How Genuine is the car sales list????

[jace1969]

How true is this list and if it is a genuine thing to look at and what makes the Fiesta always Top when there are so many great small cars out there these days.

Is it the cheapness of the fiesta to what you get on it or other stuff,always wondered this.

Got to say i love the Audi like the A3 or A1 (being smaller)  and there are loads of Audi's round here and i mean loads but there are say 3 or 4 year old cars.

 

 

[TomsFocus]

It's not the cost, there are better cars out there for less money, Suzuki Swift or Mazda 2 for example...

The important thing to note is that this list is done on registrations, not purchases.  Fiesta's can be had for free on Motability whereas you have to pay extra for most cars, including the Focus.  And it's still got a familiar layout and a 'British' badge unlike the ***** and Koreans which old people tend not to like...  I'd be interested to know how many of those are on the Motability scheme.

The rest are leased through Ford privilege...

[jace1969]

On 5/19/2019 at 9:22 AM, TomsFocus said:

It's not the cost, there are better cars out there for less money, Suzuki Swift or Mazda 2 for example...

The important thing to note is that this list is done on registrations, not purchases.  Fiesta's can be had for free on Motability whereas you have to pay extra for most cars, including the Focus.  And it's still got a familiar layout and a 'British' badge unlike the ***** and Koreans which old people tend not to like...  I'd be interested to know how many of those are on the Motability scheme.

The rest are leased through Ford privilege...

Never thought of the mobility side of it but as you said about there are a few out there,do most car dealers offer the Mobility option from new sales these days.

Would be interesting as round here i see not a lot of focus/fiesta new or a few years old but a load of Audi A3 or A4 and few others,just that fiesta is always top

and on a big scale like 5000+ sales more.

[dtulip8]

To be honest, round here I can certainly see why Fiesta's top the sales charts. There are millions, be they MK6's, 7's or the newest shape. Quite a few MK4 and 5's still knocking about as well. I get that an Audi A1 is probably a nicer car, but having been in an Audi dealer recently the prices of the newer ones are horrendous and people these days don't want a used car so they get a Fiesta as they can't always afford the Audi.

[TomsFocus]

The A1 isn't a nicer car, it's ***** awful.  More like a Ka, cramped, uncomfortable and poorly specced.  The A3 & A4 are both really uncomfortable as well, I don't think they're rivals for Fords at all, different target market, I don't think the cost comes into it really.  You'll also find most people are into either VAG cars or Fords, there aren't many of us that'll drive both without a particular preference!  

If you want to compare rivals, the Fiesta and the Polo is the comparison...and then it's a no brainer, people only buy the Polo for it's VW badge, the Fiesta looks and handles better, it's cheaper to run, it's slightly better specced if buying top models without extra options and although it's a bit cheaper feeling inside, the Polo isn't exactly luxury either lol.

As for Motability, yeah most manufacturers have at least one car available on there now, you can even get Mercs and Beemers if you want!  But you'd have to pay for them, the 'free' cars are the small, low capacity, low specced ones usually.  You might even qualify for it yourself if your Dad is on certain benefits.

[dtulip8]

Tbf I've never so much as sat in an Audi, so don't really know what they're like. I certainly wouldn't pick a VAG car over a Ford, seeing as Ford's these days are just as competent and cheaper like you say. It really does just boil down to people wanting to say "I own an Audi" because a Ford doesn't carry the same badge kudos. The only German cars I really care for are Merc's, they really are lovely cars (though probably not an A or B-Class).

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Depends which generation of Audi you're talking about, I suppose. I had an A4 (B6 generation) and an A3 (8P) and they were both great cars. The later versions don't do anything for me so I haven't had one since.

Just round the corner from where I live, there is a new A1 and next door a Fiesta ST-Line, both black. The Fiesta looks great, the A1 looks boring, and the interior does not seem much better than a new Ibiza, which is perhaps not surprising as they are both built in the SEAT plant in Martorell.

Have had a new Ibiza as a courtesy car while the Mrs's Mii was in for work and I have to say it was fine. The interior seemed acceptable on a SEAT, which is cheaper and better equipped than its siblings, and the drive was much improved over the previous version, if not quite up there with the Fiesta. For a lot of drivers who find the Fiesta a bit  tight for space, this could be a better bet. If my local dealer was as good as my Ford dealer, I could seriously consider one with the right power train. 

Have yet to try a new Polo. I asked for a test drive in a GTI last March (2018) and have heard nothing since. Come to think of it, I'm still waiting for a test drive of a Mk 6 Golf from years ago, which demonstrates the efficiency of the local VW outfit.

 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, dtulip8 said:

Tbf I've never so much as sat in an Audi, so don't really know what they're like. I certainly wouldn't pick a VAG car over a Ford, seeing as Ford's these days are just as competent and cheaper like you say. It really does just boil down to people wanting to say "I own an Audi" because a Ford doesn't carry the same badge kudos. The only German cars I really care for are Merc's, they really are lovely cars (though probably not an A or B-Class).

Sitting in them is nice...  You'll wonder why you've put up with the cheap Ford interiors for so long...  Comfy seats, solid plastics, tactile controls with everything to hand, lovely steering wheel and gear knob feel, intuitive touchscreen infotainment, enough sound deadening to stop you hearing the engine and allow you to listen to the fantastic Bose audio without any rattles...  

But then you pull away and the complete lack of ride comfort lets it down!  They're designed to cruise on a smooth Autobahn at 100mph which they do fantastically well...  But the suspension can't cope with UK roads, there's a 30 year old concrete dual carriageway near me that is rough in any car, but it's utterly unbearable in an A3/A4!  I found myself doing 55 just to try and keep my lunch...  They can't do slow roads either, creating bumps that aren't even visible on 30mph village lanes!  The ride really is the only reason I got rid of the A3. 

It is a huge disappointment tbh, the engines are good, the specs are good, they look good (imo)...particularly the A5...the ride is the only issue.   Audi people often fit Eibach lowering springs to improve the comfort!  

I don't really know why they don't adapt the suspension for the UK market...VW manage a smooth ride without compromising the handling on equivalent cars.  As do Seat and Skoda on most of their range...  However they do ruin a few of them with silly tyres...the Fabia Monte Carlo for example, rubber band tyres same as FiST size so it tramlines and wanders all over the road while soaking up absolutely no bumps at all...all for looks!  

And on the subject of looks...I'm planning to go to a local Dub show this weekend...after the Ford one last weekend...   

 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Have yet to try a new Polo. I asked for a test drive in a GTI last March (2018) and have heard nothing since. Come to think of it, I'm still waiting for a test drive of a Mk 6 Golf from years ago, which demonstrates the efficiency of the local VW outfit.

If you've driven the Mk5 it's exactly the same underneath...  Came out during the financial crisis so they just chucked some different body panels on basically.  It's actually not all that different from the Mk2 Focus either.  I genuinely forget it's a Golf when I'm out in it...occasionally give a wave to modded Fords as I used to in the Mk2 before remembering...  

[Eric Bloodaxe]

4 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

If you've driven the Mk5 it's exactly the same underneath..

Yes, I have driven the Mk 5 (local dealer was ok back then - almost 15 years ago!) and did actually manage to drive a Mk 6 (and Mk 7), just not through the local dealership who now seem on the chocolate teapot level of usefulness.😀

Anyway, I found the same as you when driving the Mk 5 - uncannily similar feel in most versions to the contemporary Focus Mk 2. As I remember VW were a bit shaken by the drive of the original Focus (as we all were - was this really from the same company that brought us the Mk 4 Escort?😀) compared to the Golf Mk 4, so did something about it with the Mk 5 - shame the "perceived quality" of the interior slipped a little. I suppose the Mk 6 was really just a heavy facelift, similar to the Mk 2.5 Focus, and an attempt to move the interior back up a notch.

.

[jace1969]

I have only ever sat in a Merc and Audi but drove the old Beemer,the next door use to have a new top sport style car every 3 years so sat in some top ones.

He always had to have the so called fast one from the M3's to Merc and his last one a few years ago was the New Audi sports and think is war the RS 3 sport or something like that

and had something like a stupid 400bhp area,my god it was a rocket but the ride was amazing and road noise was amazing and the sound when he started it.

He is a few years older now and 12 months ago went for more of a comfort side of the A4 which is a 2015 reg with lots of toys but he brought this one for keeps,i do like audi.

But i think its right saying all these beemers/merc/audi are a lot of money new so as a lot say you get a good spec off the little fiesta or the bigger focus and lovely car to drive,i do think the drive has a lot to do with this as my fiesta is like on railway lines its great on bends which i do think is a selling point how good the chassis is.