Car recommendation for new driver

glitch

glitch

glitch

Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2005
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A friend of mine has recently passed her test (coming up on 3 months now) and had her little heart set on buying a new shape Honda Civic as she learnt to drive in one and sort of fell in love with the idea of owning one. So she was all set of putting down upwards of £10k on finance to buy one, but after a stern talking to has now decided that would be rather foolish of her.

Unfortunately I myself don't drive (learning at the age of 28 - eeek!) so I can't really offer her any practical advice, but we've been chatting about what she wants from a car and I've got a rough set of guidelines. So rather than me tell her something that might be a load of old rubbish I thought I'd ask the people who would know best!

She's got between two and three grand to spend on a car, although she'd ideally prefer to spend closer to two, and wants something around the same size as a Civic/Focus/Golf/etc. She works about 5 miles away from where she lives so it would be used mainly for normal commuting and local driving with the occasional long journey thrown in at the weekends (300m+ round trips) and suchlike. She'll be 22 this year and lives in a 2a insurance area.

Ultimately it'll be her decision but if I can come up with a list of possible models to look at and then narrow the field down to one or two choices, we can hopefully then start to think more about engine size, spec, etc. Although if there's an 'obvious' choice or car then please fire them at me!

Sorry of this all sounds a bit vague - please let me know if there's anything more you need from me to make this a bit easier!
 
That's my initial thoughts, and quite possibly what I'll eventually go for myself, but I wouldn't know the first thing about where to start.

If she was to go for a Focus, what could she expect for her money and what should she be looking for? I've had a run through Autotrader and Pistonheads but I've got no idea what's good and what isn't.
 
glitch said:
Fantastic, that gives me a good idea of what's out there for the money.

Is the 2.0 the engine to go for?
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Well I can't really speak from experience of the 2.0. I have the 1.6 which is quite enough to keep me amused for a first car. Although I believe the 2.0 is a lot more capable and would be much happier on the long journeys, I think i've also heard that the 2.0 isn't that great on fuel but I can't imagine it being much worse than the 1.6 :) so yes, if possible the 2.0 would be what I would go for in the given situation. Just make sure the zetec model comes with the 'climate pack' which adds air con and a heated front screen. It's also worth noting that the 2.0 variants come with rear disc brakes and 16" alloys (instead of 15").
 
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I have a 2.0 Focus.

Average 27mpg and using about 100p/m on fuel.

Great great car and nice and nippy. Really quick from 30 - 80 through 3rd and 4th.

My car is worth about 2500 quid and it's done 66000 miles and is on a 51 plate.
 
not really check prices but what about a seat ibiza or leon? Is she after something thats quick? Or is she not bothered?

Aero

EDIT: MX5
 
lucasade1 said:
*snip*
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Very useful, thanks for the info. What about the 1.8 engines? A friend had one as her first car and loved it, but it was a hand-me-down so didn't get the choice of picking what engine she had.

Skeeter said:
[Fox Mode] Xsara VTS or VTR, its a 306 GTI6 but in slightly uglier clothes for a lot less money [/Fox Mode]
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She'd hate the looks of both and unfortunately that's going to be enough to put her off. Can't say I blame her either.

peterattheboro said:
I have a 2.0 Focus.

Average 27mpg and using about 100p/m on fuel.

Great great car and nice and nippy. Really quick from 30 - 80 through 3rd and 4th.

My car is worth about 2500 quid and it's done 66000 miles and is on a 51 plate.
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That sounds like the sort of thing she'd be after. And I know she likes the looks of the Focus which is a bonus.

Aero said:
not really check prices but what about a seat ibiza or leon? Is she after something thats quick? Or is she not bothered?
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Not bothered. She wants something reliable, nice to drive and comfortable. Anything around the same size as a Civic is going to be an option, so a Leon might be a possibility. Are Ibiza's the same size as as Polo or just slightly larger?

Aero said:
EDIT: MX5
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Hardly.
 
Not sure what you can get for the money but my girlfriend bought a MK4 golf and she is chuffed to bits with it.

Its been reliable and suitable for what she wants, bearing in mind she doesn't need world class handling or performance.
 
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