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What Car?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
On saturday, my beloved peugeot, Delilah, failed her MOT. It was a sad day and real tears were shed for the loss of my first car. Anyhow, time to move on.... :D So what car should I get next? Needs to be no bigger than a 1.6 engine for insurance reasons (Im still in my first year of driving) and I quite like the idea of a 2-seater. So far I've been looking at mazda mx5's and vauxhall tigras. Got a budget of about £1500 big ones. Any ideas?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    dont get a tigra, they shit.

    mx5's are nice. doubt you'll get one in good nick for your budget tho.

    for that price i'd say you were looking at a Punto or a fiesta or something, which would be in alright nick for that price.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fix
    It
    Again
    Tomorrow....

    Get a corsa sport or a fiesta.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fiend_85 wrote: »
    Fix
    It
    Again
    Tomorrow....

    Get a corsa sport or a fiesta.

    Fiats no longer have that image of being unreliable, its the sort of thing someones dad would say.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :lol: I know they're not as bad, but the slightly old puntos still have slightly dodgy electrics in my experience. Like the brake light flashing when you put your indicator on...

    I just don't like Fiats much I guess.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whats wrong with tigras? Just curious as I really know very little so any knowledge is welcomed! Please give me a reason though if you can. I'm looking at 1992 mx5's and have found plenty that I can afford. I'll also be paying in cash so can hopefully barter a bit with that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you do realise that '92 would make it 15 years old? Not trying to sound patronising, but I think a lot of people (myself included) forget how long ago that was. You might be looking at a lot of maintenance.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No it's cool, My boyfriends brother is a mechanic and my bloke is pretty handy too so maintenance isn't a problem. We can get parts etc at trade price and I'm well used to doing services myself.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you shouldnt be buying a car planning to work on it tho, just my opinion. otherwise you'll end up in the same situation in a year or 2 as you are with your car now.

    Tigras are just rubbish, renound for it as far as i know. Underpowered, unreliable and apart from that, they look disgusting.

    review here: http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/Review.aspx?model=979&page=1

    1.5 out of 5. not very good.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    is delilah a write off then? i.e. cost more to fix than it's worth?

    i have an N reg 106, still going strong! (apart from a broken petrol guage and a hole in the exhaust). but these things can be fixed!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    is delilah a write off then? i.e. cost more to fix than it's worth?

    i have an N reg 106, still going strong! (apart from a broken petrol guage and a hole in the exhaust). but these things can be fixed!

    Well this is the thing- she failed on silly stuff like a wiper blade, side light not working, a bolt missing from the drivers seat... the most important thing really is brake hose needing replacing but with aforementioned boyfriend & his brother we can fix all those things oursleves. Thing is I have someone willing to buy her off me for £850 once she's fixed, so I'm thinking I should sell her while I can and put the money towards bigger and better things. I was planning on selling her in the summer anyway :blush:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well i think you're aiming a bit high with the cars you want and your budget. :yes:
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    205 GT or 205TD

    Yes they're old. But they're incredible fun, nippy, great handling, cheap to run, cheap and easy to put right. 205's are the best Pugs ever made.

    Anybody that's had one will tell you the same, for one of you first cars you can't go wrong.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My boyfriend has a 205, the poor thing has hardly seen the road in the last 3 years, he's always doing stuff to it. So you think it might be worthwhile keeping Delilah?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Critreon saxo perhaps??
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For £1500 you can get a nice Fiesta/Saxo/106 etc - maybe something like that?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No bigger than a 1.6 for insurance reasons? A 1.4 Tigra is insurance group 10, and a 1.6 is IG12. You might as well get a BMW or Merc for that. I reckon you can't go wrong with a Nissan Micra (1.3). Not the most glamourous of cars but by all accounts extremely well built and reliable, and £1500 will get you a good one. The depreciation is quite slow on second hand ones too, because they fall so much in the first few years, then kinda even out. And they're cheap to insure because of the badge. Or maybe a 1.4 or 1.6 Polo? If you're after something a bit sportier, how about looking at an Alfa Romeo 146. They're probably expensive on the insurance (similar to a Tigra) and by all accounts fairly unreliable, but they're good looking, and apparently great to drive. £1000 gets you a 1998 model with 50k miles. Or a 145 if you want something smaller.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How about a Ford Ka. Little engine, but is quite nippy being small and light. Fun to drive, cheap to run.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    How about a Ford Ka. Little engine, but is quite nippy being small and light. Fun to drive, cheap to run.

    But as claustrophobic as hell.

    I have a Yaris. It's a great wee car :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd suggest a Yaris, but I don't reckon you'd get one for £1500. They're the best small car by a mile though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just got a new car and had the same budget as you - £1500, and all the ones that i was looking at have pretty much been mentioned. Saxos, Ford Ka's, 106's, Corsas...I ended up getting a 106 and i hate it but there we go :thumb:

    I wouldnt have thought you'd be able to find a Tigra for £1500, my friend wants one and we went car shoppin all over the place and didnt see any for that price. I think they're quite nice though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There's four pages of Tigras for £1500 and under on the Autotrader website. Where were you looking?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wouldn't get a Fiat, i've had two and they both were shit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dobbin wrote: »
    My boyfriend has a 205, the poor thing has hardly seen the road in the last 3 years, he's always doing stuff to it. So you think it might be worthwhile keeping Delilah?

    205 1.6GTi. Cracking car, little chance of rot, cheap spares from GSF, and a proper drivers car. :)
    koe_182 wrote: »
    Fiats no longer have that image of being unreliable, its the sort of thing someones dad would say.

    I'd not want one, and I'm not a father - as far as I know :).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The yaris was well thought out, but I found it shit to drive - and I was driving a KA at the time. Wicked little car - funny looking though, and very small inside.

    I'd recommend one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    g_angel007 wrote: »
    I was driving a KA at the time. Wicked little car - funny looking though, and very small inside.

    I'd recommend one.

    Lol i didn't think it possible but in one post i have completely changed my opinion of you :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lacy wrote: »
    Lol i didn't think it possible but in one post i have completely changed my opinion of you :p



    :D:lol:;)

    I have many surprising levels
  • smitherzsmitherz Posts: 968 Part of The Mix Family
    For that price you could pick up a nice Saxo, Have a look around on Auto Trader see what kind of cars are in your price range. If its your first year of driving i can imagine a 1.6 being quite steep. Your probably best sticking to a smaller engined car like a Fiesta, Saxo, 106, Clio, 205, Punto, Swift etc....
    The swift do a 1.3 GTI that would give alot of scooby's a run for their money or you can go really small with a cinquento :lol:
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    205 1.6GTi. Cracking car, little chance of rot, cheap spares from GSF, and a proper drivers car. :)

    There arn't many production cars in the world that could beat a 205GTi on it;s home turf i.e winding country lanes. You never feel liek you have to slow down. :D
    1.4GT woudl proabbly be a better bet for a relatively new driver though, in terms of insurance anyway. I don't know about the insurance on the DTurbo but mine was severely cheap to run (probably the most economical I've had) but it pokey too.
    :heart: 205's
    Just a bit small for me now, but I don't see many newer small cars being any better tbh.

    I'd not want one, and I'm not a father - as far as I know :).

    My mate had a Fiat Uno Turbo and at the time it was the fastest small car I'd ever been in. Incredible.
    But yes build quality was lacking.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I feel like i'm gonna have to get a 205 now just to see what all the fuss is about.
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