Spec me a first motor for around £2000

kissenger · 11 Oct 2015 at 01:51

So having recently passed my test I'm looking to by my first car. My budget is going to be relatively small. Just £2000 (although I can be somewhat flexible). My priorities are as follows:

*I would like a decent MPG because I will be doing a long (200 mile) commute approximately once per week.

*Similarly, I want to keep overall running costs down, so nothing too hard on tax, insurance and repairs.

*I don't want anything small. The smallest I would go for would be a Focus size hatchback. I suppose my preference is for a small-mid size saloon though.

*I would also say I'm keener on Japanese and German cars than any other.

I know next to nothing about cars, but based on my own somewhat limited research, I was thinking about a mid-2000s Volvo S40 (although I know these are Swedish made).

rodenal · 11 Oct 2015 at 07:33

The original s40's aren't very despite their roots tbh - personally I'd go either focus, Mondeo (insurance dependant) or something totally bland but bombproof like a corolla

Cookeh · 11 Oct 2015 at 08:56

Hatchback wise, a Corolla isn't a bad bet - insurance works out a lot cheaper (i.e. half the price for me) on a Corolla 1.4 vs a 1.4 Focus.

Mondeo would be better than an S40 of the same era. Might also be worth looking at Nissan Primeras (again quite cheap to insure and not terrible cars, rather reliable). VW Bora/Passat would also be worth looking at, again pretty bombproof.

kissenger · 11 Oct 2015 at 20:05

Hmm... I hadn't thought of a Corolla, but that could be an option. However, I think I might like a slightly bigger car. Is there a particular small-ish saloon that I should look into?

rodenal · 11 Oct 2015 at 20:26

Could look at a Bora, Toledo or Octavia (OK the Skoda is a hatch)

kissenger · 11 Oct 2015 at 21:11

I know this probably makes me an idiot, because everyone I've asked has advised me against it, but I'm really tempted to get a Land Rover Freelander or Discovery.

I love the way they both look and would really like having such a spacious vehicle. I've been looking at early '00s Freelanders. You can get them for around £2000-2500 and they do 35 MPG (albeit Diesel), which isn't far off something like a Focus from that era. What's the catch? Repairs? Tax? Seemed to be around 50% more expensive to insure, but I feel like I'm getting 50% more car.

OhEsEcks · 11 Oct 2015 at 21:20

What age are you? What is your profession? How much do you earn? What post code do you live in? Do you have any prior convictions? I ask because this is some of the stuff your insurers will want to know and as a new driver, you're not getting insured cheap unless you're driving a two cylinder bubble car 10 miles a year.

kissenger · 11 Oct 2015 at 22:50

OhEsEcks said:
What age are you? What is your profession? How much do you earn? What post code do you live in? Do you have any prior convictions? I ask because this is some of the stuff your insurers will want to know and as a new driver, you're not getting insured cheap unless you're driving a two cylinder bubble car 10 miles a year.

Having checked my details with a couple of different comparison sites I know I'm going to pay quite a lot for insurance for my first year at least. Somewhere in the region of £1100 (which is what I was quoted for a Corolla) to £1500 (which is what I was quoted for a Freelander.