What car should I buy? The answer is never simple

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re into your cars, and you’ve probably been asked to give someone you care about advice on which model to buy. This could be your partner, mum, or even just a friend down the pub. But speaking as someone who often delivers this type of advice, I find it strange how much variety there is in my answer to “What car should I buy?”, even when people’s circumstances and budget are level. So what is the best way to give advice?

It’s quite a complicated thing to do, because not only is the investment high, but it’s also something that comes very close to being an emotional purchase. So put personal affinities aside and think of the car as a purely rational purchase.

Also, a car that’s highly rated on paper isn’t necessarily the best choice for every buyer, and for this you really need to dig into the detail of each case. 

For example, a friend’s mother purchased a nearly new Mk7 Volkswagen Golf fitted with a DSG gearbox about 10 years ago; it was to replace a Citroen C4 hatchback, and although that car was charming, the overwhelming sense was of a lack of quality – and that was the main driver behind the decision to buy something different. 

So a Golf – an impressive car across the board – was the advice given, and the advice taken. But her driving style and stop-start town driving led to worn clutches, which cost far more to fix than should have been the case for a car of that age. 

The Mk7 Golf is superbly put together and reeks of quality, which was enough to sell the idea of buying this VW. But it turned out that the dual-clutch transmission was the weak point, meaning the Golf turned out to be less reliable than the old C4, and therefore – contrary to what most people might think – came to be thought of as the lower-quality option in the long run. 

So when time came to suggest another new car to her a few years later, despite being in the same personal situation and having the same budget, the new recommendation was a 2020 Honda Civic, a car that’s been unstoppably reliable and has a less troublesome transmission. On paper, this model isn’t the most highly rated, but it nails the around-town motoring brief without needing the gearbox to be rebuilt every five years. 

But how’s this for cruel irony? When I ask if she likes her Civic, she says, “The doors feel a little flimsy. I miss my Golf.”

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