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What's the best car for a 19-year-old?
I am looking for a second hand car up to £4k for my 19 yr old son. It's between a Fiesta and MINI One. I have seen several 2010 MINI Ones with reasonable mileage cheaper than same year/higher mileage Fiestas. I thought MINI was the superior car and would be more expensive, is there an obvious reason for this? Also, most seem to be Euro 4. Should I avoid and find a Euro 5 in case ULEZ rules change (we live in London)?
Asked on 30 January 2024 by Ray Worrell
Answered by
Andrew Brady
The 1.4-litre MINI engine could be pretty troublesome - high oil consumption and timing chain issues are common, which might explain their attractive price tag on the used market. The Fiesta, meanwhile, is known to be fairly dependable, especially if you get one with the 1.25-litre engine. It's difficult to say what ULEZ regulations will be in the future, but I wouldn't expect a huge difference between a Euro 4 and Euro 5 petrol car.
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