Hi guys, looking for some advice if possible, please! 
I'm about to buy a car, specifically a Vauxhall Astra (5 door). I'm set in my decision, and would be really grateful if anyone could have a look through what I'm hoping for and tell me if what I want/have is realistic, or if there's anything extra I need to look out for.
Tiny bit of background; my budget is £5000 cash. I have 10 years driving experience, so no concerns about young drivers premiums for insurance etc. I'm looking to buy within January, my current car is on its' last legs.
I'm looking for a 1.4 or 1.6 manual petrol. I don't want diesel. My driving involves a pretty even mix of 70mph dual carriageway/motorway and stop-start 30mph city crawling. Would anyone recommend either engine size over the other?
I want less than 50k miles ideally, and so far I've been looking at 2013 reg and newer. The colour would be black or dark grey (with the silver window trim).
I don't want any Cat C/D/etc.
I absolutely love the Astra GTC, but I haven't seen anything that looks good that isn't £1-2k above my budget.
I understand the world is on its' head at the moment, which means the market might be unpredictable. I'd just like to know if people think I 'should' get a reasonable car for that price, or is there a specification I need to change (if that makes sense?)
Thanks for reading, and in advance for any advice!
I'm about to buy a car, specifically a Vauxhall Astra (5 door). I'm set in my decision, and would be really grateful if anyone could have a look through what I'm hoping for and tell me if what I want/have is realistic, or if there's anything extra I need to look out for.
Tiny bit of background; my budget is £5000 cash. I have 10 years driving experience, so no concerns about young drivers premiums for insurance etc. I'm looking to buy within January, my current car is on its' last legs.
I'm looking for a 1.4 or 1.6 manual petrol. I don't want diesel. My driving involves a pretty even mix of 70mph dual carriageway/motorway and stop-start 30mph city crawling. Would anyone recommend either engine size over the other?
I want less than 50k miles ideally, and so far I've been looking at 2013 reg and newer. The colour would be black or dark grey (with the silver window trim).
I don't want any Cat C/D/etc.
I absolutely love the Astra GTC, but I haven't seen anything that looks good that isn't £1-2k above my budget.
I understand the world is on its' head at the moment, which means the market might be unpredictable. I'd just like to know if people think I 'should' get a reasonable car for that price, or is there a specification I need to change (if that makes sense?)
Thanks for reading, and in advance for any advice!