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Fiesta5692
Original Poster
49 posts
28 months
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As mentioned in the title i'm looking to spend less than £1500 on a car to do around 7000 miles a year in. Since i'm 20 in september, insurance is the main issue for me but i live in a decent postcode so it is atleast affordable. Requirements would be: Something fairly reliable with cheapish parts and repair costs. Reasonably economical, 35mpg or above would be ideal. Needs to be in a fairly low insurance group. Not boring to drive. Preferably 0-60 in under 10 seconds. Something that looks reasonably sporty or abit different/special. Under 10 years old. The car i've got in mind at the moment is an MG ZR, since it fits the requirements fairly well and theres plenty for sale. The 1.4 105bhp model would be £710 a year to insure for me just to give you an idea of my insurance costs. Looking forward to your suggestions 
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kambites
32,864 posts
90 months
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MX5? 
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wolfy1988
891 posts
32 months
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A little older than 10yrs but...... 1.7 Puma?
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blugnu
1,198 posts
110 months
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I've just bought a Leon 1.6 for exactly half your budget, with tax and test. It's not quite as quick as you want, but it handles well enough, and it's a 'proper' car that is well made and well designed. I think they look good too, and being a VW product there is plenty of scope for you to personalise it.
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forsure
1,364 posts
137 months
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Fiesta Zetec-S (Mk5:'00-'02).
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BorkFactor
4,879 posts
27 months
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Why under 10 years old? Could get a lovely Ford Mondeo ST24 or E36 323i for that money.
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mikeplayer
182 posts
17 months
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2.0TDCI focus mk1-1.5
Focus ST170 might be a little high on insurance though.
Clio 1.5 Dci have it remapped and they are awesome fun
ibiza
Classic mini, however could be a pile of s**t
Work your way though manufacturers and models on autotrader and then use parkers.co.uk to see the specs, performance and insurance groups, extremely usefull website.
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Beeby
278 posts
32 months
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forsure said: Fiesta Zetec-S (Mk5:'00-'02). Has anybody seen one of these that doesn't have rusty arches?
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_Neal_
1,029 posts
88 months
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I liked my MG ZR+ - when I was in your position with cars I was choosing between the ZR and the Fiesta Zetec-S, chose the MG because it was a bit rarer and I preferred the looks and interior. In my view it was a really good first sporty car, and affordable to run and insure, with excellent handling and a good engine note when revved. Very good value these days too. Ford Puma is a good call if you like the looks, they are excellent to drive. ZR/Fiesta are more practical though (and much easier to see out of, to the extent that matters). I'd also say avoid diesels - you don't need a re-mapped Clio diesel to get 35mpg - petrol and a bit revvy is the way forward 
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BorkFactor
4,879 posts
27 months
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mikeplayer said: 2.0TDCI focus mk1-1.5
Focus ST170 might be a little high on insurance though. I wouldn't be touching a cheap 2.0 TDCI at all, there are a lot of common problems that are very expensive to sort. Also, is it not a 1.8 TDCI in the mk1 Focus rather than a 2.0? Not totally sure about that, but I believe the 1.8 is a bit more reliable. Having said that, it is all down to how the car has been looked after - some TDCI engines run to silly mileages without fault. A thorough test drive would be essential if you are considering one. ST170 is not as good as the ST24 IMO - I drove them back to back around this time last year and preferred the Mondeo in almost every possible way.
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TameRacingDriver
8,265 posts
141 months
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I got a Clio 172 as my sub £1500 economy car, and it seems to fit the bill - not sure how bad the insurance would be at your age but for me it was acceptable and not too much worse than more "mundane" cars.
Reliable - reasonably so and cheap parts
35 MPG+ - easily with even a slight bit of restraint
Nippy - 0-60 in under 7 seconds
Fun - Definitely!
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The Crack Fox
8,088 posts
61 months
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Puma, all day long, great little cars and very under-rated. Cheap to fix but check for rust when buying.
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Fiesta5692
Original Poster
49 posts
28 months
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MX-5, Puma and Zetec-S fiesta are all good calls and are something i'll definitely look for. Aren't that era of fords the ones that rust pretty easily though?
ST mondeo/focus are too much on insurance unfortunetly, same with a clio 172/182.
I'd prefer a petrol car tbh but wouldn't ignore a diesel if i found one at a good price.
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ShawCrossShark
2,015 posts
103 months
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Pug 306 XSi? Low to the ground and gear ratios make them feel very nippy. Great handling car and still look pretty decent Alternatively, if you want nearly as much fun but cheaper to run look at the D turbo. Newest ones are about on your 10 year limit but I wouldn't let that stop me
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RacingPete
6,187 posts
73 months
PH Tech Boss Bloke
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rallycross
4,669 posts
106 months
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tricky with only £1500 to get all those boxes ticked.
to add to the ones above;
Focus
Polo Gti
Hyundai coupe
Almera Gt
Primera GT
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SSCooperS
621 posts
33 months
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Another vote for the Puma here - £1500 should get you a very nice example.
I doubt the same money would stretch to a 172.
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Jamie VTS
564 posts
16 months
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Late saxo vtr/ s? 106 gti?
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billy939
73 posts
13 months
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What he said ^^^ 106 gti/Saxo VTS/Puma 1.7? A cheap nippy hot/warm hatch should be small and revvy and these fit the bill
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Fiesta5692
Original Poster
49 posts
28 months
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Saxo VTS and 106 GTi are too much to insure weirdly, they're also pretty hard to find. Polo GTi is a good shout, might have a look for one of those And i know about the MG ZR interior quality, my dad had a rover 25 GTi a few years ago so i know what to expect
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