Hi there,

I'm looking to find a option under 10k€ as a main car for me and family (for now just me and wife). My goals/requirements are:

  • Second hand (I highly doubt I can get a new on at this price)
  • 5 seats
  • Easily maintainable (I car that the basic maintenance, like oil and battery change does not require full disassembly of the from end)
  • Considerably long (Something like a Ford Focus or a Fiat Tipo) – Why? The car is a tool for me, it is for taking me from A to B. I do not plan to use as a work car, I'm thinking more about functionality, to be able to carry more stuff in one go, for example, if I buy something off IKEA, I would like to be able to carry that home. A Dacia Sandero Stepway, size-wise, seem to be a OK size. Going smaller than this would be difficult, but manageable
  • I do not need a sports car nor do I wish to push the limits of it, if it reaches 120kmph for the highway is good for me.
  • I would prefer not to, but if the engine is weak, I don't mind having to wait for trucks or take a bit longer to overtake one.
  • I have a preference for Honda/Toyota and I'm against Citroen/Renault because of what I have read online, but I'm open to hear anything, i know now a days there are groups and some brands share motors and technologies
  • I plan to keep it for as long as I can maintain, for a minimum of 5 years, leaning more towards 10
  • Today I ride a motorcycle and I barely completed 5k kms a year, I doubt I'd be going over 15k kms a year
  • I'd prefer that the car was under 50k kms , but for now this is just a "gut feeling", if there an argument that points that a car with100k kms would still be a good car and that it would last, I'd be open to that
  • It can be a dumb car (no parking camera, heated seats or other fancy extras), but if it has Radio/USB, electric windows and ABS it would be pretty fine for me, with cruise control would be perfect

Some of the options that I found online are:

https://www.autoscout24.be/nl/aanbod/ford-focus-1-0-ecoboost-trend-benzine-grijs-d9996344-8a6e-4265-936e-f9d607051d1f?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=73&position=73&search_id=2dbnjqsviib&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2

https://www.autoscout24.be/nl/aanbod/fiat-tipo-1-4-pop-benzine-bruin-4e391a0a-bc5a-40be-8a15-bd822f9245a6?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=32&position=32&search_id=twn3ahs9zt&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2

https://www.autoscout24.be/nl/aanbod/dacia-sandero-0-9-tce-stepway-plus-benzine-bruin-da8498c6-7314-440e-8f17-f1d20d1e714a?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=95&position=95&search_id=twn3ahs9zt&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2

https://www.autoscout24.be/nl/aanbod/opel-crossland-x-1-2i-edition-benzine-zilver-0d3db064-c2a6-471f-9ace-32ab224ac34f?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=118&position=118&search_id=twn3ahs9zt&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2

https://www.autoscout24.be/nl/aanbod/honda-jazz-benzine-blauw-c5aca480-dc03-407c-ba97-beae5acd5ba4?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=4&position=4&search_id=la55325s86&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2

My main usage would be to commute (about 60km daily) and groceries, take kids to school, etc. I'd star traveling with a car now, but I'd limit myself to max of 300km from where I live. On Spring/Summer, I'd ride the motorcycle to work, would use the car mostly for fall/winter period and longer trips.

A bit of back ground, I only fully owned a car for about 1 year back in my home country, after my fathers death, when I was 18-19. He was a mechanic but I didn't have the chance to learn a lot and even what I learned I don't believe it is usable nowadays. The car we had was a VW Pointer, with zero bells or whistles. So I haven't owned a car for 15 year. I also don't trust garages that much (I'm from Brazil we always had one trustworthy mechanic), hence my request to had something I could maintain myself.

If more details are required, let me know.

Thanks a lot in advance!

by player_vsa

3 comments
  1. Buy a secondhand Dacia sandero and you will still have 4000 left. Believe it or not, Dacia are good cars, they dont break down easy and are easy to have fixed at a not official dealer. That will save you money. Downside, they are basic, and the sandero has a two star score regarding safety. (Also Renault)

  2. Skoda Octavia or maybe even Superb TDI. Those cars just keep going and are very spacious.

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