New car advice

You can't really go wrong with 1-2 year old motor from the VAG family. The Ateca and Karoq are good cars too (a lot of these VAG cars are built on the same platform and share identical engines/gearboxes - as you probably already know). I recently picked up a Seat Leon ST with the 2.0 TSI (20 months old) and it was rammed full of extras (digital cockpit etc), it has some manufacturer warranty left and we managed to agree on a very fair deal. With the new Golf/Octavia/Leon arriving in their bucket loads this year it could be a good time to pick up the last model too if you decide to go for a hatchback/estate - considering the platform hasn't really changed much (if at all?). I keep my cars for a fair few years so it works out fair value with this approach - IMO. I would stick with the petrol route over diesel, I can see hybrids and EV's coming more and more to the fore at the expense of diesels (more so than petrol), but again that's just my opinion.
 
Nobby_Barnes said:
I think it's a misconception that hire cars are ragged, for me the opposite is true when I have a hire car. The last thing I want to do is have an accident or a bump.
I bought an 11 month old family car ex rental with 9000 miles on the clock. Absolutely mint condition as new....£13k off list price. Still 2 years on warranty...
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It's not a misconception if it's my hire car! Most of my colleagues are the same. Everywhere can be driven to it 7000 revs in a hire car!
 
I understand some people are happy spending x amount on a car per month but it doesn't stop it being one of the most expensive ways to drive.
an example Ford FIESTA 1.0 EcoBoost 95 ST-Line Edition 5dr -9months up front £1459 +36 months @ 162.13+£216 processing fee =£7511.68 +8000 miles limit per year and nothing back , you can buy plentyof decent cars for that amount of money and if you kept it for 3 years you would probably get £4000 back. A new car is only new till you drive it off the forecourt.
 
Zendieta said:
You can't really go wrong with 1-2 year old motor from the VAG family. The Ateca and Karoq are good cars too (a lot of these VAG cars are built on the same platform and share identical engines/gearboxes - as you probably already know). I recently picked up a Seat Leon ST with the 2.0 TSI (20 months old) and it was rammed full of extras (digital cockpit etc), it has some manufacturer warranty left and we managed to agree on a very fair deal. With the new Golf/Octavia/Leon arriving in their bucket loads this year it could be a good time to pick up the last model too if you decide to go for a hatchback/estate - considering the platform hasn't really changed much (if at all?). I keep my cars for a fair few years so it works out fair value with this approach - IMO. I would stick with the petrol route over diesel, I can see hybrids and EV's coming more and more to the fore at the expense of diesels (more so than petrol), but again that's just my opinion.
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i agree the Leon estate (ST) is a very good value option, or any of the similar VAG cars. The Leon has far more practical dimensions than the Ateca in my opinion, large boot, plenty of space but still relatively compact.
 
I've got a Karoq - it's a great car. It's better specced than the equivalent SEAT (Arona I think) - they SEATs seem a bit budget if you ask me. How times have changed lol.

We have the 1.0tsi, it's pretty quick and don't lack power.

Happy car hunting!
 
SmallTown said:
It really would be detrimental. I know I'm not the only one who drives a rental way more vigorously than my own car. Pretty much everyone know that's if you don't have to maintain the gearbox or replace the clutch at some point, you're going to rag it.
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I don't think so. The last car I had before I left the UK was a low-mileage ex-rental Alfa. never had any trouble with it.
 
KingOfTheTribes said:
I've got a Karoq - it's a great car. It's better specced than the equivalent SEAT (Arona I think) - they SEATs seem a bit budget if you ask me. How times have changed lol.

We have the 1.0tsi, it's pretty quick and don't lack power.

Happy car hunting!
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I think the spec comparison between Seat and Skoda seems to swing between different models, i'm not sure either is more budget than the other overall
 
Most reasonable people are not going to drive a rental car any different to how they would normally drive. There's actually no logic to it. Personally, If I use something that isn't mine I tend to be even more careful. Obviously you may get some idiots who are bad drivers but it's extremely doubtful that this would cause damage to the car. If it did, the dealership wouldn't buy it to sell on. Most private owners don't regularly check their oil and coolant levels so this would be much more significant in terms of long term engine health.

Another thing to be wary of when buying used are premium high spec cars. These cars tend to have lots of problems and this is backed up by repair and warranty data. Brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Land Rover are notorious for having a high % of warranty claims and huge repair bills. This will be a twofold thing. Firstly, these premium vehicles are generally incredibly unreliable despite their premium status. Secondly, these types of vehicles are often driven harshly which just makes matters worse.
 
SmallTown said:
It's not a misconception if it's my hire car! Most of my colleagues are the same. Everywhere can be driven to it 7000 revs in a hire car!
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Don't think it's possible to drive modern cars upto 7000 revs...and I've never ever had a clutch go on me. If you can't find the biting point you might need to resit your driving test.
 
Nobby_Barnes said:
Don't think it's possible to drive modern cars upto 7000 revs...and I've never ever had a clutch go on me. If you can't find the biting point you might need to resit your driving test.
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To be fair my car has one gear.
That’s not about setting off, it’s about always keeping the revs high. Staying in the power band. Ragging the ass off it basically! That’s what rentals are for
 
SmallTown was the one before attempting to make a case for not having speed limits as drivers like him are safe and responsible :)
 
JustTheGent said:
SmallTown was the one before attempting to make a case for not having speed limits as drivers like him are safe and responsible :)
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Hmmm, he also apparently drives cars round at 7000 revs(like all his colleagues) and he can't get used to the clutch so burns them out...

I smell something unpleasant, and it's not a burnt out clutch...
 
JustTheGent said:
SmallTown was the one before attempting to make a case for not having speed limits as drivers like him are safe and responsible :)
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IN my own car!

Not sure what Nobby's issues is. He can't seem to make the difference between driving spiritedly and driving badly. I'm going to attempt to explain, but I guess he's just been a WUM:

When you accelerate hard and often, it wears the clutch out. I'm not talking about hillstarts you big numpty. I mean flying starts off the lights.
 
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SmallTown said:
IN my own car!

Not sure what Nobby's issues is. He can't seem to make the difference between driving spiritedly and driving badly. I'm going to attempt to explain, but I guess he's just been a WUM:

When you accelerate hard and often, it wears the clutch out. I'm not talking about hillstarts you big numpty. I mean flying starts off the lights.
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Presumably having to brake heavily for the next set of lights. Plenty of that sort round here.
 
It is pretty easy to thrash a small hire car. Little Corsa etc aren't very powerful.
Anything in a higher group with more power, then you are probably driving like a d*ck.
 
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