Would car would you recommend....

[spaced]

I have �4000 and give or take �1000-�1250 for my car part exchange, so I have arond �5k to play with. Have been looking at focuses, as recomended by many people. Told to stay away from fiat and clios. what would you recommend i look at/stay away from??

[kepla]

It really depends on what sort of motoring you will be doing and where your preferences lie. All I can do is suggest what I would do if I had about 5K to play with in today's market. Avoid any sort of foreign front-wheel drive hatchback on the grounds that they handle poorly, look awfull and will very soon only be worth the 1K you expect from your current car. Why not just keep what you have and give me the 4K ? My own preference would be to invest that money in something which will actually provide a decent amount of driving enjoyment and might not depreciate too much. Look at what you can get from the Jaguar, Mercedes and BMW ranges at about 9 or 10 years old. Provided you see a good service record they should be as reliable as hell and are likely to put a smile on your face every time you drive (mine do !). You just don't get that from a modern hatchback, so why get one ?

[Alltorque]

Tend to agree with Kepla, but with the usual reservations - when these cars go wrong it tends to be Mortgage Time. Lots of really interesting cars around, but depends what your requirements are. Have a look here :

http://www.tittyhomotorco.com/

Some very different motors.

[PhilBy]

If you do go along with buying a 9 to 10 year old Jag, Merc etc make sure it has a new or very recent exhaust and tyres or you will soon find yourself facing a �1,000.00 + bill! Very nice cars but a finicial burden to keep them that way.

[ammo123]

Personally I would buy Auto Trader and look for any Mark 4 golfs that are T Regs or above. They hold there value well and are reliable. Stay away from diesel models as they are high mileage and sound and drive terable