Best First Car

Cionád

OK, so a friend of mine is looking to buy her first car. She has the following non-negotiable demands:
* must be less than €5k
* must be supermini type car
* oldest = 1999, highest milage = 70,000 miles
* 3 star ncap minimum for adult
* Engine <= 1.4 litre Petrol
* Decent reliablility
* cannot be ugly/modified looking

The obvious ones that come to mind are Polo(~2000), Yaris(~1999), Micra(~2002), Fiesta(~2002), Punto(~2003).
Which do you think is best? - better alternatives

She likes the Polo but i tihnk they are a bit overrated and overpriced...

Optional Desirables:
* 5 doors, not 3
* cd player, alarm/central locking

Any advice much appreciated,


Cheers,
Cionad

bazz26

Fiesta 1.25 litre Ghia would be my choice. The old model is cheap as chips now and most of the last run from 2000 to 2002 have great spec including air conditioning. Servicing and parts are cheap too being Ford. Avoid the old 1.3 litre 8 valve version though.

My second choice would be the Yaris but they are still very expensive. You would have to go back a few years.

Polos imo like most VWs are overpriced and overrated. They are a good car but not good enough to warrant the silly money being asked for them.

ptashka

what about seats? seem to be cheap enough. a lot of people tend to have a problem with a non-branded car like that though...

might be slated for this: why peugeots and renaults are omitted???

cantdecide

Why do people who don't know/ care about cars always have such sure ideas of what they want??

Why does no one ever worry about value for money??


I'm starting out- I'm on a strict budget of X- how do I get the greatest bang for my buck? You just never hear that.

Buying small cars in this country is like walking into Harvey Norman and saying I want the most expensive, smallest, black and white telly in the shop.

Am I the only one that feels like that??

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=798537

OR

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=769429

Anan1

cantdecide wrote:

Am I the only one that feels like that??

No, you're not the only one. But we are in the minority.;)

Cionád

ptashka wrote:

what about seats? seem to be cheap enough. a lot of people tend to have a problem with a non-branded car like that though...

might be slated for this: why peugeots and renaults are omitted???

No problem regarding brand names, the ones i mentioned just the common cars everyone knows, have had a look at some ibiza's too...

Still in the research phase so threw this thread out for some idea's.

My sister had a 206 for a few years, gave her a little trouble so put off by that and a friend of mine has had nothing but problems from her Clio - although that may be the result of it being repaired after a bad crash. Would you recommend these or other Renault/Peugeots?

As for her list of demands, she has her reasons, from not wanting it to break down, not having more money & cost of tax & insurance (engine size) to safety & the fact is she hasnt driven before and woulnt be confident in a large car (i know some people would be, like i was )

Thanks Bazz26, there seems to be loads of those high spec Fiesta's about and definitely the front runner at the moment.

Just looking for idea's guys

colm_mcm

I would agree on the Fiesta but stress that your friend should avoid the 1.3 engine at all costs and get the much better 1.25 or 1.4 units.

Getting an 02 1.6 Zetec S as a trade in next week, never looked forward to trading in a supermini in a long long time!

GB15

cantdecide wrote:

Buying small cars in this country is like walking into Harvey Norman and saying I want the most expensive, smallest, black and white telly in the shop.

Am I the only one that feels like that??

For someone who doesn't know anything about cars I thought her requests were very sensible and rational.

My sister has a 99 Yaris and I would definately recommend one - much nicer to drive and a more solid feel than my Mums 00 Polo.

squishywishy

When looking for my first car a couple of months ago i had roughly the same specifics and opted for a 1.25 Fiesta Ghia.
Fab car and hasnt given me a spot of bother.
2000-2002's can be found with very low millage for around the 5000 mark
Mine is 2000 and only had 30000 miles....shop around and you'll get a good one

Would whole heartedly recommend a fiesta to anyone...plus it has the 5 door/ cd player/ air con extras she wants!!

good luck and happy driving!

MissyC

My 2nd car was a 1995 polo, my third a 1996 polo and my third and favorite was a 2001 polo, which i think is that same as a 2000 model.

Couldn't fault the Polo... excellent handling, super sturdy and very reliable. Didn't hear a peep out of any of the three I have had. Also deceptively spacious....

woop

actually Im just wondering what everyone thinks of the yaris?

is peoples opinion of it that its a girls car?
tbh I dont really care but they are a bit more expensive and jesus that dash really throws me.......http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=736175

gyppo

Fiesta 1.25 gets my vote too. Sweet little car to drive.

colm_mcm

woop wrote:

actually Im just wondering what everyone thinks of the yaris?

is peoples opinion of it that its a girls car?
tbh I dont really care but they are a bit more expensive and jesus that dash really throws me.......http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=736175

I sell them, new and used and they hardly ever come back with problems. If they do, it'll be one of a tiny number of common easy to fix problems.

They're very easy to drive, and give a lot of space for a small car.

VVT-i engines are powerful for their size, require no timing belt changes, and are good for big mileage.

Then again, I'd be terribly biassed.

gyppo

colm_mcm wrote:

Then again, I'd be terribly biassed.

You expecting Henry Ford III to come around the corner:D

colm_mcm

...in his aygo!

unkel

ROFLMAO

@OP - does your friend want to spend most of her budget on a car? Or would she be more comfortable spending considerably less, say half her budget or even less than that?

If the latter, I'd advice her to go Fiesta if she is a keen driver - or Micra, which is even cheaper and more reliable to own than a Fiesta

If the former - the Yaris is the obvious choice. Dark horse: Skoda Fabia. Best in class when it was launched back in '00

All of them are widely available with 5 doors

cantdecide

GB15 wrote:

For someone who doesn't know anything about cars I thought her requests were very sensible and rational.

As probably read from a car finance company's pamphlet. But we don't know if the car will be used on a long commute. Surely usage is at least worth considering when chosing a car.

colm_mcm

unkel wrote:

All of them are widely available with 5 doors

lack of a 3 door version helped this!

Fabia is quite a good car, just poor engine choices let it down IMO.
Only late models get the HTP engine.

Cionád

unkel wrote:

@OP - does your friend want to spend most of her budget on a car? Or would she be more comfortable spending considerably less, say half her budget or even less than that?

If the latter, I'd advice her to go Fiesta if she is a keen driver - or Micra, which is even cheaper and more reliable to own than a Fiesta

If the former - the Yaris is the obvious choice. Dark horse: Skoda Fabia. Best in class when it was launched back in '00

She'd rather go lower than the absolute max budget of €5k, Fiesta and Micra very affordable, although the Micra(before 2003) has only a 2 star ncap rating. I had not thought of the Fabia though, good shout! - anyone got any experience with one?

cantdecide wrote:

As probably read from a car finance company's pamphlet.

???
No, just what ive gotten out of her over the last few weeks through persistant questionning. No long commuting involved, just a nice little car to learn in.

cantdecide

I won't bore you any futher but as long as people buy cars based on their socio-economic position, I'll be there to flout the cliches. It's not a crusade- call it a hobby.

Obviously you know that smaller cars are uncomfortable, jerky and generally difficult to drive. Which is the main reason learners should buy comfortable, easy to drive cars that also happen to be good value.

But what do I know...

Anan1

cantdecide wrote:

IObviously you know that smaller cars are uncomfortable, jerky and generally difficult to drive. Which is the main reason learners should buy comfortable, easy to drive cars that also happen to be good value.

But what do I know...

To be fair, the difference between small cars and larger ones is nothing like as large as it once was. I'd be happy to drive from Dublin to Galway in most modern 1.4 superminis.

colm_mcm

cantdecide wrote:

Obviously you know that smaller cars are uncomfortable, jerky and generally difficult to drive.
But what do I know...

Can you explain to me how a bigger car is easier to drive?
Also, in what way are small cars jerky?

enda1

Yaris all the way. By far the best of its class.

Andrewf20

bazz26 wrote:

Fiesta 1.25 litre Ghia would be my choice.

On the money. I did alot of research, reading mags etc, and this came out as one of the best. It was my 1st car and I loved it.

bazz26

Andrewf20 wrote:

On the money. I did alot of research, reading mags etc, and this came out as one of the best. It was my 1st car and I loved it.

My sister is in a similar position as the OP but I cannot get her to look at the Fiesta. She has her heart set on a Corsa