New to cars, advice needed !

electric ant

electric ant

electric ant

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Joined
11 Aug 2004
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Location
Notts
Hi motors section of ocuk, Ive never posted it here before but the time has come for me to purchase my first car.

Bit of background info:

Im 25 and in full time job, so hopefully this will make for cheaper insurance?

Looking for reliable and economical car, will be doing around 60 miles a day to and from work on country roads, A-roads, B-roads etc.

Budget is quite flexible £1k-3k, perhaps stretch a bit further if needed.

No real preference on brand, although have experience with fords, vauxhalls and citreons.

Feel free to chip in with any advice, as I don't know too much about cars.
Very open to suggestions.
 
VWs are generally overpriced because people mistake nice switches and doors that "thunk" as quality and reliability.

Space isnt the only issue with fiesta sized cars, general comfort and ride quality are much greater in a bigger car. Fiestas are for 18 year olds to potter around town in, I wouldnt want anything smaller than a Focus/Golf for this many miles.

Personally I'd be looking at Mondeos, Accords, Mazda 6s etc as they offer much better value for money than the mid sized hatchbacks
 
With such a low budget as well as being his first car, ideally something small like a Fiesta is ideal. However, considering the distances travelled, going up a size is probably a good idea so a low end Focus, Astra, Golf etc would be more suitable. Mondeo probably too big for a first car, both practically as well as costs like fuel, insurance, tax etc. Depends what comes his way in fairly good condition in his budget. If you can go up to £3k then spend £1k-£1.5k and use the rest for insurance, repairs, breakdown cover etc.
 
£3k buys a perfectly respectable Mondeo and you'll get much more car for the money than a Fiesta too. Cars like the Focus conduct too much of a premium to be really good value at this price. Too big? Huh? They're not exactly thirsty, expensive to tax or insure...
 
iaind said:
Too big? Huh? They're not exactly thirsty, expensive to tax or insure...
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It's all relative. A Mondeo is too big if all you've driven is the instructors Corsa. Of course, drive a Mondeo, if you like it and the figures work out then buy one. Great cars but as a first, maybe a stretch. Get insurance quotes and you'll figure out what's viable.
 
If you can't pass your test and hop straight into a normal size vehicle like a Mondeo then you shouldnt have passed IMO. Mondeos have always been super cheap for me to insure, even compared to little tin can hatchbacks
 
The Mondeo would get my recommendation, as predictable as it may be it's a good car and fits what the op requires quite nicely.
 
iaind said:
If you can't pass your test and hop straight into a normal size vehicle like a Mondeo then you shouldnt have passed IMO.
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C'mon dude, the road is full of people who shouldn't even ride a bicycle. :p
 
If you are going to be doing 60 miles a day I'd go for a diesel unless you really want a petrol car. That's 15,600 or more a year which (**imo at least**) puts you in diesel territory.
 
Got some insurance quotes for mondeos and focuses, and they average around £1200+ , any tips to get this down, been using 1.6 and 1.8 2002/03 models so far.

Will diesel make insurance any cheaper? Or just more fuel efficient.
 
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