€2000 budget! What car to buy?

MU_1878

I've recently passed my driver test first time and luckily have been given a 2k budget to buy my first car as my 21st b-day present I'm pretty clueless when it comes to cars so any help would be great!

I've been looking at getting a 1.4 golf, 206/207 peugot, opel astra, toyota corolla, VW polo.

What is a good first time car that will do me for 3-4 years?

Anything to avoid?

Thanks.

colm_mcm

Price insurance first.

MU_1878

I'll be going down on my fathers insurance. What ever way it works out he said it should work out at around €500. The car will be in his name for the first couple of years.

Ardennes1944

So do you have a budget of 1500 for the car itself? Or does tax come out of that too?

MU_1878

€2000 for the car itself

Media999

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/1.4-LX/6613370021209380/advert?channel=CARS

Alanstrainor

Media999 wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/1.4-LX/6613370021209380/advert?channel=CARS

No pics...and overpriced...eh no.

Media999

Could do a lot worse than a Focus for a first car.

Alanstrainor

Media999 wrote: »

Could do a lot worse than a Focus for a first car.

No doubt the focus is a good car...just not the one linked!;)

Purely basing it on the ad, if someone doesn't present the ad well, then I have no interest in looking at them.

No pictures. Little to no info given. Expensive considering the 2 previous points. I would discard that as an option immediately.

Ardennes1944

Fiesta 1.25 zetec. Loads about op

awec

This post has been deleted.

Alanstrainor

awec wrote: »

Would you get a decent focus for that price though?

Focus has been around a long while now, absolutely tonnes of them around. So long as you find a good 1.6/1.4 they are reliable and good motors. 2 grand is plenty.

1.25 fiesta is a good option as Ardennes mentioned.

awec

awec wrote: »

Would you get a decent focus for that price though?

For €2000? Most definitely.

eringobragh

RoverJames wrote: »

For €2000? Most definitely.

....indeed but please go for the 1.6, I've driven the 1.4 and I'd rather walk tbh!

awec

This post has been deleted.

awec

awec wrote: »

Would you get a decent focus for that price though?

awec wrote: »

Would either have to be old or very high miles though (or both), no?

..........

Depending on your definition of decent, old or very high miles, no.

MU_1878

Thanks for all the feedback to date! There were a few focus' on donedeal.ie but have been up for one month plus. I take it that this is a sign that people have viewed it and weren't impressed so it would probably be best to stay clear?

Media999

Better to link us to it and see what we think rather than just assume theyre all bad.

fonecrusher1

eringobragh wrote: »

....indeed but please go for the 1.6, I've driven the 1.4 and I'd rather walk tbh!

Agreed. Never owned one but ive been in a few and oh dear they are one slow car. Yeah sure the OP doesn't exactly need a rocket of a yoke but that 1.4 seems to be lethargic behond belief. Lovely little chasis though to be fair.

MU_1878

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3706553

This is the one that has caught my eye the most.

Good choice?

Media999

If i took a look and it was ok id buy it tomorrow. Low mileage is a big plus.

Id say its miles rather than km. Even 60k miles is very good. Probably due a timing belt change so watch out for that.

MU_1878

Going to look at a Peugeot 206 later. My uncles mechanic is the seller. Any things to look out for/pointers?