Buying my first car for €5,000

Hi, I want to buy my first car. My budget is €5,000. I will be driving it on country roads and returning to Dublin at the weekend. Can you recommend the best car for my needs. I have a full driving license for the past 5 years. I look forward to your reply.

Regards Hazel.

Julie Travers (Tallaght)

May 2011 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Hazel,

What you need is something that will be reliable, has low mileage, has a full service history from a SIMI dealer and that will be a little bit fun to drive. I had a look for you and there are several that match your criteria on sale at the moment. We found a great little Kia Picanto: it has only 30,000km on the clock and is a smashing wee thing that would cost you very little to run.

We really like the Fiat Panda too, as it is a straightforward car that is chic, charming and fun and you could get one with really low mileage that is within your budget. You can never really go wrong with a Ford Fiesta: this would be a super car to own although the mileage on is a little higher.

If you want something that is a little bigger, then this Nissan Primera would be a good car and this is a low-mileage example.

Out of all of these, that Picanto could be a super little buy.

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