Clueless lad buying first car... Opinions on some makes/models to go for?

mynameispaul

So I'm looking to buy my first car. I'm in my early 20s, so I'm a bit late getting to this...but at least that means I've got a few extra quid to play with. My priorities look like this:

-Price: I'm looking to spend €3000, give or take €500.
-Insurance friendly: Young, Male, provisional, inexperienced driver alone on a policy - so obviously insurance-friendly makes/models/engines are better.
-Reliability/maintenance costs: A car I won't have to sink loads of money into is preferable, obviously.
-Look/feel: Any car is better than none, but I'd also like a car that I like the look of too.

Given that, I've looked at donedeal to see what commonly available cars fit the bill, and I've come up with some makes/models I like the look of:

-VW Polo 05 1.2
-seat ibiza 05 1.2
-skoda fabia 06 1.2
-Seat Cordoba 03 1.2
-Opal Corsa Club 07 1.2

Which of these would you guys prefer? Know what they're like to drive? Any common problems to watch out for? Which would you avoid/go for in my place?
Also, any alternative, similar cars you guys think I've missed?

Cheers!

LucidLife

mynameispaul wrote: »

So I'm looking to buy my first car. I'm in my early 20s, so I'm a bit late getting to this...but at least that means I've got a few extra quid to play with. My priorities look like this:

-Price: I'm looking to spend €3000, give or take €500.
-Insurance friendly: Young, Male, provisional, inexperienced driver alone on a policy - so obviously insurance-friendly makes/models/engines are better.
-Reliability/maintenance costs: A car I won't have to sink loads of money into is preferable, obviously.
-Look/feel: Any car is better than none, but I'd also like a car that I like the look of too.

Given that, I've looked at donedeal to see what commonly available cars fit the bill, and I've come up with some makes/models I like the look of:

-VW Polo 05 1.2
-seat ibiza 05 1.2
-skoda fabia 06 1.2
-Seat Cordoba 03 1.2
-Opal Corsa Club 07 1.2

Which of these would you guys prefer? Know what they're like to drive? Any common problems to watch out for? Which would you avoid/go for in my place?
Also, any alternative, similar cars you guys think I've missed?

Cheers!

Skoda and VW are the same basically and skoda parts should be easier/cheaper to find. Have you priced any low size engine diesals? More mileage... people tend to rack up miles when they start driving. I'd go with Skoda from that bunch but for €3,000 you can get more reliable cars but I see your problem. Being a houng lad. My insurance was 3,000 for a couple years but on bigger engines

markokavo

1 litre toyota yaris.
Drive it for 1 year,get your 1 year NCB.
Cheap to run, cheap insurance and not a bad car to start off with at all.
Sell it for near the same price you bought it.
Then start looking at 1.2's or add a little money you save and get a sporty Toyota corolla 1.3.
Try not to be to fussy on looks for your first car.

kupus

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-swift-1-3-litre-petrol/7601614

great little car, reliable, nippy, esay drive and not bad mpg.
all in all an ideal starter car.
ive enjoyed driving them in the past.

whats newxt

if i was you id just buy a lamborghini diablo

Whosthis

kupus wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-swift-1-3-litre-petrol/7601614

great little car, reliable, nippy, esay drive and not bad mpg.
all in all an ideal starter car.
ive enjoyed driving them in the past.

Always liked the look of that model. I remember first seeing it and being surprised it was a swift.

mynameispaul

great little car, reliable, nippy, esay drive and not bad mpg.
all in all an ideal starter car.
ive enjoyed driving them in the past.

You're right that is a nice car and you've definitely got the right idea for what I'm looking for!

That said it seems like this one is priced to sell quickly, and even then it's still at the top of my price range, so it might be hard to get my hands on a good one.... it's also a 1.3. 100cc doesn't seem like much but it bumps my insurance by about ~600 over the polo at least.

whats newxt wrote: »

if i was you id just buy a lamborghini diablo

sound.

Toyotafanboi

4 out of the 5 you listed share the same 1.2 3 cylinder engine, which isn't great.

if it were me, i'd get a punto. cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure, stylish, reliable, modern etc etc.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-fiat-grande-punto/8297906

mynameispaul

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

4 out of the 5 you listed share the same 1.2 3 cylinder engine, which isn't great.

if it were me, i'd get a punto. cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure, stylish, reliable, modern etc etc.

I like the look of it, and it looks cheap enough to buy... you're definitely on the right track! but the 1.4 bumps the insurance quote by just shy of €700... Do they do it in a smaller engine size?

kupus

ok this is where money management comes into play.
You should spend about 2000 euro leaving yourself with the rest to cover tax and insurance. and any other problems that occur when buying a car. eg changing tires, servicing the car, changing belts, water pumps, gaskets, and seals etc.

after saying all that I found a nice little charade for cheap again in mayo, are cars cheap in mayo or what?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/daihatsu-charade-1-0-2004-price-drop-bargain/7733369

Like the suzuki its a reliable little machine, but just doesnt have the same street cred as a vw or yaris.
(even though there is something in the back of my mind thats telling me toyota is the engine supplier for the charade I cant remember, and cant be arsed to look it up)

Disclaimer: Ive never drove this one, but I have the older model and its a fine ride.

Dont let the badge of a car put you off. there is more to reliability than VW.

mynameispaul

LucidLife wrote: »

Skoda and VW are the same basically and skoda parts should be easier/cheaper to find. Have you priced any low size engine diesals? More mileage... people tend to rack up miles when they start driving. I'd go with Skoda from that bunch but for €3,000 you can get more reliable cars but I see your problem. Being a houng lad. My insurance was 3,000 for a couple years but on bigger engines

I've looked at smaller diesels... but you're never gonna find a practical 1 liter diesel engine, and given that I'm only spending a few grand on the car, I very quickly get to the point where the first year's insurance will cost me more than the car itself...that's without considering tax...

...not really worth it to save a few quid on fuel for a car I'll only keep for a year.

Whosthis

Punto they should all be max 1.2.

mynameispaul

kupus wrote: »

ok this is where money management comes into play.
You should spend about 2000 euro leaving yourself with the rest to cover tax and insurance. and any other problems that occur when buying a car. eg changing tires, servicing the car, changing belts, water pumps, gaskets, and seals etc.

after saying all that I found a nice little charade for cheap again in mayo, are cars cheap in mayo or what?


Like the suzuki its a reliable little machine, but just doesnt have the same street cred as a vw or yaris.
(even though there is something in the back of my mind thats telling me toyota is the engine supplier for the charade I cant remember, and cant be arsed to look it up)

Disclaimer: Ive never drove this one, but I have the older model and its a fine ride.

Dont let the badge of a car put you off. there is more to reliability than VW.

Nice one. A nice suggestion. I'll see what the insurance quote looks like.

As for the money management, the ~3k is just for the car itself, I've set aside ~10k to buy and run the car for a year. I've put a little bit of thought into it

bazz26

I'd be looking at something like this:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-swift-2006/8298134

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

Would you consider bangernomics? Take a punt on something for €500? There's a good bangernomics thread on this forum.

mynameispaul

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly wrote: »

Would you consider bangernomics? Take a punt on something for €500? There's a good bangernomics thread on this forum.

I'd be willing to, but no one seems to be able to explain to me the advantage of doing so?

I mean, it seems to me that the value of the cars isn't significantly affecting the insurance quotes I'm getting (€100 97 Micra 1 liter gets me basically the same quote as a €1500 Yaris 1 liter)

What's the benefit of buying a banger now, if I already have the capitol to spend more?

What's the benefit of spending €500 now on a banger and €3000 later on a decent (but still very small) car, versus just spending €3000 on a decent small car now?

I mean, the only thing I can think of is that people think I might ding my first car, and devalue it a lot? Obviously it'd be better to write off a €500 car versus a €3000 car, but I'm expecting to keep this car for a few years yet...

mynameispaul

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd be looking at something like this:

Ah, someone mentioned the swift alright. I really do like the look of it, but I think they're typically outside my price range (this one is €3700), and they're a 1.3 - 1.4 liter, which bumps my insurance quotes up by about 700 blips...and that's before I look at fuel or tax knock ons....

I do want one though

mynameispaul

Whosthis wrote: »

Punto they should all be max 1.2.

Pretty common suggestion, and there seems to be loads of them up on done deal.

Know any common issues I should look out for? or services that need to be done around 120,000 kilometers that I should ask about?

bazz26

I cannot see tax/fuel being much different between 1.2 litre and 1.3 litre. Insurance might be down to the Swift being less common so they might see spare parts as being more expensive, €700 extra does seem excessive though.

Ford Fiesta 1.25 litre is also a good car and worth looking at.

TheHappyChappy

Keep an eye on Bangernomics you might just get lucky

personally yaris 100%

UnknownSpecies

I don't know what peoples thoughts around here on these, but I drove a 1.1 Peugeot 106 before and while it's nothing exciting, it was easy and cheap to run, tax, insure.

Toyotafanboi

mynameispaul wrote: »

I like the look of it, and it looks cheap enough to buy... you're definitely on the right track! but the 1.4 bumps the insurance quote by just shy of €700... Do they do it in a smaller engine size?

sorry, they are primarily 1.2 like this one http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-fiat-punto-nct-tested/7847585

that said, get an insurance quote on some 1.3/ 1.4 cars you are considering, there is much more to an insurance risk assessment than just the size of the engine alone, i could be wrong but i can't see 0.2 of a litre adding €700 to the price of a quote on a 1.4 punto instead of a 1.2 for example..

mynameispaul wrote: »

I'd be willing to, but no one seems to be able to explain to me the advantage of doing so?

I mean, it seems to me that the value of the cars isn't significantly affecting the insurance quotes I'm getting (€100 97 Micra 1 liter gets me basically the same quote as a €1500 Yaris 1 liter)

What's the benefit of buying a banger now, if I already have the capitol to spend more?

What's the benefit of spending €500 now on a banger and €3000 later on a decent (but still very small) car, versus just spending €3000 on a decent small car now?

I mean, the only thing I can think of is that people think I might ding my first car, and devalue it a lot? Obviously it'd be better to write off a €500 car versus a €3000 car, but I'm expecting to keep this car for a few years yet...

the "benefits" of buying a banger would be something like:

a banger is finished depreciating so if you paid €500 for it, you could drive it for say 12 months and sell it for €500 and get all your money back, where as the average €3k hatchback today will probably lose around €1k in depreciation over the next 12 months.

a "bangernomics" car will also have a reasonable amount of valid NCT still left which suggests that the car is in a condition that will last the next 12 months (but in reality this is nothing more than roulette) and is also one motoring bill (NCT test + repairs) you are guaranteed not to have to pay.

i guess the only really noteworthy perk is you to avoid depreciation, which is a big cost that nobody ever considers. but it is somewhat a game of roulette. personally i think to get away with bangernomics you would have to have some background knowledge of cars and for that reason i'd tread very carefully if you chose to opt for it.

UnknownSpecies

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

there is much more to an insurance risk assessment than just the size of the engine alone, i could be wrong but i can't see 0.2 of a litre adding €700 to the price of a quote on a 1.4 punto instead of a 1.2 for example..

This is very true. Was looking for a new car and with Aviva I was quoted €850 for an E90 330i BMW (3.0L), compared to €950 for an E46 320 Ci BMW (2.2L). Just because it was the older version of the car, I was quoted more. Even at that, the variance was different for each insurance company, some higher, some lower. You need to shop around, I'm sure you'll find a reasonable quote.

mynameispaul

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

there is much more to an insurance risk assessment than just the size of the engine alone

By all means please go into more detail here. The insurance is the biggest expense after all, so anything I can do to bring it down from day one would be a big help!

Toyotafanboi

mynameispaul wrote: »

By all means please go into more detail here. The insurance is the biggest expense after all, so anything I can do to bring it down from day one would be a big help!

well i'm not an industry insider or anything but we all know it's the overall risk posed by you and the car that determines the price.

like in an insurance companies eyes, fiat punto's aren't risky, so whether you pick a 1.2 or 1.4 model it probably wont make much of a price difference because the most expensive part of the policy for now is your criteria (young male on a provisional) and that's what's going to be making it somewhat expensive regardless of what car you chose.

other big factors are things like the part of the country you live in and where the car is stored.

don't get me wrong, the engine size plays some part (as does the make and model as some are seen as much higher risk than others), but don't let it hem you in. you should see yourself getting reasonable quotes on say a 1.4 punto, 1.4 corolla or 1.4 ford focus, but try get a quote on a 1.4 civic or a 1.4 golf and you will probably get a bit of a fright!

JIdontknow

Ford Fiesta or Peugeot 206? Im sure a lot of people here had a Fiesta at some stage starting out!

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-125-zetec/8293894

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-1-25l-zetec-steel-3-door/8260089 (Personally I am not sure about red paint, can be inclined to go cloudy over time etc)

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/2006-ford-fiesta/7124093

Toyotafanboi

i agree with your fiesta idea they are quite nice, particularly in steel spec.

the first two you linked i'd be pretty confident have been in some form of collision and the the third doesn't look like it's led too easy of a life either.

UnknownSpecies

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

i agree with your fiesta idea they are quite nice, particularly in steel spec.

the first two you linked i'd be pretty confident have been in some form of collision and the the third doesn't look like it's led too easy of a life either.

How could you tell that from those pictures? Genuinely curious.

Toyotafanboi

dorgasm wrote: »

How could you tell that from those pictures? Genuinely curious.

the silver one:
the front fogs are missing, the towing eye cover has been removed, the panel gaps around the front grille are fairly bad, it looks like (i could be wrong too) there is a bit of a gash on the bottom right of the boot lid and the rear bumper is hung fairly badly, particularly on the driver side. it also has the wrong alloys, those wheels belong on an older mk5 fiesta.

the red one:
it has a front bumper from an LX model (lower half unpainted) on a Steel model which should be full colour co-ordinated, the lower splitter is even missing from the LX bumper :P so it's had the bumper replaced at some point. the back bumper isn't in the best shape and it looks like it's been cut out on the bottom right to facilitate an after market exhaust.

the silver/ blue facelift:
it should have alloys and the panel gaps around the boot and rear bumper, particularly on the drivers side aren't great. but i'm being very critical of that one, it's the best looking of the trio.

moleyv

Skoda vw and seat all have similar parts.

As someone who recently got a small car I will share my experiences.

I personally dont like the look of the seat.

Polo and fabia are nice. I would say go get a test drive. that said, you will not see many fabias. there will be more polos out there. the difference you will find between fabia and polo is you may get a better specd fabia for the same price.

Fiesta is another option.

Diesel is not cost effective unless you will do a fair bit of driving. like 1 hour + commute per day total.

I have a 2012 polo 1.2. the engine is essentially the same as older one. Great efficiency unless you are permanently on motorway doing 110 kmph+

I chose polo over fiesta because it seemed better to drive. Fiesta is nippier at low speed but loses it as you go faster. Polo is consistent throughout. although this is 2010+ models, not sure about older.

Yaris looks garbage, for me at least.

I've never liked the drive in Opel's.

VW has a better reputation than reality. I think they actually score worse than some brands for reliability. That said, in a 1.2 there isn't too much under the hood that can go wrong like in turbo diesels.

I'd say go test a polo at a main dealer. Fabia wouldn't be much different, just maybe harder to find.

As previously said, your first car should just be about getting your no claims bonus for as cheap as possible. I would say try and get your insurance tax and car for 3-3.5k total.

mgbgt1978

Whosthis wrote: »

Punto they should all be max 1.2.

They're 1242cc (apart from the bigger-engined versions). Puts them into the '1.2 to 1.3' tax bracket. Not a big deal, only €28 more at present.

UnknownSpecies

@toyotafanboi wow, that's some eye for detail in fairness (or maybe I'm just awful ha!).

JIdontknow

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

the silver one:
the front fogs are missing, the towing eye cover has been removed, the panel gaps around the front grille are fairly bad, it looks like (i could be wrong too) there is a bit of a gash on the bottom right of the boot lid and the rear bumper is hung fairly badly, particularly on the driver side. it also has the wrong alloys, those wheels belong on an older mk5 fiesta.

the red one:
it has a front bumper from an LX model (lower half unpainted) on a Steel model which should be full colour co-ordinated, the lower splitter is even missing from the LX bumper :P so it's had the bumper replaced at some point. the back bumper isn't in the best shape and it looks like it's been cut out on the bottom right to facilitate an after market exhaust.

the silver/ blue facelift:
it should have alloys and the panel gaps around the boot and rear bumper, particularly on the drivers side aren't great. but i'm being very critical of that one, it's the best looking of the trio.

Fair play to you, I wouldn't have known all that! I just looked up Ford Fiestas - could be a good suggestion for a first car though - you can help him find a good one lol

Breffnigolfer

mynameispaul wrote: »

By all means please go into more detail here. The insurance is the biggest expense after all, so anything I can do to bring it down from day one would be a big help!

Get your full licence first, then buy your car. You will not be allowed drive unaccompanied on a Learner's Permit.

mgbgt1978

I don't think the OP ever mentioned driving unaccompanied.....at least not on this Forum anyway .

Breffnigolfer

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

I don't think the OP ever mentioned driving unaccompanied.....at least not on this Forum anyway .

My advice stands, whether it was mentioned in the OP or not!

mgbgt1978

I could advise him not to wear a pink coat with green trousers....doesn't have any relevance to his original question though.
He asked about what Make/Model of Car he should consider purchasing. For all we know he could be a member of AGS or possibly a solicitor, he may not need unsolicited legal advice.

Breffnigolfer

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

I could advise him not to wear a pink coat with green trousers....doesn't have any relevance to his original question though.
He asked about what Make/Model of Car he should consider purchasing. For all we know he could be a member of AGS or possibly a solicitor, he may not need unsolicited legal advice.

Thanks for Moderating my posts. Where would I be without you?

I'd ask you to refrain from addressing posts that were not directed at you, if you can?

mgbgt1978

(a) I'm not a Mod here and I resent the inference.
You keep on answering questions that weren't asked if you like.

(b) Ask away, but I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself as it's a public Forum over which you have absolutely no control.

Anyway, must get back to searching for Cars that may suit the OP.

noelf

Breffnigolfer wrote: »

Get your full licence first, then buy your car. You will not be allowed drive unaccompanied on a Learner's Permit.

And yet you can fly a aircraft on your own just with a student pilot licence ..

kagni

How about a Fiat Panda 1.1L Petrol - reasonably reliable from what I've heard and I always liked the look of them.
You should be able to get an '06 with a long NCT for your 3K.

There are probably better examples than this around - it's just the first one I came across.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-panda-1-1-litre-petrol/7133655

mgbgt1978

Really mynameispaul you got your most sensible answer with post #3.
Toyota Yaris.
Ultra reliable.
1 litre, so lowest Tax & Insurance.
Timing Chain rather than Belt.
Easy to drive and great visibility.
Roomy enough inside for a 1 litre.
Economical too. Fuel prices might be dropping now, but they always seem to rise rapidly as well.
Loads within your budget.
Easy to sell in a year or two.
They were even designed to use ordinary mineral oil, rather than a specific Synthetic Grade...unlike many more unreliable models.

Some may say that they are more of a Female's car, but a Black ,or dark Green, one looks fine.
There are loads of other choices out there. Some would be a definite no-no immediately, others would be a gamble that could work out.
I quite like small Fiats myself, but I have no problem fixing them either. (sorry kagni, not slagging your post above. just noticed it now)

A lot of people here slag off the Yaris because they are the 1st option offered when your question is asked....but they are the 1st option offered for a very good reason.
If you want something that will just start, stop and keep on going while you get on with learning to drive then I cannot see a better choice to suit your budget.

mynameispaul

I appreciate all the feedback lads, definitely helping a lot!

So the suggestion is that most of these cars are pretty similar in terms of innards which probably isn't the best position to be in.

People have suggested I take a closer look at the Fiesta and the Punto. I'm definitely liking the Fiesta Steel, so if I can get one at a good price I'll definitely be having a look! I also like the Punto in terms of wide availability, but I'm not mad on the look of the newer ones...

I've taken another look at one of the cars I mentioned - the Seat Cordoba - and noticed only one person had really commented on it (saying they were never mad on the look of it).

What do you lads think of this car specifically? I'm really liking the look of it, and it turns out of all the cars I've looked at, it's the second-cheapest to insure (after the Seat Ibiza....insurers like Seat for some reason!) at basically €2000 even (that's the exact same as the Yaris, cheaper than a micra, a clio, a 206...)

How is it in terms of reliability? What's it like to drive for a beginner? I'm pretty confident as a driver, but good visibility etc is always nice starting out. I've had a few goes of my dad's Ford Mondeo saloon, and am comfortable with that. Anything else to watch out for with the cordoba, or Seat in general?

mynameispaul

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Really mynameispaul you got your most sensible answer with post #3.
Toyota Yaris.
Ultra reliable.
1 litre, so lowest Tax & Insurance.
Timing Chain rather than Belt.
Easy to drive and great visibility.
Roomy enough inside for a 1 litre.
Economical too. Fuel prices might be dropping now, but they always seem to rise rapidly as well.
Loads within your budget.
Easy to sell in a year or two.
They were even designed to use ordinary mineral oil, rather than a specific Synthetic Grade...unlike many more unreliable models.

Some may say that they are more of a Female's car, but a Black ,or dark Green, one looks fine.
There are loads of other choices out there. Some would be a definite no-no immediately, others would be a gamble that could work out.
I quite like small Fiats myself, but I have no problem fixing them either. (sorry kagni, not slagging your post above. just noticed it now)

A lot of people here slag off the Yaris because they are the 1st option offered when your question is asked....but they are the 1st option offered for a very good reason.
If you want something that will just start, stop and keep on going while you get on with learning to drive then I cannot see a better choice to suit your budget.

I have heard the yaris suggestion before, and I did first learn to drive in a Yaris, so i would definitely be comfortable in it. There's three things putting me off: Firstly, I really don't like the look of them. I know that's a stupid thing to care about when so much money is at stake, but I do. The second is that the insurance is exactly the same as the Seat Cordoba, a car I'd much prefer. The third is that the purchase price of the yaris seems to be massively inflated. A decent 2005 model is going for 4000! Compared to other <1 liter 10 year old cars that's insane! I think it's reputation as the 'best' starter car has driven the price of second hand models up...which kinda ruins the 'cheap to run' idea.

JIdontknow

I don't know too much about the Seat, but maybe consider the running costs, tax, and service / breakdown costs of the car. for example a ford might have cheaper and easily sourced parts from a breakers rather than a Seat (Not implying either will break down but just incase), tax costs - you can check the cost of tax per year on the motortax.ie ( https://www.motortax.ie/OMT/motortaxinforeg.do ) website just input a reg number (you may see the reg on the add you view). Also depending on engine size, the running costs may be different - just points to consider, say the insurance is the same on the Seat as Fiesta Steel, the running costs and tax may be less on one or the other.

Seat Cordoba 2006 €385 per year. (This car: http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/seat-cordoba-1-4-costa-new-nct/8300423 )

Fors Fiesta Steel 2005 €358 (This Car: http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-05-steel-mint-condition-new-nct/8000881 )

Just on looks - if you like the look of your car and the insurance tax costs etc all similiar, personally I would go for the one that looked nicer. You will be looking at it and sitting in it every day...

mynameispaul

JIdontknow wrote: »

I don't know too much about the Seat, but maybe consider the running costs, tax, and service / breakdown costs of the car. for example a ford might have cheaper and easily sourced parts from a breakers rather than a Seat (Not implying either will break down but just incase), tax costs - you can check the cost of tax per year on the motortax.ie website just input a reg number (you may see the reg on the add you view). Also depending on engine size, the running costs may be different - just points to consider, say the insurance is the same on the Seat as Fiesta Steel, the running costs and tax may be less on one or the other.

Seat Cordoba 2006 €385 per year.

Fors Fiesta Steel 2005 €358


Just on looks - if you like the look of your car and the insurance tax costs etc all similiar, personally I would go for the one that looked nicer. You will be looking at it and sitting in it every day...

Yeah like the post says I've looked at the cost of tax, insurance and engine size already - there were spreadsheets - and the Cordoba is one of the cheapest.


As for 'running costs' like the price of parts and stuff...well that's exactly what I'm asking....

Toyotafanboi

are you looking at 1.2 or 1.4 Cordoba?

those 1.2 3 cylinder engines are fairly ****. i wouldn't buy one with more than 100k km's on it for sure. they are known for a host of issues including stretching timing chains, warping/ burning valves, head gasket problems, cats etc etc. it's also fairly gutless in the Polo so the Cordoba must be very slow. i know you aren't looking for a Ferrari but a weedy engine will be very hard on fuel, even if it's only a 1.2.

this same engine is also in the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia.

personally i would avoid. the 1.25 in the fiesta is much more robust.

mgbgt1978

+1. If it's down to a choice between the Fiesta 1.25 vs the small VAG's it would have to be the Fiesta. More reliable, easy access to parts....and much more fun to drive.

JohnBoy26

I'd have a fiesta too any day of the week over a Cordoba. Also just because a yaris is expensive to buy doesn't mean it's expensive to run.

When it comes time to sell on again you will get a good bit of your money back with a yaris and if you are intending to keep it for a very long time it will serve you well and you will get your money's worth out of it.

If I was looking for a fiesta type car I'd opt for the swift ahead of fiesta. Not that their is anything wrong with the fiesta but the swift is that bit nicer and is very nicely built mechanically too imo. I see a swift is out of your budget though.