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Ideas for my first car.

Forget image if you're on a budget. A 2.0 mondeo would be perfect and probably cheaper to insure than a smaller hatchback. They just seem like the obvious choice for a workhorse.

If image is a concern, lose the rear doors and seats... and roof.
 
Gawd what a load of nonsense in this thread.

Start by looking at some mainstream cars like VWs, Fords etc. Get some idea of what size of car you want then you can really start drilling it down. You should be able to get a decent Golf or Focus for £5. Find some in your local area, post up links and hopefully you'll get some useful input.

I think a lot of the posted going OMG INSURANCE, BUY A 1 LITRE METRO!! haven't taken on board that you're 29. Unless you live in a very high risk area your 1st years insurance will be steep buy not ridiculous.
 
Ricochet J said:
Go for something sensible. You can buy a decent 2005 facelift Mk3 Mondeo for around £4,000.

Beware, Mondeo's are workhorses. People often sell them with more than 100k miles on the clock. Don't be put off by this as long as it has the correct paperwork and has been looked after.
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I have a 54 Plate Mk3 Mondeo Ghia X estate TDCi, it is RAF but paid 500 for it does 40mpg and cost pennies when things go wrong. (had it about 6 months and spent about 60 quid on it)

For bangornomics hard to beat. Climate works, auto wipers, auto lights, cruise control and the worst leather known to mankind.
 
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What exactly about 6000 miles a year makes people suggest a Golf GTD? If you want a trick Golf, at that sort of mileage you may as well get the GTI surely? But he's already said he cares little for performance so a regular 2.0 FSI would be adequate.
 
This forum doesn't seem to hold up to the same quality as the tech area (to be expected on a pc site, I guess).
I can't imagine going into General hardware and saying I wanted a lower end GPU that's reliable and won't break the bank, to be met with "lolz get a Titan Z!!!!11"

Still, I've been browsing around with a view on keeping it under 5k including insurance if possible. I'll pay a bit more to get it from a dealer so I have some sort of comeback if it turns out to have a problems.
I've gotta say, I was pretty dismissive of the Corsas before but after reading a couple of reviews they seem to be ok.

3k Polo http://www.cms-carsales-ltd.co.uk/used-cars/volkswagen-polo-1-2-twist-5dr-romford-201412189716565

2.3k Corsa http://www.shada-motors.co.uk/used-cars/vauxhall-corsa-1-2i-energy-5dr-rainham-201410078014395

2.275k Punto http://www.warleymotorco.co.uk/used-cars/fiat-grande-punto-1-2-active-5dr-romford-201411279273249

2.7k Corsa http://www.warleymotorco.co.uk/used-cars/fiat-grande-punto-1-2-active-5dr-romford-201411279273249
 
Gti said:
I can't imagine going into General hardware and saying I wanted a lower end GPU that's reliable and won't break the bank, to be met with "lolz get a Titan Z!!!!11"
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That doesn't appear to be what has happened in this thread. You've had some fairly sensible advice.

Still, I've been browsing around with a view on keeping it under 5k including insurance if possible. I'll pay a bit more to get it from a dealer so I have some sort of comeback if it turns out to have a problems.
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With most dealers at this end of the market any comeback you have is theoretical. Most won't roll over without a fight so frankly I wouldn't be expecting much from a dealer. All they will do at this pricepoint is:

a) Ensure you don't get to meet the previous owner
b) Add a profit margin onto the price of the car
c) Tart up anything that looks a bit questionable

Buy this sort of car privately from a nice chap who has owned it for quite a while. It's your best chance of getting a decent car for your budget.
 
Gti said:
This forum doesn't seem to hold up to the same quality as the tech area (to be expected on a pc site, I guess).
I can't imagine going into General hardware and saying I wanted a lower end GPU that's reliable and won't break the bank, to be met with "lolz get a Titan Z!!!!11"

Still, I've been browsing around with a view on keeping it under 5k including insurance if possible. I'll pay a bit more to get it from a dealer so I have some sort of comeback if it turns out to have a problems.
I've gotta say, I was pretty dismissive of the Corsas before but after reading a couple of reviews they seem to be ok.

3k Polo http://www.cms-carsales-ltd.co.uk/used-cars/volkswagen-polo-1-2-twist-5dr-romford-201412189716565

2.3k Corsa http://www.shada-motors.co.uk/used-cars/vauxhall-corsa-1-2i-energy-5dr-rainham-201410078014395

2.275k Punto http://www.warleymotorco.co.uk/used-cars/fiat-grande-punto-1-2-active-5dr-romford-201411279273249

2.7k Corsa http://www.warleymotorco.co.uk/used-cars/fiat-grande-punto-1-2-active-5dr-romford-201411279273249
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You have a budget of 5k and your looking at a corsa and a punto :(
U said no girly cars but both of them will look like you have borrowed your mums car to nip to the shops in.
You can get a 2007 1.6 Ford Focus for 3.2k which is miles ahead of them cars and would hardly cost anymore to insure
 
ElliottJames said:
Don't get a Mondeo. A car represents your image. Get something half decent.
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Hope your not including the ST220 in that silly quote :p
The guys talking about getting Corsa's and punto's and your saying don't get a mondeo which is better in every way than anything he has mentioned. If he goes and buys a poverty spec VW how is that any better image when there's thousands of them around :confused:
 
[TW]Fox;27426888 said:
That doesn't appear to be what has happened in this thread. You've had some fairly sensible advice.
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A Lamborghini Reventon is sensible? You also suggested earlier I get a 4.3 litre Lexus as my first motor...

It may be a bit of a fight but at least you can get something sorted. My sister bought a Punto from a car dealer 3 months back for a grand. The steering was buggered after 2 months but CAB contacted the dealer for her and let them know that wasn't acceptable. They fixed it for free.
You can say one anecdote proves nothing but the law does give you some backing.


I think people aren't factoring in the cost of insurance for a new driver, checking an insurance comparison site for a 1.2 Polo I'm getting quotes of £1,350 cheapest. There's not much point in me checking out anything over 1.4 is there?
 
Not that Polo. If you want a Polo of that era, get a 1.4 Sport 100, a 1.6 Sport 105, a 1.9TDI Sport 100 or a 1.9TDI GT 130. :p
 
Gti said:
I think people aren't factoring in the cost of insurance for a new driver, checking an insurance comparison site for a 1.2 Polo I'm getting quotes of £1,350 cheapest. There's not much point in me checking out anything over 1.4 is there?
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Not necessarily my sister got her first car nearly a year ago a 85bhp 1.25 Fiesta Zetec which was 1.2k to insure and she could have insured a 1.6 115bhp Focus for £110 more over the year which considering the difference in acceleration and quality of drive should have been a no brainer.
 
Gti said:
A Lamborghini Reventon is sensible? You also suggested earlier I get a 4.3 litre Lexus as my first motor...

It may be a bit of a fight but at least you can get something sorted. My sister bought a Punto from a car dealer 3 months back for a grand. The steering was buggered after 2 months but CAB contacted the dealer for her and let them know that wasn't acceptable. They fixed it for free.
You can say one anecdote proves nothing but the law does give you some backing.


I think people aren't factoring in the cost of insurance for a new driver, checking an insurance comparison site for a 1.2 Polo I'm getting quotes of £1,350 cheapest. There's not much point in me checking out anything over 1.4 is there?
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It's not based purely on displacement of the engine. The reason this is associated so often is because young drivers get their licence and often aim for the same type of car, a small hatchback. Inevitably accidents happen thus that particular group of cars is expensive for first time drives.
 
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