First car for GF

Ghosteh

Ghosteh

Ghosteh

Soldato
Joined
18 Mar 2006
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Liverpool
So, my girlfriend is finally getting at getting her drivers license at 31, and we're now looking at buying her a car, just to get her some more practice in while she's learning and before going for her test, as well as being her commuting car once she has her license.

She's not wanting to spend more than around £2500, and is ideally looking at something like a Polo, mostly because she believes them to be reliable, so she at least has the right idea when looking for a car.

Her commute is around 12 miles each direction, and at the moment she is relying on buses, which considering they take an hour, isn't ideal, especially when she finishes late, sometimes at around 11pm. She doesn't work a Monday-Friday 9-5, so working out annual mileage is more difficult.

With this sort of distance, I wouldn't have thought diesel to be the right sort of engine, so have been looking at 55-07 plate 1.2E Polo's. Just wanted to check if there is anything I should be looking out for at this price range.

Also been checking out Fiestas and the sort.

I know cars like this are 10 a penny out there, but getting some feedback of what to look out for, and while mileage I should be looking at (I know mileage isn't the be all and end all of things) would help me help her.

Cheers guys.
 
Buy the polo, use the RAC inspection and absolve yourself of any responsibility for her car.

RAC checked the last car I sold and I was impressed with how thorough they were.
 
A diesel makes zero sense, the 1.2 is a nice engine, till it dies requiring major repair bills and they regularly do. The Yaris from personal experience is bomb proof and replacing Polo with Fabia will save you money and get you the same basic car/features for less money if that's the way she insists on going.
 
If she is anything like my mrs get her something cheap and as safe as possible, it will see walls, posts and just about every kerb out there, my mrs also wrote off her first car after about 3 months behind the wheel. I bought her a corsa as her first car and decided to go with a kitted out clio as her second because of it's safety credentials.

Clio was in great shape when I got it for her, less than 10k miles and not a mark on it, now almost every panel has some kind of ding.
 
I think I'd try and steer her away from the Polo into something like a Yaris as well. They are reliable and durable, very practical for their size, and you'll generally get much better value for money.
 
tiffanys said:
choose a diesel yaris and it will be economical too.
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Ghosteh said:
Her commute is around 12 miles each direction,
She doesn't work a Monday-Friday 9-5, so working out annual mileage is more difficult.
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Ghosteh said:
With this sort of distance, I wouldn't have thought diesel to be the right sort of engine
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Sounds like it will still be less than 10k/year, so definitely no need for a diesel.


Ghosteh said:
Just wanted to check if there is anything I should be looking out for at this price range.
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Fiesta MK6.5, 1.25 engine is decent enough (Fairly good on fuel, and has enough power for a small car).

Kia Picanto tends to be recommended as well.


Ghosteh said:
I know cars like this are 10 a penny out there, but getting some feedback of what to look out for, and while mileage I should be looking at (I know mileage isn't the be all and end all of things) would help me help her.
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Mileage is likely to be lower than average on small cars (as they on the whole are not used to travel up and down the motorway every day), and are often second cars (or owned by older people e.g. "just to pop down the shops").

Low average mileage not a problem, but I would still look for a decent service history (and regular services rather than mileage based would probably be better).

Clutch/Gearbox is worth checking, as due to short stop/start journeys e.g. town/city driving, likely to have had more use/wear.
 
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Fiesta, Fabia, Polo, Ibiza, Swift, hell even a Corsa, Kia Picanto, Yaris, hell even the frenchies (C2, Clio, etc) etc, will all do just fine. Buy a car based on condition& history in this class, not brand. They all pretty much drive the same imo ( underpowered, cramped, over assisted steering&braking, way to firmly sprung/uncomfortable tin cans that lack any luxuries :D).

You'd have to be an idiot to buy diesel for that mileage.

If you have the time, let her simply test drive a lot of the models in the class and drop/pick some of the models/brands to pick from later, I'm sure she's more fond of some cars and interiors/seats and general driving feeling than others!

The mistake most people ( including me always in the past) always make is simply not viewing & test driving enough cars before choosing!
 
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