Recommend me a small (ish) car!

Id recommend the VW Golf 1.6 SE Thats what ive got and ive had no problems with it so far. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can pick them up for a decent price. They also have a reasonably good mpg (but that depends on the kind of driving you do).

Corsa's are ok. 3 of my friends have them. One is reliable the other two kept breaking down (one friend is on her second corsa in 2 years).

Another friend has a KA which is really cool and unbelieveably economical. shes had no problems at all with it so id say they're reliable enough

Id avoid fiat puntos at all costs...

Maria

Originally Posted by pencil shavings

micras are crap!! driven 2, both were useless, just no power.

+1. my friend had a courtesy car and it was pathetic..!

Originally Posted by Dave20046

Right guys, SV's off the road indefinitely (hopefully only a couple of months) and I'm in need of my own car. I was looking at mk1 or 2 golfs, minis and other bangers but after a brief meeting with my boss I'm set to get vehicle allowance. So:
Can anyone recommend me a decent, modernish car (2001 onwards) that won't be over the top on insurance? Reliability, looks, handling etc a decent car for an 18 year old...
Quite liking the 2005ish fiestas but would like to know what else is available!
Thinking about it I'm probably after a 1.2-1.6 (depending on insurance and mpg) as I do actually need to be able to get to where I'm going!

fiesta, corsa.

[Viney]

I dorve one of the original new shape micras years ago and found it to be alright. Ok, you had to wring the neck out of it, but it was a right laugh, that was a 1.3 though. Anything with a 1L engine (Other than a 2 wheeled version) is going to be pants.

[Viney]

I actually just read your post.

If you can find one, get a Fiesta 1.4TDCi in the ST trim level. Cool looking, economical and fialry quick.

i wouldnt get a saxo...

bought a brand new one off the forecourt on my 18th birthday..piece of poo...had it 13 months....was in the garage for 9 months of that time....at one point i was driving round in a 2 month old car with about 90 miles on it that just had 2nd and 5th gear....

after 13 months and it being buggered AGAIN....and being told that the warranty wouldnt cover it...(cheeky fecks)...it conveniatly (excuse spelling) was stolen whilst i was in the pub and found 3 hours later burnt to cinders....quite lucky really...

in summary rubbish cars....

fiesta
focus
rover 214/216

thats the sort of thing id be looking for...nothing by peugeot or citrean...peh...

Not a Rover, for Gods sake don't do it to yourself,

You will notice everyone will recommend what they own / owned as everyone thinks their car is the best.

Or they have had a bad experience with one or two and will base an opinion on that.

I see hundreds of cars each year, drive most if not all of them and then price them as trade ins so trust me on this, some cars are woefully unreliable and problematic, some lose so much value that its painful to think about.

Stick to simple rules.

Japanese/Korean - they over-engineer everything so they are super tough mechanically and simple to fix (PS. Nissan is not Japanese)

Simple - lots of neat gadgets are class but key cards and gizmos are a bottomless pit of problems. ABS is a must for insurance reasons though.

Service history - a modern car doesn't need too much attention but if its been regularly serviced by its previous owner you can be sure its going to give you less hassle in the long run. Don't get too hung up on mileage as long as the servicing is in order.

Avoid French - Its not a anti french thing, they made good looking cars that are nice to drive, problem is they make them cheaply and they fall apart alarmingly quickly and even leak (how can a car leak in 2008?)


if you find something like this it will give you less problems in the long run, will be simple to re-sell when your done.

[yorkie_chris]

Don't go for a daewoo either. Yeugh.

Peugeot 106. Great handling and built like tanks.

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

Peugeot 106. Great handling and built like tanks.

i thought the electrics were crap?