Car Buying Advice Needed Please :]

[Dappleyard]

I'm afraid there is going to be quite the chunk of writing here. So I'm sorry about that in advance

Right so I'm 20 years old, just starting a new job and my old little fiesta has backed up and died.
Which is rather sad in itself as it was 15 years old and been in my family since its creation. It breaks my heart to lose that little car

So now I'm looking at getting myself my first new car. This should be an exciting time but got to say I'm terrified as I have it down to two now however I have reservations on both of them.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- A Peugeot 208 Allure 1.2 in white

What I like about it

1)The exterior style is brilliant
2)Interior is just fantastic
3)Steering is tight and love the wheel
4)love all the tech inside
5)plenty of space
6)Good acceleration

My worries

1) Never owned a Peugeot nor do I know anyone who has. So with all the car magazines often talking badly about French cars I'm worried about its Overall Reliability
2) The clutch biting point feels extremely high. Is there anyway to lower this?
3) The gearbox/lever feels and sounds really clunky
4) Windscreen wipers looked like I made them myself :L (now this was on the lowest spec model i test drove today as it was sunny when i tested the allure so may be different on other models)

Bonus question- How hard would it be to get a spoiler (similar to that of the GTI) fitted on it? and what sort of price could it be? As I saw the GTI this week and it looks fantastic
________________________________________________________________________
- Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.25 white (Full Dress kit)

What I like about it

1)Very reliable
2)sense of familiarity
3)(FOR ME) a much better gearbox
4)Exterior styling is quite nice
5)Can add a body kit for only £500 (Dress up as they call it :L )
6)Drive really smoothly overall
7)LOVED HILL START (If something like this existed on the 208 that would be a decider :L)
Cheaper than 208

What I don't like

1) Bit boring
2) Interior is outdated (IMO)
3) Preferred the small steering wheel of 208
4) worried style of fiesta will change radically soon as hasn't change much since 2008
5) Feels like an old persons car or maybe just the too safe bet
6) SOOO many others on the road

___________________________________________________________________________

So to summarize my questions here :L

1) How reliable are Peugeot and the 208?
2) Any fix for high biting point
3) how do you all find the gearbox?
4) How are the 208 wipers ?
5) How hard would it be to get a spoiler (similar to that of the GTI) fitted on it? and what sort of price could it be? As I saw the GTI this week and it looks fantastic
6) How do you HONESTLY think the two compare?

Thank you in advance
Dapple

 

[drooartz]

The majority of the members here are in the USA, so we won't have too much to add on the Peugeot -- haven't been sold in the States for many years.

That said, I'm a big fan of the Fiesta. It'd be on the top of my list if I was looking for a good, small hatch.

 

[mikephillips]

What I would suggest first is you define what it is you want to use it for and anticipated annual mileage. I'm assuming drive to and from work, run errands, vacation, dating and such. And, will you want to be able to move things from place to place, like work items, personal, instruments, friends, etc. Plus, will it sit outside in public parking and on the street a lot, may not want something that draws attention. My fist new car many years ago was a two door and I found after a while that moving the seats back and forth to access the rear seat became a pain.

Once you know what it is you're going to do and how far you intend to go then go online and research annual running costs and reliability. Plus what will it cost a 20 year old male to insure. Here in the states rates for your age group are higher due to increased risk.

Doing these things should help you find one that fits the overall budget as well as your daily needs.

Good luck.