what to buy?

natnif

ok basically a female friend will be getting her first car soon. She's 23, 1st time driver and has an absolute max of €1500 to get a car with, less if possible. It needs to be
1:small
2:reliable
3:semi-capable of driving from gorey - waterford on a regular basis
4:max 1.2 engine

Now I know there a loads of micra haters here, but can you beat it in that price range for a first car?

I'm all ears for alternatives...

OldmanMondeo

The Astra was available in 1.2. Don't know if you will get one in budget. Nothing wrong with a Micra for a first car. Cheap, as there is loads around, realiable, great Jap engines, and parts are easly available, even if she does managed to need to replace body work, there would be plenty in scrapyards to keep the cost down.

unkel

natnif wrote:

Now I know there a loads of micra haters here, but can you beat it in that price range for a first car?

Probably not. She'll be able to pick up a reliable mid 90s Micra with reasonable mileage within her budget. Best get a mechanic to check it out though!

gyppo

Toyota Starlet - will pooh all over the micra in every department.

natnif

yeah a starlet would be great, but finding a decent one for that money isn't an easy task...
that and most of the ones floating about are 1.3

Kojak

A VW polo would be my preferred choice. IMO they are more reliable than most brands of cars and are easier to work on.

Getting one for the price you're asking could be difficult though, especially if you want a car "up in years". I seen a Polo selling for €1000 last week (a 1.1 I think) but it was a 1998.

Blue850

Fiat Cinquecento Sporting, 1100cc, 1500 will get a minter, and my brother ran one from Dublin to Galway and back every weekend for over a year with no problems. No p/s though.

littlejukka

i had a '93 micra 998cc, picked it up for 1000 quid. it ran really well until it exploded one christmas eve. provided she doesn't drive the ****e out of it they're a great little car.

bazz26

I would also recommend the Micra. You should be able to pick up a mid 1990s model for around €1500. Try and get a Jap import (called the March) as this will have power steering (easier for parking), electric windows and air conditioning.

Another one to look at is the Ford Fiesta:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=554979
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=539044
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=429535

colm_mcm

micra or old early 90's starlet. also obscure stuff like Subaru Justy/Suzuki Swift.