Right some idiot pulled out in front of me on a roundabout and to cut a long story short its no a right off. so i need to find a new car. since im rubbish at knowing what car to get any help would be appreciated!

What i need:
1. Reliable (im a poor student and cant afford expensive repairs)
2. Comfortable (i do lots of long distanceish driving and even on short trips its good - my courtesy car was a micra and it was sooo uncomfortable! gave me neck ache after 10mins)
3. Fun (if possible...)

I had a laguna which was reliable and comfortable so i could get another one, but what do you recon?

Oh and a budget of Ã,£1500

Dec

PS needs some boot space as i have a sub/amp etc

what sort of insurance you got? any ncb?
do you mind diesels?

no diesels (no real reason i just dont like em...)

1years no claims, obviously the cheaper the insurance the better

Thanks

Dec

early 90s Volvo 240 or 740. Built like tanks, and comfy cruisers. Stateside, Id say just get a 10 y/o Camry or Accord and be done with it.

i would suggest a late Rover 618Is, seriously specd up, very reliable honda engine, well built, excellent ride and imo they look great.


clicky

Ive got a Honda Accord 2.0i SL, in my 29 years of driving and a lot of cars Id say its the best Ive had.

Quote from: maximusotterearly 90s Volvo 240 or 740. Built like tanks, and comfy cruisers. Stateside, Id say just get a 10 y/o Camry or Accord and be done with it.

Id go with a 740 saloon.

Maybe if you want a bit of style you could go for a 480 coupe or a little smaller than the 740 is the 440.

the 440 1.6 has good levels of spec, electric windows and elec mirrors and heated seats. Not a lot goes wrong with them and they keep on running, my 740 ran even when I had no oil in the engine.You can spend Ã,£400 on a really good one and they are grp 7 insurance, the 440s (1.6) are a little lower at 6 I think.

Get a post 90 one with 5 speed and youll be able to fit about 50000 tonnes of stuff in and they are incredibly comfy.

Perfect for moving house too as you can fit anything in them.

They are also very safe.

Thanks for your input! I think the volvos a tad big for my needs (not really after an estate)

The rover and accord look the best 2 so far IMO

Dec

no street cred with the rover, but as a student that means people arent going to be jealous and scratch it.

they can be bargainous really, due to the company collapsing...

have a hunt around... I wouldnt recommend an over really but in this circumstance it might actually be ideal

my boss has a 95 rover 623 with > 145k on the clock, with the less than full service history  (hes the kind that runs cars into the ground instead of pissing 50% of his wallet away on new cars every 3 years)

it plods on, hes had it 8+ years and since below 40,000 i think and I cant remember it ever being in the garage for anything major or hideously expensive.

one thing Deviance is sooo wrong about though, is where he says they look great          

Quote from: snellgroveone thing Deviance is sooo wrong about though, is where he says they look great          

lol tis a personal thing i guess but the Is and the Ti do look great imo(lower, big alloys, leather, body kit etc) and in some places they are the gangs rides and drug dealers etc so guess they must have some street cred  :?

Yeah it maybe worth having a car that doesnt look good so it doesnt get keyd, and if it does i wouldnt get annoyed etc

Not convinced about the looks either but it sounds like there good runners and relatively comfortable!

anyone got any others to throw into the equation?

cheers

Dec

Corolla?

323? (good fun)

I dunno about how much those cost though, probably way more than the budget jap stuff clings onto its residuals all too well!

reading material:

http://www.parkers.co.uk
http://www.carsurvey.org

both have user reviews...

find a car...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk

Quote from: DecWhat i need:
1. Reliable (im a poor student and cant afford expensive repairs)
2. Comfortable (i do lots of long distanceish driving and even on short trips its good - my courtesy car was a micra and it was sooo uncomfortable! gave me neck ache after 10mins)
3. Fun (if possible...)

I had a laguna which was reliable and comfortable so i could get another one, but what do you recon?

Oh and a budget of Ã,£1500

I feel a bit silly suggesting what car I have, but I feel it fits the bill and so is just an open suggestion.

I have a 1996 Megane 5DR Hatchback 1.6 E RT, bought it for about Ã,£1500 last march.  probably worth about Ã,£1000-Ã,£1200 now.  Id look at 1996-2000 myself.  

Reliable?  Never broke down, never failed to start. Parts are cheap enough if work needs doing, its usally the labour that puts a hole in the wallet.

Comfortable? The longest trip I have done in one go is about 130 miles to skegness 2 1/2 hours with one stop for a drink.  Ive done that trip many times and I think only once I ever had a slight bit of back ache.  Mainly becuase I kept fiddling with the lumber support knob. The seats are very comfortable and supportive.

Fun? Its far from a fantastic car, its no ford focus as far as the drive is concerned, but it is a decent car to drive, but I also enjoy driving it and it usually puts a smile on my face.

Its not an attention seeking car, its not going to get stolen or broken into, keyed etc.  Christ I left in Coventry town centre into the early hours before in an open car park.

There are other cars that fit the bill of course.  I agree with the suggestions of the Volvos and Honda Accord, again they fit the bill and not going to be attention seeking.  Also both very good cars.

If the fuel consumption and insurance wasnt so horrendous id plump for an activa.

You arent going to get much for even 20 x more that can corner nearly as well, and they have plenty of kit.

Since its going to need to be low cost - why not diesel? Whats the point of buying a car thats going to do 20mpg round the town rather than one that will do twice that? Doesnt make sense at todays prices. Thats why Im converting my petrols to gas.

Toyota Corolla or a Focus I would suggest, the Ghias are comfy and the 1.6 wont be too killer on insurance.

Jaimz