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ive pretty much decided im going to get a KA. im only going to have it for a year or so anyway (unless i like driving it, hehe) until ive got a bit more free cash. im on a small budget at the min due to a house move.
i think im just gonna try and spend a little more on one. i definately want power steering so i think ill try and get one as young as i can!
All which will cost you a fortune in the long run.
you wanna go for a Japanese car, a few years old you'll find something for £800. German is probably out of your budget.
Go for a small nissan micra, or you may even pick up a decentish yaris for about £1000.
you'll have problems with a £800 Ford KA, trust me.
Also try not to focus on the age or the milage of a car...doesnt always make it a better deal. Check out the service history, a well serviced older car will be miles better than a newer one thats been ragged about, and lets face it Ford KA is the choice of a lot of poorer new drivers.
Just advice, but good luck with whatever you go with
for example...i've found a nissan micra, P reg, 50000 miles (great for its age), FSH, £595...you'd have enoug cash left over to put towards insurance
For a girl
True, and you can do better too.
eta: its my boyfriend who has suggested that i buy a puma. i didn't actually know what one was until last night
anyway, he has said he'll give me £500 towards it. sooo errr, i guess that makes my budget £1300-or slightly more if i stretch my budget slightly.
My ex advised me to go for something japanese - Toyota, Nissan as these makes are supposed to be good for your money. I ended up getting a Polo, he's very good
Puma's are quite sporty imo have you looked to see if this will effect the insurance?
Seriously, have a shop around, look at lots of different cars...actually go out and see them and take someone who knows about cars with you. This is an absoulte must before any money changes hands! Do not buy a car unless someone who knows what they are looking at/for has seen it.
Use autotrader and gumtree and other places like that to give you an idea of how much cars of similar age, mileage and condition go for.
yeah, have checked the insurance. will affect it by about £200-£300. not too bad.
Get a Fiesta 1.25. Good little cars, I hugely enjoyed thrashing one around as a hire car a decade ago.
I don't know much about cars but before you buy one have look on line for common problems with them and you will get a good idea about the faults.
I don't like french cars, they seem to be unreliable from the experience of my friends and family although there are people that would completely disagree with me.
blah theres a thread i made a while ago where i realised i couldnt afford a puma, even though iv been driving 7 years it costs more in petrol, insurance and has a higher car tax tooo...dunno if its any help to you though :}
yeah, ive checked out the insurance. its about £200-£300 more. mmm, didn't think about the petrol and stuff...think i might look at a smaller engine then. im going to be travelling 40 miles per day.
Even my V6 gives 29.7-31.3mpg with just local hopes, and breaks 40mpg on a run. All measured over a long period of time... it's how you drive it, rather than what you drive, more often than not.
Price up bumpers, windscreens, headlamps, wheels, mirrors... all the things that new drivers have a habit of damagine once or twice. Batteries, alternators, exhausts, catalytic converters, suspension wishbones... they're all common failings on older cars. A £60 difference in the cost of one component compared to another car... You'd have to use a lot of petrol yo use £60 more.
You also have to factor in that little old Mavis, the 75 year old Grandmother - and all her friends - are more likely to buy a Yaris than a Puma. The more a certain type of car has bumps and scrapes, and goes off into the front of the shop when she hits the wrong pedal, the higher the perceived risk of drivers in the same model car to the insurers.
I have a yaris and i heart it. I didn't find insurance overly high when I first got it. M&S were the cheapest for me.
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLKSWAGEN+POLO/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-12-29-240-4294966576-4294966886/advert.action?R=200931339079075&distance=175&postcode=SW1E+5JL&channel=CARS&make=VOLKSWAGEN&model=POLO&min_pr=500&max_pr=1000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfManufacture=1998&vehicleRegLetter=R
Lots of Nissan Micras too, usually cheaper than Polos. Very nippy and they just go on and on. 1.0 Corsas are around as well for that sort of money.
The Ka is a nice little car though. They're usually reliable mechanically because of its simplicity (the engine is basically a version of the old pushrod motor found in Harry Potter's Ford Anglia) but they tend to rust, especially earlier cars.
The 1.3 MK4/5 Fiesta is basically a Ka with a different body.