Advice on picking the right car for myself

mauro.sk

Hi


I will be buying a used car at the beginning of next year.

I just got my full driving licence in January and since then I managed to buy 3 cars! (yes, you are reading three) - I'm over 25 but the reason I didn't have a licence was that I didn't need it.

So far I had: Fiat Punto 98, 1,2 - rubbish car, I knew nothing about them and wanted just something to get me from A to B. Soon it started giving trouble so I sold it and bought a different car.

Seat Ibiza Stella 2001, 1.0 - Very good car for what it was.. I got it checked in a garage and everything.. and after few months it started rattling when I released the clutch.. the rattling was getting louder and louder every week so I got it checked again..: some bearing in gearbox was too dry or something and it would be a matter of time before it breaks so I was told that I would have to change the whole gearbox (if I was to change just the bearing the garage would charge me about 400 in labour and about 100 for the bearing, it would be 370 for a refurbished gearbox and about 200 for the labour - less time as they wouldn't have to take apart too anything).
I didn't want to spend 600 euro on a gearbox for a car that I paid 1600 for.

So I sold that one as well and bought myself a Nissan Almera (it really cost me 600 after I sold the Ibiza).


Nissan Almera 2003, 1,5 - The car is good, powerful compared to what I had before BUT mpg is awful - I get around 35 at best (driving longer distances, about 50 miles), and the car is really dull looking, handling nothing exciting.. just.. a car that drives.
Now I find that it is hurting my wallet a little bit since the insurance is expensive enough (for someone who has no claim bonus and has driving licence for less than a year) and the car needs a lot of petrol - even tax is dear.

I know I should have thought of all pros and cons before I bought anything but.. I how would I know unless I bought it ??


I will want to get something decent next year - decent in looks, handling and reliability.

My budget will be 4000 at most (I'd prefer less).


I have three cars in mind: Seat Ibiza (newer model, not the latest one) 1.2
Fiat Grande Punto (1.2 litre)
Hyundai Getz (1.1 litre)


is there anyone who's driven all these cars ?

I DO want the Ibiza because it looks good, handles good as well and it's got good mpg
I DONT want the Ibiza because kerbing breaks the suspension and its loud inside.


I DO want the Grande Punto because they are cheap (2006 one for about 3500) and it looks just amazing.
I DONT want the Grande Punto because they had only been produced for 2 years which means they weren't too reliable and they didn't sell despite their looks)


I DO want Hyundai Getz because it seems to be the most reliable out of the three and its got even smaller engine than 1.2 (easier on wallet), also it doesn't look too bad.

I DONT want Hyundai Getz because its quite tall (would it sit on the road?) and many people find the interiors like 10 years behind qualitywise....


The above is just rough idea of what my thoughts are.


I want something that is;

up to 1.2 litre engine
decent looking
decent quality
good to very good handling (roads down here aren't the best)



ANY SUGGESTIONS ?



Regards

Mat

barura

A full licence at 25 opens up a whole host of cars above 1.2 litre without a huge premium since you're now a much lesser risk.

The difference between the 1100-1200cc tax bracket and 1200-1300cc is negliable, don't think like that, it's a huge downfall that a lot of people fall into.

To be honest, if you stick out with your almera instead of spending even MORE money on another car, you will save money.

Consider that your almera is running fine, the car you will purchase could have a lot of problems.

I would say stick it out with your almera as changing your car will cost you a lot more.

On the other hand... The Fiat Grande Punto is a cracker of a car, mates mam had one, bit heavy so MPG might suffer with the 1.2, but that's a tried and tested engine, it shouldn't fail, like most engines shouldn't, if it has been serviced properly.

The other two I don't really know about...

Alas! Your premium will drop a fair bit when you renew next year, mine went from 1400 to 930 after one year.

kerten

Between these three options, I would say grande punto with 1.4 16v engine is the car you should be looking for. It is quite economical and not very slow. Buy one with low mileage and it will serve you well.

And grande punto is still being produced as Punto evo. Evo is a facelift grande punto.

dgt

Funny I had a 98 Punto 1.2 and out of all the cars I've ever owned I regard it as the best car I've ever owned

I'm assuming you got an 8v, these tend to get neglected. If you get another Punto go for a 1.2 16v or the 1.4 16v in the Grande. Much better engines than the 8v

mauro.sk

but i dont want the almera as its just not what i expected it to be, id rather something small, i have owned a big car now and now i know that i dont want to be driving big cars, its not that big but doesnt feel good

Nissan doctor

mauro.sk wrote: »

I DO want the Ibiza because it looks good, handles good as well and it's got good mpg
I DONT want the Ibiza because kerbing breaks the suspension and its loud inside. -- Kerbing damages wheels/tyres/suspension on all cars, its a minor crash after all. The wishbone bushes fall out of them anyway and there can be reliability issues with those engines if not meticulously looked after


I DO want the Grande Punto because they are cheap (2006 one for about 3500) and it looks just amazing.
I DONT want the Grande Punto because they had only been produced for 2 years which means they weren't too reliable and they didn't sell despite their looks) -- Thats a strange conclusion, and completely untrue, they've been on sale since 2005. The grande punto is a decent car and would get my vote hands down over the polo and getz


I DO want Hyundai Getz because it seems to be the most reliable out of the three and its got even smaller engine than 1.2 (easier on wallet), also it doesn't look too bad.

I DONT want Hyundai Getz because its quite tall (would it sit on the road?) and many people find the interiors like 10 years behind qualitywise.... -- The getz is reliable alright but yes, it feels like its a throw back from japanese cars from the early 90's, not really at the races compared to the other 2.
The running costs of the 1.1 would be no different to the 1.2s

Just my opinions/observations

voojeq

mauro.sk wrote: »

but i dont want the almera as its just not what i expected it to be, id rather something small, i have owned a big car now and now i know that i dont want to be driving big cars, its not that big but doesnt feel good

if you want to sell your almera give us a shout, ill make you a decent offer on it