Buying first car - advice/suggestions

[xwdaniel2803]

Hi all,

I'm completely new to the forum so please be kind! I'm looking for advice on my first car as I've recently received my driving licence.

My budget is £8k, although this could stretch a little for the right car.

Ideally I'd be looking for something comfortable to drive in as I'll be taking 300 mile round trips about once a month, and 200 mile round trips a bit more occasionally (visiting my GF and going back home from uni).

Ultimately as a student though, something reliable and economical would be best. A couple other things I think I'd like (but aren't completely necessary) are spaciousness and something that feels nippy to drive in. Apple CarPlay would be nice, but not necessary either.

I'd also prefer a manual car, not fussed between petrol or diesel although I'd realistically be using the car more for short trips (shopping/driving to uni) than doing long drives, so petrol is probably best.

I've done a bit of research, and I think the ideal sort of car for me would be a Ford Focus.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Edited by xwdaniel2803 on Monday 13th September 00:23

[Mr_D]

Congrats on passing your test. Exciting times ahead!

Your requirements aren't too specific, so I would imagine that more than a Focus would fit the bill. 8000 earth tokens is a healthy budget, so you will find there is plenty out there to choose from.

Depending on your age/location, you may be able to narrow down your search based on insurance costs, so make sure you do research there.

Any car can be unreliable if not looked after or maintained correctly. Some more so than others, so make sure you buy on condition, and not just because it has low miles and is said to be reliable for example.

Only advice I could give is go and look at things you like, test drive and take your time choosing what fits your needs.

[MattyD803]

AS above, I think insurance costs are potentially going to drive your decision here.....probably worth getting a few indicative quotes on a range of things before getting to set on one particular model. i.e. Ka, Fiesta, Focus.

[ZX10R NIN]

8k is a healthy budget with the trips your planning I'd look for a diesel/petrol I'd also lower the budget as it's your first car keeping the overall costs down is no bad thing.

Firstly whatever you go to see makes sure everything works, also if there aren't aany receipts for work that's been carried out then assume it never happened.

A Focus sized car is a good shout if you want a bit of spaciousness keeping the BHP low will be the key to getting sensible insurance numbers which is why a diesel with it's high torque will feel brisk & give you sensible running costs.

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