Am starting to wonder if i have been too narrow minded in my search - if anyone has any alternative suggestions i would be grateful - this is what i'm after
1.4 - 5 door - petrol
Nice looking -both inside and out- i am a girl and this matters a lot
Plenty of boot space for my shopping bags
Suitable for motorway, town and country driving
No more than 13k
And its my only chance for a long time to have a new car so i dont really want to be going for something used
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Hyundai Getz 1.4l 5 door under £8k pre registered. Whether you like the looks is up to you.
I reckon it meets the other requirements.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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What about the Volkswagen Polo? Just looked on the website and every model except the GTI are under 13000.
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was debating that - only problem is that the interior is a little dull
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I agree you are being narrowminded blondie.
HJ seems to have scuppered the Corsa in yr other thread.
Why does your car have to be 1400cc? There's a nice little Seat, the Lupo equivalent, with a 1.6 engine, very brisk and nice, friend of mine has one now three years old or so and still going well.
Or if you want easy flowing progress, think Renault Megane. But there's a very wide choice actually.
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You could get a fully loaded Punto for that money 1.9 TD Multijet 16V Sporting, Full leather, 17" alloys, Duel Climate control etc ect about 12K or 1.4 16V sporting petrol same spec about £10K???
My mate has just bought one and its much bigger inside than I thought.
Lee
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I had a new shape punto as a hire car when I went to Portugal with my family last year. Not impressed as the boot wasn't wide enough to fit our flimsy little pushchair in.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
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And its my only chance for a long time to have a new car so i dont really want to be going for something used
Amazing. I hope you aren't paying for it! The depreciation on new cars is quite something!
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I usually like to buy either pre-reg or up to 1 year old. You'll save loads or be able to afford a higher spec car than you otherwise could. You'll still have 2 years manufacturer's warranty.
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The Peugeot 207 1.4 16V SE has an impressive panoramic glass roof and various trim upgrades + aircon, for about £10.5k
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You'll be able to get a new shape Honda Civic for that budget. Only problem is it might struggle with the 1.4 engine, which for some reason has 10bhp less than Honda's previous 1.4.
Great looking car though (inside and out), roomy and should be ultra reliable and economical doing 47mpg.
13 grand's a massive budget for a first car though, I struggled to get 7k together for my third motor!
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If you can drop 2 doors and increase the engine size then I would be going for a MINI, you may even get a cooper for 13K, although a little underspecced. Still cool, good looking, excellent residual values (surely very important if its your own money) and the service package will make it cheaper to service than anything else
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have only just passed my test so for insurance reasons, the biggest engine size i can have is a 1.4
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have only just passed my test ..
have you tried to get some insurance quotes?
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have only just passed my test so for insurance reasons the biggest engine size i can have is a 1.4
That's not logical.
The insurance is not directly proportional to engine size.
You should enter your details into confused.com or moneysupermarket.com to get insurance quotes for your proposed vehicle.
Also, look at www.abi.org.uk/carinsurance/search.asp
You can enter the car details there and find the insurance group there. Lower will be cheaper.
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have only just passed my test ....
If I were you I would get a cheap bangernomics run around for a couple of years to get some driving experience under your belt, and to *hopefully* build up some no claims discount with before shelling out on something brand new.
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blondiebombshell , As most on here will say the insurance depends on more than engine size. Insurance group of a car also takes into account such things as security and even ease of repair.
So I'd decide on size of car you need and then check out the models taking into account the insurance group. And then before buying get some insurance quotes. You can do this online without needing reg number etc.
Personally I'd go with a pre-reg or year old car and save quite a bit. Or if you have upto £13k cash then there are also good 0% finance deals if you can afford the insurance. Also some cars come with a year's insurance or at least used to.
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If you can drop 2 doors and increase the engine size then I would be going for a MINI you may even get a cooper for 13K although a little underspecced. Still cool good looking excellent residual values (surely very important if its your own money) and the service package will make it cheaper to service than anything else
What is the real depreciation on a MINI compared to say a 207 though?
A Peugeot 207 GT 06 plate with 5,000 miles is worth £10,450 in PX, against list of £14,345, but you can buy one new for £11,731, according to drivethedeal.com. You have lost 11% of the buying price
A similar 3-door Mini Seven 1.6 would be worth £10,700, but cost £12,500 new, and you didn't get any discount from the dealer. You have lost 14.4% of the price you paid
So the Mini has suffered worse depreciation.
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>And its my only chance for a long time to have a new car so i dont really want to be going for something used
Is this a cash deal, or on finance? Bear in mind that in six months time it too will be used...
I'd save £8k, and spend just £5,000. That will get youa Ford Focus 1.6 5 door 1.6 about 2003 reg. It's cheap enough to ensure (group 5), very solid, fun to drive and cheap to run. If you look around you should find one in really good condition that has been cared for and well-serviced.
In two years time it may have a few parking dents, but it will still be worth £2,500 or more. You'll then have only lost £2,500, you'll have two years no claims insurance bonus, and you'll be able to buy and insure something a bit more exotic.
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£14K? Hmmm.
Is there no way you can offset that £14K for a couple of years, drive around in an older-but-reasonable car (Fiesta, Micra or similar for about £1500), then when you have some insurance no-claims under your belt you can then go out and buy something really special with the money -- you'd be in to newish 3-series territory at that point, and a car of that standard would make a 1.4 look rather silly.
local yokel's suggestion about the Focus seems reasonable -- although I'd be looking for something a little cheaper than that. £4000 tops, less than £2500 preferably.
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From the OP's comments so far, I'm guessing this car is an extravagant present. If it's not, then heed the advice above and buy something cheap, at least until you've gained a little more experience on the roads. Alternatively, if you've just won the lottery you can buy us all new cars for giving such sound advice :P
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There are an awful lot of 'heads' on this forum, and not so many 'hearts', aren't there! If I were getting excited about being able to have a brand new car, I'd get very fed up with people advising me to buy a banger in case I crashed it.
Let's try and answer the actual question. I'll copy over what I suggested in your original thread:
I know it's annoying when you want to choose between cars A and B and someone suggests car C - but it is possible to have both fun and low depreciation in one car - the Toyota Yaris 1.3. My elder daughter is on her second and has loved both hers. Try one (definitely the 1.3) before you finally make your mind up.
It's insurance group 3 which shouldn't be prohibitive. I should add that both Yarises have been totally reliable (touching wood in the case of the current one, of course), and she's doing a lot of hard-driven miles at the moment. We looked at others and looks-wise she felt that the Yaris was the only one she'd want to be seen in. Looks are of course a personal thing, and a lot of people think the Peugeot 207 looks good, though I don't personally. My wife had a 206 some years ago, and fun to drive it wasn't.
The only one of your criteria where the Yaris falls down is boot space, although you can move the back seat forwards a bit to improve the space, and I think you can have the boot floor in two different positions. If space is important then have a look at the Honda Jazz. I would rate both of those ahead of either the Corsa or the Polo.
One more possibility - if you or whoever is aying for the car wants to save money, the Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX is cheaper than either - not as well-finished inside but just as nippy, and you'll either love or loathe the looks.
Good luck - tell us how you get on.
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Agree with Avant re the Suzuki Swift which has proved very popular in the backroom (try a forum search). Not so sure about the Yaris - great car but a bit OAP surely.
Has the MINI been mentioned yet?
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"Has the MINI been mentioned yet?"
Oh yes - I see that it has ..............
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With this in mind
"Plenty of boot space for my shopping bags"!
Forget the Mini - a smart has more boot space.
I'd also consider the Yaris.
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How much boot space does a single - or at least childless - person need? (Presuming that's what you are, BB.) Even if you have the occasional bulky sports bag to carry, it will go in comfortably once you fold the back seats. If 'shopping bags' means food - for one - and clothes, where's the problem with a Mini?
It doesn't have five doors, but does that really matter? It's usually the person with the Sensible Shoes car who gets picked on to drive on nights out - do you want it to be you? I'd far rather have a red Mini with a white roof than a Yaris or a Suzuki - wouldn't you?
Incidentally, judging by the number of driving schools that operate Mini Ones, it can't be that expensive to insure one for an inexperienced driver.
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Have you thought about a Honda - either Civic of Jazz?
Quality, very good reputation, plenty of space for your shopping, and just within your budget with 1.4 engines.
If you like the looks, then go for it.
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Toyota Auris TR (1.6, 5 dr) can be had for £12,999
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Car supermarkets would probably offer you a selection of high-end trim Ford Focus' (1.6 petrol/diesel), Renault Megane's (diesels better than petrols), Astras (petrols), SEAT Leons (petrols/diesels). You might also be able to get your hands on a lower-spec Golf, particularly 1.6 FSi petrols, which are supposedly economical and insurable, although you may want to consider the 1.9 TDi. That they'll hold their value well makes this is the most financially sensible option. But do note that the Focus is a better drive (and a better ride in my opinion), is more spacious, and will undoubtedly have a better specification (you ought to be considering Ghia/Titanium models compared to S/SE-spec Golfs).
The Megane, Leon and Astra are all more stylish but will likely hold their value a bit worse than the Focus and all have some visibility problems relative to the Golf and Focus, and are generally just a peg or two lower than each in practically every area. For me it would be a choice of these two, and given the better, quieter, more driveable and fuel-efficient nature of the 1.6 TDCI 110 engine in the Focus compared to the 1.9 TDi Golf, I'd probably pick the Focus. If you wanted petrol, the Golf would possibly edge ahead.
You could perhaps consider the Honda Civic, but it's only got higher-powered engines, or a very slow 1.4, the Qashqai's probably a bit cumbersome to a new driver and the Auris is widely considered to be a bit of a dud - plus to me it looks a bit like an elephant...
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As an alternative to the Focus there is always the Mazda 3 -- based on the Focus but with better build quality and cheaper. It's a bit of a Marmite car looks-wise but ticks all the other boxes. The 1.8 is really a rather quick little car, and not too bad on the insurance either (0-60 in 8.5 seconds, insurance group 8).
I wouldn't bother with the 1.6 Focus/Mazda diesel though -- the usual diesel turbo problems apply; a friend's '3 just had its turbo let go at 2 years old/38,000 miles. Peugeot unit, personally wouldn't trust it.
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