Help me buy a car!

[moo]

I want a new car ....mine is not well

I am leaning towards a Citroen Picasso Diesel. Any advice/places to buy cheaply either online or in Manchester area gratefully received. I have heard that you can get good online offers these days, but having never bought a car before, I don't know....

Or....can you suggest a better alternative?

Cheers!

[NotIntaFells]

Just changed my car... suggest you try www.autotrader.co.uk and then enter any details which will narrow down your search, such as 'within 10 miles of postcode'. This will give you some idea of what is available, at what garages near to you, and what prices you can expect to be asked.
Also would be a good idea to look on www.parkers.co.uk and get a value for the one you're trading in as well as an expected price for the one you're looking at. This is the start... apart from that I am no car expert.
If you go to test drive anything, take someone with you who knows more about cars who would spot things that you might miss. Happy searching

[DanAzz]

Try http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp?lnk=300 it will ask you what you want from a car etc then give you suggestions.

[Gravymuncher]

Also, eBay. If you're wary about buying a car from eBay, you can at least use it to work out how much you should be paying for your car and you could print out auctions of similar cars and use them as evidence to barter your car down if necessary.

[crumblydown]

Moo why not just buy a skip and put an outboard on it ? it will save time,(cos it won,t take long converting your new car to tip status.)

[(notsomuchofa)Fellrunner]

I've got a Picasso 1.6HDi & I love it. It's roomy, manouverable, nippier than my last car, economical(*), can tow our trailer tent with ease & compared to lots of other mini MPV's it's as cheap as chips. I got it from Fords of Winsford, which is a car supermarket in, er, Winsford.


(*) Despite the fact that my wife works as a carer & does lots of town stop/start journeys & that when on motorways I do 70-80mph it's averaged above 48mpg over the last 2800 miles.

[emmilou]

Loved my picasso Moo - did us proud!!
we just outgrew it! (that and no tele!)
Hence the C8!!

[moo]

Thanks for the helpful comments...the websites are very useful too. Cheers!

Anyone actually bought from online? I have my reservations because you can't pop back into the garage if you have a problem

Think I am sold on the picasso from your comments too!

[david]

Think I am sold on the picasso from your comments too!

Which one? The old style or the new?

We ran a Picasso with the older 2 litre diesel engine for about 4 years/65k miles and had very little trouble with it. The girls sometimes complained that the rear seats were a bit hard but we did do some very long journeys .

[moo]

Well my brakes totally packed in on the way to Paddys Pole. Nearly killed myself....it was terrifying going round the country lanes. OH came and drovei t back...not good on the motorway!

Had half an hour this afternoon to buy a car!!! Have put down a deposit on a silver Picasso this pm!!!! Went for the petrol as diesel was £1000 more..... Should I have gone for Diesel...keep wondering. Could change it tomorrow.

Feel totally exhausted... Paddys Pole was the least of my worries today!


PHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW