Car Choice: Second-hand doesn’t have to mean old and manky

Mishah Ali is 21 and looking for her first car. It needs to be automatic, have five doors, and have a decent sized boot. Reliability and low running costs are a priority. Mishah is planning lots of long journeys and does not want a “manky old car” – as if we would ever recommend one of those! With a maximum budget of £6,000, we should be able to sort something out.

A car for the head

Mishah should think seriously about buying what is termed a “nearly new car”. This can be anything from six months to just a few weeks old, with a fairly low mileage. The great thing about these is that you get a fairly new car smell and experience, but without the massive depreciation. In fact Mishah may be able to get much more car for less money, and the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty. Also she needs to keep some money in hand because the insurance premium is going to be one of the biggest issues. However, the automatic gearbox makes it more expensive and slightly more complicated, so a nearly-new will not be an option. In the real world, then, I did manage to turn up an automatic 2008 Chevrolet Matiz on sale for £5,289 at a main dealer. This car would be perfect for Mishah as it has five doors, electric windows, power steering, and remote locking. It will be Group One insurance and will be cheap to run, with fuel consumption being just slightly less than 50mpg. All that worries me is the tiny engine, which will make longer journeys more noisy than they have to be.

A car for the heart

OK, lets go along with Mishah and take a look at a brand new car for her. Well at £6,000 there is just the one – the Perodua Kenari, which looks like a tiny people carrier and costs £5,799. Trouble is, if an automatic model is required then it will cost £6,599 for a 1.0 EZi SE Automatic. So that tips it over Mishah’s budget, and there is also the fact that the Perodua is not particularly suited to longer journeys. Yet again I think she has to look at a decent used car within her means. So I tracked down a 2006 Nissan Micra 1.2S automatic. Here is a good, basic, reliable five-door hatchback (inset) that should be perfect for Mishah. The vehicle will have around 25,000 miles on the clock and will cost around £5,000, which leaves a decent amount to cover the insurance premium. It would only be Group Two insurance and the average fuel consumption will be around 40mpg.

Looking to buy?

Please write to Car Choice, Features, Independent on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF or email James Ruppert at carchoice@inde-pendent.co.uk, giving your age, address and phone number, details of the type of vehicle in which you are interested, and your budget.