No idea the currency rates between £ and usd. But for $7000 here in the us you could get a handful of reliable cars. Hondas are tired and true when it comes to reliability and they are fun car to drive as your first car, there is a host of aftermarket parts available ( don't go to ricer now ) and if something ever breaks, you can rest assure that you can find a replacement part at almost any junkyard.

That's a pretty big gap lol. Just look on Craigslist or dealer lots for something you like and can afford.



Check out my thread on how to buy / check out a car here:
THINGS TO LOOK AT WHEN BUYING A VEHICLE

BUYING FROM A DEALER

Alot of people's initial reaction when buying their first car is that they want something fast. What I would recommend is something safe, reliable, and economical. Go japanese with your budget, along the lines of a Honda or something similar. PM me if you want more help.

thanks everyone!! appreciated

You won't need to spend £7000 on your first car, most new drivers in my area spend £4000 at most. the majority of new drivers will get a Corsa or a Clio because they are cheap to insure, recently a lot, like myself own a Mini, it does the job perfectly. Insurance shouldn't be an issue, mine costs £1200 a year with a box, but you could find one without with what is left from your budget.

just look for something that gets you from point a to point b safely.

Crossfit wrote just look for something that gets you from point a to point b safely.

wow such an insightful post, we all really needed that insight. Its just like saying "buy a shoe that lets you walk". Man, where we OP be without this post I wonder? maybe he would be at point C?

@OP I don't recommend spending all your money. If you have 7k, spend around 4-5 and keep the rest for maintenance, insurance, unexpected costs etc. Try to take someone knowledgeable about cars with you so they can tell you if it needs work, what its problems are etc. If you don't know anyone like that you could ask before you buy the car if you could get a mechanic to look at it but chances are at your price range people will just tell you to not bother looking at their car.

What ever car you do find, make sure you research about that specific model, found out what the common faults are and where to look for them.

I wouldn't spend all of your money on the car itself. You could get a reliable car with good gas mileage and pocket the rest for maintenance (or mods if you want). I'm not gonna tell you what you should get, but I'd recommend a Honda or Toyota. They last pretty long, my uncle has almost 300k miles on his Civic.