Opinions Welcome: Buying A Car

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Liquid

Liquid

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Hello Angels, Liquid is buying his first car soon.

I'm taking suggestions, recommendations and any previous experineces on board.

The budget is roughly £1,500 but this could go as high as £2,000 if the car is in exceptional condition. This is purely to purchase the car; insurance costs and so on are in a separate budget.

If you didn't know, I'm a young, British adult. Early twenties. So that means all I can realistically afford is a hatchback. Even though I've spotted the Volvo 850 of my dreams for an affordable price, the running costs are too high.

The usual suspects

Ford Ka - Probably too small.
Ford Fiesta - Fiesta IVs are common and usually reliable.
Honda Civic - A safe bet, but rare.
Peugeot 106 - Common and cheap. With good reason.
Renault Clio - Complete rustbucket. Clio II facelifts are generally alright, but difficult to find a good one
Vauxhall Corsa - Corsa B is dirt cheap, but generally poor. Corsa C is better, but quite expensive given the quality.

I have spotted a superb Civic for £1,300 but this was a few months back and I doubt that it's still for sale.

Suggestions? Opinions? Recommendations?

Thanks in advance.
 
Okay, here's an outrageous idea: how much does an original Mini run where you live? Could you buy one in the UK and then drive it to Germany? I've done a bit of research and they're pretty pricey in the US, but I would hypothesise that they are a bit cheaper in the UK because they probably sold a lot more there. The advantage of one of these is that they are probably reasonably inexpensive to insure and you could work on it yourself with the right tools and skills. And they're supposed to be massively fun to drive.
 
Do you have more details on Civic? That's where I would be heading, given your list.
 
Beeblebrox237
Okay, here's an outrageous idea: how much does an original Mini run where you live? Could you buy one in the UK and then drive it to Germany?
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A friend of mine price one up recently and said it was doable. But finding a cheap one in good condition could be tricky.

I should point out that I'm flying back to the UK in two weeks. Hence me starting this thread in preperation of my car hunting.

dhandes
Do you have more details on Civic? That's where I would be heading, given your list.
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Green 5 door hatchback. Looked superb, mileage was decent and it was a smidge over a grand. Spotted it on AutoTrader as a private seller only 9 miles from my post code.

Civic was my first thought, but they're hard to find.
 
dhandes
Year and model?
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1997 EK. Bit old, I know. I'll try and find it.

Edit: Looks like it's been sold. As it is, there are about 20 Civics within 30 miles of my house for under 2k on AT. 7th gen, too. Could be worth a closer look when I get back.
 
Liquid
Ford Ka - Probably too small. If you can fit, a great choice
Ford Fiesta - Fiesta IVs are common and usually reliable. Had one of these myself. They rust badly, but if you can find a non-rusty one, again they're pretty good.
Honda Civic - A safe bet, but rare. Worth a look, but insurance can be higher on Civics.
Peugeot 106 - Common and cheap. With good reason. 106s are decent enough but if you're too big for a Ka there's no way you'll be comfortable in a 106.
Renault Clio - Complete rustbucket. Clio II facelifts are generally alright, but difficult to find a good one Rusty? Really? The Mk1 Clios perhaps, but £1500 should easily get you a Mk2 (98-on) and I don't think I've ever seen a rusty one. By and large, French cars from the mid-90s onwards resist rust far better than German ones (have you seen mid-90s Polos? Shockingly bad for rust) or Fords/Vauxhalls (again, Fiestas are terrible for rust). I know there are some here who don't like Clios, but I reckon they're alright, certainly as a first car.
Vauxhall Corsa - Corsa B is dirt cheap, but generally poor. Corsa C is better, but quite expensive given the quality. Please God no. They're cheap, and easy to find. A bit like a hooker with an STD. You'd not go for the latter, so...
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Liquid
1997 EK. Bit old, I know. I'll try and find it.
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If it was 5-door, then it's not an EK technically, but the one that shared a platform with the Rover 400/45/MG ZS. They're decent cars and generally a little cheaper to insure than actual EKs. 1.5s are better than 1.4s (more power, but better economy too).

From the above, I'd go Ka/Fiesta/Clio. Or the aforementioned Polo, if you can find at least a 1.4 (the 1.0 has about 50bhp which even I'll admit isn't enough in a car like the Polo), and one that isn't rusty or ragged.

Don't dismiss something like a Skoda Fabia though. Pretty cheap, but well-built, spacious and decent to drive. Should be plenty around for £1500. Nothing speedy, but I can think of few better cars in that class. If you're feeling retro, Skoda Felicias are even cheaper, equally plentiful and go on for ages, provided they don't rust away.

Heck, while I'm on the Skoda bandwagon, how about a 1.6 Octavia or something? Bigger, comfier and still cheap to run.
 
I can only recommend the Ka as it's the only one I've driven/been in. I take it we're talking the older model?

If so it's great to drive: the steering is fairly weighty without being overly heavy and let's you know what is going on, the handling is flat and neutral and the gearbox is fantastically smooth. 👍 It's also a bit bigger inside than you'd expect- it's driven 3 of us to Germany with 2 weeks of luggage fine, although no aircon in 30+ degree heat was an experience. :crazy:

I've only ever driven 2 cars though. This and a Hyundai Getz and I certainly know which is better. :D
 
homeforsummer
If it was 5-door, then it's not an EK technically, but the one that shared a platform with the Rover 400/45/MG ZS. They're decent cars and generally a little cheaper to insure than actual EKs. 1.5s are better than 1.4s (more power, but better economy too).
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Fair enough, but it was that era. It was a beaut, shame it's been sold...

homeforsummer
From the above, I'd go Ka/Fiesta/Clio. Or the aforementioned Polo, if you can find at least a 1.4 (the 1.0 has about 50bhp which even I'll admit isn't enough in a car like the Polo), and one that isn't rusty or ragged.
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I've not seen a 90s Polo in good nick for a long time, but I'll bear it in mind.

I do like Clio IIs (Facelift). I passed my test in one. But the pre-facelift and Clio Is are abysmal. I've known people with them and they've been nothing but trouble. If it was a Clio, I wouldn't take anything less than a facelift Clio II.

Like the looks of the 106. 90s Peugeots had it going on style wise. But they often come with high mileage.

Ka would be fine if it was in good condition, but I'd like a little bit of space. This car is going to become a container on wheels. I'm open to a Fiesta IV; they're excellent when in good condition.

homeforsummer
Don't dismiss something like a Skoda Fabia though. Pretty cheap, but well-built, spacious and decent to drive.
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I certainly wouldn't dismiss it. I do quite like them. "Urgh, 'Skoda'?" say my friends, but badge cred isn't what I'm after.

Thanks for the info hfs, appreciated. As it stands, heart wants a Civic. I even found a VTEC Accord '00 which could be runnable if I went without food and clothing.

Famine
Two grand, you say?
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*Jaw drop*

There are plenty of X-Types for ~£1,000. A Fortnum & Mason Mondeo it may be, but I don't see that as a bad thing. If I could have anything, it would be a Volvo 850. Blame Tim Harvey.

Blast those nasty insurance companies!
 
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dhandes
Seconded.👍

I would have the Civic at the top of the list. If one does come up, go for it.
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Alternatively for nine hundred squid.

I did a two grand, outside-the-box search the other day for someone :D I'm also currently looking at this for myself in case the Baron HGFs.
 
It defies common sense, but the Metro GTa is, now, a cool car. It's a little, traditional hot hatch - it'll go like a spanked otter because it weighs two sevenths of joss all and it's now "retro". Add in classic car insurance and cheap tax and you've got a neat little car for very little money.
 
homeforsummer
Heck, while I'm on the Skoda bandwagon, how about a 1.6 Octavia or something? Bigger, comfier and still cheap to run.
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Ack, don't tempt me with the lovely Octavia! There are plenty of good cars out there, but the first time insurance policy will probably be too steep for the saloon-come-notchbacks.

Famine
It defies common sense, but the Metro GTa is, now, a cool car. It's a little, traditional hot hatch - it'll go like a spanked otter because it weighs two sevenths of joss all and it's now "retro". Add in classic car insurance and cheap tax and you've got a neat little car for very little money.
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I do see what you mean, and I would take a Metro over a Maestro if forced to, but I wouldn't get one. I hated the one my dad had many moons ago.
 
If I had two grand spare, just floating about, I'd buy this. I wouldn't even haggle. And I don't mean in your position, I mean I actually would do it.

Same applies as for the Metro, but a lot quicker and better. The 309 was better than the 205 and still only weighed 850kg.
 
Pink is a cool colour when done correctly.

That 309 is just ultimate sex. GTi too. But it's 150 miles away and IG13. Man...

I've got two weeks left of trawling AutoTrader.co.uk before I can look in the local classifieds and visit the local auction house. Such joy awaits!
 
It's also twenty-one years old. Insurance group is irrelevant - that's classic car insurance all ends up. You could get a year on that sucker for two hundred.

Plus it's about forty miles away. I could pick it up and store it :D
 
Famine
It's also twenty-one years old. Insurance group is irrelevant - that's classic car insurance all ends up. You could get a year on that sucker for two hundred.
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For a first time driver?
 
Yep. Largely it's only age of the car that matters. Sometimes the age of the driver too - you don't meet the limit they normally draw until July, but again with the picking up and storing :D
 
Famine
Yep. Largely it's only age of the car that matters. Sometimes the age of the driver too - you don't meet the limit they normally draw until July, but again with the picking up and storing :D
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Well that is tempting...

Lol, moneysupermarket gives me £4,000 for the 309 fully comp. £2,600 3rd party F&T. I'm sure that must be wrong somehow (!)
 
:lol:

If you look at anything over 15 years old, try a specialist classic insurer. I once got a quote for Marvin from mainstream insurers of £9,999 (and that was the only company that would quote), but a specialist classic/modified insurer asked for £400...
 
Well £2,600 isn't too far outside the insurance budget. Savings could be made to accomodate that. But would I actually buy the 309? God I would love to. Especially if a classic insurer would quote cheaper. That's a hell of a find, Famine!
 

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