£1500 budget for 1st car
Discussion
Hi, I'm writing this on behalf of my boyfriend. He's learning to drive and has a £1500 budget to buy a car. He's left it to me to pick out a car as he has no interest in them and he said to me that because I love shopping (not quite the shopping I like) that I can look for a car. He said that a Ford Ka would do, but I don't think it would suit him... especially when he drives to football, can't imagine a Ford Ka would make him look particularly masculine!
He works 25 miles away from home, so will be driving at least 250 miles a week. At weekends and when games permit, he will have to drive to football occasionally which in total is about 80 miles.
So I was thinking something with less than 60,000 miles would be a good start and perhaps a diesel? But diesel is more expensive than petrol, so perhaps its a false economy with cars in the £1,500 price range, can't imagine they are as economical as the modern diesels?
I was thinking something along the lines of a Fiesta/Corsa/Polo, Rover 25 (but grandaddy tho) but I want him to to have a comfortable drive and all those cars in that price range are a bit tinny. Would prefer a Focus/Astra equivalent, but for that price bracket they are going to be high milers and I want him to get something thats going to last a good 2/3 years without having to spend too much on it and be of decent build quality. Id then imagine that the larger cars insurance will be £+++.
It's kind of like trying to get everything for hardly nothing - something has got to give!
You guys knows cars far better than I do, so please can someone recommend me something half decent.
Thankyou!
He works 25 miles away from home, so will be driving at least 250 miles a week. At weekends and when games permit, he will have to drive to football occasionally which in total is about 80 miles.
So I was thinking something with less than 60,000 miles would be a good start and perhaps a diesel? But diesel is more expensive than petrol, so perhaps its a false economy with cars in the £1,500 price range, can't imagine they are as economical as the modern diesels?
I was thinking something along the lines of a Fiesta/Corsa/Polo, Rover 25 (but grandaddy tho) but I want him to to have a comfortable drive and all those cars in that price range are a bit tinny. Would prefer a Focus/Astra equivalent, but for that price bracket they are going to be high milers and I want him to get something thats going to last a good 2/3 years without having to spend too much on it and be of decent build quality. Id then imagine that the larger cars insurance will be £+++.
It's kind of like trying to get everything for hardly nothing - something has got to give!
You guys knows cars far better than I do, so please can someone recommend me something half decent.
Thankyou!
How old is the boyfriend? How much can he spend on insurance?
Anyway, I think bottom of the range mid sized family cars are supposed to be the cheapest to insure for new drives due to the lack of 'image' and cheapness of parts.
I'd be looking at an early 1.4 Ford Focus L (or whatever the base model is) or something similar.
Should be plenty of cars knocking around that are cheap and cheerful.
Anyway, I think bottom of the range mid sized family cars are supposed to be the cheapest to insure for new drives due to the lack of 'image' and cheapness of parts.
I'd be looking at an early 1.4 Ford Focus L (or whatever the base model is) or something similar.
Should be plenty of cars knocking around that are cheap and cheerful.
Mileage of 60,000 miles really limits your options for £1,500 diesel. But, I did find this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
No connection. And he can go on the ClioSport forums and tell the 182 boys how he's got more torque than them.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
No connection. And he can go on the ClioSport forums and tell the 182 boys how he's got more torque than them.
jdf30 said:
can't imagine a Ford Ka would make him look particularly masculine!
Does he look like a girl or a raging Homo?If so then any car will make him look like a girl, if not then even a pink Micra CC would still make him look masculine but he would be driving a feminine looking car.
With a limited budget, the need for low insurance and running costs I'd put aside any issues of image and what others think and put my own needs first. If people don't like me or call me names because of my car then those people's opinions are not worth the paper they're written on.
bob1179 said:
How old is the boyfriend? How much can he spend on insurance?
Anyway, I think bottom of the range mid sized family cars are supposed to be the cheapest to insure for new drives due to the lack of 'image' and cheapness of parts.
I'd be looking at an early 1.4 Ford Focus L (or whatever the base model is) or something similar.
Should be plenty of cars knocking around that are cheap and cheerful.
He is 22 and from looking into insurance expecting to pay £1,200 on insurance. That's just the sort of info I was after. What sort of mileage could you expect the average 1999-2001 Ford Focus to get to before it starts needing things replaced? I've seen some with 140,000 on the clock, I don't like the idea of mileage that high.Anyway, I think bottom of the range mid sized family cars are supposed to be the cheapest to insure for new drives due to the lack of 'image' and cheapness of parts.
I'd be looking at an early 1.4 Ford Focus L (or whatever the base model is) or something similar.
Should be plenty of cars knocking around that are cheap and cheerful.
MiseryStreak said:
Mileage of 60,000 miles really limits your options for £1,500 diesel. But, I did find this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
No connection. And he can go on the ClioSport forums and tell the 182 boys how he's got more torque than them.
The Clio's gotta be a great call but check what its on the register for,if it was just bodywork damage then it wouldnt bother me but it does make selling it on a bit tricky however keep it 3 years and job it off for £600 and its got to be cheap motoring.http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
No connection. And he can go on the ClioSport forums and tell the 182 boys how he's got more torque than them.
On a different note are you sure your boyfriend is actually a boy? Ford Ka? Lets his bird buy his car? Suppose going to the football offers bloke hope!
jdf30 said:
He is 22 and from looking into insurance expecting to pay £1,200 on insurance. That's just the sort of info I was after. What sort of mileage could you expect the average 1999-2001 Ford Focus to get to before it starts needing things replaced? I've seen some with 140,000 on the clock, I don't like the idea of mileage that high.
As long as they are serviced properly they should just pretty much keep going. I reckon for your budget you can get a nice 75,000 miler that's been looked after and should be good for at least another 50,000 miles.If as you say he has no interest in cars, it should fit the bill perfectly. Cheap to run, not very thirsty, cheap Ford bits, and easy to drive. Plus they come with airbags and all the safety bits that is handy for a new driver.
Another cheapie car you could consider is the last model Skoda Fabia - again cheap and cheerful and reliable.
The most important thing to do first is find some cars and get insurance quotes, then buy the one that is cheapest to insure. Insurance will be the killer.
bob1179 said:
As long as they are serviced properly they should just pretty much keep going. I reckon for your budget you can get a nice 75,000 miler that's been looked after and should be good for at least another 50,000 miles.
If as you say he has no interest in cars, it should fit the bill perfectly. Cheap to run, not very thirsty, cheap Ford bits, and easy to drive. Plus they come with airbags and all the safety bits that is handy for a new driver.
Another cheapie car to consider is the last model Skoda Fabia - again cheap and cheerful and reliable.
The most important thing to do first is find some cars and get insurance quotes, then buy the one that is cheapest to insure. Insurance will be the killer.
Thanks so much for your help. I hadn't really considered 75k but if you say that he could expect another 50,000 miles out of it then perhaps that's what I shall look into. I had looked into the Focus for insurance and I think it came out at about £1,200 which is what he's expecting to pay. The Ford Ka was very cheap at around £750, but I don't like the idea of him driving lots of miles in a tin can. like you say, the Focus has all the safety bits and bobs which is a plus point.If as you say he has no interest in cars, it should fit the bill perfectly. Cheap to run, not very thirsty, cheap Ford bits, and easy to drive. Plus they come with airbags and all the safety bits that is handy for a new driver.
Another cheapie car to consider is the last model Skoda Fabia - again cheap and cheerful and reliable.
The most important thing to do first is find some cars and get insurance quotes, then buy the one that is cheapest to insure. Insurance will be the killer.
Are Skoda parts cheap and easy to get hold of? Leaning towards the focus though. Thanks for your help
Since when has football been masculine? 
Anyway, a Nissan Micra should be cheap and tough at those prices. Either a K11 or newer model. Dire to drive though, but it should be cheap to run and insure. A Ford Focus Zetec would be a good buy, though I'd expect insurance to be more and to have to fix little niggles as you go.
Anyway, a Nissan Micra should be cheap and tough at those prices. Either a K11 or newer model. Dire to drive though, but it should be cheap to run and insure. A Ford Focus Zetec would be a good buy, though I'd expect insurance to be more and to have to fix little niggles as you go.
jdf30 said:
Thanks so much for your help. I hadn't really considered 75k but if you say that he could expect another 50,000 miles out of it then perhaps that's what I shall look into. I had looked into the Focus for insurance and I think it came out at about £1,200 which is what he's expecting to pay. The Ford Ka was very cheap at around £750, but I don't like the idea of him driving lots of miles in a tin can. like you say, the Focus has all the safety bits and bobs which is a plus point.
Are Skoda parts cheap and easy to get hold of? Leaning towards the focus though. Thanks for your help
Skodas are well screwed together now, I can't see parts being anymore expensive than those from Ford. Are Skoda parts cheap and easy to get hold of? Leaning towards the focus though. Thanks for your help
The little KA is actually a really good car, again look around and find one that hasn't been abused, crashed, or is rusty and you'll be laughing. After all, who cares what it looks like? I think the later KAs are better as they don't have the old fashioned Endura-E engine (which can trace it's roots to the 60's), the later Duratec engined cars are much better, quieter and get better fuel economy.
Chrisw666 said:
Does he look like a girl or a raging Homo?
If so then any car will make him look like a girl, if not then even a pink Micra CC would still make him look masculine but he would be driving a feminine looking car.
As a fellow Puma owner, I 'approve' these comments Chris. If so then any car will make him look like a girl, if not then even a pink Micra CC would still make him look masculine but he would be driving a feminine looking car.
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