Choosing a Third Car for a "young-ish" driver :)
Discussion
I've been browsing these forums for months now and finally took the plunge and made an account 
Right onto my first question - I need some inspiration on potentially swapping my car.
My first car - A little old M-Reg ROVER Metro family owned since new
My current car - 1.6 Petrol Ford Focus MK2
As you can see my car history is about as dull as it can be!
I am now 22 and seeking to swap my Ford Focus for something with a little more OOMPF! and something a whole lot more interesting/fun to drive.
The sale of my Ford Focus + savings would give me a limit of £6000 budget. Insurance needs to be kept in mind, I don't have any of my own no-claims discount, however I do have almost 5 years NCD as a named-driver - not sure how much this really goes in my favor when taking out a new policy - I have a feeling, very little.
My mechanical knowledge of a car/engine is little-nill so reliability is important.
I'm ideally looking for something in the 150-200bhp range, so far I have considered:
Mazda MX5 MK3 - 2.0L 160bhp
Ford Fiesta ST - 2.0L 150bhp
My annual mileage is fairly low - about 8,000 per year so MPG isn't of too much importance, although it would be nice to see 35+ on a longer run. The lower the running costs the better.
Feel free to inspire me!
Right onto my first question - I need some inspiration on potentially swapping my car.
My first car - A little old M-Reg ROVER Metro family owned since new
My current car - 1.6 Petrol Ford Focus MK2
As you can see my car history is about as dull as it can be!
I am now 22 and seeking to swap my Ford Focus for something with a little more OOMPF! and something a whole lot more interesting/fun to drive.
The sale of my Ford Focus + savings would give me a limit of £6000 budget. Insurance needs to be kept in mind, I don't have any of my own no-claims discount, however I do have almost 5 years NCD as a named-driver - not sure how much this really goes in my favor when taking out a new policy - I have a feeling, very little.
My mechanical knowledge of a car/engine is little-nill so reliability is important.
I'm ideally looking for something in the 150-200bhp range, so far I have considered:
Mazda MX5 MK3 - 2.0L 160bhp
Ford Fiesta ST - 2.0L 150bhp
My annual mileage is fairly low - about 8,000 per year so MPG isn't of too much importance, although it would be nice to see 35+ on a longer run. The lower the running costs the better.
Feel free to inspire me!
Possibly a little old/leftfield, but still...
Advert said:
2 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, 96,501 miles, INCA, MOT-12-2013, 6 Owners. supplied with 138 maintenance invoices plus original service book, Drivers Manual, New MOT & VOSA MOT history. Superb condition throughout. Heated Rear Window, Rear Seats, Alloy wheels, Colour coding - Interior, Head restraints, Leather upholstery, Radio/CD, Audio remote control, Adjustable seats. This is a very rare opportunity to purchase a quality MG B GT part of our fantastic motoring history with only 96k miles. Presented in stunning condition in INCA YELLOW with black leather interior and the special yellow piping. This car has a STAGGERING 138 maintenance invoices mainly from an MG dealer plus the original service book stamped with 6 service stamps. The car has clearly been maintained to a very high standard. The black leather interior has been tailored to match the yellow of the car, this cost in the region of £400 some years ago. The original MGB driver handbook is in very good condition along with other 70’s MG literature. This is The car will be PDi serviced at point of sale by MG Specialists! Also supplied with MOT & VOSA MOT history plus is HPi checked and cleared. Great value sports heritage motoring. More pictures on our website www.carsforsalenorthampton.co.uk. £5,000 p/x considered
Yum yumOP, have you actually run any quotes online to see what you are likely going to be looking at for insurance?
It could either way, you might be surprised by what you can get away with, or you might s
t your pants....either way at least you will know.
This thread is pointless unless you know what ball park you are in.
It could either way, you might be surprised by what you can get away with, or you might s
t your pants....either way at least you will know.This thread is pointless unless you know what ball park you are in.
CallorFold said:
I was thinking something more along the lines of less than 5 years old, with sub-60k miles 
Not really in the market for a classic and having no mechanical knowledge obviously won't help with the year-on-year running costs of an older classic.
If your annual mileage is only 8k, i wouldn't be put off by stuff with higher miles Not really in the market for a classic and having no mechanical knowledge obviously won't help with the year-on-year running costs of an older classic.
CallorFold said:
I was thinking something more along the lines of less than 5 years old, with sub-60k miles
Yes, but they're boring 
CallorFold said:
Not really in the market for a classic and having no mechanical knowledge obviously won't help with the year-on-year running costs of an older classic.
Buy one then, you'll soon gain mechanical knowledge!Well my current Focus insurance is just under £600 - that's a group 8 AFAIK....again, not that insurance group seems to be much to go by anymore.
I guess my insurance limit would be up to £1500 and could be payed monthly if necessary, although not ideally. I should think most cars that fall into the 150-200bhp range will land somewhere around this figure.
I'm in no real rush to swap vehicles and if it means waiting another year before I can afford something i really want, then so be it just on the look-out for something that catches my eye - so far the MK3 MX5 is the only car ticking many boxes
I guess my insurance limit would be up to £1500 and could be payed monthly if necessary, although not ideally. I should think most cars that fall into the 150-200bhp range will land somewhere around this figure.
I'm in no real rush to swap vehicles and if it means waiting another year before I can afford something i really want, then so be it
just on the look-out for something that catches my eye - so far the MK3 MX5 is the only car ticking many boxes big_boz said:
OP, have you actually run any quotes online to see what you are likely going to be looking at for insurance?
It could either way, you might be surprised by what you can get away with, or you might st your pants....either way at least you will know.
This thread is pointless unless you know what ball park you are in.
+1It could either way, you might be surprised by what you can get away with, or you might s
t your pants....either way at least you will know.This thread is pointless unless you know what ball park you are in.
OP; To be honest, if it's fun you want, older cars are almost certainly the answer (and if you choose the right one will be no less reliable than a newer car). - I'm only a couple of years older than you but wish I'd realised this earlier instead of buying a nearly new EcoBox for £9k when I was 19!
What is possible is mostly down to insurance, as big_boz says. - Nevertheless, £6k should be enough for something fun!
CallorFold said:
I was thinking something more along the lines of less than 5 years old, with sub-60k miles
Any reason to why?Not that it's a problem or an issue, but such requirements on such a budget just mean you'll end up with some boring "white-goods" vehicle, like the ones you've already owned.
Again no probs if all you are after is "transport" and you don't care about cars or driving. But this is 'Piston Heads'.... after all, so many will suggest more exciting cars as that is what is generally preferred.
CallorFold said:
Not really in the market for a classic and having no mechanical knowledge obviously won't help with the year-on-year running costs of an older classic.
Classics don't need to be any more costly to run, in fact when you include depreciation and often service costs into the mix, they usually end up being cheaper overall, and often by quite a margin in some cases.As for mechanical knowledge, well that's what garages exist for. If for some reason you aren't interested in how the car works, then simply pay someone who is. Which is the same thing you'd be doing for a newer car anyway.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Thursday 28th March 16:56
300bhp/ton said:
Classics don't need to be any more costly to run, in fact when you include depreciation and often service costs into the mix, they usually end up being cheaper overall, and often by quite a margin in some cases.
+1 to this, my classic has appreciated in value since i have owned it, pick wisely and you can really reduce your costs, fold in classic insurance and you are laughing.Not anywhere near your brief, buy i think I have actually made money on my Bug, including everything i have spent on it, the VED (which is zero as its a '72), and the insurance (£80 a year).......
Don't rule out!
Anything typically fast that appeals to the younger man will cost lots on insurance, you need to look for something thats quick, but that not many youngsters would buy to try to bring the costs down, when i was 20 i bought a 2.5 litre e46, was quick enough for me, insurance was cheaper than any of the warm hatches too, had that for 2 years then picked up a 330ci, insurance was the same. Got a ep3 type r now, and the insurance is the same as i was paying when i had my first bmw!
The type r would be a good choice if you can stomach the insurance, at a guess it will be over a grand, but you could pick up a half decent one for less than 5k, and use the rest to fund the insurance and then get saving for next year, reliable, and can be economical if you want it to be, and will be in a different league to your focus.
The type r would be a good choice if you can stomach the insurance, at a guess it will be over a grand, but you could pick up a half decent one for less than 5k, and use the rest to fund the insurance and then get saving for next year, reliable, and can be economical if you want it to be, and will be in a different league to your focus.
If you can afford to insure the MX-5 then go for that.
On a lovely summers evening, pretty girl sitting next to you, nice country pub a 20 mile drive away ask yourself which car would you rather have on your driveway? A Fezza or one of THE iconic affordable open top cars of the last 20 years?
On a lovely summers evening, pretty girl sitting next to you, nice country pub a 20 mile drive away ask yourself which car would you rather have on your driveway? A Fezza or one of THE iconic affordable open top cars of the last 20 years?
GreatGranny said:
If you can afford to insure the MX-5 then go for that.
On a lovely summers evening, pretty girl sitting next to you, nice country pub a 20 mile drive away ask yourself which car would you rather have on your driveway? A Fezza or one of THE iconic affordable open top cars of the last 20 years?
Ignore the bit about the Ferrari, but the rest is sound. MX-5 - cheap RWD thrills.On a lovely summers evening, pretty girl sitting next to you, nice country pub a 20 mile drive away ask yourself which car would you rather have on your driveway? A Fezza or one of THE iconic affordable open top cars of the last 20 years?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff