It's a difficult one.

My daughter lived some way away and wanted a newish car when she passed her test for reliability.

Having tested some expensive second-hand city cars - 2 to 3 years old all well used and a bit rough we found a pre-reg Aygo with a 4 year 9 month warranty left for about £2k more than the 2-3 year old cars and snapped it up. £8k but well spent with peace of mind.

Daughter had saved the majority and I loaned her about £2k.

If you need a reliable car, and are away from day to day support like nearby parents then, whilst clearly not an investment can provide some peace of mind.

Inexperienced daughter wants to put her £3000 savings down on a Baleno SZ3 at a national dealer, and finance the rest, which is £5000.. It's an 18 plate 11000 miles.

I won't go through her life story but she thinks the car is an "investment" and has a history of making expensive impulse purchases on shiny things.

Need some back up to give her solid reasons to get a good car at £3000 or less - to be fair she does need one, her old Jazz is held together by tape and prayers.

I think a trip to Evan Halshaw would be in order?

Suzukis are generally very reliable I've had 2 my current one is 10 years old and still going strong, its never let me down yet.

Apart from the usual suggestions about reliability (most 21st-century cars are pretty reliable, but some a bit more reliable than others) I think your query boils down to your daughter's attitude to life in general, and borrowing in particular. My daughters were both cautious about buying their first cars but I'm not sure whether that was much to do with any advice we gave, more about their overall nature.

From your description I'm also not sure how much weight comments from this forum would carry :-)

My daughter bought a Baleno automatic in June. She’s not the most confident driver and after trying my automatic, decided she too wanted an automatic car. The Baleno has no street cred and we were lucky as the car she bought was her Granny’s car (good timing). It is an excellent car, very economical and her confidence grows by the day when driving it. If she plans to keep the car a long time, as my daughter does, then it may not be a bad choice.

I personally think it would be a waste of money considering the amount it will depreciate in the next three or four years after she buys it. However, buying a car is often about as much personality as it is anything else - I knew someone who refused to buy a car with a make that ended with a vowel. Many people who have replied here think it would be a good buy, whereas others (including me) do not.

You can't stop her from buying it, but you could try and convince her that she could get a car for much cheaper that is reliable and does not feel old. The Jazz that she has is a very reliable used car, but it obviously feels old to her and that is something she wants to avoid in her next car. Maybe go for a drive in something cheaper and see what she thinks?

Edited by iltym on 21/08/2020 at 21:51