First car for £1500

[thewizardsflannel]

Hi guys,

6 years after passing my test and driving other people's cars, i'm finally going to get my own motor.

I've been doing lots of digging, and it seems that the old suspects keep popping up. The Fiesta, Polo, Corsa etc...

One thing is bugging me though. I'll be getting a car so that I can do long trips from London to Scotland, Wales, Dorset etc, and I just worry that these won't be comfortable for long journeys. Should I be worried or is it just a stupid concern? (i'll also be doing smaller trips in London for general milling about).

I was also looking at bigger, estate type cars (and the Subaru Forester) which were quite tempting...

So just looking for a bit of advice really, if you were in my shoes and you had £1500 big ones to spend on a car for my purposes, which one would you choose?

[randlemarcus]

The one with the cheapest insurance

As a long term licence holder with zero NCD, I suspect you are an oddity, so you might find a niche cheap spot in the insurance prices. Use a new browser, set up a profile with a comparison site, so you can plug in the details of a few things that catch your eye, and use that as a baseline price indicator.

Also, consider your day to day use - if you have a five mile commute, but a trip to the Highlands once a year, it doesnt make sense to buy a diesel barge. You'd be better buying a petrol city car, and hiring the cruiser when you need it.

[blueg33]

My son has a Kia Proceed. It seems to take him and his GF all over the country with no issue. It was £1500

It is a 1.6 though and he has a few years NCD so maybe a bit expensive for a new driver to insure

[MC Bodge]

Petrol Fiesta. Cheap to maintain, reliable, good to drive. Comfortable enough for long trips too.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 10:07

[thewizardsflannel]

MC Bodge said:

Petrol Fiesta. Cheap to maintain, reliable, good to drive. Comfortable enough for long trips too.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 10:07

Thanks, I really like the look of the Fiesta mk4. Are there any models you would recommend / know if the mk4 is any good?

Cheers!

[MC Bodge]

thewizardsflannel said:

MC Bodge said:

Petrol Fiesta. Cheap to maintain, reliable, good to drive. Comfortable enough for long trips too.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 10:07

Thanks, I really like the look of the Fiesta mk4. Are there any models you would recommend / know if the mk4 is any good?

Cheers!

I'd recommend this version (confusingly, known as either Mk5 or Mk6) or later:



https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/fiesta/98102/fo...

Earlier versions are very old, not as nice and rust.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 11:04

[steveo3002]

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

[HustleRussell]

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

[HustleRussell]

OP you are basically at the mercy of insurance companies. Hammer the comparison websites to find a car which will do the job but which doesn’t cost a fortune to insure.

[Xcore]

Mx5

[steveo3002]

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

didnt read that bit...still might be worth putting up with a cheapo car to get some ncb under your belt

[monthou]

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

We have a 107. I'd happily take it anywhere. It's not the ideal long distance car, but it will sit at motorway speeds all day.

[HustleRussell]

steveo3002 said:

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

didnt read that bit...still might be worth putting up with a cheapo car to get some ncb under your belt

I’d probably get a petrol Mondeo, 407, C5, Passat / Exeo / Octavia… one of the rep cars unloved by the second hand market.

[HustleRussell]

monthou said:

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

We have a 107. I'd happily take it anywhere. It's not the ideal long distance car, but it will sit at motorway speeds all day.

I don’t doubt that it will, because anything will- however OP is at least 23, has done plenty of driving already, and quite reasonably (and achievably) wants something which will be comfortable on drives of hundreds of miles.

[Ankh87]

I can vouch for Kia's as they last forever. GF has a picanto (2009) and other than general maintenance it's only ever needed a replacement stereo surround as the button for rear demister got stuck and it couldn't be removed. Cost £20 and was easy to replace.
Her parents have had Kia's for years and they swear by them. Never have any problems with them and granted they aren't for everyone but if you can look beyond the badge they are reliable and that's what you want for your first car. You can then save up money to buy your dream car.

[Evil.soup]

MC Bodge said:

thewizardsflannel said:

MC Bodge said:

Petrol Fiesta. Cheap to maintain, reliable, good to drive. Comfortable enough for long trips too.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 10:07

Thanks, I really like the look of the Fiesta mk4. Are there any models you would recommend / know if the mk4 is any good?

Cheers!

I'd recommend this version (confusingly, known as either Mk5 or Mk6) or later:



https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/fiesta/98102/fo...

Earlier versions are very old, not as nice and rust.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 18th August 11:04

Second the above, £1500 will get you a very nice late model 2008 Fiesta like the one above and they are fantastic little cars. I just bought a 2006 1.4 zetec as a daily for £700, full history and only covered 72k, Its great to drive, very comfortable, dirt cheap insurance and cheap to run. £1500 could get you into the next model year but would buy you a car with high miles and issues, not worth the extra expense.

[Sir Bagalot]

HustleRussell said:

monthou said:

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

We have a 107. I'd happily take it anywhere. It's not the ideal long distance car, but it will sit at motorway speeds all day.

I don’t doubt that it will, because anything will- however OP is at least 23, has done plenty of driving already, and quite reasonably (and achievably) wants something which will be comfortable on drives of hundreds of miles.

The 107/C1/Aygo is a great car for what it is. For a first car for an 18 year old it's very hard to beat.

For some who's 23 it simply isn't

[J4CKO]

monthou said:

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

We have a 107. I'd happily take it anywhere. It's not the ideal long distance car, but it will sit at motorway speeds all day.

Yeah, had 100 mph indicated out of our C1, was happy at eighty, was fine only the seats make your backside go numb.

Fiesta at that money will be pretty crumbly unless you are lucky, 1500 Aygo, C1 or 106 might be a bit careworn but they last pretty well and are cheaper, seemingly indestructible.

Fiesta is a better long distance car though, used to use our Ecoboost one to go to Bristol and didnt arrive any more tired or frazzelled than in my big Merc, thought wouldnt fancy that in my modified ST, would be fine but I would probably end up deaf with speeding tickets.

[Evil.soup]

J4CKO said:

monthou said:

HustleRussell said:

steveo3002 said:

aygo/c1/107 cheap to insure and run , basic enough that repairs wont cost too much

get one with a/c

For trips the length of the country?

We have a 107. I'd happily take it anywhere. It's not the ideal long distance car, but it will sit at motorway speeds all day.

Yeah, had 100 mph indicated out of our C1, was happy at eighty, was fine only the seats make your backside go numb.

Fiesta at that money will be pretty crumbly unless you are lucky, 1500 Aygo, C1 or 106 might be a bit careworn but they last pretty well and are cheaper, seemingly indestructible.

Fiesta is a better long distance car though, used to use our Ecoboost one to go to Bristol and didnt arrive any more tired or frazzelled than in my big Merc, thought wouldnt fancy that in my modified ST, would be fine but I would probably end up deaf with speeding tickets.

Wouldn't agree with the Fiesta comment unless you are talking about the 2009 model onwards, don't seem to get much car for £1500 with the new shape model. With the previous model 2006 to 2008, you will get a good example that should be comfortable and reliable for well under £1500 and there are hundreds to choose from so no need to settle for the first bag of spanners you see. As said, I just bought a 2006 1.4 zetec for £700 and I couldn't be happier with it, very surprised I could find something so decent for the money actually. Twice the money would get you a low mileage Ghia with leather and connections for your gadgets.

[monthou]

Sir Bagalot said:

The 107/C1/Aygo is a great car for what it is. For a first car for an 18 year old it's very hard to beat.

For some who's 23 it simply isn't

What an odd view.
It's cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure, cheap to tax, reliable, subjectively fun to drive.
Is it the best car for long trips? Clearly not.
Is it rubbish for a 23 year old though? I'm struggling with that.

I'd be looking in the shed thread for advice - that's literally about running cars under £1500. And I'd be comparing insurance and road tax before looking at anything. I have colleagues in their late twenties who pay a good chunk of the OP's budget just in insurance.