Recommenations for 1st time buyer

Scruff

hello hello,
Have been looking to get myself into the endless money pit of car ownership lately and wouldnt mind a few recommendations and help with such an endeavour.

I've about 5.5k to spend, could stretch to 6 at the max. Looking for a car in the 1.2 to 1.4 range. Car will mostly be used around dublin but will also be needed for long journeys into the whest every few weekends.

Have been mainly looking up the following types of cars in the 98 to 00 range:
Opel Astra,
Nissan Almera,
Hyuandi Accent
Seat Cordoba
Fiat Punto
Fiat Brava.

Anyone any words of wisdom on any of those makes\models if they're good or crap and what to look out for on each type?

Also i'm 6'3" so cabin space is a important factor and so is a comfortable driving seat as i suffer from a bad back every now and again, especially if sitting driving for too long

Ta muchly!

DirtyDog

Well firstly Avoid - Fiat's, in my family household they have caused nothing but heartache.

Try looking for a VW Polo, low insurance, low cost, great car.

daggeredge

I drive a fiesta and am 6" 3" as well ...no complaints and when the 1.25zetec is pushed it goes like the clappers! no road noise nice cabin you'll pick up a 00 fiesta for about 6k with alloys r/c/l electric windows p/s and heated electric mirrors and front windscreen(oh yeah air con as well - which is nice!)

alias no.9

Scruff wrote:

Have been mainly looking up the following types of cars in the 98 to 00 range:
Opel Astra,
Nissan Almera,
Hyuandi Accent
Seat Cordoba
Fiat Punto
Fiat Brava

Opel Astra - The boring styling hides the fact that it is a very good car to drive, it's only marginally behind the focus in terms of handling. They have a tendancy to snap timing belts usually because the guides aren't changed with the belt so make sure it has a proper service history.

Nissan Almera - Bland as bland can be but it will never let you down.

Hyundai Accent - Feels very light and tinny but is a very reliable car. They can be difficult to sell on.

Seat Cordoba - VW engineering, but that's not all it's cracked up to be though it should be fairly reliable. Very slow and difficult to sell on, consider an Ibiza instead, same car without the boot.

Fiat Punto - oh the horror stories you hear, most of them second hand and embellished. Not nearly as bad as the reputation would suggest and can be fun to drive if you push them on a little. Head gaskets are a weak point but on a car between 4 and 7 years old, if it was going to go, it will have gone and future reliability depends more on the workmanship of the repair than any inherrent quality of the car, on a plus point, if anything does go wrong, they're cheap as chips to repair. Another weak point can be rear suspension arm bushings, but if it's been NCT'd anytime recently, these will be fine.

Fiat Brava - very poor image but a far better car than the reputation would suggest. Can be picked up for buttons and the 1.2 is quicker than a 1.4 focus or golf. Like the punto, the 1.2 can suffer from head gasket problems. The older 1.4 is not known for any major problems. It will be difficult to sell on, but then that when you're paying so little in the first place, depreciation is hardly a problem.

stratos

If money and reliability are your biggest concerns. I would recomend a Toyota Starlet. They just keep going and going.

Seth Brundle

stratos wrote:

If money and reliability are your biggest concerns. I would recomend a Toyota Starlet. They just keep going and going.

...like the 90 year old grannies that drive them!

stratos

...like the 90 year old grannies that drive them!
Probably bought them when they were 18 as well.

bazz26

Have a look at the Toyota Yaris, they have plenty of head room even for 6ft plus people. The 1.0 is nippy enough and would leave a similar Polo for dead and is ideal for city driving. You might be looking at a 99 model though on your budget.

If you need something a bit more practical then look at the Corolla. Some will say there boring, bland, etc but they outlast their owners and are very easy to trade on afterwards. If you want painless motoring then go for one of those.

Avoid Fiats unless you are buying a new one, they are good for a year or two but then the trouble begins. My cousin has a 02 Punto and it has given her endless pain since she bought it and Fiat don't want to know about it. At the end of the day you get what you pay for.

As an alternative to your list also look at the Skoda Fabia. They are based on the Polo/Ibiza and you may get a nice tidy 2000 model within your budget. A good looking car imo (the hatchback anyway).

Moonbeam

I would recommend a 1.4 polo,
I have one and it is great but the downfall is no central locking or electric windows. you are paying for a good car rather then the extras that you would get with a fiat etc.

Paul (MN)

I'm selling a Ford Fiesta Ghia 1.25 which matches your needs.

I think it is a great small car and drives really well on long journeys.

It's got new tyres, brakes and fully serviced, 18months NCT.
Perfect condition.

I have it advertised for €5500 so I'm in your budget.

If you are interested just drop a note here or PM me.

Scruff

cheers all.
i have to say though that i'm leaning away from small cars like the festhy, puno and yaris. they may be great little cars but i'd really prefer a larger car.
If i could afford it i'd go for a new 3 door toyota carolla 1.4 vvti, rented one last year for a week and though it was a fantastic drive. but i got to cut my cloth according to my measure.
I'm going to have another look at my finances this weekend and see if i can afford an extra grand or two and see if i can get a mid size hatch back in the 00-01 range as i'll probably hold on to the car for 3 years (until its paid off!)

IANOC

if you want reliability the fiesta zetec is a great buy
the only other car i would choose would be the yaris but if you value your reputation DONT

edmund_f

I wonder have you considered any of the Jap imports?, just a thought

bazz26

Scruff wrote:

cheers all.
i have to say though that i'm leaning away from small cars like the festhy, puno and yaris. they may be great little cars but i'd really prefer a larger car.
If i could afford it i'd go for a new 3 door toyota carolla 1.4 vvti, rented one last year for a week and though it was a fantastic drive. but i got to cut my cloth according to my measure.
I'm going to have another look at my finances this weekend and see if i can afford an extra grand or two and see if i can get a mid size hatch back in the 00-01 range as i'll probably hold on to the car for 3 years (until its paid off!)

If you are looking for a 00-01 3dr Corolla, then you will be buying the old model which is not much bigger than the Yaris inside.

Might be an idea to look at the Ford Focus. The 3dr is the best looking of the range in my opinion and you could find a nice 1.4 Zetec model of that year. I haven't heard of any nightmare stories with them either.

Scruff

Was looking around this weekend. Had a look at a Hyuandi Accent 1.3 coupe and thought it was very small inside and a bit too light on the road.

Saw an 99 Alfa Romeo 146 1.4 Twin Spark and fell in love, didnt get to test drive it cause the garrage was closed but might do it this evening.
Anyone know anything about these cars? i know all the talk about alfa's being unreliable etc but a lot of it seems to be 2nd hand stories..

Automan

A friend of mine use to work for Alfa as a mechanic and he recommends people to stay away from them. Reliable they are not.
Would you not consider a Honda Civic 1.4 fast car, plenty of headroom and keeps there value.

bazz26

Alfa Romeo's are tricky machines. 1 in 10 can give no trouble whatsoever but the other 9 will break your heart. They are know to have nightmare electrics and the dealers are said to be a bunch of muppets. Servicing/parts are also known to be expensive. The 146 was around since the mid 1990s so it would have been built when Alfa's reputation for reliablity was pretty low. Really these are only for real enthusiasts, not the weak hearted or easily upset.

The Hyundai Accent coupe is not really a coupe but just a 3dr version of their small hatchback. This is cheap transport and it has been known to have a few build quality issues, under the bonnet it is very reliable though. A to B transport will not get much cheaper than this.

You might want to have a look at the Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza you may get a 2000 model for your money and they are basically a VW Polo underneth but are better equipped than a Polo.

If you need a bit more room then have a look at the 95 - 00 Nissan Almera which might not be a pretty car but it will last a lifetime, will not let you down will have power steering, central locking and electric windows. Should pick one up relatively cheap these days.

unkel

If you want reliable and relatively cheap motoring, need small family sized car rather than supermini and you don't care about looks, I'd go Almera too

Don't touch the Alfa 146. Alfas are now much better cars but not back then...