ideal 1st car?

ACID

has to be hatchback
preferred 5 door
good for a 6ft + person
low litre
low insurance group
decent plate, within last 10 years....
manual

anyone know any?

£2,000 MAX....

scheming_gypsy

not sure what insurance group Golfs are but they're hatchback and i'm 6'2 and have no problem driving mine

vansboy

Fiesta.

Plenty around & easyish/cheapush to fix.

NOT diesel, as it's a bigger engine, not that much better MPG than petrol & higher tax & probably insurance, too.

VB

blue_haddock

how about a Peugeot 306 or Citroen Xsara. You should get a 1.4 in decent condition for that money

indiegirl_2

An old shape Almera? Not the most funky on the outside, but look at an old SR if you want a bit of performance... (ah, just read that you want low engine size). The 1.4's are cheery enough things.

...if you don't mind popping your flat cap on (I do with mine each day )

I have to admit that I started with Fords, but in the last 5yrs have driven Japanese... so I'm a bit biased towards 'em

micko2602

Im 6'4 and drive Mk3 golf 1.8 GL
Its a 5 door manual, with full electrics. Picked it up private for £1150 with full history and 2 owners, it's on an N plate (95).
Ive driven Alot of german cars and they do seem to last. Parts are easily available and not at all expensive.
Other options are a 1.4 or a 1.6 for smaller engine capacity.

Dont be affraid of higher milage either, as long as there is full documented service history.

Skint_Catt

Ford Focus!

https://www.ffoc.co.uk

S_C

lily_the_pink

I passed my test a year ago and have since driven various cars.


Golf 1.4 - good,solid, but was an N reg so very few extras. It sold very quickly - someone came from the south coast to buy it. Although they are lovely cars I think they tend to be overpriced - insurance is fairly low.


Astra 1.6 - suprisingly not a bad car though better on motorways, lots of extras such as aircon, electric windows. Lots of space. 2 mechanics I know both thought it drove well - and one is 6ft3 and didn't moan about legroom. I always referred to it as the lawnmower due to the engine sound but for the money is a good car. Repairs are cheap. Very low insurance group. I did around 6000 miles in this car (I had an ill relative on the other side of the country) and it always got me from A to B, no problem.

Focus 1.8 V reg This is obviously the best of the three. It drives well on the motorway and around town (my one niggle and which will make me change it is that the boot is slightly too narrow to just throw my pram in).

ALthough the better car is the focus it was also more expensive (over 3K), I think for value, you cant beat the Astra. Unfortunately it is probably one of the least cool cars on the planet - but at least this means they are cheap.

Moomin

Toyota Yaris. Funky, Fab little run around. Loads of space inside. I love it because it has the digital-LCD projected speedometer. Apparently (according to Toyota who still keep sending me letters 5 years on) they are very good first cars and are in demand - which is why Toyota keep writing to say they will offer me a good price on mine blah blah blah.

ACID

wicked suggestions on here, the new astra is decent and even the year before as well but not the old ones....
but price wise

im gonna opt for a bravo
seems the best bet unless a last minute change of mind is suggested

jjames_3

Be careful with a Bravo. They're not the best for ageing and are prone to electrical nasties, so get yours thoroughly checked over before you buy. They *can* be excellent value for money (the basic guts are fairly sound), but they can also be total dogs if you get a bad one, and there are a fair few Friday cars about.

I would personally suggest an Almera if price and solidity/reliability are the main concerns. The older model was surprisingly good to drive as well, better than the current one which is merely safe and competent. As long as a Nissan is serviced regularly problems are few and far between.