A mate is looking for a first car for his 21 year old daughter - Somerset area.
Any ideas of a good runabout with low insurance in the £2000 area?
Matt35
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She wants A "cinq".. ideally a "Sporting"
You can pick up a really good example for about 1.5K, they are solid and reliable, cheap to tax, cheap to insure,pennies to run, are pretty funky and have a bag full of toys as well... C/L, E/W, Sunroof etc etc
JaB
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At that age I had a Micra. Your friend should get a pretty nice example of a cute "bubble-shape" version for that sort of money. Low insurance, economical, practical, a little bit fun, and immensely reliable. The clutch was the only thing to go on mine in 50,000 miles and it only cost a hundred quid to get sorted.
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Peugeot 106 is an ideal runabout, either the smaller engine option, or go for a diesel for 60mpg+
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Son had a Pug 106 diesel (L Reg )for a couple of years then handed it on to daughter who's had it for about a further six.
Only non-servicing repair was a bent clutch lever which was simply straightened and welded with a stiffener (for some reason the earlier ones were not solid, I understand the later ones are more robust).
The whole family are insured on it and it's provided pretty cheap motoring.
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Bet you can't guess what I'm going to suggest! He could probably get a Polo like mine on an M,N or maybe a P reg for that. Much more cool than an old person Micra and a lot less tinny than a FIAT.
Polo is group 2/3/4 insurance, depending on which one you get, but as your friend's daughter is 21 and not 17, insurance shouldn't be too high til she's had her first accident, in which case he'll be grateful for choosing a Polo and not a less 'tough' car.
Predictable as ever, but hope that helps!
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You've just provided the cue for RF to plug the Clio, Volvoman the new 740 and ND the 156. Then Patently can offer us the 911 as his idea of a practical suggestion...
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Mr Cartographer, sir. Yes i would pop in at this point and raise the tricolour for Nicolles favorite transport. However 2k would only buy her one of the older looking clios, not the tendy newer looking ones, which are tres chique and much favoured by the girlies.
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Thanks all for the replies so far - on the phone with my mate I mentioned, off the top of my head, that we had sold a Cinqueciento to a friend five years ago, and that we are still friends - L reg and trouble free and looking good still.
I also mentioned that he should join us on the Backroom as we have a Polo expert!
He has been looking at the Micra as a possibility.
I told him also that, as Billy Connoly fan ( he took me to the Bournemouth concert in 2002) he should NOT EVER try to post the brown ice cube story if he joins us, as the Mods sit up all night sometimes waiting for it to be slipped in (if you know what I mean).
Thanks Again,
Matt35.
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Ford Ka, plenty around, cheap to run, cheap insurance, still looks funky even though they've been out since 1996.
Looking on Auto Trader website there are lots for just above the £2000 mark, many private sales so room for bargaining.
eg; 1998 FORD KA 1.3i 3dr Hatchback
S reg, green, excellent condition. 54525 miles. £2195
Find one thats got a full Ford service history and spend £30 on a HPi check too.
Good luck.
PP
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Any of the above, also Seat Ibiza, Ford Fiesta but please, oval grille only. £2k is early Seicento money now, though possibly not for a Sporting. Personally I find them a bit tinny but they will be newer than almost anything else for the same price.
Avoid Metro/R100, Corsa (well my personal taste), Saxo (too many thrashed/modded), the occasional Perodua, and probably not too bothered about Clios as they're all very basic or very old for this money. I'm not a huge 106 fan either; it feels like an old car compared even to a Micra.
Sorry PoloGirl, I'd be very unlikely to buy a Polo when you can get a newer Ibiza for the same money and while I don't find them boring, I don't think they're that chic and couldn't fall in love with one myself.
If safety is a big concern, it's got to be the Polo/Ibiza or spending a bit more money and getting a new shape Clio.
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I told him also that, as Billy Connoly fan ( he took me to the Bournemouth concert in 2002) he should NOT EVER try to post the brown ice cube story if he joins us, as the Mods sit up all night sometimes waiting for it to be slipped in (if you know what I mean).
Matt35, change the record will you. Your \"moderator bashing\" comments became boring some time ago, and are now becoming even more tedious and boring than they did before.
If you have any issues on how this site is moderated then email them to us or HJ rather than using this forum as a public soap box to get your point across.
DD.
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DD,
I am a bit surprised at your reprimand and find your comments offensive.
I have not on any occassion indicated that I have 'any issues' with with the site....I have tried to mix some serious comments with humour....if this has become 'even more tedious and boring than they did before' it seems that I have mis- understood the tone of the site.
I will not add further to your tedium or boredom on the site.
Matt35.
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Matt35,
Let me clarify.
What has become tedious and boring is that you have refered to the brown ice cube story being moderated on at least two or more separate occasions now. Surely there are more important things in life than to keep whittering on about it being moderated. Any further reference to it and I shall simply delete the posting, rather than pass comment or edit.
As regard to some of your *humour*, more often than not, the edit key is required for that as well. That is the other thing that has become rather tedious.
You have been a member long enough to know what is acceptable on this forum and what isn\'t, but on occasion some of your postings have been near the knuckle.
DD.
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Hello
Well said dave
*Hands dave a can of carb cleaner
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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I also mentioned that he should join us on the Backroom as we have a Polo expert!
Hope you don't mean me... expert in crashing them but not much else! :)
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I'd also go for the Micra: bullet-proof reliability and very easy to drive.
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Hi
Why not try the 1.0 litre corsa (post 1996)
They are very cheap to run and tax (below 1 litre just about)
Some can have ew/cl/sr/cd or rc/
All have Power Steering/imobilisor/
Hope this helps/
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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surely the most important consideration here is that it is for an unexperienced driver therefore something solid and safe .if it costs a bit more to run and insure then so be it.better cry to the bank manager than the undertaker.quotes for 18 year old daughter varied by £1000 ,unbelievable really.for what its worth I would recommend volvo
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Oh yes? A volvo you say? And what 21 year old girl is going to drive around in an old tank?
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for what it's worth i'd recommend a dodge viper.
(seriously)
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Alfa 156!
::: Looks again at subject line :::
Oh. Fiesta then.
::: slinks off :::
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I totally agree that safety should not be forgotten. Look at the NCAP crash test results on www.euroncap.com ; for something small and cheap I'd go for the Arosa (see Lupo test) otherwise the Polo. Some other small (and not so small) cars just fold up in the test...
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Something like a Citroen Xsara 1.4, 1.6 or 1.9TD SX. Why pay over the odds for a small shoebox with manually operated windows when the same money can you get you a nice R plate Xsara with electric windows, PAS, air conditioning, velour seats and a CD changer :)
Get something a tad bigger and teach her how to park :) My first proper car was a Citroen Xantia. Loved it.
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Hi
Why not try the 1.0 litre corsa (post 1996)
They are very cheap to run and tax (below 1 litre just about)
Some can have ew/cl/sr/cd or rc/Air bags
All have Power Steering/imobilisor/
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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Try looking at this thread which I started a couple of months ago.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=19814&...e
and also try a forum search with "learner" in the subject field.
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Isn't there a Mazda with a rotary engine that is particularly suited to 21 year old girls?
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I'd suggest the previous model micra (1.3 - if you can get one).
Very reliable and cheap to run.
Or a Ka, as a second choice.
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Something like a Citroen Xsara 1.4, 1.6 or 1.9TD SX. Why pay over the odds for a small shoebox with manually operated windows when the same money can you get you a nice R plate Xsara with electric windows, PAS, air conditioning, velour seats and a CD changer :)
Get something a tad bigger and teach her how to park :) My first proper car was a Citroen Xantia. Loved it.
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Agreed! I'm 18 and drive a 1.9TD Xsara West Coast Edition. Came with all you mentioned (apart from AC - grrrr) and is nice to drive, easy to park and hard to steal.
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Do get a Micra-not only are they totally reliable they are a hoot to drive and cost peanuts to run. We bought a four year old Micra four years ago and apart from routine servicing I've only had to replace an alternator belt. Accepting it's limitations it's the best and most versatile car I've ever owned.
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Do get a Micra-not only are they totally reliable they are a hoot to drive >>
Assuming you consider 4 bits of elastic constitutes "suspension"
I had one as a courtesy car ( I'm not sure how that qualifies as 'courtesy' but there you go ) it was like driving a trampoline!
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On the basis of what's been suggested so far, you can go for just about any small car with an engine around about 1litre capacity!
However, I'll chip in for the Micra. And if the suspension is elastic then it must be pretty strong because we're on our second car and so far have changed only oil and tyres!
Splodgeface
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You can have a lot of fun in a Mini, and if you don't have one when you are young you never will. They are too uncomfortable for old men like me. I've had 3 Minis. Kids these days are missing out on a cheap motoring icon.
P.S. I don't mean that BMW thingy. I'm talking about real Minis.
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There is a slight problem with Mini's, and that is the fact that they are small, crampled, uncomfortable, unreliable, old, dated, as crash-proof as a wet paper bag and suprisingly expensive due to their cult status.
Other than that, err, good buy ;)
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Fun runabout for a 21yr old girl in Somerset?
Street Cred... MG Midget
Sheep......... Micra/Nova/Xsara/Punto/Corsa/Clio
You only live once.
Kevin...
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There is a slight problem with Mini's, and that is the fact that they are small, crampled, uncomfortable, unreliable, old, dated, as crash-proof as a wet paper bag and suprisingly expensive due to their cult status. Other than that, err, good buy ;)
But GREAT fun to drive.
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>Mini's....that they are......crampled
And you have to be careful of crampled cars, who knows where it might lead.
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If nothing else, it sounds quite painful.
I'd love to agree with the Midget suggestion above, but were they really any good, or was it all just 'cult'?
Mind you, you only live once, and it would probably be very cool, in a flying cap and goggles kind of way. At least till the first time it broke down on her (on the way home from picking it up then)
Oh, and aren't they ridiculously expensive anyway?
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