Time for a change

AgileMyth

About a year ago I made a horrible mistake, its one many people have made and most have regretted...I bought a Fiat.
I was a naive young driver who wanted a cheap first car and the punto ticked all the boxes. Since then I've had endless issues with it, always small things but enough to keep it off the road a fair bit.

Anyways I'm getting to the stage when if I don't change it soon I'm going to smash it to pieces. I loath the thing with a passion!

What I need is something reliable (for a change), that looks decent (no spoilers, body kits etc.) and is a bit of fun. I'd only have about €2000 (plus whatever a 01 punto is worth) to spend on the right motor...any suggestions? Insurance wise I could go up to a two litre max, but would only really consider a diesel at that sort of size.

colm_mcm

I'd be inclined to suggest a Clio, but good as they are you might also get a lemon

Fiesta is a safe enough bet, plenty of 1.25 Zetec models for 2k.

fryup

a clio!! :eek: are you trying to send the lad to suicide??

hey OP if you want peace of mind then buy japanese

Buster_Gonnads

I have an 04 Ibiza for 8 months now. Cheap to run , insure etc and looks ok! Zero bother so far. You may get one 03 for around ur budget. would recommend it

T83

I had a VW Polo GTI a few years ago, the older model 6N2 from 00-02... 1.6 125bhp and featherweight, fun car to drive and looked subtly different from a standard Polo, has a black front lip thats deeper than the standard one, fogs, Xenon headlights and BBS RX split rims (although they didnt hold up to the elements well and most are in need of a good refurb)

SV

fryup wrote: »

a clio!! :eek: are you trying to send the lad to suicide??

What's wrong with Clios then?

Leonard Hofstadter

fryup wrote: »

hey OP if you want peace of mind then buy japanese

There are plenty of reliable cars that are not Japanese, but unlike the Jap cars they look good on the outside and don't use cheap interior materials, no shiny hard black or grey plastics thanks very much!

A Fiesta is uber reliable(and even if it does go wrong it costs buttons to repair) and it is easy to fine one that has good spec, a revvy engine if you get the 1.25 Zetec engine and is surprisingly comfortable for such a small car too, much better than could be expected.

There are loads of them around so it shouldn't be hard for the OP to find a good one, if you can live with fake wood then the Ghia model is the one to go for.

Kashkai

As someone who also made the mistake of buying a Fiat once, I feel your pain.

"jap cars are reliable" - tell that to Toyota owners.

My mother has had 3 Clios. While the current one (2006) has had an issue with the central locking and a window, the earlier models were uber reliable. My wife had a Clio for three years with no problems whatsoever. The hot versions of Clios were highly regarded by the likes of Top Gear and What Car.

bladespin

TBH in that price range you're always running a risk, buy as new as possible look for low mileage if you can get it, generally these won't be cheap.

There's nothing wrong with Puntos (had one from new and never had a problem - I did look after it properly though) but a 9 year old will have issues, the same goes of any car, especially learner fodder - small engine, cheap to buy etc. For some reason cheap cars to buy tend to be cheaply serviced and maintained - not a good recipe.

I'd avoid clios, they carry their baggage too, Polo would probably be your best bet, they're slow and boring but will take all kinds of abuse and keep going.

colm_mcm

Polos are over priced, under equipped and not all that reliable with miles on them.

Carstuck

As mentioned already, the Fiesta is a good option. They come nicely equiped for a car in their class. Loads of choice and more than realible.

bladespin

colm_mcm wrote: »

Polos are over priced, under equipped and not all that reliable with miles on them.

Totally agree on the over priced and under equiped but I can't see how they could ever be described as unreliable :eek: Compared to what I have to ask???

AgileMyth

Thanks for all the replies.

Fiesta was high up on my list so will be giving it serious consideration, seems to be good value for money. My other option is to wait a couple of months as I'll be working full time for the summer, could probably get an extra €1000-2000 towards a car. Its just soul destroying living with the punto at the minute though.

ocokev

How about an Alpha?

AgileMyth

ocokev wrote: »

How about an Alpha?

Ehhh.....NO

bladespin

ocokev wrote: »

How about an Alpha?

What's that?

ocokev

bladespin wrote: »

What's that?

Bad spelling.