Recommend a car for me

rottie 11

I'm currently saving for a car. Looking to spend around 1000 euro, I'm a new full licence driver and 25 so the car would need to be less than 15 years old to get cheaper insurance.

Any suggestions ?

I was looking at tdi golf's but I'd need a bigger budget to get a decent one

acronym Chilli

Should be able to get a Fiat Punto at that age and that price. The insurance group is good on it (but do check with your insurer). Then if you get a couple of good years (i.e. no accidents) under you you'll be better set up for next car.

They're easy to work on and service too if you want to learn a bit about internals, or even just save money on services (e.g. do own oil changes, coolant flush, brake pads, etc.,)

rottie 11

Isn't the head gasket a known issue on them ?

bazz26

A 1997 to 2002 Toyota Corolla? Not pretty to look at but they are very reliable cars.

acronym Chilli

rottie 11 wrote: »

Isn't the head gasket a known issue on them ?

On the puntos?

Not particularly, but can be, but can be on various makes of cars. One thing to watch for, see if the needle behaves itself on the temperature dial. A broken thermostat can lead to an engine that tends to run cold and only reaches full temperature when stopped in traffic (i.e. no forced airflow). That can lead to bad temperature cycling and that in turn can lead to head gasket issues. However, the thermostat replacement itself is a very very easy job (€20 parts, socket set, and a jubilee clip will see you through). Parts are generally very cheap for these cars.

If you get an 8V punto you don't even need to worry about timing belt: non-interference engine so even if it does snap it'll be non-catastrophic.

rottie 11

bazz26 wrote: »

A 1997 to 2002 Toyota Corolla? Not pretty to look at but they are very reliable cars.

Maybe , even tho I don't like the look of them. Would rather the older corolla

bazz26

Ford Focus:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-ghia-nctd/10547423?offset=7

kay 9

K11 micra.

JohnBoy26

acronym Chilli wrote: »

On the puntos?

Not particularly, but can be, but can be on various makes of cars. One thing to watch for, see if the needle behaves itself on the temperature dial. A broken thermostat can lead to an engine that tends to run cold and only reaches full temperature when stopped in traffic (i.e. no forced airflow). That can lead to bad temperature cycling and that in turn can lead to head gasket issues. However, the thermostat replacement itself is a very very easy job (€20 parts, socket set, and a jubilee clip will see you through). Parts are generally very cheap for these cars.

If you get an 8V punto you don't even need to worry about timing belt: non-interference engine so even if it does snap it'll be non-catastrophic.

The 8 valve does give hg problems.

johnny osbourne

xr3i

rottie 11

Going looking at a 03 passat this weekend. 1.9tdi.

Only one problem tho its got 355,000 kms on it. Should I stay away from it due to the milage?

JohnBoy26

rottie 11 wrote: »

Going looking at a 03 passat this weekend. 1.9tdi.

Only one problem tho its got 355,000 kms on it. Should I stay away from it due to the milage?

A 03 would have mph on the speedo so if it has 355k miles up then personally I'd give it a miss as that's an awful lot of mileage.

I know they say that a well maintained high mileage car can sometimes be better than a poorly maintained low miles example(which is true to some degree) but at that mileage I can't see that car being very fresh at all.

rottie 11

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

A 03 would have mph on the speedo so if it has 355k miles up then personally I'd give it a miss as that's an awful lot of mileage.

I know they say that a well maintained high mileage car can sometimes be better than a poorly maintained low miles example(which is true to some degree) but at that mileage I can't see that car being very fresh at all.

It says kms in the add. Maybe they calculated it. If it's miles I'm staying away from it

colm_mcm

You need to keep it simple as possible on a €1000 car.

rottie 11

colm_mcm wrote: »

You need to keep it simple as possible on a €1000 car.

What do you mean ? Like buy a smaller car is it ?

colm_mcm

Not diesel anyway.

rottie 11

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not diesel anyway.

Ya I'm kinda getting turned off by the price of tax anyway to be honest. Got quoted 1600 for insurance , do you reckon a 1.6 petrol passat / golf / skoda would be dearer to insure ?

colm_mcm

Those 1.6 engines will be only 100hp though. You could get 1.4 cars with the same power.

rottie 11

colm_mcm wrote: »

Those 1.6 engines will be only 100hp though. You could get 1.4 cars with the same power.

So a 1.4 golf has the same power as a 1.6 golf ?? Would the insurance be roughly the same as the tdi I wonder

JohnBoy26

rottie 11 wrote: »

So a 1.4 golf has the same power as a 1.6 golf ?? Would the insurance be roughly the same as the tdi I wonder

No but cars such as a corolla and a civic do. They add reliability as well

166man

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

No but cars such as a corolla and a civic do. They add reliability as well

At this price point condition of the car is far more important than the reputation.

A well minded Golf for example will more than likely prove a more reliable car than a not so well minded Civic or Corolla. Badly treated versions of either of them will be money pits as with most cars.

colm_mcm

I'd rather my chances with a €1k Corolla than a €1k golf.

rottie 11

I might be able to stretch the budget a bit lads if I wait a few weeks. But I don't really want a civic/ corolla. I've had both already and looking for some ting new tbh

JohnBoy26

rottie 11 wrote: »

I might be able to stretch the budget a bit lads if I wait a few weeks. But I don't really want a civic/ corolla. I've had both already and looking for some ting new tbh

The thing is a petrol vw from that era is a step back if you want an upgrade from both of those cars. You will probably be better off waiting a few weeks if you can up the budget a bit. It will give you a chance to see what's out there anyway.

bazz26

What about an Avensis:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/02-toyota-avensis-new-nct/10332532?offset=2

rottie 11

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The thing is a petrol vw from that era is a step back if you want an upgrade from both of those cars. You will probably be better off waiting a few weeks if you can up the budget a bit. It will give you a chance to see what's out there anyway.

Ya il wait another couple of weeks and try to save another 500

rottie 11

bazz26 wrote: »

What about an Avensis:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/02-toyota-avensis-new-nct/10332532?offset=2

Wouldn't be gone on one of them tbh