What Car under £1500?
Discussion
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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. Focus ST170 might be a little high on insurance though.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Currently in the classifieds matching your criteria...
http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Accelerati...
Though I think the MG ZR is a great little car if you can get over the poor switches and cabin quality (the thing that lets it down)
http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Accelerati...
Though I think the MG ZR is a great little car if you can get over the poor switches and cabin quality (the thing that lets it down)
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