Time for a new motor. I'm interested to hear from owners of Civics, Auris, Cee'd, new Mazda 3 and any other car of that sort of size. Would you recommend what you drive? Why? Any negatives etc. Owners of Porsches, Maserati, Aston etc. Alas, all out of my bracket but you can tell us what fun you're having if you really want to!
Saab's IMO offer the best value for money … Cars are cars but once you have driven a Saab it's very hard to downgrade But to be fair you want reliability then look no further than a Toyota. My late father had 5 new Toyota's over 12 years and never had one problem with them I would go for a Auris from your list I think it's about value for money and I always go for unpopular models in the UK. I have always brought Renaults and currently have a 3.5 V6 Espace which in terms of spec outshines most new cars today in terms of tech. 10 years old 05 plate and only paid a bag of sand for it … In France they fetch over 12,000 euros … my point is it's a weird world of motors in the UK compared to the rest of the world. The UK adopts world brands as it's own … No one would buy a Skoda 15 years ago now they are a Prestige car, A VW van over here is a luxury item, in Europe it's a van … A Kia Cee'd was laughed at until it made its way onto Top Gear … now they are part of the British family and very good as I have had a few as rentals abroad. Therefore market research is very confusing in the UK regarding cars because there is a strange attitude to cars … We always here that it's about getting from A to B … well that's the problem to start with in the UK so if you want comfort and your own comfort bubble like wearing your choice of shoe buy what you like Safety? … then Renaults are clearly the best and cheap because the UK hate them yet they are by far the most innovative car manufacturers on the planet and the car world follows them IMO and remember they own Nissan I believe … I think the Quasai is one of the Uk's favourite motors? … Its a Renault
Interesting post DT. Saabs are not being made anymore, are they? I've looked at the Auris. The hybrid version does approx 70mpg around town(!!) which is where most of my driving occurs. It's also zero tax as opposed to the £240 I pay at present so that's £960 saved in four years on tax alone! The Cee'd is a classy looking car and you get more for your money. I'm trying to get to their showroom this week. Looked at the Qashqai last week. Reasonable value but a 1.2l turbo in a large car just sounds all wrong to me! The version I was shown apparently parks itself! Be interested to hear from any owner experiences.
Go for the Auris sir My mate just got the new Fiesta 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine … brilliant little thing and he claims it parks itself
Look at the Skoda range, I spent 10years as a Sales Manager with the Brand, and they are bullet proof. Build quality is everything you could want. I bought one when I retired and passed it on to my son,and bought another one and have have subsequently given it to another son and have now got my third. Not only have all three been utterly reliable they still scrub up extremely well.
Small family car? Golf - practical, well built, fun to drive (especially if you get the GTi/GTD versions, even more with the DSG box). In fact the Polo has recently taken steroids and is a big as the Golf used to be, the wife has a very economical 'Blue' version with DSG, it's great. But pricey compared to the competition, so 1954's Skoda (or SEAT) versions are great value as they are the same cars with slightly inferior materials.
I'm a simple man but I couldn't ask for more comfort and reliability than I've got with Skoda Superb, great for long drives and you can fit anything you want in.
Could do a lot worse than a Cee'd mate. Herself has a 1.6 CRDI and its a grand little runner. Always like driving it.
Are you talking about your other self i.e.: when you are in female character Have to agree Skoda or VW are great … Me I would go for a car that has character and breaks down a lot … more variety in life Yu get in my cars you roll the dice if we are going to get there
I am a bit of a Honda fan. The old Accord was a brilliant family car when it was a five door but they changed the design for some reason and now the boot seems much smaller. I am now on my second CRV. The reason I bought a Honda in the first place was that I had one as a Company Car and whilst listening to the radio and my two sons playing 'how many times can we raise and lower the electric windows' the battery unsurprisingly went flat. The RAC man said that he very rarely came out to Hondas and that they were amazingly reliable.
Not owned a car for more than 25 years, living in Manhattan I don't need one but when I do I just rent.
love my 2009 ceed, got it approx 7 months ago( due to 7 year warranty after some absymal runners). Only small downside the gears seem too high/low( know very little about cars) so driving around a 30 mile zone in 5th. Economical/Comfy and reliable(so far!)
If you like unreliable cars you should try my BMW tedium series. Split fuel hoses, engine loses power, needs servicing every 3 months, boring as hell. Just glad its a company car and I can dump it in favour of something small and nippy next year. Or perhaps my mid life crisis motor....I've got it, a SAAB!
I drove a Toyota Prius for a year, exceptional mpg around town, I averaged about 55. Drove beautifully and a fair bit of power when required. The engines are bombproof and doing 35,000 miles a year I was told they are good for at least 250,000 miles. If they could transplant the same engine/auto gearbox to the Ford Galaxy it would be perfect for my job as the big let-down with the Prius was the uncomfortable seats and interior, as I have back problems if I did long journeys I was in agony with lower back pain at the end of the day, that doesn't happen in the Galaxy which has proper adjustable lumbar support. That should give you some idea of what the Auris may be like if you go for the hybrid. Skodas are top quality as well, both the Octavia and Superb are excellent. Be aware that diesel engines are possibly going to be outlawed in London if the Green lobby in the EU have their way, so a hybrid is the way to go whatever you choose...
Pipe and slippers sir but if you get a right one ... 2002 AERO HOT ... Its woof woof at the traffic lights if required ... worth it just to see the faces of the A5 drivers This is very close to mime: IMO nearly perfect from every angle: please log in to view this image
