. More recently I've been attracted to relatively new second hand Audi A3's and the later Alfa Romeo 147's (2008/90 Collezione), both with 1.6 engines as it is ideal for my insurance being under 25 (just). Now, I have definitely gone about this in the wrong way as I am yet to have a bloody car. Do any of you have any experience with an elongated process? Is this typical and wise to take your time? Do you have any recommendations and/or experience with the cars I have mentioned? What would you go for? Any advice from those with experiences would be appreciated! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 First of all don't buy new As a first car, I think a VW Golf is hard to top Spec up as much as you can to minimise depreciation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoppy1987 Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Cheers, buying new does seem odd unless you were just leasing a car which doesn't really interest me. I am told you can lose as much as 15% when you walk out of the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endof Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Buy the best car for least depreciation and around 2 to 3 years old when most of it has gone out of the car.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted April 8, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted April 8, 2012 Of tgh eones you've mentioned I'd say go for the second hand A3. They're great cars. As CI says, Golf's are hard to beat (I have a golf), but an A3 is much the same, just a bit higher quality. I'm looking at an A3 myself for when I change cars next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Beaten to the punch by CI and Stevo. Golfs are the coolest cars in the world. I'd love one. Look no further. When I retire, I'm going to have one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 That way every time you close the door you can crack the "sounds just like a golf" gag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted April 8, 2012 Moderator Share Posted April 8, 2012 What's your budget? It's a very important factor. If you were thinking about a new A1 then I guess it's over 10 grand? How many miles will you drive a year - if it's a lot, then a diesel would likely be worth having, as they're much more fuel efficient. Will you be driving mostly in Town or on A roads and motorways. How much luggage room and how many seats do you need? assuming an A1 would have been big enough then you're presumably looking at a supermini or Golf sized car.If you've never owned a car before, then I'd start with a second hand one, and not spend (unless you're loaded) anything like 10 grand+ on it. It might be less exciting, but insurance will be much less, if you bend or scratch it it won't be such a big deal. I recently sold my 2003 Golf Mk4 TDi diesel, which was in mint order, for 3 and a half grand. That's about the normal price for one of that age and low mileage. Still like a new car, cheap to insure, cheap to tax, economical, quiet, quick. Other good cars include the Mini, which is well made and British. Anyway, think about the above, would be my advice, obviously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 I took a while after passing my test before buying a car, just over two months actually. I eventually bought a second hand 1998 1.8 Ford Focus for £650 and it is like new still, I think the only thing wrong was that one of the little rubber mats from inside the cup holder was missing (now replaced), even the air conditioning still works! a great buy for £650 I think, especially when you see the same cars in far worse condition still going for around £1000. Insurance was horrible though, especially when, like you say you're male and under 25 (I'm 21). I hate small cars and didn't want a small engine which is why I went for a 1.8 Focus so that pushed the price up a bit. In the end it cost me something around £1460 to insure for a year and that included doing whatever I could to make things cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Take some advice from others where you live about the quality and attitude of the garages and dealers in your area. I completely agree with the sentiment above about Golfs, but... where I once lived my Golf went wrong and the dealer was shocking, borderline fraudulent. VW UK washed their hands of the situation and recommended I take the dealer to court. Result? Never bought another VW. Conversley, crappy old Nissan just have a superb attitude and can't do enough when we bought the wifey's car and when it's been serviced. Result? Eight years of custom. Considered the Merc A Class? Not a sporty image but actually a really versatile decent car, and don't think Merc main dealers won't haggle. They need to move the old shape off their forecourts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Beaten to the punch by CI and Stevo. Golfs are the coolest cars in the world. I'd love one. Look no further. When I retire, I'm going to have one! what? Golfs are practical, and back in the day they were very cool. There is very little cool left I,m afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villapark1 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Take your time mate, first establish the car that YOU want, spec included. Then spend time comparing prices around the country (via autotrader and other sites)...they can be very high in some areas compared to others. Its worth veiwing a few before you even start thinking about parting with any cash. I spent ages looking for my car(8 months), looked at at least 10 I reckon and there was always something I found that I knew would niggle me if I brought it. (be it higher mileage tahn I wanted/little marks or a scuff mark etc) Eventually I found the one that was just right, Mint condition, VERY VERY low milege, Top spec. And knew I had to have it. If you by the first one you see because of convienience I can assure you that a month or 2 will pass and you will see better one for sale somewhere and you wish you would have waited. When your spending a decent amount of cash on a car, you want to make sure you dont start regretting it after a short amount of time. So my advise would be, be patient, do your research and the right one will come along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 ah go on, you know you want to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoppy1987 Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 God no ha ha. Some good positive opinions for me to go away with here. Appreciate the opinions. I've got to agree with Tamuff_villa on the Golf. It doesn't do it for me. I much prefer Alfa's as the 'cool' option in the size range. Practicality is a different matter though. I think villapark1 probably hit the nail on the head though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Alfas are 'cool' if you're a woman. Also, if it's Italian, it's likely to fall to bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoppy1987 Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Alfas are 'cool' if you're a woman. Also, if it's Italian, it's likely to fall to bits. Do you think? ha ha. Each to their own I suppose. They're just a bit different to similar cars in the category. Makes them stand out to me. I also have never seen a woman driving one . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 God no ha ha. Some good positive opinions for me to go away with here. Appreciate the opinions. I've got to agree with Tamuff_villa on the Golf. It doesn't do it for me. I much prefer Alfa's as the 'cool' option in the size range. Practicality is a different matter though. I think villapark1 probably hit the nail on the head though. All of this Alfa talk is style over substance. Yes, the two cars that Alfa build now are lovely to look at, but neither would give the reliability, nor the residual value, of a Golf. And Golfs are still cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted April 8, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted April 8, 2012 And with that, BOF bans villaajax... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bebbo75 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Seat Leon Tdi's are a great car now, I bought my wife the FR version and she loves it, better value for money than the Golf in my opinion for basically the same car. I own a car sales place in Cheshire, so if you want any info, or prices you should be paying, free to pm me and I'll do my best to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted April 9, 2012 Moderator Share Posted April 9, 2012 I bought an Alfa Giulietta in November. I absolutely love it. It was a long process choosing a car. Thought about an A3 or a Golf but figured they're too common for me and were surprisingly more expensive than the Alfa. Had a look at a limited edition Megane too, but it was too plasticky. I specced it up a fair bit but went for the 1.4 Multiair engine. It's an award winner, with superb economy and 0-60 in (I think) 6.8s. It's a fun drive, and affordable too. As for the notion it'll fall to bits? Maybe the old ones, but the new MiTo and Giulietta are believed to be made of sterner stuff than their predecessors. I guess time will tell on that one but the signs seem to be good. I'm a convert. You can tell from this post. I'm like the car equivalent of a Liverpool fan when it comes to Alfas now. But it's not just me. Take your Maserati in for a service and the garage will give you a Giulietta co-designed with Maserati as your courtesy car. I'm working my way up to the Maserati itself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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