advice on Peugeot 106/205,Ford Mondeo/Fiesta,Vauxhall Astra

Have you worked out what they'll all cost to run (insurance being the main deal here)?

cheers, clive

(I'd go for the 205 for a first car. And I wouldn't buy from the local garage, but that's a separate issue!)

I'd recommend one wholeheartedly.

I've owned a 98 S 2.0 Ghia from ~13 months old, and it's been great. Very reliable, I've put 100k miles on it.

It's still on the original battery, exhaust, starter, alternator. It's probably easier to say it's had a couple of changes of pads, new disks on the front, 2 new wishbones (known problem) and had a CV joint fail. I just had one original headlamp fail too[0]

It's only failed one MOT (on a borderline back tyre that looked OK when you looked at it quickly, but a closer inspection showed it was below 1.6mm along a very thin bar at exactly 25% the distance from one edge (I.e. 1mm to the right and it would have passed - they had to get out a tape measure to check the distances!).

I'm hoping to get a Mk 3.5 (post facelift new shape) in a few months time.

If buying 2nd hand, don't bother to go for a tatty high miler - they're common enough that you can always find a good example. Sadly, mine is a tatty high miler, so I'm looking to trade in, just to save the aggro of selling it privately.

Pete.

Ok. That's what i can have from my local garage: MONDEO LX 1.8 (1993) mileage:99k price:£950.00

Peugeot 205 JUNIOR 1.1 (1993) mileage:80k price:£650.00

FIESTA 1.1 (1991) mileage:96k price:£750.00

Which one should i choose or none of them? help please.

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "JULIAN HALES" saying something like:

Seconded. Get an old gimmer's car that's been well maintained and has only parttime mileage on it. I've just bought a Carina II diesel and fully expect it to last another ten years with regular servicing.

decided to look for a 1.8 diesel Mondeo. Diesel is better or worse than the petrol in terms of reliability ?

Thus spake Michael unto the assembled multitudes:

I had a Mark 2 Astra (1990 1.4L) for 10 years and it never once let me down, though I did 'look after it' which helps. However it's one of the least secure cars on the road. I had it stolen twice (the second time terminally) and broken into twice more. Not sure if the Mk3 will be any better in that regard.