ok so i have finally gone pink and passed that test.

i am just doing research now on a decent car
people will assume i go for a typically sized family car but no..........i want a small car that is suitable for families has a decent boot size

the yaris is not a contender because the boot space is tiny although the interior is roomy

have considered corsa and polo

have been told to consider merc A class, B class, honda jazz, audi a2,

what do you reckon what are your views

yes i can drive a focus but do not want a car that big not yet anyway

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come on bnv help me out

First question: do you need a brand new car? Nearly new will save you bucks, even without considering what the car is actually like to drive and maintain. There is also a definite convenience factor with a newer model. Against that, most new cars today (IMO) are bland and uninteresting to look at - something more than five years old would be a bargain to buy as well as more interesting,, but riskier from a reliability point of view.

Of those you list, Hondas are easy to drive so good for a newbie. My better half has the jazz, and its roomy and nippy for its size. You may find yourself getting bored with it in a couple of years or so, and if you develop a taste for power and speed you'll outgrow it quickly. Resale values will not be great.

Of the rest, the only thing the Corsa has going for it is that its likely to be cheap - on any other measure, the others leave it far behind. The Merc A-Class would be a step up from the Honda, and will hold its value better. The Audi A2 is a better car to drive and drive in than the A-Class, but feels a little conservative. VW Polo neither here nor there - Merc and Audi both better. And if you're in the market for a B-Class, you may as well look at a Focus.

Only other marque I'd be tempted to consider would be Peugeot - nice cars to drive, and some attempt at decent styling. The 207/208 would be the models to compare with given your list.

Overall - if your pockets are deep enough, I'd say Merc or Audi. If not, and reliabilit y is important, I'd go for a Honda.

my cousin said she considered a-clas merc but the parts were hard to source
so she got a toyota

i aim to have my 1st car for 2-3yrs. so i dont want anything too old

That's the thing with owning a so-called prestige marque.....gotta account for the relative scarcity, which is partly what makes them prestige - not everyone has them.

So resale value will matter.....a Merc or an Audi will hold price better over three years than a Japanese car, particularly if you're not buying brand new....but you gotta look after it which means budgeting for parts and servicing, which won't be cheap....other possibility is to go the slightly quirky route, with something like the BMW made Mini, but again might be aggro to look after...

I'd be inclined to go for the Audi or Merc as the car after this one - get a chance to get used to the costs of owning and running a car with something which isn't going to empty your bank account if it goes wrong....from that perspective the VW might be worth a second look.....solid cars, good to drive, hold value better than the Japanese, parts relatively easy.....might cost a little more to get hold of than a Honda or Toyota....

You might wanna check out AutoTrader's web site - literally thousands of cars on there searchable by make and model, and it will give you a good idea of what your money should get you.....

i have looked at autotrader and have also been reading reviews on the parkers website

any idea what is a good price for a used car. one that would be re-sold in 3yrs time. one that hopefully wouldnt give too much hassle

Depends on the car and its age. To maximise its value you'd want to sell on before it was five years old, in which case you'd wanna be getting something 12-18 months old (55/06/56 reg).

As an indication, a VW Polo of that age won't leave you with a great deal of change (if any) from £10k. Anything worth selling on at five years old is probably gonna be in that ballpark to buy now. There are too many cars to sell in the UK, so prices are weak apart from for the most in-demand models.

any other car suggestions

All depends on your price range. If budget is limited, something new-ish is going to be harder to get.

£5k would get you a very nice Honda Civic - 4/5 years old, doddle to drive, reliable as clockwork. Better to plan to keep it for a while, though - only way for resale price is down....

mmm honda civic is too big for me i reckon

seems vauxhaul do some good deals on used cars some deals include free insurance.

my main contenders i guess are polo and corsa. but still will consider others

[b]ladyday
how you gonna fit 2 kids..hubby...pushchair + carseat and shopping into a corsa?