First car, £3k budget - what's good?
Discussion
Hey guys!
Recently joined the forums, and only recently formed any interest in driving, but it's now my favourite thing to do. I'm 31, only recently passed my test after a move back to rural Wales from London meant public transport now takes easily 4 times as long as a car trip!
So I've been looking to get my first car, with a budget of around £3 grand. Ideally under to save some money for the insurance, but it depends what's on offer. I started looking at Yarises after they came recommended all the time as a first car, but I didn't like the interior and the ride on country lanes was a bit harsh. Wouldn't mind having a look at a Suzuki Swift, but I'm thinking something bigger might be the way to go? Something like a 1.6 Zetec Focus? Obviously insurance is higher than a Yaris, but not really that much.
Anyway, basically I want a reliable workhorse that will get me around the Brecon Beacons. Trawling Auto Trader is killing me so I'd like any suggestions on what to look for. I know that's quite vague but just looking for pointers more than anything, don't want to mess up this first purchase!
I'm 6'1" and broad if that makes a difference. No Clios.
Cheers!
Recently joined the forums, and only recently formed any interest in driving, but it's now my favourite thing to do. I'm 31, only recently passed my test after a move back to rural Wales from London meant public transport now takes easily 4 times as long as a car trip!
So I've been looking to get my first car, with a budget of around £3 grand. Ideally under to save some money for the insurance, but it depends what's on offer. I started looking at Yarises after they came recommended all the time as a first car, but I didn't like the interior and the ride on country lanes was a bit harsh. Wouldn't mind having a look at a Suzuki Swift, but I'm thinking something bigger might be the way to go? Something like a 1.6 Zetec Focus? Obviously insurance is higher than a Yaris, but not really that much.
Anyway, basically I want a reliable workhorse that will get me around the Brecon Beacons. Trawling Auto Trader is killing me so I'd like any suggestions on what to look for. I know that's quite vague but just looking for pointers more than anything, don't want to mess up this first purchase!
I'm 6'1" and broad if that makes a difference. No Clios.
Cheers!
Must admit all roads keeps coming back to the Yaris, yeah. I prefer the looks of the Swift but the finish and practicality of the Yaris seem a bit better.
Found a nice blue Zetec Climate Focus to go and have a look at on Saturday though. I don't know too much about reliability but I imagine parts are available everywhere?
Found a nice blue Zetec Climate Focus to go and have a look at on Saturday though. I don't know too much about reliability but I imagine parts are available everywhere?
itaa said:
Good economical, cheap to insure cars that won't make you broke around that budget: jazz, auris,fabia... and that's pretty much it.
Haven't seen an 09+ Jazz around (except a Cat D) but I'll keep an eye out. Auris might be a good shout, there's an (overbearing) ad here with very low mileage and not far away.Cheers Tidy! I think that's what bugged me about driving the Yaris - I just felt like a bit of a nan. Seat Leon is an interesting shout, I've not looked at them before. There's a nice looking one here that's not too far away. Insurance is the cheapest I've been quoted too, though mileage is higher than I've been looking at.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
I'm looking for 5 doors for transporting family around the countryside sometimes, but ideally something a bit nippy for when I'm on my own driving up to Manchester. Focus seems sensible, Leon is more exciting though!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...
I'm looking for 5 doors for transporting family around the countryside sometimes, but ideally something a bit nippy for when I'm on my own driving up to Manchester. Focus seems sensible, Leon is more exciting though!
ZX10R NIN said:
So OP have you drawn up a shortlist?
Yeah, it's just ever-changing haha. I thought the deciding factor would be insurance, but living where I live and being 31 it's actually been pretty even for everything I've checked, and I'm happy to spend £150 more for anything over a Yaris at this point.Some great suggestions in here for thing I'd never thought of looking at, the only factor narrowing it down is the location - this being my first car even though I've done a lot of reading up I'm going to take the old man along to check them out, so won't be travelling too far. I've only driven my instructors D3 properly before!
Current top of the list is still the Focus, purely for the availability of good FSH one owner models with some perks. The drive doesn't seem too boring to me, but then I've not driven that much, and parts are everywhere.
Gonna look for a 147, they do look fun! And cheap.
Focus seems like the most sensible option at this point, until I get bored of it. They all look a bit OAP inside but I can see things like climate control being really useful. It's annoying after browsing PH for a while to be so practical about this haha
These topics never seem to get an end reply, do they?
And the OP rarely buys a car that gets recommended, do they?
Well...errr...
I decided to be slightly more sensible and try to fit as much of the insurance cost as I could into my budget. 2 pretty solid months of looking at everything under the sun was getting on my nerves, and I was beginning to add an extra grand on for silly reasons. Went through insurance options and got boring/realistic. I was pretty set on a Focus, and they're definitely the most comfortable car I've sat in, but I've gone for a Fiesta, which I don't think was mentioned here. I'm off to pick this one up on the weekend!
It's not very PH, and it has a weird grin, but after a load of searching and bad experiences with private sellers I found this little one the most pleasing option. Cam belt's been done, service history is great, 12 month warranty, 1,4 engine is enough for now, and it's pretty pristine. Leg room in back is limited but I don't think I'll have passengers that often, and when I do there'll likely be a baby seat behind me. I can't see it failing to do the job, and there's something comforting about my first car being a stereotypical first car, haha!
Have to say though, I learned a lot about cars just from looking at your suggestions here. Now to think about what to get next...
And the OP rarely buys a car that gets recommended, do they?
Well...errr...
I decided to be slightly more sensible and try to fit as much of the insurance cost as I could into my budget. 2 pretty solid months of looking at everything under the sun was getting on my nerves, and I was beginning to add an extra grand on for silly reasons. Went through insurance options and got boring/realistic. I was pretty set on a Focus, and they're definitely the most comfortable car I've sat in, but I've gone for a Fiesta, which I don't think was mentioned here. I'm off to pick this one up on the weekend!
It's not very PH, and it has a weird grin, but after a load of searching and bad experiences with private sellers I found this little one the most pleasing option. Cam belt's been done, service history is great, 12 month warranty, 1,4 engine is enough for now, and it's pretty pristine. Leg room in back is limited but I don't think I'll have passengers that often, and when I do there'll likely be a baby seat behind me. I can't see it failing to do the job, and there's something comforting about my first car being a stereotypical first car, haha!
Have to say though, I learned a lot about cars just from looking at your suggestions here. Now to think about what to get next...
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