spec me a car...

georges · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:41

Road worthy(MOT) =/ safe.

If you get hit in a small older car (like my fiesta

), you are ******* completely.

More modern cars which cost more were designed when better safety legislation was put in place, therefore they are more safe as they have to comply to more stringent rules.

-westy- · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:43

I sold a Citroen ZX 1.9TD a few weeks ago for £300 - with a year's MOT, and tax. Was in very good condition

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:44

Tesla said:
Well maintained cars do not usually cost less than £400.

a dealer stamp does not mean a well maintained car. nor does the name BMW, or a new reg plate.

Ross1234 · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:45

dont buy anything french or american

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:45

georges said:
Road worthy(MOT) =/ safe.

If you get hit in a small older car (like my fiesta ), you are ******* completely.

More modern cars which cost more were designed when better safety legislation was put in place, therefore they are more safe as they have to comply to more stringent rules.

in that case ban all old cars as they should not be on the road, or any car costing less than xxxxx amount. :rolleyes:

Tesla · 15 Jul 2007 at 14:57

helpimcrap said:
a dealer stamp does not mean a well maintained car. nor does the name BMW, or a new reg plate.

Thanks, I didn't know this as I drive an 8yr old Ford with no service history for the last 50k miles.

ci_newman · 15 Jul 2007 at 15:51

helpimcrap said:
in that case ban all old cars as they should not be on the road, or any car costing less than xxxxx amount.

You need to realise that older cars ARE more unsafe than a newer car. Especially a 1.4 Rot-box. £400 is not a budget for a safe, reliable car.

As has already been mentioned, Citroen ZXs and Fiestas are her only options but I wouldn't want to be in any form of accident when the kids are in the car

Scania · 15 Jul 2007 at 16:18

I know of a bloke near me with an e32 730i Bm.

300k miles.

About 50 previous owners.

Built like a tank, crashes as well as said tank.

Cost? £300 with 12Mths MOT.

£400 can buy a good safe old car, but, not a small one.

Not much use to helpimcrap - great name btw! - but you get the point I'm sure.

I'd consider an old hatch back Granada 2.0i Ghia / Scorpio. - £400 will buy a tidy ish one, and, they came with ABS which is a major safety feature in any vehicle.

Insurance would be higher than a 1.4 ,obviously, but, offset by cheap as chips parts etc

A few quid extra on the insurance is better than saving said few quid on an inherently unsafe small rot box.

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 16:20

i give up....

common sense dictates technology will improve safety, cars get safer etc blah blah....

yep... i do get that....

BUT can they be had for £400? no... well null and void point.....

ah well.... end of thread. cheers to all who read the thread and suggested suitable cars.

edit - totally agree a bigger car like a beemer (or a mondeo as i said before...) like R124/LA420 suggested would be great BUT insurance plays a part.

Duke · 15 Jul 2007 at 16:51

Escort might be worth a look as well.

act smiley · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:14

Rover 214 maybe? A 1.6 Primera or Mondeo would do the job better, but if you're being rather strict on the 1.4-ness of it that's the best I could think of that hasn't been mentioned. Possibly could get a 306 for that, too, but judging by what a friend got for that kind of money it wouldn't necessarily be hassle-free.

Scania · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:21

Any particular reason why it must be a 1.4? - I can't see insurance being that much more on a 1.6 / 1.8 tbh.

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:23

R124/LA420 said:
Any particular reason why it must be a 1.4?

insurance - purely and simply. a 1.2 is £1000 and a 1.4 is only a little bit more but allows a lot more cars like escorts etc.

i didnt say it had to be a 1.4... a max of 1.4. better still a 1.0 or 1.1 for economy and insurance but i realise a 1.4 is often a better bet and only a smidge more on insurance, whereas a 1.6 is about £500+ more on insurance.

edit - ill have a look at the rovers... didnt think about them at all!

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:28

rovers are out lol....

more expensive to insure than a 1.6 mondeo!!!!

PMKeates · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:32

helpimcrap said:
rovers are out lol....

more expensive to insure than a 1.6 mondeo!!!!

How old are you? I've a feeling we might be able to help you out with some insurance-hunting advice, but that depends

helpimcrap · 15 Jul 2007 at 17:48

PMKeates said:
How old are you? I've a feeling we might be able to help you out with some insurance-hunting advice, but that depends

not for me, its for my sister who is 19 and its her first car, so no noclaims.

tried confused.com which is normally pretty good... also tried sheilas wheels for my sis, but not old enough. quite a few companies wont insure her purely because of her age, let alone her lack of noclaims. :confused:

Begbie · 15 Jul 2007 at 19:47

Best going for a mk3 astra, parts are dirt cheap and there built pretty strong. Smashed mine into a lampost at nearly 60mph and well I'm still here.

Inside of the car was barley damaged, well nothing got pushed through which could damage anyone inside.

Brilliant cars for the money!

Tesla · 15 Jul 2007 at 19:53

It's quite a unanimous decision on this forum that confused.com rarely offer competitive quotes.

ci_newman · 15 Jul 2007 at 19:58

Direct line or Admiral have always been excellent providing competitive quotes for younger / inexperienced drivers