Yaris 1.8SR, which i reckon you'll end up using more than you think, i'm only surprised at just how cheap they are, if it had Ford Sport badging they'd be silly money.

C2 VTS, not VTR, gearbox from hell.

Edited by gordonbennet on 17/12/2017 at 14:43

Careful with his driving licence - he can only drive for 12 months in the UK on a Canadian licence - within those 12 months he needs to exchange it for a UK licence but that won't cover manuals, only automatics, unless he can PROVE that he's passed a test in a manual.

He has a manual licence...currently applying for uk licence.

Fiesta seems to be my best bet too, and the 1.2 at that.

What a fortunate young man. 25yrs old, still a student and a budget of what sounds like someone else's £2500 for a car! If he were my son I would suggest a Ford Focus like ours. There are dozens available between £500 and £1000 on, er, a well known site with fewer than 80,000m on the clock which is about half the mileage I expect our family cars to last.

Wasn't fun part of the package requested?

yes..

Does he like fixing things? Might broaden the options if he can tolerate slightly less reliable makes.

No fixing...

C'mon, fun was mentioned and he's 25 not 75! Keeping with the 5's what about an MX5?

Insurance could be challenging. Although I had my 1999 one on a classic policy for about £90 a year.

Meets the light and lowish-powered criteria though. And £2,000 can buy a nice Mk2/2.5 if you have time to reject the rusty ones. A pal of mine bought a 2004 Mk2.5 with 130,000 miles for £1100 last year - I am astonished at how well it drives, although he has had to have the front chassis legs repaired and the earlier repairs to the rear sills and arches don't look too good.

Good points all. Daughter was not allowed a car when in college at Cambridge.

Why have a pop at the young?

If you had read my original post... he will not have the car at uni, it will be a small car a bit fun to drive WHEN he is with us. He has driven our 1993 toyota starlet 1.0 litre.. It is easier for me to have the vehicle here for when he comes and he will be with one of us most of the time when driving. Insurance details apart not all of the "yoof" of today are mindless idiots. His sisters are a Pharmacist with her own business at 30 the other a consultant paediatrician at 29 and a brother witha Bsc in medical science also with honours studying pharmacy, alll clever as monkeys, none of them out getting wasted at weekends on drugs or booze in their spare time and Good balanced young adults.

And anyways.... I was driving cars in france when I was 20.... and no problems, so a wordly wise intelligent (yes) young man deserves a bit of fun and a bit of incentive to get that fun.

As it is I have promised a Rolex if he graduates with honours.. (he is already Bsc Honours in Biology) so it is a fair bet that it will be expensive come graduation time.

Merry christmas all.

That is my Christmas present to him.

Sorry.

Not intending to "have a pop".

No apology needed. It is (sometimes) the attitude in the Uk to our younger people.

I have neighbours with 3 young boys who are brilliant. (10/12/13) My sisters kids have all done well, one of the despite of many setbacks and we know of very few basket cases. My behaviour as a young man was different, late 60's early 70's.

I do understand however that the perception of a few in reverse baseball caps "cruising" and misbehaving in local car parks gives a tars brush a wide sweep!

No offence taken.

ORB