# best car to buy for 14-15 k?



## morpheus (5 Jan 2007)

Ive got a stilo, though it pains me, its due for replacement.

Ive got circa 14 - 15 k in total including the trade in value.

What should i go for? Im looking for something similiar (not a fiat stilo though) but dont necessarily have a problem with fiat.

Been looking at 
alfa 147
nissan almera
ford focus (no new models under 16 yet i think)
fiat grande punto
golf (no new models under 16 either  )
mazda 3
ford fiesta steel

any more suggestions?

cheers!


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## Jimmy Mook (5 Jan 2007)

Second-hand Audi A4. Solid as a rock and lovely to drive. Cant go wrong.........touch wood!


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## wheeler (5 Jan 2007)

I was thinking of an Audi A4 too.. it seems to be the best deal in that price range all round. But if you go for a price range of 10,000 - 13,000 it falls off the radar.


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## Megan (5 Jan 2007)

How about some of the Skodas - same engine as the Golf.


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## CCOVICH (5 Jan 2007)

I am delighted with my 2002 147. No problems to date. Great features pretty much as standard (10 cd changer, steering controls, climate control), alloys. Sore enough on fuel. 

If you can get an A4 for your budget, then yeah, nice car, much bigger too.

I would prefer an old Focus to a new model on looks alone.

Grande Punto or a Fiesta? No thanks.


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## Gabriel (5 Jan 2007)

Anything is a step up from a Stilo. Worst car EVER! Sorry...no offence.

Despite CCOVICH's experience I would not buy a 147. Lovely car but extremely unreliable. As with all Alfa's you either get a nice one or a complete mare. If you like playing the lotto then go for it.

Forget about Audi for that price range. Almera is awful. Really awful...souless car. Ditch that too.

Ford Fiesta is a great car...but would be smaller than what you have now. Golf...you'll only get the last model. Wouldn't bother. Either of the two model Focus is what you want. Older one looks nicer and is a great drive. You'll pick up a nice one for 14-15k. Try and get a 1.6 zetec...that's the one to go for. Get a low mileage one and you'll have picked up the bargain of your life!


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## niceoneted (5 Jan 2007)

I have friends who sware by the ford focus although I feel there is poor visibility through the rear window! I have an opel astra from nearly new - although it is due to be changed but I'm going to hold on to it until it dies- I'd recommend it. 
I'd stay away from the alfa and fiat - heard too many bad stories. Friend had almera although they loved it they found it very light and tinny!


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## ktwo (5 Jan 2007)

How about a Honda civic.You would get a two year old for that money id say.. great car.


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## ACA (5 Jan 2007)

06 Yaris. Should be in or around your price range. Excellent car, holds their value well (after the initial 1st year drop), reliable, very safe, roomy.... no affliation to Toyota - although I do have a Yaris meself!


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## Gabriel (6 Jan 2007)

ACA said:


> 06 Yaris. Should be in or around your price range. Excellent car, holds their value well (after the initial 1st year drop), reliable, very safe, roomy.... no affliation to Toyota - although I do have a Yaris meself!



By all means go for a new model Yaris. The older model (not very long ago) is small...too small.

The civic is a good car but the previous model (which you'd be looking at) was beaten with the Honda ugly stick. When I see them on the road I sometimes think it was some sort of cruel Japanese joke that got out of hand.


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## tosullivan (6 Jan 2007)

Alfa 147 & Nissan Almera in the same breath....Shame on you

The old Focus is much nicer than the new one


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## RS2K (7 Jan 2007)

tosullivan said:


> Alfa 147 & Nissan Almera in the same breath....Shame on you
> 
> The old Focus is much nicer than the new one



I cannot agree. New Focus is superior in almost every way.


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## CCOVICH (7 Jan 2007)

RS2K said:


> I cannot agree. New Focus is superior in almost every way.



Except in the looks department-but that's purely down to taste.

It doesn't really make sense to be considering the likes of an A4 alongside a Fiesta-what do you want-a large saloon or a supermini-very different cars.


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## tosullivan (7 Jan 2007)

RS2K said:


> I cannot agree. New Focus is superior in almost every way.


I agree that the new one is a far superior car, but the old one just looks much better.  Its still the best car of that class


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## sandyg (8 Jan 2007)

I bought the Punto Granda last year and if find it a great car. Has lots of extras as standard, ive got four years hassle free driving with the four year warranty deal they have on them.


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## mprsv1000 (8 Jan 2007)

How about a fully loaded classic mini , bringing one back from the U.K. soon, you'd only have to pay for half a parking ticket Anyway from what I've read about traffic in Ireland why not buy a nice bike, in Asia a honda 50 will transport a family of 10......


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## morpheus (9 Jan 2007)

Would you really recommend the Grande Punto? they are in the right price bracket and it'll be my third fiat (*gasp*) ive been tossing the coin between a newer fiat grande punto 1.4 or an older focus 1.4/1.6, but its v hard to find a focus with the right mileage. 

My other problem is that im trading in a Stilo and i need to get the most bang for my buck which I think will probably come from my fiat dealer rather than from a ford dealer?

I dunno, 14k is more likely the amount i can handle with mortgage repayments etc.

I never had a choice between a4's and alfa 147s... im purely a hatchback person, its from the list in the first post or something similiar.

New focus is out of question, its too expensive.


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## morpheus (15 Jan 2007)

Hi all,

quick update, went to a nissan garage and they have offerd me an originally €15,000 04 nissan almera 3 door sport version with 18000 miles for 6k plus my own stilo.... 

is this too good to be true or what!?! Im getting the equivelant of 9k for the stilo which i wouldnt even have asked for had i sold it privately!!!

i hear the gentle patter of raindrops from my stilo's headlights as we get ready to part ways, how and ever, onwards and upwards, I think I will take the offer. Any more opinions on the Almeras?


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## oopsbuddy (15 Jan 2007)

morpheus said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Any more opinions on the Almeras?


 
Its a continent better than a Fiat!!


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## tosullivan (15 Jan 2007)

sandyg said:


> I bought the Punto Granda last year and if find it a great car. Has lots of extras as standard, ive got four years hassle free driving with the four year warranty deal they have on them.


Until it comes to time to sell it or trade it in and then you'll realise you should have bought something else



morpheus said:


> Hi all,
> 
> quick update, went to a nissan garage and they have offerd me an originally €15,000 04 nissan almera 3 door sport version with 18000 miles for 6k plus my own stilo....
> 
> ...


Still don't like Nissans.  They are the worst of all the Japanese cars


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## morpheus (15 Jan 2007)

tosullivan said:


> Until it comes to time to sell it or trade it in and then you'll realise you should have bought something else
> 
> 
> Still don't like Nissans. They are the worst of all the Japanese cars


 
True, but like the inside of a chinese fortune cookie (chinese/japanese, close enough!) this is the path to enlightenment, try trading in a stilo to ford compared to a nissan against a nice focus... watch as they laughingly offer you 4 grand for a fiat that you just paid 8k to clear the finance on.

If the stilo was a 1.6 or an abarth, i wouldnt part ways with it, contrary to popular belief its a nice drive and quite quirky in its own way. It probably wouldnt cost me much to get it repaired in a fiat garage and continue on but the mileage is starting to climb, i like to keep it around 30 - 40k before i trade in.


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## oldtimer (15 Jan 2007)

Why not buy a brand new car? Isn't there a new medium sized car, Chevrolet Aveo, advertised on telly at the moment for around 14k. Looks a fine car. Aren't they the big sellers in USA, so must be okay.


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## CCOVICH (16 Jan 2007)

The Chevrolet Aveo is not a US car as such-it is a rebadged Daewoo.  Very hard to resell.

And I wouldn't buy anything just because it sells well in the US-their own cars tend to be inefficient and have poor reputations for quality.


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## soy (16 Jan 2007)

oldtimer said:


> Why not buy a brand new car? Isn't there a new medium sized car, Chevrolet Aveo, advertised on telly at the moment for around 14k. Looks a fine car. Aren't they the big sellers in USA, so must be okay.



Agree with CCOVITCH, GM had to rebrand Daewoo as Chevrolet in a bid to get a better image. Daewoo's would be cheap but you would be paying for what you get, so cannot be considered good value.

Toyota are the big sellers in the US, they are due to overtake GM as the worlds largest car manufacturer in 2007. The quality of US cars by Ford, GM and Chrysler is quite poor.


Morpheus,
With Fiat, you either have a good one or a bad one. As your Stilo is not giving any problems, why not keep it for a few more years. 
It is certainly better looking than the Almera.


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## polo9n (16 Jan 2007)

THE ONLY COMMENT I like to make about Jap car is that they are quite flimsy, but mechanic wise, they are a winner.

you might as well see more car before make any decision, theres a lot more car out there in the same catergory!


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## bradfield (16 Jan 2007)

Hey!

I have a Skoda Fabia 04! Great car, reliable and very good for petrol consumption! There is a new model launching at the Geneva motor show in March and is due here in May, looks good! Have a look here http://www.newsik.net/cars/skoda/fabia/

Good luck with the choice!

D


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## NHG (16 Jan 2007)

I find it strange that nobody has mentioned a Toyota Corolla Hatchback!


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## morpheus (16 Jan 2007)

not crazy about the look of the toyota, agreed about the stilo, its a nice looker, however, 1242cc engine is not enough engine for such a heavy car and due to their reputation id not chance going for a different one, while mine was ok, chances are the next one might be a lemmon!

Almera seems to be most value for money, if I had the cash i would buy an A3 or a focus, but based on the looking ive done both in forecourts and online and on how much ive been offered to trade in, the almera is a better choice.

Incidentally the sales guy just phoned me to say that he made a mistake with the ammount he's offered for my stilo that he thought i had an 04 but that ive only an 03, hmmm something smells fishy, i distinctly told him 3 times that it was an 03, i think i will tell him to sell it to me at the original offer price or ill walk away.


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## Newby (16 Jan 2007)

I have to say that i find the 2 Mazda's (one a 323 and the other one a 6)i've owned to be great value (so far!!!) The only bit of trouble i had was when my good lady dinged the 323 off another car. 

The mileage and fuel economy are good. More importantly i think the reliability is excellent on most japanese cars, but especially the 2 i've owned and I think the furnishing on the Mazda's seem to be that bit more palatable than most of the other cars i looked at.


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## soy (17 Jan 2007)

morpheus said:


> not crazy about the look of the toyota, agreed about the stilo, its a nice looker, however, 1242cc engine is not enough engine for such a heavy car and due to their reputation id not chance going for a different one, while mine was ok, chances are the next one might be a lemmon!
> 
> Almera seems to be most value for money, if I had the cash i would buy an A3 or a focus, but based on the looking ive done both in forecourts and online and on how much ive been offered to trade in, the almera is a better choice.
> 
> Incidentally the sales guy just phoned me to say that he made a mistake with the ammount he's offered for my stilo that he thought i had an 04 but that ive only an 03, hmmm something smells fishy, i distinctly told him 3 times that it was an 03, i think i will tell him to sell it to me at the original offer price or ill walk away.



Fair enough, if you feel the Stilo is underpowered then you may as well change the car. BTW - the reason you are getting such a good price on the Almera is because (while not as bad as Fiat), they have below average resale values. Of course this does not matter if you are going to run the car into the ground.


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## johnnyg (18 Jan 2007)

i had a 01 almera, brilliant, great handling and it was 1.5, didn't affect insurance either, don't go for 02/03 models as they cheapened them in these years with there buy one get another one next year free, traded last year to a mazda 6, brilliant car aswell, both cars very realiable which to me is the most important thing next to looks, audi a4 looks lovely on the outside but with all VW/audi models, the interior needs alot to be desired...very drab


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## morpheus (26 Jan 2007)

Picked up the almera today, what a car! it looks lovely, i dont think its that cheap looking at all (and coming from fiat  who cram every extra you can think of into interior) its not bad at all. Its a new model 04 almera... wondering though, is it drum breaks on back or are they discs all round? Alloy wheels and spoiler (proper nissan ones) make it look lovely. Nissan gold standard too. 14k with only 18k miles on clock.


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## johnnyg (26 Jan 2007)

well ware, morpheus


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## morpheus (7 Feb 2007)

Ok, I have this car a week and a half now but Ive still not had any contact about motor tax, What am I supposed to do about getting the car taxed? I figured that the dealer sent off some forms and then I recieved information in the post from the motor tax office? Is this not correct?


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