First car....

Richeh

Richeh

Richeh

Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2003
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3,397
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South East Coast
Bit wary of posting here as people have very strong opinions about cars and I am new to actually driving them but people are also knowledgeable so hopefully will get some good advice.

In short:
1st car - 31 years old - insurance really not an issue £800 for a Mazda 2, £1200 for a Ford Mustang so not enough range to make enough difference for engine size to be an issue I believe.
Not concerned with power but do like a quality interior and general comfort. Have sat in a BMW 1 Coupe, Mazda 2, Audi A1, Mazda MX5 and preferred MX5, then BMW, then Audi and lastly Mazda.
Budget £10k - Plan on keeping the car a while and want something made in the last 5-10 years and preferably 50k miles or under to 'hopefully' avoid issues for a while - I don't know anything about cars, sadly my father who did is no longer with us otherwise I would be asking him all of this!
No actual practicality needs - I live in one of the hilliest towns but live by myself so maybe 1 extra passenger and would do around 5-7k miles per year, I work from home so a commute isn't involved. Only practicality would be size, i'd prefer a smaller car, things like the BMW 3 series are a bit big so looking more hatchback/smalle coupe size.

Sensible options are things like the Mazda 2/3, the 3's seem a bit like gold dust locally here and the 2 I just didn't think was very nice inside. Understand first car and as long as it goes its fine but i'm buying a car to enjoy not as a necessity - I look forward to some nice lonesome drives.

I was very surprised at how comfortable the MX5 was and liked the interior (I think it was a 2009 model) - I initially completely rejected it as was never keen on convertibles but possibly a hard top? Not sure its the best first car but I am struggling to find reasons why as they are very resonably priced.

Second and probably preferable option is the BMW 1 series coupe which I love the look of and found very nice inside. Difficulties being, mainly diesel only and closer to the £10k limit for one 2010+ with decent miles but I really liked it.

The Audi was fine but didn't get the same comfort or buzz from it as the BMW and Mazda, although the adjustable lumbar support was nice!

Does anyone have big do's or dont's with the 1 series or MX5? One thing I noticed with the BMW is there are far more diesel variants than petrol so not sure if that would go for or against, i'm not sure any petrol savings on low mileage would equal the extra £170ish on tax per year?

Any help appreciated.

*Just for clarification I have no desire to get a £1-2k runner, I want a niceish car, yes first year driving, if I dent it I dent it, fully aware of this fact - If I really wanted to be stupid i'd grab a Ford Mustang :p*

Er and a slightly more general question just for lack of car negotiation experience - If I am buying a car cash, and its say £9k, what kind of discount would you expect - realise this may be a bit too general but curious.
 
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thats an interesting one.

what kind of practicality do you need? an mx5 is a good car, if you're aware that it has limitations (ie the obvious boot space and passenger restrictions), not 100% on the newer ones but the older models you can get aftermarket hard tops that you can put on (although if you want to go back to convertable you'll need somewhere to store the hard top).

1 series coupe is nice, how about a z4 coupe/convertible? should be some good options within your age/milage limit.
 
Cash is no longer king when it comes to buying cars, discounts aren't as big as they used to be as they want to sign you up for finance / pcp. You may find a better deal doing it that way and then clearing the pcp / finance off straight away.
 
Richeh said:
Er and a slightly more general question just for lack of car negotiation experience - If I am buying a car cash, and its say £9k, what kind of discount would you expect - realise this may be a bit too general but curious.
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Cash isn't king these days, the various dealers and salesmen will get a kickback from any finance deals, so you'd find more discounts if you tell them you're considering finance. You can then immediately pay off the finance agreement, though, getting all the perks that came with it.
 
Thank you for the replies, much appreciated. I am glad I found out about the finance info, although am curious as to how much of an overall saving simply as I never use finance for anything and am not too 'comfortable' with the idea as I always think there will be hidden fees etc

I'd had a brief look at Z4's but after a little reading found that they were a bit bumpier, and less comfortable over longer journeys (not sure how long, long is) so hadn't really looked and I think anything over 2L would be a bit much for a first car. I think I was particularly taken due to this MX5 very local to me http://www.imperialmotorcompany.com...le-aluminiumsilver-manual-petrol-id_9071.aspx which if I get hopefully get the price down to £7k seems a fairly good deal, very low mileage and a hard top, not a huge fan of the silver in the pictures but it looked nicer up close. But then i'm not sure if £7k on a an albeit low mileage 9 year old MX5 is the best deal. Unfortunately, most of my friends work different days etc, have families and despite some enquiries I think I will have to be doing this 99% on my own so if the place is more local to me the better - and honestly don't fancy a motorway journey back in a brand new car! Other option which is widely available is delivery from a dealer but would have to 'assume' the car is and works as intended. Test driving as close a model as I could locally would be the best I could do to get a true feel.

Practicality, honestly, there was a white board involved and I really couldn't find anything to put in the more than 2 seats column, anything big such as TV etc I would likely have delivered anyway, otherwise I don't really take stuff anywhere and local journeys would mainly consist of myself to the shops, to a mates, to my mum/grandma which would just involve me or possibly a night out if I didn't want to drink I could be the designated driver of one which means others would actually have to somewhat look after themselves :p I do like the BMW coupe but a good model with a petrol engine seems much closer to £10k.

Thanks again for the help any more info welcomed!
 
Don't let a motorway journey back put you off, just stay in the inside lane if you're nervous. You know that MX5's have a terrible rust reputation don't you? The car will need a good inspection!
 
Jamesyboyjim said:
Don't let a motorway journey back put you off, just stay in the inside lane if you're nervous. You know that MX5's have a terrible rust reputation don't you? The car will need a good inspection!
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It's not just what would be my first motorway journey ever back in a brand new car but also getting there, plus I am the type who will go a couple of times to see it before buying but I understand this will limit my options so am considering all avenues.

Regarding the rust, I heard it was a problem but mainly on older models pre-2005ish or is this not the case? The car will be kept outside in a parking space not in a garage. One of the reasons I was initially put off convertibles was the outside wear but after a bit of googling most said it wasn't an issue.
 
Glanza said:
Cash is no longer king when it comes to buying cars, discounts aren't as big as they used to be as they want to sign you up for finance / pcp. You may find a better deal doing it that way and then clearing the pcp / finance off straight away.
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Not if he's spending <£10k. Unlikely to find big dealer deposit contributions on approved used, let alone independent dealers.

Seems like a weird list of cars, as they are all quite different. At the OPs price point, I imagine you'd get a newer MX5 than a 1 series for the money...the Mazda is probably going to be cheaper to maintain/run in the long term too.
 
Blackhawk47 said:
At the OPs price point, I imagine you'd get a newer MX5 than a 1 series for the money...the Mazda is probably going to be cheaper to maintain/run in the long term too.
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Could get a 2010+ 2.0 MX5 with low mileage for less than 10k from a quick browse on PH.

I wouldn't say the Z4 is uncomfortable on long journeys, I don't find my 3.0i uncomfortable and I've taken it across wales and back and I daily It on 10miles worth of M4, and I'm on unsuitable 19" alloys (Don't get anything bigger than 18" on the Z4), You'll be surprised how spacious the Z4 is, I'm 6ft in height (and width :'( )) and fit nicely inside, comfy heated seats, the Boot I've managed 3 golf bags in it.

MX5 will most definitely be the cheaper to run/maintain. Both nice cars.
 
Really appreciate the advice. Looked through the MX5 thread and seems they are still prone to rust but it does take years to develop so thinking the 2008 I linked to earlier is a bit too old for my liking which means spending closer to the £10k for a newer one, which is similar to the BMW 1 coupe price but the BMW doesn't seem to have the time based rust issue! Z4 i've had a look but I would definitely be looking at older 2007/8 in my budget.

Understand bit of an odd list but it was more of a realisation that I don't actually need practicality, enough boot space for shopping is enough, I don't mind the odd hatchback, the Mazda3 did catch my eye but couldn't find any locally, the Mazda2 just felt much lower quality inside than the MX5, BMW and Audi so my preference has leaned towards something with a nicer interior and ideally nice and small which is why the roadsters have taken my fancy, as I have a bit of a range money wise and certainly prefer 'sportier' looking cars I just figured I would go in that direction as despite being a new driver my age takes a lot of insurance premium out of it and I am more of a long term investor and don't think i'd change the car in within 5 years possibly longer if no problems.
 
TBH I wouldn't jump straight in to a RWD sports car as a new driver. Especially one with no traction control :D

MX-5 may look tame, but plenty of experienced drivers have spun them on wet roundabouts.
 
Nasher said:
TBH I wouldn't jump straight in to a RWD sports car as a new driver. Especially one with no traction control :D

MX-5 may look tame, but plenty of experienced drivers have spun them on wet roundabouts.
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Going at legal speeds? :D
 
I recently bought a late 2009 MX5, Sport Tech with the hard top in liquid silver metallic. It had 40k on it when I bought it. I've found it really quite comfy and it'll have a good amount of poke for a first car (160hp). Depending on your preference, you might want to go for a late 2009 car as they would be facelifted (they'll look more like a parrot than a fish at the front). I would definitely inspect the paint/body work as even though they're less prone to rust, it's still a problem. Mine has a very small area which will be treated when/if I decide to keep it long term. They're great fun to drive though and they're far more fun than the other options you initially suggested! If you have any questions feel free to ask :)
 
I love the MX5's, we've had 2 of them and the MK3 & 3.5's are great cars.

I'd make sure you get a 2.0 as you get so much more with them not to mention traction/stability control which for a first car being RWD will be a good thing! Also comes with a 6th gear which makes motorway and longer journeys a lot nicer.

The rust is really bad on the MK1 and MK2's so pre 2005 but the newer ones aren't imune but if you do buy one it might be worth getting it under-sealed at some point to stop it corroding. The bonus with MX5's is parts are very cheap and easy to work on and they don't really go wrong much anyway! I'd imagine they'd be an order of magnitude cheaper to run than an BMW or Audi.
 
Z4 is not really uncomfortable. Yeh its no 5 series but I have driven both the 3.0i and the M to Liverpool multiple times and to southern Ireland with out it killing me. Put 40k miles over both of them and still find them fine. Just get rid of runflats if one has it.
 
I'd have said the Z4 is more comfortable than the MX5 in all honesty.

I like both, but the BMW is far more suited to a relaxing cruise than the MX5 is. On the flip side, the MX5 is the more involving drive, and certainly more "fun", especially at road legal speeds. THe Z4 is probably a better "all rounder" though.
 
Nasher said:
TBH I wouldn't jump straight in to a RWD sports car as a new driver. Especially one with no traction control :D

MX-5 may look tame, but plenty of experienced drivers have spun them on wet roundabouts.
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This. It's your first car (although I never understand any man who doesn't want to start driving the moment they're old enough! :p).

Get something cheap and sensible. You probably will knock it about a bit. After some experience, sell it and buy something nice.
 
RoboCod said:
This. It's your first car (although I never understand any man who doesn't want to start driving the moment they're old enough! :p).

Get something cheap and sensible. You probably will knock it about a bit. After some experience, sell it and buy something nice.
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+1

get an old honda/toyota/nissan

use it for 2-3 years, build up NCB and experience. by then you should have £15K+ to drop on something nice.
 
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