What car for the girlfriend...

[RobCrezz]

Ok this is hard one.

Budget £5-6k

Current Car: 2000 Puma 1.7

Requirements:
- Roughly as quick as the puma
- Good looking
- Economical (can be petrol or diesel, but she does around 10000miles a year)
- No worse than the puma on insurance (22 year old girl, 2years NCB)
- Cheapish tax
- 3 doors (unless its a good looking 5 door)
- Reliable
- 5 years old or newer

I don't think this car exists to be honest, closest we have found is the newest Fiesta Zetec S, but that is more like £10-11k...

Any ideas and suggestions?

[Hairspray]

MINI Cooper sounds like exactly the sort of thing you want really? Might be an '05 for that money but it is still the facelift model, and you might find a couple of newer ones in budget

[RobCrezz]

Hairspray said:

MINI Cooper sounds like exactly the sort of thing you want really? Might be an '05 for that money but it is still the facelift model, and you might find a couple of newer ones in budget

Good suggestion, but she isn't keen Minis because "they look like daddy bought it for them". Sorry, that's what im dealing with.

[NiceCupOfTea]

RobCrezz said:

Hairspray said:

MINI Cooper sounds like exactly the sort of thing you want really? Might be an '05 for that money but it is still the facelift model, and you might find a couple of newer ones in budget

Good suggestion, but she isn't keen Minis because "they look like daddy bought it for them". Sorry, that's what im dealing with.

You are onto a loser there - anything you suggest will be wrong!

How about some variety of Seat Leon Cupcake?

[andrew311]

Fiat 500? 1.4 is pretty nippy and girls seem to like them. Drive my sister ocassionally and I was pleasently supprised at teh room and drive.

[Strachan]

RobCrezz said:

Ok this is hard one.

Budget £5-6k

Current Car: 2000 Puma 1.7

Requirements:
- Roughly as quick as the puma
- Good looking
- Economical (can be petrol or diesel, but she does around 10000miles a year)
- No worse than the puma on insurance (22 year old girl, 2years NCB)
- Cheapish tax
- 3 doors (unless its a good looking 5 door)
- Reliable
- 5 years old or newer

I don't think this car exists to be honest, closest we have found is the newest Fiesta Zetec S, but that is more like £10-11k...

Any ideas and suggestions?

Keep Puma! Whats wrong with it?!

[va1o]

Ibiza SC 1.6 Sport? Can *just* about pick them up for £6k if you look hard. Came out late 2008 so would still be within warranty. 105PS from the 16v engine and 0-60 in around 10 seconds. Mechanical reliability is generally OK, most parts are common with the Polo and A1.

[Mastodon2]

I'd have thought if she is not bothered about petrol or diesel then a decent Seat Leon FR could be had, with it's turbo diesel engine making something like 170bhp it will be a fair bit pokier than the Puma and iirc the mpg on them is between 40 and 50 depending on how hard you drive them.

[Deluded]

Mazda 2 Sport?



Even the non sport models are nice. A diesel too.

Ibiza?



Loads of engines to choose from.



Bit of a wild card maybe?

[DrainTheSpuds]

How about a Suzuki Swift Sport? It might be at the top end of the budget, but it ticks all the boxes IMO.

[KaraK]

RobCrezz said:

Hairspray said:

MINI Cooper sounds like exactly the sort of thing you want really? Might be an '05 for that money but it is still the facelift model, and you might find a couple of newer ones in budget

Good suggestion, but she isn't keen Minis because "they look like daddy bought it for them". Sorry, that's what im dealing with.

Get her a MINI and then when you hand her the key you can say "Who's your daddy?"

About the only more PH thing you could do would be to buy her an MX5

[weezb]

RobCrezz said:

Ok this is hard one.

Budget £5-6k

Current Car: 2000 Puma 1.7

Requirements:
- Roughly as quick as the puma
- Good looking
- Economical (can be petrol or diesel, but she does around 10000miles a year)
- No worse than the puma on insurance (22 year old girl, 2years NCB)
- Cheapish tax
- 3 doors (unless its a good looking 5 door)
- Reliable
- 5 years old or newer

I don't think this car exists to be honest, closest we have found is the newest Fiesta Zetec S, but that is more like £10-11k...

Any ideas and suggestions?

Just throwing this thought up: Suzuki Swift Sport?

[v8250]

try these for size...cheap as chips to run...good fun and economical

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2764242.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2878597.htm

[va1o]

^^Wow, I had no idea the current shape MX-5 could be had that cheap! Bit of a bargain and probably suits the requirements better than anything else suggested so far

[RobM77]

I can't see much poimt in going from a Puma to a Fiesta if what you've said about your gf's preferences is right. From her int of view, I expect the Fiesta is just the Puma's more sensible worse looking cousin.

I'd second the suggestions of a Fiat 500 or Mazda MX5, and also suggest a Toyota MR2 or Honda S2000.

[Strachan]

RobM77 said:

I can't see much poimt in going from a Puma to a Fiesta if what you've said about your gf's preferences is right. From her int of view, I expect the Fiesta is just the Puma's more sensible worse looking cousin.

I'd second the suggestions of a Fiat 500 or Mazda MX5, and also suggest a Toyota MR2 or Honda S2000.

Agree. Something more fun. RWD, cheap. MX5, S2K

[swakelin91]

If your looking at the new fiesta zs, then why not look at the mk6 as will be in budget?

[va1o]

swakelin91 said:

If your looking at the new fiesta zs, then why not look at the mk6 as will be in budget?

Only a fool would spend £5k - £6k on an old model Fiesta IMO. That shape is verging on 10 years old and fast approaching sub-£1k territory for early examples. The money is better spent on the earliest version of a current car, hence I think the Ibiza and MX5 suggestions fit well, stick a private plate on and it could be a brand new car to the untrained eye.

[entwisi]

Bought my missus am mx5 4 months after she passed her test she absolutely loved it, only sold 2.5 years later when the bump in her belly made her too big to fit behind the wheel and still reach the pedals....

[Strachan]

entwisi said:

Bought my missus am mx5 4 months after she passed her test she absolutely loved it, only sold 2.5 years later when the bump in her belly made her too big to fit behind the wheel and still reach the pedals....

Got you in the 'good books' then