Cheap first car.

J

joey54

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I'm looking at buying a cheap first car. Anybody any ideas on what to go for or what to avoid? Max I could spent would be around 3,000euro. Also no more than a 1.2litre for insurance reasons. Thanks!!
 
I second the Micra.
The other three options are generally slightly more expensive:
VW Polo, Toyota Yaris,
or old:
Toyota Starlet.
 
Hi all.

I foolishly didn't take the advice from the above posters and I'm paying for it now. Bought a cheap punto, when I say cheap I mean cheap (€1,500!!).

It was grand for what I wanted then but it is giving me serious problems now so I'm just getting rid of it. I'm going to go to a dealer as I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately.

I've got €4500 to spend, €5000 at a push. It's hard to find a dealer that sells older cars so I was hoping somebody could recommend one for me! Also what kind of questions should I be asking the dealer???

(Another thing, if I can I want to avoid the Nissan Micra-It just doesn't do anything for me!)

Thanks for your help and time.

Jo
 
Have a look at carzone.ie or cbg.ie, put in your budget constraints and what size engine you would like and it should throw up a few ideas.

Also you could take a look at the likes of www.channel4.com/cars www.honestjohn.co.uk or which car? and you will able to get good reviews on cars that you may be interested in.
 
Fiesta 1.25 16v is a good little car. Zetec is the best trim level.
 
Hi,
My first car was an Opel Corsa & i'd definitely recommend one. I never had any problems with it and they are relatively cheap
 
I'd second the Ford Fiesta. Brother has a '00 and it's a great little car. I've borrowed it a couple of times when home and it's a pleasure.

He has it for 4 years now (doing about 30,000 miles per year) and hasn't had a moments bother with it. The 1.25 Zetec engine is a pokey little number for it's capacity too.
 
Wrong decision. Sell the punto privately. Then buy privately. You'll get more car for your money at the kind of price you're looking for than from a dealer.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I actually really like the look of the fiesta and prices seem to be decent enough too.

Gabriel-
The reason I want to go to a dealer is because I want the peace of mind of a warranty, won't get this in a private sale. I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately.
 
joey54 said:
Thanks for all the replies.
Gabriel-
The reason I want to go to a dealer is because I want the peace of mind of a warranty, won't get this in a private sale. I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately.
Click to expand...

That's a sound reason OK - the world of private sales is a minefield.

Don't forget to haggle hard with dealers though: there's plenty of cars out there.
 
ang1170 said:
That's a sound reason OK - the world of private sales is a minefield.
Click to expand...

I'm not being mean :) I just don't think it's worth it. I think I'm right in saying that most dealers won't give more than 3 months (6 if you pay extra) on most older cars (the type you'd be looking for). So I just don't see a warranty as being all that worth it!

Get a mechanic (AA) to look over anything you're considering. If you're looking at a Jap then the likelihood is it'll be fine as long as it's okay the day you're buying it...in other words, there's very little problems with them.

Oh...and some food for thought. Ireland is choc-a-bloc with unscrupulous dealers who just love people like you...who profess to know very little. They'll gladly sell you that lemon that's been sitting on their forecourt for months...and you'll feel like you got a real bargain. Trust stealers as far as you can throw them...unless it's a main dealer...and even then don't trust them.

If you have a short list of cars you'll get lots of reliable enough feedback here from people with no vested interest. And if you bring a mechanic along to any potential sale you can't go far wrong.
 
I can definitely second the Fiesta. I got a 99 D with 44000 miles from a dealer for c€4k last year. We had a few small problems - thermostat being one - but other than that its been trouble free. Apparently the Zetecs are great little engines.
 
The Ford is a great little car. The mother has a 1999 for the past five years and it has yet to give any hassle.
 
I bought my first car from my mother in law - a 98 Starlet, minter of a car, she learned to drive in it as did it, i then sold it to my sister in law who is now learning to drive in it. It has never given us any trouble, very reliable car and cheap to run and service.
 
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