Car Advice (or ideas)

Illusion

Illusion

Illusion

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Joined
31 May 2007
Posts
1,124
Hello,

Im in the market for my first car and plan to buy it this weekend, my budget is upto £1000 (could go a little over for the right car) but I would prefer to spend a bit less than that if possible to leave extra cash for if something goes wrong.

Im 19 with 0ncb so it cant be anything that will cost a bomb to insure...

I have been looking at Punto 85s which seem to be available for my budget although there aren't many around, and also Bravo 1.6 16valves (100ish bhp I think) Dont worry I dont have a Fiat fetish as I know they dont have the best reputation these are just 2 cars that seem to have a little more power than cars what most people would recommend for your first.

I've also looked at Polos which seem to be a little underpowered, mk3 Golfs which are a bit high on insurance but still do able, Clios (not sure what the official version is but im sure people will know which shape I mean for my budget - I cant stand the interior on them and this is the only thing that puts me off.)

Anyone have any advice on what to avoid etc - im especially interested in peoples opinions of the punto and bravo, and also any other cars that you would recommend. Thanks in advance.
 
Luke15 said:
Avoid Puntos like the plague. HGF :mad:

Get a mk4 Fiesta 1.25 or 1.4. Great first cars.

Or a mondeo.
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Thank for the reply,

I have looked at Fiestas, cant stand them to be honest they are too bland, cant see a Mondeo being insurance friendly and its a bit oversized for what I need.

I do remember one of my friends having several HGF's with his punto but he never had it serviced or even checked coolant levels etc...
 
I had my Punto regularly services and everything, even MOT'ed it. Then 1 week after the MOT the HG went.

Even though Fiesta are bland, they are soo much fun for a first car. The handling is great :D
 
therealnerd2 said:
Mondeos can be pretty insurance friendly. My first year at 19, 0ncb = about a grand
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I get quotes of 1400+ on a 1.0 8v Polo (pretty bad area) so a Mondeo is out of the question I would have thought. :mad:

Luke15 said:
Even though Fiesta are bland, they are soo much fun for a first car. The handling is great :D
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I suppose it would be worth looking into if I can get over the dull looks, I have seen them recommended a couple of times on here and also by 1 or 2 friends.
 
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Illusion said:
I get quotes of 1400+ on a 1.0 8v Polo (pretty bad area) so a Mondeo is out of the question I would have thought. :mad:



I suppose it would be worth looking into if I can get over the dull looks, I have seen them recommended a couple of times on here and also by 1 or 2 friends.
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As I keep insurance, forget engine sizes and do insurance quotes, you'll be surprised what cars get insured for what.
One of the cheapest fun cars for me to insure is a 4.0v8 coupe.
Insurance is a weired thing, then only way to tell if it will be in or out of your insurance price is by doing a quote.
 
Illusion said:
I suppose it would be worth looking into if I can get over the dull looks, I have seen them recommended a couple of times on here and also by 1 or 2 friends.
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Look at the Ghia, and Ghia X models. Their the best equipped.
 
Luke15 said:
Even though Fiesta are bland, they are soo much fun for a first car. The handling is great :D
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By 'great', I hope you mean 'interesting'. :p

Flick through autotrader and get quotes on cars in your price range, no matter what they are.

Try the mondey though, most people here seem to get great insurance on them.

InvG
 
Illusion said:
I have looked at Fiestas, cant stand them to be honest they are too bland, cant see a Mondeo being insurance friendly and its a bit oversized for what I need
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I insured a modified 2 litre Mondeo at 19. It actually moved when you used the accelerator, wasn't very big at all, was easy to park becuase I wasn't a woman, had loads of kit, and was as cheap to buy as the equivilant Fiesta.

The insurance was £1200 TPFT.
 
I wouldn't always use confused.com as an accurate gauge of what your cheapest insurance qoute will be. When I moved to the UK from Germany I had no no-claims discount and the lowest quote I got on confused for an e46 325ci was £1200. I managed to get insurance for £600 by going to Elephant instead.
 
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