Car for Racegirl
Discussion
With a bit of luck racegirl will be passing her driving test at long last in the near future 
So the next thing she will be wanting is a little runabout, a quick flick through Ad-Mag with a budget of £1,500-£2000 brought up these.......
Fiat Punto 55s year 96
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93
Anyone got any reasons against any of them or any more to add to the list, bare in mind someone with no driving history has got to be able to insure it without having a heart attack at the premium
So the next thing she will be wanting is a little runabout, a quick flick through Ad-Mag with a budget of £1,500-£2000 brought up these.......
Fiat Punto 55s year 96
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93
Anyone got any reasons against any of them or any more to add to the list, bare in mind someone with no driving history has got to be able to insure it without having a heart attack at the premium
Try a Mini 1.3i Cooper. Hoot to drive, cheap insurance, and tweakable in the future.
Fiat Cinqucento Sporting - Fun, dirt cheap to buy, run & insure.
Lotus Elan +2 £2250 ono on Autotrader.co.uk, Haven Cars site, needs work......, but classic insurance.
Good luck with the test Racegirl.
Edited to add: I like the picture - top work
>> Edited by chris.mapey on Wednesday 5th February 11:10
Fiat Cinqucento Sporting - Fun, dirt cheap to buy, run & insure.
Lotus Elan +2 £2250 ono on Autotrader.co.uk, Haven Cars site, needs work......, but classic insurance.
Good luck with the test Racegirl.
Edited to add: I like the picture - top work
>> Edited by chris.mapey on Wednesday 5th February 11:10
Fiat Punto 55s year 96 - OK, but I'd go for a Cinquecento sporting... a lot more fun 
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96 - cheap to run
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95 - not a bad bet, watch the tappets though!
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96 - no experience
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96 -
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93 - solid... but VW insurance is never cheap...
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96 - cheap to run
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95 - not a bad bet, watch the tappets though!
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96 - no experience
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96 -
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93 - solid... but VW insurance is never cheap...
Instead of a Punto 55S might want to look for an 55SX as that gives you
* slightly wider tyres (oooh errr 165 v 155!)
* rev counter - very important
* central locking
and at that age probably won't cost you any more to run / insure.
Not a fun car but my wife has one and loves it. I hate it but, as you say, you're looking for something small and cheap for now.
* slightly wider tyres (oooh errr 165 v 155!)
* rev counter - very important
* central locking
and at that age probably won't cost you any more to run / insure.
Not a fun car but my wife has one and loves it. I hate it but, as you say, you're looking for something small and cheap for now.
Sounds about right. But don't worry about the age / mileage - you can fix pretty much anything with a hammer.
Look out for rot in the subframes, a-panels, boot floor, footwells. Also look for serious oil leaks but don't worry about a bit of leaking from the back of the engine where the gear selector rod enters the 'box - they all leak from here but a new seal kit is only a fiver.
Fully comp insurance for me is £130 so it is genuinely a cheap car to cover.
Look out for rot in the subframes, a-panels, boot floor, footwells. Also look for serious oil leaks but don't worry about a bit of leaking from the back of the engine where the gear selector rod enters the 'box - they all leak from here but a new seal kit is only a fiver.
Fully comp insurance for me is £130 so it is genuinely a cheap car to cover.
What sort of distances is she/the car going to need to cover
If it's a quick spin into town and a few mile commute, what about a classic. I got Mrs B a Spitfire a few years back, cheap fun motoring (ridiculously cheap to run and insure too (then, I did restore than for a living in a previous life))
I can't add any more sensible options
If it's a quick spin into town and a few mile commute, what about a classic. I got Mrs B a Spitfire a few years back, cheap fun motoring (ridiculously cheap to run and insure too (then, I did restore than for a living in a previous life))
I can't add any more sensible options
incorrigible said: What sort of distances is she/the car going to need to cover
A few miles to work and back and trips to the supermarket, needs to be relativly reliable and cheap to put back together when she inevitably drives it into something
She didn't like my idea of an old Land Rover
Nothing french - it'll drive you up the wall with the sketchy electrics.
Echo a mini though, great little cars, perfect intro to fun driving and £2K should get you a nice well cared for example, and like miniman says, anything that goes wrong cann usually be fixed by twatting it with a hammer
Echo a mini though, great little cars, perfect intro to fun driving and £2K should get you a nice well cared for example, and like miniman says, anything that goes wrong cann usually be fixed by twatting it with a hammer
I paid £1800 for M plate Fiesta 1.3 last year. Has done 60k miles and has been 100% reliable. Low insurance group too, even more so if you go for the 1.1.
I would avoid a Punto - I know a few people with them and they are a bit flimsy.
If a mini interests you try www.plminis.com, they will be able to source you whatever you require I'm sure.
I would avoid a Punto - I know a few people with them and they are a bit flimsy.
If a mini interests you try www.plminis.com, they will be able to source you whatever you require I'm sure.
If you went for the Pug i would double check everything on it. My mate bought a N reg 106 with about 60,000 on the clock...he has had nothing but trouble. Cam belt snapped on the motorway seizing the engine, all exhaust sections replaced, new tires ( but you'd expect that ) and the dash trim is basically falling apart- In short it turned out to be a piece of sh*t.
I would go Punto personally. I used to have a sporting and had no bother, another friend has a 55s and has had no bother (he does drive like a grandad though)
I would go Punto personally. I used to have a sporting and had no bother, another friend has a 55s and has had no bother (he does drive like a grandad though)
Fiat Punto 55s year 96 - yuk - Italian build quality & reliability.
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96 - Yuk - Ford Badge
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95 - Yuk - unreliable & flimsy but fun to drive.
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96 - Yuk - nasty to drive esp without PAS. Expensive to fix.
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96 - Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo - I'd rather have a Daewoo Matiz..
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93 - Good car, but expensive to insure and potentially expensive and awkward to fix.
Out of that lot I'd swallow the pride wrt the Ford badge and go for the Fester..
However, if reliability is your primary motivation, look at Japanese cars - a Micra will be faultless even if it is a dreadful car to drive with any degree of enthusiasm. Toyota probably have a supermini of that era worth looking at too.
What about a Suzuki Cappucino?
Oh and IMO, don't even think about Minis.. remember this is not a car for you to get your go-kart jollies in.. there was something invented called rust-proofing that Minis seem to have missed out on completely.. might as well make a car out of glued together crisps..
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Wednesday 5th February 13:10
Ford Fiesta 1.1LX year 96 - Yuk - Ford Badge
Peugeot 106 1.2 Ski year 95 - Yuk - unreliable & flimsy but fun to drive.
Renault Clio 1.2 year 96 - Yuk - nasty to drive esp without PAS. Expensive to fix.
Vauxhall Nova/Corsa 1.2 year 93-96 - Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo - I'd rather have a Daewoo Matiz..
VW Polo Coupe 1.3 year 93 - Good car, but expensive to insure and potentially expensive and awkward to fix.
Out of that lot I'd swallow the pride wrt the Ford badge and go for the Fester..
However, if reliability is your primary motivation, look at Japanese cars - a Micra will be faultless even if it is a dreadful car to drive with any degree of enthusiasm. Toyota probably have a supermini of that era worth looking at too.
What about a Suzuki Cappucino?
Oh and IMO, don't even think about Minis.. remember this is not a car for you to get your go-kart jollies in.. there was something invented called rust-proofing that Minis seem to have missed out on completely.. might as well make a car out of glued together crisps..
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Wednesday 5th February 13:10
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