Car for 10k?

Munzz

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Hi All,

It sounds like I may have to return my company car due to the fact I don’t really need it for my job anymore (a 14 reg focus!) and they may offer some sort of monthly payment to supplement the loss.

I’m keen on buying a 2nd hand car for around 10k and my eyes are firmly set on a Golf GTD at the moment due to looks, power and practicalities. Realistically I could probably get a 12 plate for the price I want to pay, but now I’m thinking that’s too bloody old!

What else should I be looking at, where the balance of age and cost is reasonable? If you had a 10k budget, what would you choose?

(PS - I barely do any miles a week, 20-30 tops so it would only be a run around).
 
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Are you only after family hatchbacks? Difficult to advise without more info and preferences

If you don’t do many miles, then I’d consider a petrol car
 
Are you only after family hatchbacks? Difficult to advise without more info and preferences

If you don’t do many miles, then I’d consider a petrol car
Agree with that sort of mileage I'd opt for a petrol, you'll have issues with the diesel filters etc also mpg won't really be a factor
 
I agree petrol would be best under those circumstances. Would love a GTI but I’d be looking at a car that’s 10 years old for the price I’d like to pay.

I’ve read that Seat do a spin off of the GTI, never been a fan of their interiors though...
 
I agree petrol would be best under those circumstances. Would love a GTI but I’d be looking at a car that’s 10 years old for the price I’d like to pay.

I’ve read that Seat do a spin off of the GTI, never been a fan of their interiors though...

Sounds like you're after a fast hatchback? In which case with your budget you'd need to compromise with car's age. IMHO though age isn't as important as mileage unless of course you're after the latest models etc. If you can find an older generation GTI or a Seat Cupra (or even an Audi A3 or BMW 1-series) but with a decent mileage then why not go for one?

Not sure if dealerships are open or closed these days? If they are closed then when the lockdown is finally lifted there'll be some good deals around. I picked up my 2016 Audi A6 BiTDI with 22k miles on the clock at a cracking price last summer right after the lockdown was lifted so if you can wait till the lockdown ends then you'll have more chances of picking up the best buck for your money
 
Does the size of car matter to you? I picked up a 3 year old Polo from a main dealer for £9.5k, with good kit and low mileage.
 

You could have got this^

There are some really well looked after older cars out there, so don't rule out the older ones.
Maybe check out some of the car forums to look for a cherished car with alot of history on the owners club
 
FWIW when I wanted my GTi my budget was £10K. I really struggled to find a car in budget that I wanted and it was older than I wanted. I think I'd underestimated how expensive they are new esp. once you've added on the extras. 5 yrs later I'm still driving it - it hasn't been perfect but it's still going strong and a joy to drive. I bought a lower mileage one and looked after it. I balance the age (now 12yrs) with doing proper maintenance not just the bare minimum and I have a fully loaded recovery policy with Green Flag so if it does break down the inconvenience will be limited.

If you're only doing 20-30 miles a week then I wouldn't buy a diesel or worry unnecessarily about age or mileage - just condition. That is of course hard to judge at the moment.

In my mind I'd like to replace mine with a newer one with adaptive cruise and I keep wondering if I should make the leap to the GTE - but that's a whole other thread :)
 
Just as an experiment - I stuck a £10,000 limit, a 4 year age limit, and a 50,000 mile limit into Autotrader - and looked at petrol Audi cars available with those limits applied (Audi chosen randomly, simply because it's near the top of the list alphabetically)!

There's a surprisingly good selection available - I have no idea if any of them would meet the OP's needs, (there are no S3's etc. obviously) - but £10k gives you plenty of options if you're prepared to step down a touch from the hottest of hatches.

Might be worth experimenting with the search functions on Autotrader to see what compromises might be acceptable to you.
 
Thanks for all of the responses guys, really appreciated it.

@AMc I completely agree with you, I underestimated the cost of these cars and didn’t realise I’d have to make a drastic sacrifice on age.

The reason for looking was because work will soon be taking my car away from me, hopefully supplementing it with some sort of allowance.

To stop me wasting time, I’ll be revisiting this when I have it confirmed, I spent hours the other night on autotrader and not being in a position to buy!
 
The thing I missed was the difference in an entry level S etc. vs. a GTi or R.
The offical list goes from £17,625 - £33,255 for the top R (No extras) - the GTE Nav is £35,820 :eek:
PDF link - https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/assets/common/pdf/golf-gte-vii-pricelist.pdf

So hoping for a 2/3rds depreciation in the first 3 years on a car that should (based on mine) stroll to over 10yrs >100,000miles was a bit optimistic on my part!

I feel for you on Autotrader - back in the autumn I was hunting for a good car for my daughter who has just started to learn. Expecting her to be taking her test about now.
Hours and hours comparing prices, specs, insurance etc. only to be stymied by lockdown stopping lessons and tests. In many ways I'm glad I haven't got a small engined Polo joining the two cars on the drive which I alternate using for the single shopping run a week :)
 
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Due to a slump in new production and sales, 2nd hand cars are holding their value better. And in some cases, increasing in value.
 
For only 30 miles per week I'd buy something like a mk2 golf gti or 1.9 205 gti etc.
 
My brother has just picked up a 3 and a half year Audi A3 for £10,000
 
You can see something from auctions, I would advise you to take something hybrid! With your mileage it will be very economical.
 
For only 30 miles per week I'd buy something like a mk2 golf gti or 1.9 205 gti etc.
That would be fun, but sinking £10k in a car that hold is hard to swallow.
I wish I'd never sold my Mk2 Golf GTI 16v. Most fun car I've owned, and I had a Civic Type R and Mk7 Golf GTI after that.
 
That would be fun, but sinking £10k in a car that hold is hard to swallow.
I wish I'd never sold my Mk2 Golf GTI 16v. Most fun car I've owned, and I had a Civic Type R and Mk7 Golf GTI after that.

They are only going to go up in value. So many cars that should have been kept, from Nova's, lotus carlton, Lancia delta integrale, R5GTT etc. If only we all knew.


For doing about 1500 miles a year its pointless to sink £10k into a 3 year old boring eco box, that will plummet in value.
 
But you still want those 1500 miles to be trouble free, which you won't have with a 25 year old classic hot hatch.
 
But you still want those 1500 miles to be trouble free, which you won't have with a 25 year old classic hot hatch.
My 22 year old Mk4 golf auto diesel has done this in the last 6 months with zero issues.
Same with my Mk4 golf estate.
Like any car you'll have to spend money, but it will only appreciate, not depreciate like something modern.
 
But you still want those 1500 miles to be trouble free, which you won't have with a 25 year old classic hot hatch.

Luck of the draw mate, my last 2 brand new cars have both had to got back for warranty repairs, one with 35 miles on the clock, the other with about 3000 miles.

Yet my Cossie runs absolutely fine.
 
If size is an issue but badge isn't, I'd be looking at an Octavia vrs estate. You get a much newer car for your money than a vw golf gti on which it shares many parts, including the chassis and 2.0 litre petrol engine.
 

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