Great car for under €4000? [old thread]

DiarmaidGNR

Hi,
I'm looking for a great car for under or around €4000.

When i say great I mean reliable, good looking (not boy racer) and preferably a diesel.

I'm a 21 year old male planning to insure it as named driver.

Any ideas?
Any links for a great car for sale?

mondeo

You would get a nice E46 BMW 318i for that price....

DiarmaidGNR

DiarmaidGNR wrote: »

I'm a 21 year old male planning to insure it as named driver.

As in fraudulently acquire insurance by the registered owner not being the main driver of the car ? tut tut

colm_mcm

Vertakill

Lol for god sake.
Can everyone stop bringing this up when people mention named driver?

Insurance companies have been ripping people off since they've existed so I don't know why people jump to their defence.


Anyways, back on topic, I'd go for something like a 02' Honda Accord (1.8ltr) maybe. Very reliable, it's petrol though (but still economical) and it looks ok.

EPM

Vertakill wrote: »

Lol for god sake.
Can everyone stop bringing this up when people mention named driver?

Insurance companies have been ripping people off since they've existed so I don't know why people jump to their defence.


Anyways, back on topic, I'd go for something like a 02' Honda Accord (1.8ltr) maybe. Very reliable, it's petrol though (but still economical) and it looks ok.

But is it not important to highlight to the OP that he may not be covered in the event of an accident:rolleyes:

vectra

RoverJames wrote: »

As in fraudulently acquire insurance by the registered owner not being the main driver of the car ? tut tut

Vectra is sitting this one out

Christ0pher

Here are some decent looking ones(dunno about 'reliable', especially at 4000 quid budget):
Seat Leon:
1. http://www.carzone.ie/search/SEAT/Leon/TDI/201013197397859/advert?channel=CARS
Toyota Corolla (ultra reliable)
2. http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Corolla/HATCHBAC/200842190447811/advert?channel=CARS
3. Citroen Xsara (much underrated IMHO!)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Citroen/Xsara/2.0-hdi/201007196943897/advert?channel=CARS
4. Ford Focus (quite reliable, great to drive, great fuel economy)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/LX-1.8-T/200940195359263/advert?channel=CARS
5. Alfa 156 JTD (probably least reliable, but Leather & phone kit !)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/156/DIESEL-J/201009197151867/advert?channel=CARS

There - 5 for you to consider.

evolutionqy7

Christ0pher wrote: »

Here are some decent looking ones(dunno about 'reliable', especially at 4000 quid budget):
Seat Leon:
1. http://www.carzone.ie/search/SEAT/Leon/TDI/201013197397859/advert?channel=CARS
Toyota Corolla (ultra reliable)
2. http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Corolla/HATCHBAC/200842190447811/advert?channel=CARS
3. Citroen Xsara (much underrated IMHO!)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Citroen/Xsara/2.0-hdi/201007196943897/advert?channel=CARS
4. Ford Focus (quite reliable, great to drive, great fuel economy)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/LX-1.8-T/200940195359263/advert?channel=CARS
5. Alfa 156 JTD (probably least reliable, but Leather & phone kit !)
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/156/DIESEL-J/201009197151867/advert?channel=CARS

There - 5 for you to consider.

id say the focus is the best choice but id go for the hatchback...

alfa dont even look there...comfort and all great but its very unreliable. french doesnt translate into reliability either

vectra/ford would probably the best maybe a golf

challengemaster

Crazy to mention a Nissan pulsar VZ-R? 1.6 petrol, but around 170bhp standard... and I think they look better than anything above ^

Probably get one for around 2.5-3k aswell these days.
pic

vectra

vectra wrote: »

Vectra is sitting this one out

Doesn't apply to you anyway dude

Barr

DiarmaidGNR wrote: »

Hi,
I'm looking for a great car for under or around €4000.

When i say great I mean reliable, good looking (not boy racer) and preferably a diesel.

I'm a 21 year old male planning to insure it as named driver.

Any ideas?
Any links for a great car for sale?

Be careful what you say to your insurance company

af_thefragile

Yaris is the safest bet for a cheap first car.
But its also one of the most boring car you could get.

So if you want something a bit more entertaining, you could look at a Ford Fiesta/Focus or also the BMW 318i as many suggester. Though I don't think the insurance companies will be too kind on insuring a first timer on a 1.8l BMW.

jaffa20

Audi a3?

1.6 petrol or 1.9 diesel. Would probably get a 01 or 02 for around 4k.

Vertakill

EPM wrote: »

But is it not important to highlight to the OP that he may not be covered in the event of an accident:rolleyes:

While I completely agree with what you're saying, I didn't want to insult the OP's intelligence by making a (dramatic/high horse) remark about insurance.

He'd want to be rather dim to think that both named and policy holder are the same thing, despite the huge price difference.

I don't think he's dim and it'd also be a tough job for the insurance company proving who is the primary driver.

I'm not condoning what he's suggesting but I'm merely pointing out the fact that the odds are in his favour and the fact he didn't ask people for a lecture on what he should or shouldn't do with his insurance... he asked about a good car for around 4k, right?

Gitb1

challengemaster wrote: »

Crazy to mention a Nissan pulsar VZ-R? 1.6 petrol, but around 170bhp standard... and I think they look better than anything above ^

Probably get one for around 2.5-3k aswell these days.
pic

Ive always wanted one of these, a lot of them seem to have had the arse drove out of them unfortunately

That one looks tasty though :P

Chill.ie (Conor)

@DiarmaidGNR: HI, it's worth checking out beepbeep.ie, this is a site run by SIMI. Also, keep in mind the fact that you wil have to pay insurance. It might be worth logging onto Chill.ie to do an online quote before making your final decision. Happy shopping!

DiarmaidGNR

LOL!!

I did get a BMW E46 318i, year 2000, I absolutely loved it, had it up until recently, rear subframe issue meant I had to scrap it...


I regret not getting it fixed.....

redlead

af_thefragile wrote: »

Yaris is the safest bet for a cheap first car.
But its also one of the most boring car you could get.

So if you want something a bit more entertaining, you could look at a Ford Fiesta/Focus or also the BMW 318i as many suggester. Though I don't think the insurance companies will be too kind on insuring a first timer on a 1.8l BMW.

I have a yaris as a second car and its a horrible yoke to drive; it actually puts me in a bad mood when I need to do any motorway diving in it. It does what it says on the tin though I suppose.

Surprised people are mentioning BMWs here as all are most likely to have high insurance for a 21 year old due to engine size (even as a named driver I would imagine). Road tax pre 08 will also be a killer on it (as its a 4k car I'm guessing that the OP is not rolling in cash). I'd go for something like a 1.4 Focus or Golf if I was the OP as running costs won't be as high which is the main thing.

bazz26

redlead wrote: »

I have a yaris as a second car and its a horrible yoke to drive; it actually puts me in a bad mood when I need to do any motorway diving in it. It does what it says on the tin though I suppose.

Surprised people are mentioning BMWs here as all are most likely to have astronomical insurance for a 21 year old due to engine size. Road tax pre 08 will also be a killer on it (as its a 4k car I'm guessing that the OP is not rolling in cash). I'd go for something like a 1.4 Focus or Golf if I was the OP as running costs won't be as high which is the main thing.

A Yaris was never designed to be a motorway cruiser, it's a supermini designed for mostly urban driving with the occasional long trip. Also while a 1.4 Golf or Focus will be more comfortable both in 1.4 litre form are painfully underpowered. 4k would get you a decent 1.4 Corolla these days which is alot more nippy than a similar engined Focus or Golf.