The top 10 cars to take to university – and their bargain prices
BUYING a car to take to university can be daunting - there's so much choice.
You’re meeting a whole load of new people for the first time, so you don’t want to look out-of-place, or the fifth member of The Inbetweeners.
More importantly, you’re going to be looking to save every penny you can while you complete your studies.
The cars we’ve chosen are based on their reliability (so you can save money on repairs), running costs (saving money on fuel) and safety (so your parents won’t need to worry) - all just 10 years old with no more than 100,000 miles on the clock.
1. Ford Fiesta - Buy used from £700
Officially the best-selling car EVER in the UK (with sales of more than 4.5 million), you can’t go wrong with a Fiesta.
The performance is very good, even on older models.
As you’d expect with such a popular car, they’re reliable and affordable to run.
Plus, if they do need repairing, they’re cheap to fix, so you’ll be able to spend the student loan on more important things – like pizza.
2. Vauxhall Corsa - Buy used from £500
Not as fun to drive as the Fiesta, but just as cheap to buy, run and repair.
Corsas are reliable and a safe drive (2006 models have a five-star Euro NCAP rating).
The smaller petrol engines are quicker and less noisy than the diesels.
It won’t turn any heads but if you buy now, it’ll see you through uni no problem.
3. MINI - Buy used from £1,000
The MINI is just about small enough for the university car park.
They’re fast and agile, but have the feel of a much bigger car than.
Big on safety, they come equipped with ABS brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution, Cornering Brake Control and tyre-pressure monitoring, giving you less to worry about, and more time to study.
4. Peugeot 308 - Buy used from £900
One of the most popular European cars for young Brits, there is no shortage of 308's on the road.
Relatively cheap to run with parts easy to come by, the Peugeot hatch makes the perfect uni runabout.
5. FIAT 500 - Buy used from £2,000
They may not have the best reputation for building reliable cars but the 500 breaks the mould.
These little runarounds are most popular with young female drivers, but that’s not to say guys can’t enjoy driving them too (our man Matt Heath-Smith test drove one and was pleasantly surprised).
Used prices are very reasonable and most won’t have hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock.
6.Renault Clio - Buy used from £700
If you want to stand out in the car park at your halls of residence you probably won’t want a Clio.
However, if you want a safe and reliable motor that will be hassle-free and cheap, they’re worth their weight in gold.
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Clios have been popular with young drivers since 1991 – although those models are well and truly worn out - which is why we recommend you stick with the 10-year age bracket and don't buy one made before 2007.
7. SEAT Ibiza - Buy used from £900
It was a tough choice between the VW Polo and the Ibiza in our top ten.
They are very similar (we rate the Polo higher on performance) but we’ve gone with this one as it’s slightly cheaper to run.
So that leaves you with extra money to spend on, err, text books...
8. Nissan Micra - Buy used from £1,100
We’re well aware of their reputation for being rather slow and driven by females of a certain age, but… Micras are brilliant super minis.
They’re great on fuel and they’ll have a lot of life left in them, even if they’ve already got some miles on the clock.
9. FIAT Punto - Buy used from £1,700
For a spacious and easy drive you can’t go far wrong with a FIAT Punto.
They’re also good on fuel and can be picked up cheaply too.
Over six million Puntos have been sold worldwide since launching in 1993, so parts and spares can be easily picked up on the cheap.
First time buyers should opt for 1.2-litre petrol versions.
10. Toyota Yaris - Buy used from £1,500
Regularly voted in top ten lists for reliability, the Yaris is one to buy if you’re after peace of mind.
On the rare occasion things do go wrong, the average repair cost is around £200, which isn’t bad – even for your student budget.
They’re more desirable than some super minis too, so you’ll stand out among the other students.
