Car suggestions as a daily

[Car.Interest01]

Hi everyone

I'm currently in the market for a daily car now that I've changed jobs. My commute is 3x a week 25 miles in total down some A roads and back country lanes (not single lanes) then just maybe some use for weekends.

I've got around £4,500/£5,000 to buy and Tax the vehicle. Does anyone have any good suggestions? For reference I am 25 and have been driving 8 years (5 years no claims).

Let me know if you need anything further (I'm thinking something hatchback, coupe, convertible (maybe saloon)) little bit of fun but not too expensive for upkeep!

Thank you!

[Stooka]

I was in a similar position,wanted a commuter but wanted some fun.Settled on a zc32s Suzuki swift sport.Not brilliant on fuel but its a hell of a lot of fun for what it is.Everything is pretty cheap for it and insurance for you should be ok.Maybe worth at least a look

[alone wolf]

Car.Interest01 said:

I'm thinking something hatchback

Mondeo.

After driving one for the best part of a decade.. miss that thing

[geeks]

Fiesta ST of some description is likely what I would be looking for I reckon.

[OutInTheShed]

alone wolf said:

Mondeo.

After driving one for the best part of a decade.. miss that thing

Last time I sold a Mondeo, anyone under 30 found it was expensive to insure!
It was a 2litre petrol Ghia.

[Robertb]

Mini Cooper F56.

Brilliant fun, well built and cheap to run. Fun on the backroads, but also long-geared and refined on the motorway.

[Car.Interest01]

Stooka said:

I was in a similar position,wanted a commuter but wanted some fun.Settled on a zc32s Suzuki swift sport.Not brilliant on fuel but its a hell of a lot of fun for what it is.Everything is pretty cheap for it and insurance for you should be ok.Maybe worth at least a look

Ahh okay thank you for that. My worry is ones that have been ragged!

[Car.Interest01]

geeks said:

Fiesta ST of some description is likely what I would be looking for I reckon.

What generation? Looked at some mk5s-6s and all looked to be rather abused?

[Car.Interest01]

Robertb said:

Mini Cooper F56.

Brilliant fun, well built and cheap to run. Fun on the backroads, but also long-geared and refined on the motorway.

Are they reliable in terms of longevity as not sure how low of a mileage example I could get?

[Car.Interest01]

alone wolf said:

Mondeo.

After driving one for the best part of a decade.. miss that thing

Are they okay down back roads? What one did you have?

[swisstoni]

I wouldn't get something that big for that very reason.

[Car.Interest01]

I did think so!

What would you suggest?

[ZX10R NIN]

Car.Interest01 said:

Hi everyone

I'm currently in the market for a daily car now that I've changed jobs. My commute is 3x a week 25 miles in total down some A roads and back country lanes (not single lanes) then just maybe some use for weekends.

I've got around £4,500/£5,000 to buy and Tax the vehicle. Does anyone have any good suggestions? For reference I am 25 and have been driving 8 years (5 years no claims).

Let me know if you need anything further (I'm thinking something hatchback, coupe, convertible (maybe saloon)) little bit of fun but not too expensive for upkeep!

Thank you!

Astra GTC in 1.6T (so you get the passive version of the VXR setup) nice amount of power good steer & you can add android auto/CarPlay for not too much money but most have bluetooth streaming:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602019...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601269...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601169...

Kia ProCeed GT, not as good a steer as the above but it's a very decent car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602079...

i30 Turbo, slightly lower powered/softer version of the above:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601159...

1.6T Focus Titanium X:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601259...

[Car.Interest01]

That's great, thanks for that!

Would you not worry about mileage or for the ford the ecoboost engine?

[chip*]

ZX10R NIN said:

1.6T Focus Titanium X:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601259...

Pick of the bunch from ZX list imo.
A decent steer with full service history / regular oil change is a massive positive for me.

Does this require a belt change every 10 years, or am I confusing it with a different model?

[Car.Interest01]

That's great, thanks for that!

Would you not worry about mileage or for the ford the ecoboost engine?

[Car.Interest01]

chip* said:

Pick of the bunch from ZX list imo.
A decent steer with full service history / regular oil change is a massive positive for me.

Does this require a belt change every 10 years, or am I confusing it with a different model?

I do like this however not sure about the ecoboost - is it reliable?

[Robertb]

Car.Interest01 said:

Robertb said:

Mini Cooper F56.

Brilliant fun, well built and cheap to run. Fun on the backroads, but also long-geared and refined on the motorway.

Are they reliable in terms of longevity as not sure how low of a mileage example I could get?

My daughters 2014 one has done over 100,000 miles now… been as good as gold.

A very different proposition to the previous R56 which has a terrible engine and by the time we sold it was using oil like a two-stroke!

[Car.Interest01]

Thats good to know, thank you!

[AddyT.]

Mk5 Golf GTI, if you can find one in good condition?