Another car question: good car for student

Tim M · 06 March 2006, 23:07

I want to get a new (used) car. I currently drive a Fiat Punto which has been a faithful first car but I really need something bigger. I'm fairly tall (a tad over 6ft) and find the Punto extremely uncomfortable on long journeys. I'm at uni in Portsmouth and drive between here and Norfolk most weeks so comfort is a big issue. Given the long journeys I also need something economical so have decided to go diesel. I did have a Renault Scenic for a while. Whilst this was extremely comfortable it was as thirsty as a student on a ribnet cruise, so had to go, and I went back to the Punto. The Punto used to do 10p a mile when I first got it so that's probably about 13/14p now. (Costs about £20 to get from Norwich to Portsmouth)

I've considered various types of car. First I had my heart set on an Audi A4 - my father has always had Audi's and he swears by them. However, insurance is going to be massive (im 19) and again its going to use a lot of fuel, as well as being expensive to service/repair.

Then I thought about a VW Passat. Nice looking car (very similar to the A4) but a bit more sensible when it comes to parts. Not sure about the insurance - I assumed it would be less than the A4. Purchase price seems somewhat high used; you have to pay a lot to get something with a low mileage (have seen a lot of used ones in the 160k region – presumably these are very popular fleet cars.)

Other cars I’ve considered are the Peugeot 206 (but my girlfriend wont let me because it's a woman’s car apparently), a Freelander (stupid idea; expensive to run) and now a Vauxhall Astra. The Astra seems to be the most practical one so far. So, to my question:

1: Is an Astra (the newer model) a good car. I've read a few reports and they suggest it's more reliable than most similar sized cars. How about fuel; anyone drive one? Also is there much difference (economy, handling etc) between the estate and the hatchback?

2: Can anyone think of any other car that would suite me. Running costs and insurance are the biggest factors, with driver comfort coming a very close second, and then other things like storage (I keep lots of stuff in the car), sound system (the one in the Punto is crap), ability to tow, and general "pimp" factor also to be considered.

Jimbo · 06 March 2006, 23:10

I reckon that 4 wheel drive Skoda Octavia estate someone mentioned a while back would be ideal for you tim.

Cheap to run with a diesel engine, relatively brisk (was in the car with Tim today, picked up a few tips on how you can apply rally style driving to the streets of pompey) and bags of room. VW engineering. Good availability of parts and service. Reasonable insurance, partly because it's a Skoda.

Hugh Jardon · 06 March 2006, 23:14

yep skoda would be a good cheap car for you, especially in the super diesel

Tim M · 06 March 2006, 23:17

Something I hadn't even considered. (But then again could I live knowing I own a Skoda).

Still fancy the Astra though....

Hugh Jardon · 06 March 2006, 23:21

a good friend of mine had a real skoda a few years ago which was a browny purple colour, it was reliable and served him well until he got his no claims up and purchased a MG Turbo from me. the new skodas seem fine in passat form, not so sure about some of the other smaller ones

ADS · 06 March 2006, 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim M

and now a Vauxhall Astra. The Astra seems to be the most practical one so far. So, to my question:[/color]

1: Is an Astra (the newer model) a good car. I've read a few reports and they suggest it's more reliable than most similar sized cars. How about fuel; anyone drive one? Also is there much difference (economy, handling etc) between the estate and the hatchback?

Firstly, avoid the 206 all sorts of problems and recalls, generally involving engine cutting out and rubbish electrics. Expensive, and have weak clutches and gearboxes so not ideal for towing. Girls car.

With the latest astra they do a 1.4 16v a 1.6 8v then a 1.6 16v, be aware that the 1.4 16v is more pokey than the 8v 1.6.
I have decided against taking a car to uni, but I did look and I considered a MK4 Golf 1.6 16v or a Focus 1.6v, the Focus's have dropped in value and you should be able to pick up either of these for under £4k. Golf has the quality and the badge, but the Focus is a much better drive.
Nothing wrong with the new Skodas, as Hugh said, would have to be an Octavia as the Fabia's tiny.

Alex

Hugh Jardon · 06 March 2006, 23:24

i had a cortina 2.0 GXL as my first car, was great, loads of space and looked good.................then.

perhaps a cortina would fit the bill

oops sorry its a ford,......codders would dissapprove. had a toyota celica GT as my next car at 19, was 18mths old so insurance was quite hefty then so i know what you guys go thru

bogib · 06 March 2006, 23:27

I got Skoda Octavia Variant (estate) 10 days ago as company car, nice to drive, the one I have has 2 ltr petrol engine.

Bogi

codprawn · 06 March 2006, 23:43

No street cred at all but a Rover 400 turbo diesel is cheap to buy and cheap to run. It also happens to be comfortable and has good performance for what it is - even better it does 48mpg even with a heavy right foot!!!

165,000 miles without any faults isn't too bad either!!!

Scary Des · 07 March 2006, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

No street cred at all but a Rover 400 turbo diesel is cheap to buy and cheap to run. It also happens to be comfortable and has good performance for what it is - even better it does 48mpg even with a heavy right foot!!!

165,000 miles without any faults isn't too bad either!!!

Yeah right Codders

48mpg, are you sure it isn't 148

I did a quarter of a million miles in an Astra over a few years while commuting to work. When I sold it for £400 it still had the same clutch, battery, engine and gear box. It had had 5 windscreens, four sets of tyres, 1 cylinder head gasket and an oil change every 6000 miles, oh and all the lights on the dashboard had stopped working so I had you use a torch at night to see how fast I was going

Pounds spent for miles gained you couldn’t do better

Since then I have had four VW Passats and although I like the car for its size and motorway performance they have been much more expensive to run and overall less reliable

While we are on the subject of Rovers I have seen the statistics for the number of times a major car rescue organisation has to attend a Rover (and others) and it wouldn’t make you buy one

Des

Poly · 07 March 2006, 09:18

how do these students afford cars... ...in my day all available cash was spent on beer! In my final year I did manage to scrap together enough cash for a 10 year old fiat panda. a valuable education in engine maintainance!

Pete7 · 07 March 2006, 09:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

how do these students afford cars... ...in my day all available cash was spent on beer!

Never mind the latest 2 Litre Turbo car, what about the fleet of Ribs they all seem to own

Shouldn't they pay CGT on a student grant ?

Pete

Phil Chitty · 07 March 2006, 10:15

I got my Octavia 2.0 Tdi 12 months ago, I've done 34,000 trouble free miles in it and love it.

I tested the equivalant Golf and it wasn't as nice and to match the spec of the Skoda I would have had to pay an additional £4,700.

I would look at a used Octavia. Lots of car for the money.

Phil Davies · 07 March 2006, 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

I would look at a used Octavia. Lots of car for the money.

What the man said

allegria · 07 March 2006, 11:07

I have huge amounts of experience with the Astra. If you are talking New Astra ( 5dr or sportshatch) i think you'll find the 1.4 is just too small, the 1.6 is nippy when accelerating but top-end just isn't there. 1.8 , feels a bit quicker than the 1.6 and has better top-end. I've done London-St Tropez in Astra 1.6, very good drive. Astra 1.9 diesel- what an engine!!!. Very quick, and when driven sensibly will average about 48mpg and when thrashed about 41-42. Very quick car. 2.0 turbo, quick but i'd have the diesel because of the econemy. VXR- league of its own, very much a drivers car. Fantastic bit of kit, best Vauxhall in years. If you were talking about the older model, probaly best choice would be 1.6/1.8 sxi.

allegria · 07 March 2006, 11:12

Ok- read the post you're talking New Astra. In terms of handling, 5dr will be totally different to estate. 5dr will handle anything you throw at it, estate is a bit twitchy. 1.6 is very economical, can't remeber exact figures, travels very nicely at 100, did'nt like it closer to 115 but then how often do you go there. You'll probaly pick up a good deal at the moment because business in the motor trade had been a bit slow. I think the most popular model would be the 1.6 sxi.

Hope that helps a bit, any questions just ask.

ADS · 07 March 2006, 11:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7

Never mind the latest 2 Litre Turbo car, what about the fleet of Ribs they all seem to own

Shouldn't they pay CGT on a student grant ?

Pete

To get a grant you have to have a combined household income of under £30k per year. Every student gets a student loan if they apply, which does have to be paid back but has very low interest rates.
For the record I don't have a car, but I do work a lot during the holidays which keeps me out of debt and enables me to run a small RIB.

Alex

Jimbo · 07 March 2006, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

how do these students afford cars... ...in my day all available cash was spent on beer! In my final year I did manage to scrap together enough cash for a 10 year old fiat panda. a valuable education in engine maintainance!

I've given up drinking, and I work at my 6 jobs just about every minute I can. I also only buy cheap clothes, oh, and I very rarely eat!

codprawn · 07 March 2006, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Chitty

I got my Octavia 2.0 Tdi 12 months ago, I've done 34,000 trouble free miles in it and love it.

I tested the equivalant Golf and it wasn't as nice and to match the spec of the Skoda I would have had to pay an additional £4,700.

I would look at a used Octavia. Lots of car for the money.

I had an Octavia about 3 yrs ago - for 12,000 miles - was doing 2,000 miles a week at the time so only 6 weeks to do that mileage. The car was great - actually got 53mpg which is a miracle for me. I also had about 5 Passats at the same sort of time and I DID prefer the Skoda - only problem was it took ages to fill the tank.

Loads of Taxi drivers in Swansea have the Skodas and they love them - good for 200,000 miles.

I still say though how underated the Rover 400 is - just as nice to drive and nearly as fast but a lot cheaper to buy - only drawback - not much room in the back compared to a passat/octavia.

daveh · 07 March 2006, 14:59

After reading this I've got my heart set on an Astra. Spent the morning going round looking for one. There are indeed some very good cars out there at the moment for not much money. I want a Silver one, with a 1.7 diesel engine. According to the fuel figures it should be more economical than my Punto.....

(This is Tim M BTW (on someone elses puter))