First car....

[Richeh]

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 *

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.

 

[Richeh]

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 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!

 

[Richeh]

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!

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.

 

[Richeh]

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.

 

[Richeh]

TBH I wouldn't jump straight in to a RWD sports car as a new driver. Especially one with no traction control

MX-5 may look tame, but plenty of experienced drivers have spun them on wet roundabouts.

Going at legal speeds?

 

[Richeh]

Took a while I appreciate the sensible options but have already made up my mind buying something nicer (nicer not necessarily sportier). As in my first post the Mazda 2 which is arguably the 'type' of car to be aiming at I didn't enjoy sitting in. Driving wasn't a necessity up until this point, and still isn't really but it would make certain things that much easier so I waited until I had the money to get a decent car etc I still like the BMW 1 Coupe and am fairly sure the 1 series isn't considered a sports car but the MX5 was just very comfortable and small enough to manoeuver around here. Plus they are cheaper than a BMW coupe for a decent one.

I understand the knocking about comments as its the one I read/hear most frequently but in honesty none of my friends who are sensible drivers knocked their cars about in the first years driving including a couple who learned in recent years (late 20's) who both bought 'more' than necessary car wise but have been fine. And they are much like me and have kept their first cars, only regretting not getting something slightly more powerful (one is a 1.25 Fiesta) due to the hilly roads around here.

Again do appreciate the advice.