Replacement for first car

[iiKinsey]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at getting rid of my first ever car and moving on to something a bit more punchy (currently drive a 1.4 petrol Ibiza) been looking around the market and I'm looking mainly at things such as a newer 2.0 tdi fr Ibiza or an e46 BMW (two completely different cars I know) I just wondered if people had any reviews on both of them or any other suggestions? Looking at spending around the £8000 or £9000 mark (obviously less would always be a bonus)

Being 20 and having only driven for a year insurance will be a factor in any cars.

Many thanks!

[Benrad]

Have you thought about a Fiesta?

We just bought a 2015 Zetec S Red Edition (138bhp from a 1l 3 cylinder engine) for just over your budget and it's ruddy excellent. Great seats, looks good to my eyes, really fun to drive and plenty of poke. The chassis is fantastic. To put that into perspective, my other car is a 2.0l Mazda MX5, the Fiesta is different, but just as much fun in its own way.

Or, if you can, go for an MX5! I had mine a my first car and it wasn't ruinous on insurance. Depends if you need the extra seats I guess

[iiKinsey]

Hadn't thought much about a fiesta, when originally looking the 1l engine turned me away a bit but I have heard good reviews, how well does it cope with the mileage? Id be looking at around 15,000 a year. I would quite enjoy a mx5 but I've heard very mixed reviews around them.

[Benrad]

We do 20k miles a year in the Fiesta. I've driven it over 200 mile journeys no problem due to the good seats. Cruise control wasn't standard below Titanium spec and can't be retro fitted but some have it fitted if that's important to you for the long journeys.

What downsides to the MX5 are you worried about?

[iiKinsey]

Good to hear the fiesta can handle the mileag (my biggest worry) the main thing with the mx5 is from some sources I've heard they can be sluggish, but other people will say they're the most fun you can have for that range of money

[Benrad]

I'd suggest that anyone that thinks an MX5 is sluggish is either more used to turbo cars and expects the power at lower revs or is coming from quick cars.

After a 1.4 Ibiza an MX5 will feel plenty quick

[InitialDave]

Benrad said:

Have you thought about a Fiesta?

We just bought a 2015 Zetec S Red Edition (138bhp from a 1l 3 cylinder engine) for just over your budget and it's ruddy excellent. Great seats, looks good to my eyes, really fun to drive and plenty of poke. The chassis is fantastic.

Yes, I drove one of these earlier this year and was very impressed with it. Only negative I had was that it looked like pricing wasn't far off just buying an ST.

[tonyb1968]

Keep with the smaller engined cars as for some reason the higher the cc the more they want to charge you.
I would avoid diesels unless you do lots of motorway miles as well, so stick to the 1-1.4ltr bracket, maybe turbocharged cars, not too high bhp as that again will normally hurt you in the pocket for insurance.

[kieranblenk]

Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo? I know it's not the best image wise but if you get a good colour it looks smart with the black wheels and trim. Your budget would get you a good Mk2 model (huntout the Tech which has sat nav). Available with a 1.2 TSI petrol or the 1.6 diesel. I had a Mk2 Fabia (but only a 1.2 3 cylinder) and now have a Mk3 Monte Carlo and both are excellent cars, much better than the Fiat Bravo and Hyundai i30 I had in between.

My friend has a 125 Ecoboost Fiesta and despite having less power the Fabia has more torque so it's about evenly matched I'd say.

I get around 50mpg on a run from my TSI 110 with the 6 speed box; my Mam has an Audi A1 with the same 1.6 diesel and gets about 58mpg but the petrol is a much better engine plus being 6 speed it's much quieter. Insurance is pretty cheap too. I'm assuming giving the cars you're looking at, having lots of space isn't a huge concern but they do an estate model too if you happened to need it.