Car Recommendations?

[Diablos0]

Ok I'm gonna be buying a new car in a few months and got my eye on a few but was wondering what you guys think would be a good choice, any you think.

I'm looking for something under £2000 but can be around that mark as I'm sure if it's worth it I'll save for it :D

Also a consideration is a fairly cheap insurance group :)

[FatherTedCrilly]

Anything under the £2000 mark can be a bit hit and miss.

My advice is to maybe go for something japanese as the things are very reliable (Honda with a V tech engine comes to mind).
The only down side to this is parts are bloody expensive, so if something goes wrong it will cost you!!
And best to keep away from the 2nd hand Jap imports as well!!

Mainly just have a good look around and see what you can find!!

[Diablos0]

Japanese car insurance is also more expensive I heard :(
I'm tempted to go for a Ford Escort 97(ish) reg with a Zetec Engine :D

[Mr Skiff]

I've got a Honda Civic 1.8 VTI-S, now this baby certaintly shifts with 180BHP and does 0-60 in 7 seconds. The downside is it cost me 5.5K. I used to have a cheap R19 16V Executive before, I bought it for just under a grand but it cost alot more to fix.

Pug's are good reliable cars, it depends what your looking for in a car. If its just for getting to work and back for the cheap reliable option. If its for showing off etc you get what you pay for.

[FatherTedCrilly]

From what I understand Jap cars are no different from any other when it comes to Insurance.

Also agree about the Pug's are alright (got a 306 xsi myself)
looking on autotrader you can get a good 306 for around the £2000 mark.

I'm a bit anti Ford as well so I won't comment about the old,
(Fix Or Repair Daily's)

Check out the AutoTrader webby, gives a bit of a guide to prices,
then you should be able to work out some sort of a budget guideline.

:cool:

[Diablos0]

From my experiance of Ford's they are not bad, very cheap parts which is a plus and very easy to work on. Not too keen on getting a civic where I go to college every one and there sisters got a civic, if I was to get one it'd be the Coupe or saloon version. Peugeots are not bad but I still have to research them a bit last I sat in was a 405 Estate I think D: . I only heard the Jap cars cost more on insurance through a mate so it could be bull but I'm pretty sure it's slightly more expensive. Anyways thanks for the advice chaps I'm off to see some prices of peugeots

[Banana Man]

well i have a P plate 306 1.9L TD, as my runaround car, cheap insurance cless 3-4 i believe, economical (ish), good acceleration (for a diesel) and it'll do 120mph at a push, it cost exactly £2000 around a year ago

also have a E reg ford capri 2.8i laser (one of the last two capris ever sold in the UK), which is currently undergoing some minor repairs (engine blown), worth about £3000 when working, but insurance can be stupid unless you have a few years no claims

and i have a landrover series 2 short wheelbase which is great fun at weekends for off-roading and general mucking about in. it also cost around £2k, make sure you have a good local source of spares though as ive had numerous problems with the engine (an inlet valve somehow found its way into one of the cylinders and subsequently melted, welding the piston to the cylinder wall) so i had to junk the engine for scrap. Luckily i had a forklift with an identical engine that had a blown gearbox, so we just swapped them out

practicallity - Pug
trackday fun - capri
off roading and learning how engines work - landie

if you get a pug then a 306 is the best bet IMO,
the 106 is too small, 206 overpriced, 307 good for going shopping in but not much else, used to have a 407 but theyre a bit sluggish, 205s are looking a little dated nowadays.

never owned one but ford focus & puma are great cars, as are some volvos (if you can live with the fact theyre volvos)

avoid vauxhall (sp?) as they tend to get rusty very quickly, and also stay clear of fiats as they have a tendancy for falling to pieces

other than that, good luck :)

[Diablos0]

Aye, not too sure on getting a peugeot now I'm thinking just wait and get a focus or something (Hoping to test drive a Focus RS soon :E). I've Never liked the fiats, even the new one I'm not too keen on so I think it's back too the search, I think my problem is I want a great car now as opposed to waiting a couple of years. ;(