£11-13k budget - Advise for newbie pls

[jaysul]

Hi All,

I've got £12k saved up and it's time to move on from my Nissan Micra 2005. I'm 34 years now and I've had a Polo and Micra since driving at the age of 18 but I've always wanted something more comfortable, powerful and luxury but I played safe and stuck with a budget car to get me from A to B until I'm in a better financial position.

I have a 2nd child on the way and need a new car by Dec/Jan, initially I was heading towards the reliable Japanese cars like Auris touring hybrid or even Skoda Octavia. However recently I've noticed the prices from BMW/Mercedes aren't that far apart.

Within a £11-12.5k budget there is a mixture of 2015 Mercedes C & E class on AT with mileage around 80k with service history. I know the Mercedes reputation in terms of reliability haven't been great in the last decade but what's the perception around the 2015 models? As along as one has been serviced every year, would it be a safe bet instead opting for a boring VW/Skoda, Toyota?

The BMW series 2 active tourer is another one within my budget, it looks like a decent MPV for the price and ticks most of the boxes. Would this series 2 have the same maintenance/repair costs as the C/E class?

Please share your opinions, pro's & con's about opting for a Benz 2015 model instead of going for more reliable Hybrids/Japanese car route.

My requirements:
2 adults & 2 kids (with car seats)
Decent boot space
ULEZ or Euro 6 compliant
Automatic
Reverse camera/sensors

[Shabaza]

Just out on interest, have you considered Lexus offerings which carry the premium badge but retain the fabled Japanese reliability?

As for the Mercedes, the E220 diesel is a fantastic car, great power and economy balance, with the odd larger bill for servicing and miscellaneous parts.
The 520d is also excellent, bit more engaging to drive with a harder ride, but watch out for condensation in headlights (£600 to replace) and read up on timing chain issues.

The real question is how many miles do you travel and is their regular motorway trips as the DPF will be your enemy if its town driving and most BMW/Mercedes in that budget range will be diesel.

Subsequently, I would consider something like an RX450H Lexus

[dundarach]

If it were me, I'd be going nowhere near anything expensive at £12k cos' I like a quiet life.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307149...

Boring, invisible, safe, cameras, auto, economical, very easy to drive, not worth racing or nicking, cheap to service.

Ours has been faultless and is all the above - totally boring.

[jaysul]

Shabaza said:

Just out on interest, have you considered Lexus offerings which carry the premium badge but retain the fabled Japanese reliability?

As for the Mercedes, the E220 diesel is a fantastic car, great power and economy balance, with the odd larger bill for servicing and miscellaneous parts.
The 520d is also excellent, bit more engaging to drive with a harder ride, but watch out for condensation in headlights (£600 to replace) and read up on timing chain issues.

The real question is how many miles do you travel and is their regular motorway trips as the DPF will be your enemy if its town driving and most BMW/Mercedes in that budget range will be diesel.

Subsequently, I would consider something like an RX450H Lexus

I should have mentioned, it will mostly be town driving with 3-4k miles per annum

How big of a thing is the whole DPF issue as my father has a 2009 Nissan Note diesel and in the last 5 years he averages only 3k miles per annum mostly around town and hasn't had any DPF issues.

dundarach said:

If it were me, I'd be going nowhere near anything expensive at £12k cos' I like a quiet life.

Nissan Qashqai

Boring, invisible, safe, cameras, auto, economical, very easy to drive, not worth racing or nicking, cheap to service.

Ours has been faultless and is all the above - totally boring.

I do agree with all your points as it's hard to agree with all the positives a boring reliable car can bring. The only thing I should mention is that I will be having this car for the next 6-7 years at the very least. It'll probably kill me having another Nissan that long lol.

[andy43]

If there’s not much difference in used prices between an 80,000 mile BMW/Merc and a smaller Auris Touring I suppose there’s a reason - I’d guess it’s reliability and running costs. I wouldn’t touch a diesel at 80,000 miles unless it was very cheap AND ULEZ/congestion zone compliant.
Maybe also look at a Kia Optima estate plug in hybrid - very hard to find but they do have a good reputation, decent kit plus a 7 year warranty and if you do short commutes it’d be dirt cheap to run.
You might get a Corolla touring in budget but it might be high miles.
Boring maybe, but not as boring as your other option of a 2 series BMW inactive touring…

[NAAHD]

I wouldn’t recommend a 1.8 Mercedes if you’re in the market for a petrol. I had one and it was a short ownership…. Bloody timing chain killed it, along with some ECU issues too.

[ZX10R NIN]

What's your usage? If a diesel can work for you then the C/E220 is a good pick.

You can also get a C200 Sport that may be the pick if you need a petrol:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306278...

C220d SE:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307270...

Leftfield but not really leftfield is the Infiniti Q70 Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306309...

Or the C Class sized Q50 Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307240...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307119...

These use Mercedes drivetrains & have the same output as the 220d variants.

Now if you don't need a diesel I can recommend the hybrid version:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertisin...

[samoht]

jaysul said:

How big of a thing is the whole DPF issue as my father has a 2009 Nissan Note diesel and in the last 5 years he averages only 3k miles per annum mostly around town and hasn't had any DPF issues.

2009 seems to be around the changeover point, so your dad's car may not in fact have a DPF.

[dundarach]

dundarach said:

I do agree with all your points as it's hard to agree with all the positives a boring reliable car can bring. The only thing I should mention is that I will be having this car for the next 6-7 years at the very least. It'll probably kill me having another Nissan that long lol.

Right then:

Volvo XC60
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305237...

Vauxhall Insignia
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307270...

Hyundai i40
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305267...

[ZX10R NIN]

I will say that the last Gen Insignia SRI VX Line is a great family car that'll last you 7 years with ease.


2.0d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307189...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307179...

1.5T not as suited to a car of this size as the diesel but it's a decent option:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304186...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307199...

[jaysul]

I had another think and what about going for a high mileage Lexus GS or IS 300 (2013 model/100k mileage). They can be found for around £10-11k, most have full Lexus service history and are generally very reliable, have a luxury feel to them, cheap parts like Toyota, hybrid, don’t mind the CVT gearbox and £20 road tax.

I know the Insignia has been mentioned before but I don’t know anything about Vauxhall nor do I know anyone that has one.

[ZX10R NIN]

jaysul said:

I had another think and what about going for a high mileage Lexus GS or IS 300 (2013 model/100k mileage). They can be found for around £10-11k, most have full Lexus service history and are generally very reliable, have a luxury feel to them, cheap parts like Toyota, hybrid, don’t mind the CVT gearbox and £20 road tax.

I know the Insignia has been mentioned before but I don’t know anything about Vauxhall nor do I know anyone that has one.

What would you like to know about Insignia's?

They're reliable, great value & a great family car with all the modern connectivity you may require & they also have sensible running costs.

I'm sure there's a Vauxhall dealer near you go & take a look.