Hmmmm......I'm going to suggest another way. Don't spend anything like that sort of money. Spend up to £2k - ish on a nice older petrol Civic or Corolla, with a documented service history and an average or low mileage, maybe about 70 to 80K max- but not essential. Make sure it has a recent MOT and a nice set of matching tyres, check the car over with a knowledgable friend, you're looking for something clean, with signs of careful ownership. Plenty around. These cars are fairly bombproof, they are extremely reliable, they drive well, return decent mpg and cost very little to keep on the road. They are not cutting edge, trendy or fast but they will serve you for many years, with simple servicing at any half decent indie. And the money you save by doing this will be enough to build yourself a very satisfying stash to enjoy at your choice and leisure:-)

£5k will get you something 5 years old that's reasonable for a first time driver, including your insurance costs!

You might find the car you are looking for by putting some reg plates through insurance comparison sites; I find that, at 30 y/o with 6 years' driving that I can get surprisingly low insurance on larger cars that are 5 years old or so, eg Skoda Octavia, Mazda 6, VW Passat, BMW 6 series (was v surprised at that; lower than my MX-5)!

The sandero is a better choice than an alto, you cant reallty compare them as the Sandero has alot more space and a far bigger boot.

The problem with the £6 grand sandero is the kit.

the 1.2 engine is fine and is reliable, but the spec is bare, you dont even get central locking which will drive you insane.

If you go for a sandero, you really have to go for the mid spec trim called the ambience which comes to £6795.

Its an extra £795 quid but its well worth it. You get lots more kit, the car is alot more desirable to a 2nd hand buyer, it will be alot easier to live with and i think its the same insurance group.

I think the basic access model only makes sense on a Dacia if you want to use it as a commercial vehicle.

I can live without air con, cd player, elecy windows, bluetooth, alloys, leather, sat nav, extra safety features, metallic paint, etc - but I cant live without central locking.

Thanks again for all the messages. you have been very helpful. Mazda has a value of 4500, but it's sold now. After getting an insurance quote of £1600, I started to look at cars with insurance group 1-2. C1 and that segment is too low quality; VW up and that group is too expensive for its specs. And about insurances, I am getting a similar quote for a car with group 4A and a car with group 11. So, I started to think the insurance group wouldn't change the fact much, unfortunately. Would you agree on this?

The smallish cars that I can get for 2-3K would be Toyota Yaris with old looks probably. Central locking is a must, I agree. I wouldn't want to get anything bigger than that. So what else would you suggest?

I would like to buy in cash, so Alto and Sandero wouldn't be an option. And yes I might be considered as inexperienced, so I expect to have small scratches on the car.

Also do you have any suggestions of a reliable dealer around Maidenhead, Berkshire?

Thanks!

Hi Avant, I started to lower my budget due to the fact that my insurance is not going much lower and the advices that I received above. If you know any reliable dealer, that would be very useful! Thanks, Emel