Cars!

I take it it's a 5 seater you are after? Otherwise I would say a VW Touran. (good fuel economy if driven right, even the petrol 1.6 version) or a renault scenic diesel.
Depending on how old Mr C is, Seat Ibiza = boy racer insurance. Same goes for Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa etc. OH tried to insure himself on a Renault Clio, garaged, alarmed, 1.2l, he has 10yrs no claims and the insurance was £300, yet it is only £350 to get him insured on a Porsche 911 turbo (not that he is getting one)! He's 35 and we live in an area where there hasn't been a car theft for 32 years. It was purely because they are the boy racer's favourite cars.
You'll be lucky to get anything that cheap on those plates unless you go for something with high milage. A Seat Ibiza will set you back about £4,000 and a Xsara Picasso about £5,000 at those ages.

Seat Ibiza is group 2 insurance? will check out the vw touran etc, thanks for that. we also get good discounts on insurance as mr c works for a bank. we are both nearly 40 and have over 20 yrs plus driving each. I drive a Renault Clio at the moment and it costs me less that £4 pw fully comp on ins, 1.2l and Mr C drives a 1.8i Renault Laguna £8pw group 10.) I have seen a Citroen Zsara Picasso 1.6i LX for just under 4 grand in a garage, average mileage on a 53 plate.

We recently bought a 1.6 Meriva 54 plate it was a lot more than that but it is economical to run low tax as it is low emissions and is quick when you want it to be. We had just got rid of a Nissan serena people carrier 7 seats ( end of its day ) the insurance is half for the Meriva its very roomy and comfortable.

If you're considering an Ibiza have you looked at the Skoda Fabia? Exact same running gear as the Ibiza (and VW Polo), yet less expensive to buy due to badge snobbery.

Good strong diesel engines and pretty decent drivers - although some consider the sporty ride a bit harsh. Small 3 cylinder engines are a bit buzzy and a little asthmatic if pushed (LadyWayne has a the Polo), but decent enough round town as a runabout and sits quite happily buzzing along the motorway.

Plenty of room inside them (I drive it - the Polo that is, with ease) and a half decent boot.

I myself have a Leon Cupra (Mk1) and can honestly say it's the best car I've ever owned. Plenty of room inside for me (not so much room behind me but there rarely is in any car!), reliable - due to VW-Audi group manufacture and pretty good looking in my opinion. You'll not go far wrong with a Seat.

The boy racer badge is a little unfair, as you've pointed out MrsC, it's a group 2 insurance (in 1.2 guise anyway). Mine is a group 16 and costs me less than £300 a year (I'm 32 with 10+ years NCB). I'm certainly no boy racer.

As for 5 seaters, I'd never own a minivan thingy, just don't like 'em. I'd always go estate, far better road holding in my humble onions.

Go and try some cars - you'll be surprised how different they can be, and expectations will change as you try different cars out. I took my brother-in-law out a few weeks ago and we spent 5 hours driving round trying out different cars. He ended up with a Laguna which he'd never really considered...

Found this Ibiza quite easily: Auto Trader UK - SEAT IBIZA 1.2 S 3dr Hatchback

Good luck.

Twenty years ago, when I was looking for my first car, I went into the local Seat dealer.

The guy that served me was a total ass, his attitude really just took the p!ss and he acted like I was wasting his time.

I have spent quite a lot of money on cars since, and funnily enough absolutely none of it has ever gone to a Seat dealer!

Mrsc2b, If it's a people carrier you want, I'd have to recommend the Vauxhall Zafira.

We bought an 04 plate one back in October, and I haven't found anything I don't like about it yet, which is very rare!

My sister in law has a Picasso, and it has been quite unreliable, though I do accept there are bad ones in any batch if your unlucky.

Insurance, well tbh, insurance groups mean diddly squat. They are based on theft as opposed to accidents. (a mate of mine works as an underwriter for direct line) If someone goes for a vehicle that has a "reputation" the insurance will be higher. e.g. Vauxhall corsa v VW polo, as a rule the polo will be cheaper insurance, even if they are same insurance class. What we have noticed is that insurance costs have gone from cheaper over 21 or cheaper over 25 to now it's 35. I don't even pretend to understand insurance rules, just passing info along.

I think the car you get would depend on your needs and what you can afford to run. We usually find that if we sit down and write what we need from a car and compare it to what we want, they are 2 different things. Practicality is far more important than style and looks. Bear in mind that they expect fuel costs to hit £1.50 per litre in the next 6-8 weeks. (fantastic for us rural disabled living folks...NOT)

We currently have the VW Touran (on motability) as we have 4 kids and a wheelchair in tow. We are changing it for a Renault Grand Scenic next year as it has more bootspace, much lower CO2 emissions, lower running costs (even on diesel) and hopefully enough for a fold down mobility scooter.

Saying that, once I passed my test (35 and never taken a driving lesson) I am going for a Landrover Defender (old one) so we can take it to the wood to haul logs and tow with. (private woodland in which we have permission to coppice and keep what we cut)
The insurance on that (even with me on a provisional license) is £147 a year. Road tax is free (whether on DLA or classed as classic). 2.5litre diesel run on waste veg oil biodiesel (20p per litre homemade).

We looked at a people carrier for some time a couple of years ago, and at the time it was a toss up between the picasso and the zafira. In the end we bought a ford focus.

A good friend of mine bought a renault megane scenic and raved about it for ages, until he had to have any work done on it. The service and replacement charges are extortionate, and some innocuous things are almost impossible to get at, front headlamp bulbs I think were one.

For the small car, there is little to beat the focus or a fiesta, as the running costs and service are low, and the sale value of one the age you are looking at are very reasonable as there is more to choose from.

We bought our focus, on a 53 plate, when the new reg came out on a 54, it was 11 month old, with 9k on the clock. We were very lucky to get it for 6250 (book value new 14400). If you shop around and find the cheapest price you can get and then take it to your local dealer and try to get them to match it. That way you can get very close to trade prices from a local supplier.

Also if you want to borrow the OH you can, she is a very tenacious bargainer, she was trying to get a dalmatian thrown in with the car we bought. The owner obviously didn't give in to this demand, but he let us pay by credit card without any charge (normally upto 3%). I have to keep shut when she is bartering or I tend to side with the shop keeper.

Moneysavingexpert. com, have a very useful tool for insurance, where you type in your job title and it tells you how much you would pay compared with similar professions, sometimes a tweak on your job titile can save you £5 to £10.

You sound like someone I know - he lives 20 years ago too!

Small cars for Mr. C - have a look at the peugeot 306 1.9 diesels, peugoet do great diesels that last for ages and the 1.9 has v good economy. Slightly more expensive on the insurance being a 1.9 but at around 65mpg it would make savings on fuel which could compensate depending on how much mileage he's doing. Seat Arosa (posts above regarding dealers notwithstanding!!) are a great combination for fuel efficiency and insurance groups. Also look at Nissan Micras and Citreon Saxo (boring non-VTR versions only because they are popular with boy racers).

Trust you to pick up on the only bit of the post that wasn't serious!

Seats may be very good cars, but I don't take kindly to being treated like a time-wasting kid when I have serious money to spend!

At the end of the day, you need to try the car that takes your fancy, even if it means trying a newish one at a dealers then buying privately. All the little nuances like whether you can reach the peddles/handbrake/gearlever easily make a big difference when it comes to living with it, so only then will you know whether it's for you or not.

I can also recommend the Fiat Punto for a small car. They are brilliant to drive and cheap to tax and insure. The only experience I have of driving a people carrier was when we hired a Renault Espace for a family trip (four adults, one tall teenager and an average sized 11 year old). It was superb to drive, cheap on diesel and very spacious. I am also told that if you like the look of it, the Fiat Multipla is glorious to drive and very roomy (personally I think they are extremely ugly)

hi all, back at 9.15pm with a deposit on 2 cars. only just read above posts. i've got a 2003 renault megane scenic, mr c has a 2002 seat leon, nice cars, pick up in a couple of days! thanks all, nice to hear everyone's different experiences with cars.

Well done.

Seat Leon? Nice choice! But then, I am biased...



Glad you both got something you liked.