Recommendations wanted for first time car buyer

[52Paddy]

I'm looking to buy a car in the next few weeks. Due to strict financial constraints, I will only be able to afford a 1.0 litre engine. I would like if you can post some recommendations on the UK car market (this is much the same as Ireland). My limit is about €800 (and prices cheaper than this will be factored into account as I am a full time student). What do I need the car for? I will be doing a lot of travelling around the country for field recordings and interviews for a music project I'm undertaking, as well as more domestic reasons. Also, I want to get in as much practice as I can before I do my driving test (coming up soon). The following list of cars are ones I've been mostly considering:

HIGHLY - Seat Ibiza, Peugeot 106, Opel Corsa
OTHER - Volkswagon Polo, Citroen Saxo, Ford Fiesta

If any of you have experience of the above cars, please let me know the pros and cons you realised. And, if you can suggest any alternative cars, I'd be open to considering something else.

Thank you

[GridGirl]

Does it strictly need to be 1.0l? I used to have a 1.1l Pug 206 'Look' which was a nice little run around. Mine was a 2002 but I'd guess if you were looking at something slightly older you could maybe pick one up in your price range.

[Mark]

Problem is for £800 you won't get a car which is going to be reliable enough to go all around the country. Locally; fair enough.

Of course your main problem is not going to be the cost of the car but the cost of the insurance!

[A.F.F.]

HIGHLY - Seat Ibiza, Peugeot 106, Opel Corsa
OTHER - Volkswagon Polo, Citroen Saxo, Ford Fiesta

If any of you have experience of the above cars, please let me know the pros and cons you realised. And, if you can suggest any alternative cars, I'd be open to considering something else.

Thank you

I don't think there are enough female members in this forum to tell you about those cars

[schmenke]

Finally giving up on your bicycle Paddy? :

[Roamy]

I'm looking to buy a car in the next few weeks. Due to strict financial constraints, I will only be able to afford a 1.0 litre engine. I would like if you can post some recommendations on the UK car market (this is much the same as Ireland). My limit is about €800 (and prices cheaper than this will be factored into account as I am a full time student). What do I need the car for? I will be doing a lot of travelling around the country for field recordings and interviews for a music project I'm undertaking, as well as more domestic reasons. Also, I want to get in as much practice as I can before I do my driving test (coming up soon). The following list of cars are ones I've been mostly considering:

HIGHLY - Seat Ibiza, Peugeot 106, Opel Corsa
OTHER - Volkswagon Polo, Citroen Saxo, Ford Fiesta

If any of you have experience of the above cars, please let me know the pros and cons you realised. And, if you can suggest any alternative cars, I'd be open to considering something else.

Thank you

Well Paddy where I come from we would bury that sh!t. But at 10 bucks a gallon go with the best looking with the best mileage !

[Rollo]

Well Paddy where I come from we would bury that sh!t.

I would bury your small car as well in America. How you can turn a car which was one point short of being the 2009 European Car of the Year into something horrible is totally beyond me until I read this:

http://jalopnik.com/#!5774473/ford-q...ner-complaints
But Ford's now facing a growing number of complaints about the Fiesta's new dual-clutch automatic transmission set to go into other Ford models as well.
...
the Powershift six-speed automatic transmission built at a Ford-Gertrag joint venture in Mexico.

Ahah, Mexican quality build! (Jeremy Clarkson would be pleased to hear that he's been vindicated.)
Then again American did manage to turn the Astra into the Cobalt, the Suzuki Swift into the Geo Metro and beat the 1999 European Car of the Year violently about the place with the ugly stick until you got the North American Ford Focus.
Given all of that, I'd be suspicious of small cars in America as well.

[ioan]

Don't buy a car unless you really have the means to keep up with it's financial requirements. And I am very serious about this, save yourself the headache.

[52Paddy]

Does it strictly need to be 1.0l? I used to have a 1.1l Pug 206 'Look' which was a nice little run around. Mine was a 2002 but I'd guess if you were looking at something slightly older you could maybe pick one up in your price range.

You'd be surprised that an increase of even 100cc loads a couple of hundred euros onto the insurance.

[52Paddy]

Problem is for £800 you won't get a car which is going to be reliable enough to go all around the country. Locally; fair enough.

I'm aware of this but the country is small with a decent road network. I'm sure I can find something that will last me until I get enough money to buy something bigger.

Of course your main problem is not going to be the cost of the car but the cost of the insurance!

I found a good quote on insurance for first time drivers that have taken driving lessons