Daughter just passed test - best car to buy?

pavb2

Hi all

As the title says my daughter passed her test about a month ago so thinking of buying her a car later on in the year. She is a student and has a two hour drive to and from Cork uni every week.

Obviously I want something safe rather than just a runaround so I'm thinking of a Ford Fiesta about 4 years old or similar, budget around €8K maybe a bit more.

I work in the UK and have read the sticky thread on importing from there but I'm not sure if this is worthwhile if anyone can offer any advice I would appreciate it.

txpjl

My father is selling a perfect little Peugeot 208. 65,000 KM 2006 or 2007 i think. about 2.5 - 3k euros. Down in Thurles.

T

Redser87

I have an 05 Ford Fiesta and it is a great car for my purposes, a full tank lasts about two weeks (driving around one hour or so each day). I had to get the fan belt replaced recently (10 years old!) but it is running very well. I have found it very reliable and it's not bad for longer journeys either, can get up to 120km on motorways comfortably enough. Don't know anything about importing as I got mine from a dealer here. Just under 5k and the mileage was really low.

pavb2

txpjl wrote: »

My father is selling a perfect little Peugeot 208. 65,000 KM 2006 or 2007 i think. about 2.5 - 3k euros. Down in Thurles.

T

Thanks tx but I'm not buying straight away just getting an idea of my options and maybe get something in a month or two.

colm_mcm

I reckon a fiesta would be a great option for the money. Feels big, is safe, still looks fresh.

JohnBoy26

pavb2 wrote: »

Hi all

As the title says my daughter passed her test about a month ago so thinking of buying her a car later on in the year. She is a student and has a two hour drive to and from Cork uni every week.

Obviously I want something safe rather than just a runaround so I'm thinking of a Ford Fiesta about 4 years old or similar, budget around €8K maybe a bit more.

I work in the UK and have read the sticky thread on importing from there but I'm not sure if this is worthwhile if anyone can offer any advice I would appreciate it.

A good choice. Stick with an Irish example imo.

testicle

Ford Mustang. V8 version of course.

biko

http://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/revealed-the-safest-cars-on-the-road-29051708.html

2012 EuroNCAP experts published results for 36 vehicles on the European market that they had put through a gruelling examination on a whole range of areas in each car.

The cars are the Renault Clio, Volvo V40, BMW 3 Series, FIAT 500L and Ford B-MAX, Ford Kuga, Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford transit van.

The organisation said the Volvo V40 got the highest combined score of any car previously tested.

FortySeven

Make sure whatever you buy is less than 10 years old or prepare to be gangraped by the insurance industry.

9935452

FortySeven wrote: »

Make sure whatever you buy is less than 10 years old or prepare to be gangraped by the insurance industry.

I second the above. Get insurance quotes before you buy anything . The policy will need to be in her name which will drive the price through the roof

pavb2

Thanks all just trying to work out if it would be better to buy something in the Uk. A Ford Fiesta in Ireland for what I want is about €12k compared to about £5k sterling in uk. I know I'll have to import, get a good exchange rate and pay VRT but still.

Pascal101

I like honda insight 1.3l around 8k for 2011 on cars ireland.

colm_mcm

Of course you do! Not enough to keep it though....

FortySeven

colm_mcm wrote: »

Of course you do! Not enough to keep it though....

My first true belly laugh of the year! Thanks.

corks finest

colm_mcm wrote: »

Of course you do! Not enough to keep it though....

Bumper car,,,na just being a smart ass,sorry,I had a few good trouble free years with a 08 fabia,1.2,eco,no timing belt,and reliable

pavb2

I didn't do anything on this yet but will probably have to buy soon.

is it worth waiting until after Xmas for a better deal or more choice?

I'm open to alternatives so what are the relative merits of a 1 litre fiat, Kia or Citroen or indeed anything else similar people can suggest?

Budget now about €6k she will be doing about 200 mile a week Cork - Wexford

Lux23

My partner got an Opel Corsa as his first car. Its good value for petrol, which is good considering how much the insurance is!

bazz26

I wouldn't fancy doing Cork to Wexford and back every week in most 1.0 litre cars. I'd look at something a little bigger upto 1.2 litre.

I'd look at something like a Renault Clio:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-clio-dynamique-5dr-19-000miles-fsh-depos/13556868

Kintarō Hattori

I can only speak from my experience but I bought a 2005 Fiat Panda 1.1 back in late June and it's been fantastic so far:

Easily gets up to 120km on the motorway
Pretty economical
Surprisingly good sound system
Reasonably spacious inside
Nice high driving position
Stable on the motorway and good fun on twisty roads
Not as much road noise as I'd have imagined at speed


That model didn't change until 2012 so it's still fresh looking and they can be bought fairly cheaply. The newer model came in 2012 and you can buy these within the budget you mentioned.

H3llR4iser

You idea of the Fiesta is a very sound one OP.

My experience with small cars is limited to old models from the '80s, but I have some friends who have the Grande Punto with the same 1.2 engine Kintaro mentioned above, and they love their little car. I drove it a couple of times and it feels all right, stable and smooth; It's a supermini but, just like the Fiesta, doesn't feel spartan and has no problem with longer distances. Inside it's comfortable for the category of car it is; It's a lot of vehicle for the money.

The 1.2 8v version is a workhorse and the 16v has plenty of push for a 1.2 - check insurance premiums in advance, however, to avoid surprises.

ml100

Toyota yaris, reliable no pocket rocket but does it need to be

machiavellianme

Mazda 2. Almost identical to the fiesta but generally cheaper to buy (and probably cheaper for parts too but I've not had to buy any in 8 years).
Or a Fiat 500 because they are a great little car.

logie101

VW have an offer on regarding free insurance on their Polo and Up models.
Might be worth looking into.

exaisle

ml100 wrote: »

Toyota yaris, reliable no pocket rocket but does it need to be

I'd go with the Yaris too....fairly bullet proof...good drive and highly relieable.

You'll pick up a nice 08/09 model with less than 30k mileage and full service history in the UK for about £3500 stg. Add on 1000 or so for VRT and 300 for getting over and back...

Good low mileage examples are hard to find here....try autotrader.co.uk. Put LL65 1DQ in as the postcode, that's the code for Holyhead so it'll show you how much of a drive you'll have to the ferry. Prices tend to be a bit cheaper in the north of England (Liverpool/Manchester etc) and north Wales anyhow...

Wyldwood

From a female perspective... I'm on my second Yaris, my daughter is now driving my 12-year-old first one, she loves it and won't consider changing it. I now have a 151 Luna model and will keep it for another 10 years. Never had any problem with either. Highly recommend.

bazz26

ml100 wrote: »

Toyota yaris, reliable no pocket rocket but does it need to be

If it was a Mk1 Yaris then definitely agree but on the OP's budget he/she will be looking at the Mk2 Yaris which was inferior to the Mk1. The Mk2 was not as well built, the quality of materials were lower and they used a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine which was less refined than the 4 cylinder 1.0 litre in the Mk1. Reliability on the Mk2 Yaris was nothing special either, Toyota definitely dropped the ball with the Mk2 Yaris cutting corners and trading off the reputation of the Mk1.

A similar vintage Renault Clio or Ford Fiesta would easily be better than a Mk2 Yaris in my view.

The_Honeybadger

My wife recently picked up a 2012 fiesta from a main dealer for 8k. Timing belt just done and new tyres etc. So far so good. Nice car, ideal for a new driver.

TitianGerm

Are you based in Wexford? This Mazda 2 looks decent based on the above posters recommendations of the 2.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2009-mazda-2-1-3-5dr-top-spec-only-62k/13993448

pavb2

I work over in the UK a bit so could probably pick something up there. What do people think of these two options both around £3k. A Mitsubishi Colt 2011, 21K mileage and a Kia Picanto 2010, 22k mileage

http://http://www.mitsubishi-usedcars.co.uk/vehicledetails/Mitsubishi-Colt-5427368

http://http://www.evanshalshaw.com/search/vehicledetails/used-car-kia-picanto--manual-petrol-silver-hatchback-yx10wtg/

pavb2

Going to make an offer on the Colt tomorrow VRT about €1000 I've got £ ST so no issue with exchange rate will try and get a bit more knocked off.

http://www.mitsubishi-usedcars.co.uk/vehicledetails/Mitsubishi-Colt-5427368

nice_guy80

tell her to get the bus

Posy

bazz26 wrote: »

If it was a Mk1 Yaris then definitely agree but on the OP's budget he/she will be looking at the Mk2 Yaris which was inferior to the Mk1. The Mk2 was not as well built, the quality of materials were lower and they used a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine which was less refined than the 4 cylinder 1.0 litre in the Mk1. Reliability on the Mk2 Yaris was nothing special either, Toyota definitely dropped the ball with the Mk2 Yaris cutting corners and trading off the reputation of the Mk1.

A similar vintage Renault Clio or Ford Fiesta would easily be better than a Mk2 Yaris in my view.

How do you tell the Mk1 from the Mk2 Yaris?

bazz26

Mk1 Yaris - 1999 to 2005:




Mk2 Yaris - 2006 to 2012:

JohnBoy26

pavb2 wrote: »

Going to make an offer on the Colt tomorrow VRT about €1000 I've got £ ST so no issue with exchange rate will try and get a bit more knocked off.

http://www.mitsubishi-usedcars.co.uk/vehicledetails/Mitsubishi-Colt-5427368

I wouldn't bother with a colt tbh. They are very cheaply built and don't have the best interior either.

JohnBoy26

bazz26 wrote: »

If it was a Mk1 Yaris then definitely agree but on the OP's budget he/she will be looking at the Mk2 Yaris which was inferior to the Mk1. The Mk2 was not as well built, the quality of materials were lower and they used a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine which was less refined than the 4 cylinder 1.0 litre in the Mk1. Reliability on the Mk2 Yaris was nothing special either, Toyota definitely dropped the ball with the Mk2 Yaris cutting corners and trading off the reputation of the Mk1.

A similar vintage Renault Clio or Ford Fiesta would easily be better than a Mk2 Yaris in my view.

The mk2 yaris is fine with the 1.3 engine. It's that 1.0 3 cylinder that ruins them. Still not as well built as the mk1-though.

corks finest

pavb2 wrote: »

Hi all

As the title says my daughter passed her test about a month ago so thinking of buying her a car later on in the year. She is a student and has a two hour drive to and from Cork uni every week.

Obviously I want something safe rather than just a runaround so I'm thinking of a Ford Fiesta about 4 years old or similar, budget around €8K maybe a bit more.

I work in the UK and have read the sticky thread on importing from there but I'm not sure if this is worthwhile if anyone can offer any advice I would appreciate it.

Bumper car

pavb2

Update - Ended up buying the Colt £2750 12 months MOT & warranty. Registered Dec 2012, 21k mileage, one previous owner.

Some good bargains for second hand cars in the U.K. At moment