What car 2 buy??

[123gifts4me]

I am 17 and have just passed my test and I am insured on my mums insurance at a cost of �400. The car I am insured on is a Rover 25 1.4 5dr manual and I want to buy this car of her but she won't let me even though she is looking to sell it and wants me to buy a different car. I have got a budget of �1000 and looking for a 1.4, 5dr. Any suggestions much apperciated.

[apex204]

Avoid Rovers, even though it's what you're insured on at the moment - your Mum will doubtless have no-claims bonus which you won't have. It might be worthwhile asking your mum to insure the car for you, with you as the main driver. It's also important to remember that if she insures the car she'll need to be the owner on the logbook. Make it absolutely crystal clear to the insurer that you're going to be the main driver though. It might mean you can pay monthly too - at 17 you're too young to be offered a credit agreement in your own name.

5dr 1.4s can be tricky to come by and often expensive to insure, especially older models. You could probably find a late-model Peugeot 205 for well within your budget, as it was manufactured until 1995. At this age the cars will likely be high mileage but they're fun to drive and spacious for a car of that age. You'll find 1.1s, 1.4s and 1.8Ds, and unless you're going to be doing lots of motorway miles or journeys carrying a car full of passengers, the 1.1 should more than suffice. It'll also be cheaper to insure and fuel economy is better, plus the tax is cheaper. They're lots about (although cars of this age are admittedly rarer) so there's plenty to choose from & parts are easy to find and cheap to buy.

Good luck though in whatever you choose!