Older Student In need of some advice...
Discussion
I have a Fiesta ST. It does about 31mpg in varied use and they tend to be cheaper on insurance. Older ones should be in budget. Check for squeaky wheel bearings and snapped front road springs.
Tend to be very negotiable. Downside is they often have cheapo tyres fitted by younger owners.
Tend to be very negotiable. Downside is they often have cheapo tyres fitted by younger owners.
Grimezy93 said:
For the best driving experience you'd be better with the mx-5, £900 for insurance considering you don't really have any experience is brilliant. And what do you need practicality for?! This could be your only opportunity to buy a 2 seater car until your 50's once a family comes along; screw practicality.
Failing that, Clio will probably be best bang for buck but I'd check the insurance on it first as they're quite commonly associated with the 'boy racer' crew.
Might not be something you're interested in but maybe look at the 1.8 Toyota Corolla Sports? They can look pretty good and are a bit different.
Are you planning on paying for insurance monthly or is that coming out of your total budget as well?
Edit: That's a good shout from Bork with the E36 Coupe's, could be hard to find one for £1500 that doesn't need something replacing soon enough and the fact it has a BMW badge will not be approved of by insurers (I've found Admiral are pretty good though for young drivers with cars like this).
which model mx5? Failing that, Clio will probably be best bang for buck but I'd check the insurance on it first as they're quite commonly associated with the 'boy racer' crew.
Might not be something you're interested in but maybe look at the 1.8 Toyota Corolla Sports? They can look pretty good and are a bit different.
Are you planning on paying for insurance monthly or is that coming out of your total budget as well?
Edit: That's a good shout from Bork with the E36 Coupe's, could be hard to find one for £1500 that doesn't need something replacing soon enough and the fact it has a BMW badge will not be approved of by insurers (I've found Admiral are pretty good though for young drivers with cars like this).
and valid point, i was just looking for a car that i could use for everything, I travel from time to time and theres obviously the food shop,
and 2500 is the for the cost of the car,
and just had a quick look for the bmw and insurance flies through the roof round here... :/
stedaley said:
anything i should look out for on the 182? certain problems?
As above really.- Belt changes are expensive - I paid £720 for a cam/aux belt, dephaser pulley and water pump change so make sure this has been done. The dephaser is £400ish to do by itself if not done as a precaution with a belt change so watch out for that.
- The original mild steel exhausts are stupidly expensive and come as one piece requiring the rear beam dropping in order to fit them so everyone replaces them with stainless steel systems when they go. Make sure it is a high quality system and not a chav special and if the exhaust is original then budget £400 for a replacement stainless system
- Tyres - it needs good tyres. I fitted Michelin Pilot Sport 3s to mine as they are the recommended replacement for the discontinued Pilot Exalto 2 and would not consider anything else. They are about £100 a corner plus fitting but mine lasted nearly 30k and gave superb performance throughout.
- Gearboxes - I never had any trouble but given the sort of people who often end up owning these they can suffer from abuse. Check it shifts smoothly and there is no whine.
- Petrol - They are mapped to run best on 98 octane or greater. I ran mine on Momentum 99 and it really improved both performance, smoothness and economy.
- Originality - I would avoid like the plague anything which has been modified at all. Lowered suspension, stupid lights, dodgy wheels, cheap tyres, all of these would make me run a mile. Only buy one from a discerning owner who has kept it standard and looked after it properly.
stedaley said:
had it for 4 years... nearly 5
and again anything is should look for with either car?
That will make a massive difference, I sold my old ST24 to a mate at 19 who had it for his first car and the insurance was sub £1k for him! and again anything is should look for with either car?
Watch for cooling systems and rust, besides that they are solid cars.
LuS1fer said:
I have a Fiesta ST. It does about 31mpg in varied use and they tend to be cheaper on insurance. Older ones should be in budget. Check for squeaky wheel bearings and snapped front road springs.
Tend to be very negotiable. Downside is they often have cheapo tyres fitted by younger owners.
I think ive tried to price insurance on a st before, just come in at over a 1000 for the insurance, i dont know just seems a bit of a well known boy racer car round here :/ always put me off themTend to be very negotiable. Downside is they often have cheapo tyres fitted by younger owners.
stedaley said:
I think ive tried to price insurance on a st before, just come in at over a 1000 for the insurance, i dont know just seems a bit of a well known boy racer car round here :/ always put me off them
Strange as I paid more on a 16 year old 8v Golf GTI than I pay on my ST (but am over 50). First car I've ever had were the insurance has come in at less than the road tax.If you have agirlfriend, try adding her as an extra driver, or your Mum, it can reduce the premium even if they never drive it.
stedaley said:
which model mx5?
and valid point, i was just looking for a car that i could use for everything, I travel from time to time and theres obviously the food shop,
and 2500 is the for the cost of the car,
and just had a quick look for the bmw and insurance flies through the roof round here... :/
You could either get a really nice MK1 (pop up headlights) or a decent MK2 depending on if you like them or not. and valid point, i was just looking for a car that i could use for everything, I travel from time to time and theres obviously the food shop,
and 2500 is the for the cost of the car,
and just had a quick look for the bmw and insurance flies through the roof round here... :/
I'm 20 and own a MK3 and also have weekend away quite often, the boot is big enough to fit 1 big holdall and a few smaller bags or you can buy luggage especially for mx-5's that occupys every inch of the boot space rather than trying to squeeze things in. Obviously if 2 seats is going to be an issue for you then it's a no go'er. You'll definitely struggle to find a car that drives as well as one for that money though.
Probably stay away from BMW's until you've built up more no claims. You don't want too much speed straight away otherwise you'll get yourself killed (I used to be a sensible driver until I got my MX-5... It happens to us all). That's the great thing about most MX-5's though, you will have to work through the gears to get decent performance so it's always a lot of fun to drive, rather than looking down at the speedo and seeing 90 without even realising how you got there (which you'd probably have in one of the 6 cylinder beamers).
HemiCommander said:
As above really.
Fortunately i like the original car, might try and find a set of trophy wheels (Speedline) to get if i decide to go down this route, that would be the only thing id do to it, - Belt changes are expensive - I paid £720 for a cam/aux belt, dephaser pulley and water pump change so make sure this has been done. The dephaser is £400ish to do by itself if not done as a precaution with a belt change so watch out for that.
- The original mild steel exhausts are stupidly expensive and come as one piece requiring the rear beam dropping in order to fit them so everyone replaces them with stainless steel systems when they go. Make sure it is a high quality system and not a chav special and if the exhaust is original then budget £400 for a replacement stainless system
- Tyres - it needs good tyres. I fitted Michelin Pilot Sport 3s to mine as they are the recommended replacement for the discontinued Pilot Exalto 2 and would not consider anything else. They are about £100 a corner plus fitting but mine lasted nearly 30k and gave superb performance throughout.
- Gearboxes - I never had any trouble but given the sort of people who often end up owning these they can suffer from abuse. Check it shifts smoothly and there is no whine.
- Petrol - They are mapped to run best on 98 octane or greater. I ran mine on Momentum 99 and it really improved both performance, smoothness and economy.
- Originality - I would avoid like the plague anything which has been modified at all. Lowered suspension, stupid lights, dodgy wheels, cheap tyres, all of these would make me run a mile. Only buy one from a discerning owner who has kept it standard and looked after it properly.
so you would recommend on with a Belt change and either a new exhaust or a good aftermarket exhaust? Ive been reading a new manifold/exhaust really opens this car up abit, but havent found any companies that are highly rated? dont suppose youd have any ideas?
LuS1fer said:
Strange as I paid more on a 16 year old 8v Golf GTI than I pay on my ST (but am over 50). First car I've ever had were the insurance has come in at less than the road tax.
If you have agirlfriend, try adding her as an extra driver, or your Mum, it can reduce the premium even if they never drive it.
I know! I didnt think the ST would be that much and i wish my insurance was that cheap!! If you have agirlfriend, try adding her as an extra driver, or your Mum, it can reduce the premium even if they never drive it.
and add them as a second driver?
I was in exactly the same situation as you but I had a little more budget. I went for the Suzuki Swift Sport, which is a warm hatch that's better on insurance than all the others and was absolutely brilliant. I know you don't have the budget for one so this brings me to my next point...
I've now sold that and gone to a mk1 mx5 and there's no difference in practicality, if anything I can get more shopping in the mx5 than the Swift's tiny boot. How often do you need 2 back seats anyway? The mx5 is also faster, handles much much better and is peanuts to maintain in comparison. As far as I'm aware the Swift is on par with the twingo in performance and slightly bigger I think, so just using it as an example.
Well aren't I an absolute PH cliche.
I've now sold that and gone to a mk1 mx5 and there's no difference in practicality, if anything I can get more shopping in the mx5 than the Swift's tiny boot. How often do you need 2 back seats anyway? The mx5 is also faster, handles much much better and is peanuts to maintain in comparison. As far as I'm aware the Swift is on par with the twingo in performance and slightly bigger I think, so just using it as an example.
Well aren't I an absolute PH cliche.
Grimezy93 said:
You could either get a really nice MK1 (pop up headlights) or a decent MK2 depending on if you like them or not.
I'm 20 and own a MK3 and also have weekend away quite often, the boot is big enough to fit 1 big holdall and a few smaller bags or you can buy luggage especially for mx-5's that occupys every inch of the boot space rather than trying to squeeze things in. Obviously if 2 seats is going to be an issue for you then it's a no go'er. You'll definitely struggle to find a car that drives as well as one for that money though.
Probably stay away from BMW's until you've built up more no claims. You don't want too much speed straight away otherwise you'll get yourself killed (I used to be a sensible driver until I got my MX-5... It happens to us all). That's the great thing about most MX-5's though, you will have to work through the gears to get decent performance so it's always a lot of fun to drive, rather than looking down at the speedo and seeing 90 without even realising how you got there (which you'd probably have in one of the 6 cylinder beamers).
Ive been thinking about the 2 seat option, I dont really think id need the 4/5 seats, but i know that as soon as i say that, Id need to give a lift to some of my mates... Does the 2 seats affect you at all??I'm 20 and own a MK3 and also have weekend away quite often, the boot is big enough to fit 1 big holdall and a few smaller bags or you can buy luggage especially for mx-5's that occupys every inch of the boot space rather than trying to squeeze things in. Obviously if 2 seats is going to be an issue for you then it's a no go'er. You'll definitely struggle to find a car that drives as well as one for that money though.
Probably stay away from BMW's until you've built up more no claims. You don't want too much speed straight away otherwise you'll get yourself killed (I used to be a sensible driver until I got my MX-5... It happens to us all). That's the great thing about most MX-5's though, you will have to work through the gears to get decent performance so it's always a lot of fun to drive, rather than looking down at the speedo and seeing 90 without even realising how you got there (which you'd probably have in one of the 6 cylinder beamers).
Alapeno said:
I was in exactly the same situation as you but I had a little more budget. I went for the Suzuki Swift Sport, which is a warm hatch that's better on insurance than all the others and was absolutely brilliant. I know you don't have the budget for one so this brings me to my next point...
I've now sold that and gone to a mk1 mx5 and there's no difference in practicality, if anything I can get more shopping in the mx5 than the Swift's tiny boot. How often do you need 2 back seats anyway? The mx5 is also faster, handles much much better and is peanuts to maintain in comparison. As far as I'm aware the Swift is on par with the twingo in performance and slightly bigger I think, so just using it as an example.
Well aren't I an absolute PH cliche.
Really? Guessing you didn't use the back seat in the swift then? how is the Mx5? and what model do you have?I've now sold that and gone to a mk1 mx5 and there's no difference in practicality, if anything I can get more shopping in the mx5 than the Swift's tiny boot. How often do you need 2 back seats anyway? The mx5 is also faster, handles much much better and is peanuts to maintain in comparison. As far as I'm aware the Swift is on par with the twingo in performance and slightly bigger I think, so just using it as an example.
Well aren't I an absolute PH cliche.
Corolla T SPort Facelift.
Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern
.
Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern
.Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
supraboy said:
Corolla T SPort Facelift.
Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern.
Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
Cheapest insurance i can get is around 1200, sort of ST range really, and abit more than i want to pay, i think alot of hot hatches are considered dangerous round here :/Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern
.Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
stedaley said:
Ive been thinking about the 2 seat option, I dont really think id need the 4/5 seats, but i know that as soon as i say that, Id need to give a lift to some of my mates... Does the 2 seats affect you at all??
Before my mx-5 I owned a 13 year old Punto for 2 and a half years. Whenever I had more than 2 people in the car it would make an awful noise from the back-end which at first just happened when pulling away from junctions and then started becoming more and more constant. Garages never knew what was doing it so I just left it and tried to avoid giving people lifts as much as possible so it was normally just me and the missus in it. It all depends on your social life and needs really. My two mates I spend most time with both own MK1 MX-5's so there's basically 3 of us all we 2 seater cars; really I should have gone for a bigger car for weekends away for us all, etc but the MK3 I bought was too good to miss. We just make-do by using 2 cars or whatever. Most the time it's only me and the girlfriend in the car so it's fine.
If you've got mates with normal cars, then you'll manage with an mx-5. If you're one of the only one who drives and can see that you'll probably need to give a lot of lifts then you might be better with something bigger.
Driving alone to work down country lanes is such a blast though, something that I'm not sure you'd get from 'warm hatches'.
stedaley said:
Fortunately i like the original car, might try and find a set of trophy wheels (Speedline) to get if i decide to go down this route, that would be the only thing id do to it,
so you would recommend on with a Belt change and either a new exhaust or a good aftermarket exhaust? Ive been reading a new manifold/exhaust really opens this car up abit, but havent found any companies that are highly rated? dont suppose youd have any ideas?
Yes exactly. The trophy Speedline Turini wheels are the only other wheels that I would consider having on one as they are the correct size to preserve the geometry and ride just lighter. A good quality exhaust does open it up a bit but I wouldn't expect huge increases in power. I went for the Scorpion RS192 exhaust myself and was quite pleased with it, the noise level was close to the original but with a deeper tone and no motorway drone. It was also light and good quality for the price (£410).so you would recommend on with a Belt change and either a new exhaust or a good aftermarket exhaust? Ive been reading a new manifold/exhaust really opens this car up abit, but havent found any companies that are highly rated? dont suppose youd have any ideas?
Grimezy93 said:
Before my mx-5 I owned a 13 year old Punto for 2 and a half years. Whenever I had more than 2 people in the car it would make an awful noise from the back-end which at first just happened when pulling away from junctions and then started becoming more and more constant. Garages never knew what was doing it so I just left it and tried to avoid giving people lifts as much as possible so it was normally just me and the missus in it.
It all depends on your social life and needs really. My two mates I spend most time with both own MK1 MX-5's so there's basically 3 of us all we 2 seater cars; really I should have gone for a bigger car for weekends away for us all, etc but the MK3 I bought was too good to miss. We just make-do by using 2 cars or whatever. Most the time it's only me and the girlfriend in the car so it's fine.
If you've got mates with normal cars, then you'll manage with an mx-5. If you're one of the only one who drives and can see that you'll probably need to give a lot of lifts then you might be better with something bigger.
Driving alone to work down country lanes is such a blast though, something that I'm not sure you'd get from 'warm hatches'.
Very tempting... I have a mate with a astra and another with a corsa but im planning on living with only one lad next year anyway, It all depends on your social life and needs really. My two mates I spend most time with both own MK1 MX-5's so there's basically 3 of us all we 2 seater cars; really I should have gone for a bigger car for weekends away for us all, etc but the MK3 I bought was too good to miss. We just make-do by using 2 cars or whatever. Most the time it's only me and the girlfriend in the car so it's fine.
If you've got mates with normal cars, then you'll manage with an mx-5. If you're one of the only one who drives and can see that you'll probably need to give a lot of lifts then you might be better with something bigger.
Driving alone to work down country lanes is such a blast though, something that I'm not sure you'd get from 'warm hatches'.
I play alot of badminton and as long as it fit two bigish bags in the back then it should do, which MX5 model do you have? would you recommend a certain model or certain features on the car?
Looks like its between this and the Clio,
HemiCommander said:
Yes exactly. The trophy Speedline Turini wheels are the only other wheels that I would consider having on one as they are the correct size to preserve the geometry and ride just lighter. A good quality exhaust does open it up a bit but I wouldn't expect huge increases in power. I went for the Scorpion RS192 exhaust myself and was quite pleased with it, the noise level was close to the original but with a deeper tone and no motorway drone. It was also light and good quality for the price (£410).
yer just have to try and find a set!! well it looks like its between this and the MX5, just have to choose between 2 and 5 seats, supraboy said:
Corolla T SPort Facelift.
Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern.
Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
Chopped in my old car a few months back and was looking at what to get (even put a thread on PH) these were one of the choices I was looking at.Im 22, 4 years NCB, Insurance this year is around £700.
190bhp, 35mpg+, toyota reliablilty, chain driven, get the Facelift and it has uprated dampers, strut braces and a much nicer interior (all the things the old corolla t sport got its bad repuation for).
and they still look reasonably modern
.Ive had mine on the track and was able to keep up with plenty of cars it shouldnt have been, very very underated cars which can be had for £1800+.
They were interesting apart from I could never find one as cheap as £1800 for a facelift, looking at more around £3000 for a decent one and I went to look at several and they had all been treated like s
t! lack of history, obviously clocked, just poor cars in general, while this might not be stereotypical I would advice looking at one before buying.As for me I completely abandoned hot hatches and went for a very mature E46 330i which in the long term was probably the better idea (not that it helps OP's post)
stedaley said:
Very tempting... I have a mate with a astra and another with a corsa but im planning on living with only one lad next year anyway,
I play alot of badminton and as long as it fit two bigish bags in the back then it should do, which MX5 model do you have? would you recommend a certain model or certain features on the car?
Looks like its between this and the Clio,
I have a 2007 MK3 so mine's pretty new (shape-wise). My mates both have the old MK1's with the pop-up headlights which are very similar cars just with less fancy features. I play alot of badminton and as long as it fit two bigish bags in the back then it should do, which MX5 model do you have? would you recommend a certain model or certain features on the car?
Looks like its between this and the Clio,
Perhaps try and find a garage local to you with one in stock to see if the boot space is adequate, a Clio would be a much safer bet based on practicality but I'm sure most people would say the mx5 is the better car to drive. An old MX5 will normally have been enthusiast owned and have been well looked after (maybe only used as a summer car) whereas the Clio is more associated to the 'boy racer' community and is likely to have been driven that way.
If it were me, I'd find a nice MK1 example for around £1500, you'll find them with mileage around the 50k-70k mark for this price, make sure it's a rust-free clean example, go for a hardtop if you want a bit more comfort in winter (bear in mind you'll need somewhere to store this during summer), try and find an imported Eunos Roadster as these will be less prone to rust.
Really you'll have to decide for yourself if you could live with one. It's certainly not as easy as having a hatchback but I've taken the stance that if I can't do it now while I have no kids, etc then how am I ever going to do it?
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