Spec me a first car!
- Thread starter Bakedgoods
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Tempting as I quite like them, I do prefer the looks of the MG ZR though :x
Soldato
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Another vote for the focus 1600, nice cars, Another good car is the fiesta 1.25, but i found that lacks space for someone of 6'4 .
The current Focus is bad enough to live with, the previous one was just awful. Ford can't design seats for tall drivers. I have to say that £3000 is not the kind of money I'd ever consider spending on a car. All used cars are a gamble and £3000 is more than I'd care to stake. I'd either want a new car, or one that I knew the entire history of (i.e. if my friend/brother/mother had owned it from new).
I am not at all averse to random second hand cars, but only if they are something cool like a 190E, something so utterly clapped out that I wouldn't care at all if it broke down like a £100 Renault Laguna, or something unbreakable like a Defender etc.
For that sort of cash I really would go down the route of something ultra cheap and pocket the difference. I wish I had, 2 months after passing my test I drove through a hedge and ripped off the engine undertray. I also reversed into a barbed wire fence half way along our drive getting out of the way of a parcel force van. In a clapped out wagon I really wouldn't have cared at all.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
No, the previous Focus was one of the best cars of its type ever built. A brilliant car.
Thats becuase your parents bankroll your car purchases for you so you don't need to think about lowering yourself to spend only £3000 on cars. I mean, £3000? On a car? How terrible. Thats a months food shopping for you at M&S Simply Food, isnt it?
In the same vain, I wouldn't dream of doing something so daft as spending £13,000 on a brand new Focus diesel to 'save money' on fuel. But when someone elses is paying..
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford a brand new car, and most people don't want a £100 bargain. Us mere mortals have no choice about spending £3k on a, COUGH SPIT, USED CAR! OH NO!
heh, that's the guy who I bought my 420 off! He's on Rovertech and a sound guy. That car has recently had a headgasket change, so one thing you won't have to worry about
That car has recently had a headgasket change, so one thing you won't have to worry about
Are you sure? The K Series doesnt have a head gasket issue!
That logic is flawed though because for the amount you save buying the car second hand instead of new you can carry out enough repairs to pretty much re-build the oily bits... twice
£100 bangers are OK for what they are but why drop yoursef to that level of car ownership when you've got up to £3k to play with? There are some cracking cars out there for that money.
Soldato
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[TW]Fox;10023057 said:
Oh you.... why must everything become so personal? You haven't even met me and you judge me on things as silly as car purchases! Cars are just lumps of metal. I happen to be fairly interested in them but still, there are more important things in life.
I bet you'd be a right laugh down the pub. 'WHY must you buy this burger when you could get a burger that someone has returned to the kitchen for half price? Actually, why must you buy this burger AT ALL when you could save hundreds on your food bill by shopping at LIDL, I mean eating in a pub? REALLY'
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What's everyones opinion on the MG ZR 105 1.4?
Rover 200 with a bodykit. The Focus is better. Otherwise, a Rover 200 is yours for a grand.
I like them (big suprise there then )
I still think you're getting a decent car for little money, although build quality on the later models does indeed suck. I had some seats from a ZR in my old car, and they were nothing comared to the earlier half-leather seats in the previous Rover 200s and 400s... nice and comfortable though!
I don't know why people think the dash is dated though. I think it's better than the Pug 106/Saxo of the same era, and it has nice soft-touch plastics which make it a nice place to be.
Engine wise, the 1.4 K-series is a nice revvy engine, but you need to work it to make progress. Does have some problems with head gaskets, but if it's been fixed properly before, you shouldn't have to worry about that for some time!
)I still think you're getting a decent car for little money, although build quality on the later models does indeed suck. I had some seats from a ZR in my old car, and they were nothing comared to the earlier half-leather seats in the previous Rover 200s and 400s... nice and comfortable though!
I don't know why people think the dash is dated though. I think it's better than the Pug 106/Saxo of the same era, and it has nice soft-touch plastics which make it a nice place to be.
Engine wise, the 1.4 K-series is a nice revvy engine, but you need to work it to make progress. Does have some problems with head gaskets, but if it's been fixed properly before, you shouldn't have to worry about that for some time!
You are basically telling the guy if he can't afford to buy new he simply shouldnt bother. What a ridiculous opinion! Your opinion is distorted by the unique way you are funded.
What else is there to judge you on? All I know of you is what you post on here. Such as how you spend £30 a meal on food from Waitrose, how your parents give you 300 quid a month, and how you bought a brand new Focus as a Uni student.
If you are lucky enough to be in that situation then great, we'd all like to be there as well but to then post things like well used cars are just not as good as new ones when the guy has a budget of £3k max is absolutely ridiculous. It doesn't help him in any way at all! He's not as lucky as you, he can't afford a new car, and instead wishes to spend £3k.
Are you for real?
Are you really for real?
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Just got a quote for a 2000 Ford Focus 1.6 3dr for £1,512 (TPFT) - Quinn Direct
I really prefer the looks of an MG ZR to that Focus though.
I really prefer the looks of an MG ZR to that Focus though.
Incorrect.
At six feet tall I find my Focus extremely comfortable and have completed many long drives in it with no problem. One of the reasons I looked at the Focus when I was shopping for a car was because I wanted something more roomy and comfortable than all the other small hatchbacks I thought I would be stuck with when buying a first car.
Im not sure how else it's "awful" to live with. Granted, the only experience Ive had with the current Focus is the 24 hours drivings lessons I had in one, but it was comfortable and easy to drive. My Focus, an old shape, is the same; comfortable, roomy, well built, reliable easy and, dare I say, fun to drive, especially considering it's nothing much more than a mid size family car. It's not exactly lightning fast, but it's no slouch either, and decent handling means it can still be good fun on a country road
The £3000 I had to spend on a car was actually a kindly donated gift from a relative of mine. Personally, I think I spent it wisely. yes, I could have bought a £500 banger as my first car and saved the rest. The truth is, I didn't want to. I wanted a car that I could cherish for a longer period of time, something that would last me a while and still be comfortable and in good condition. As someone else said, £3000 is a decent amount of money in the second hand car market....it certainly got me what I wanted.
Soldato
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These days can you get your parents to insure you on it for the first couple of years with you as the main driver (named) with Direct line and then take out a policy with Direct Line in your own name for the 3rd year and by the 4th year have 3 years transferable NCB for minimal cost?
Isn't that insurance fronting?
Edit: Ignore, i misread...so you can be a named driver, but also the main one?
Soldato
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yes... my mothers car is owned by my father yet she is listed as the 'main driver' despite only being a 'named driver'.