Family Car Options for 2006

Hi Sueellen
Yes, congrats are in order, no. 2 is due in July but don't tell anyone- we haven't officially announced the news yet.

Carpenter
 
We're going to visit a few garages tomorrow, hopefully it'll help us make up our minds. I really like the new Astra Club 1.7 diesel. Would I be mad to consider going for a new car (06)? I drove one of these on holiday and thought it was beautiful car. We don't do a lot of miles so would diesel be a crazy option for us? These might seem like very fundamental questions but we've always had miserable cars (small, old and under powered) and something tells us we should be raising our sights a little higher (i.e. get a brand new car and get the model you want- not the model you think you should). We have a small mortgage are overpaying the monthly payment etc. Also we are fortunate in that we only need one car in our household as I can walk to work. Any and all advice welcome, including the "you're mad, new car depreciates by.." etc. Decisions, decisions.
 
Since we had our second kid in September, we've found our saloon too small for the four of us. We intend changing over to an estate in the next month or two. You won't believe how much stuff you end up carrying with two small kids in the car - for example going on holiday, you may need up to two travel cots (with blankets), two buggies, and assorted luggage for four in the boot. I'd recommend that you consider the estate version of whatever you're looking at.
 
I have always bought a new car except for my very first car. I clicked on a link on this site the other day which calculated the depreciation on all cars but can't find it now and it's not coming up on google either. It really made me wonder whether or not you should buy a new car. Most cars lose 50% of their value after 4 years. Having said that, I don't think I've ever seen any one year old car that I'm interested in advertised with €4,000 off. I'm going on a hunt tomorrow also. Did you pick up a copy of What Car Guide in PermTSB yet? I drive a Golf myself but am going to test drive a few Seats to see if I can bag myself a bargain for a change!
 
If you can afford a new car & want a new car go ahead.

For me.......I don't think I will ever buy a new car.....deprec etc etc. But also because I feel that it is 'expected' today and I don't like that - My Sister in Law is disgusted at the thought of me driving around in a banger when I could certainly afford repayments on a new car (note: not to buy it outright!) but I just think that there is so much nicer things to spend money on than a car which I could easily crash/scrape etc a few days after buying it. (& i also do it to piss her off!)

I think that a 3 year old car is reliable and much better value
 
if you really want to annoy your sister-in-law, why not go for a Hiace altogether!
 
Hi Carpenter,

I'm a firm believer that cars are purely to get one from A to B and cannot understand all the hype about styles, impressions etc. Buying a new car and losing a few thousand in value straight away seems madness but different strokes for different folks.

We only ever had one new car and I would have to say it didn't impress me that much more than buying a good second hand one. Having said all of the above if you are not up to your eyeballs in debt and it will lead to greater comfort for 4 (Congrats.) then IMHO you should go for it. We all have to go mad every now and again especially if Eddie Hob Nob is not watching. As for the diesel option would the noise inside the card drive you mad?
 
How is it, that, if new cars depreciate at c. 50% in the first 3 years, you cannot buy a 3 year old car for less than 66.66% of the rrp?
 
We've had a look at a few cars over the weekend and the choice is narrowed down to a Citroen C4 SX 1.4l or an Astra Club 1.4l. The Astra is about €500 cheaper but has a lower spec. I'm going to check out both on some of the dedicated car buyers' guides tonight to see how they compare. A secondhand model will save about €3000 on the new car cost. Trade in values are pretty miserable, so I wonder where all the 5+ year old cars are going to go?
 
I wouldn't go for a diesel Carpenter given your mileage. You really only buy a diesel if you're travelling 14k miles or more a year. I looked at the C4 in a mag only and was very impressed. Opel have an offer on at the moment where you can pay half now and half in June next year. It could be your SSIA pressie to yourselves?!
 
Yeah I think the C4 looks sweet, I going to try and knock another €500 out of the dealer for the trade in value tomorrow- wish me luck! The only disadvantage of the Opel deal is that it's a HP agreement- and I'm not so sure about that. I'd prefer a personal loan.
 
While the C4 is a nice looking car I believe Citroen have one of the worst reliability records, especially for all those included electric bits and pieces. If its going to be a family car I would put reliability above everything else! Just my 2 cents.
 

True in past alright, but most of the consumer websites I've checked out suggest that their new cars have a bigger focus on quality than was the case with the older models like Xsara, Xantia etc. Anyone else got a view on this?
 
Citroen are still citrons. Lemons.

Avoid.

Astra is better but Focus or Golf is better again
 
OK, I haven't ruled out the Astra; I don't like either the Golf or the Focus. Now how about engine size. Given that we're making a significant jump (for us) should I really be looking at a 1.6 given the size of these cars. I don't want to spend nearly €25k on a new car only to find it underpowered- would i be better off biting the bullet and going for a 1.6- any thoughts?
 
I've just got my Citroen C4 1.4sx - Air con, Cruise Control, Speed Limiter, Alloys . Am well happy so far, road noise practically non existant compared to my previous Citroen Xsara. From what I've read reliability problems have been sorted with the C4. Also happy with the digital display and trip computer, consistently tells me how many miles (or kilometres) more I can drive based on amount of fuel in tank.
 

Ok Podgerodge, that's what I want to hear! I was a little bit unsure about the high tech displays, I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to them. How do you find the 1.4 engine- is it up to the job? Do you carry many passengers in the car? I was happy enough with all the info that's available on the new C4 as regards build quality.
 
I think I'll be going to look at a C4 at lunchtime reading this post! I have a Golf Comfort which I have to say has all those gadgets as well but it's too small for baby seats. The inside page of 'What Car Guide' recommends the C4 which is good enough for me.
 
the 1.4 is a lot nippier than my 1.4 xsara was - I'm no mechanic but the salesman said it was 16 valve versus the xsara's 8 valve engine. dunno if thats rubbish or not but it certainly picks up speed quicker - so I didn't bother with the 1.6 and associated extra costs.
Size wise same as Xsara inside - fit 3 comfortably in the back I would imagine. Outside it looks smaller than the Xsara as it is more Focus shaped.
All the controls are on the fixed steering wheel hub - it doesn't move when you turn the wheel which is good.
No shortage of little storage pockets all over the place but I did find the glove box small.
Best of all , when I'm carrying the mother in the back I switch the speedo to mph and tell her I'm doing km/h!
 
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