Recommend your car...

Unfortunately honda's are very expensive, but they hold their value very well- because they are such good cars.  I definitely like mine, its a 4 door,very roomy, and mine is the "executive" version, so I have leather seats,sunroof, heated seats, etc and I get great fuel economy with it.  Case in point, I bought my car in late April and I've only put petrol in it once (fill up)! To be fair, it did come with a little more than 1/3 tank of petrol when I bought it and I don't use it to drive to work everyday. However, on the weekends, I've been driving around all Northern Scotland visiting places.I've still got a little more than 1/3 of tank left too.  

 

For my first car I bought a purple (Mnnnn) used ford fiesta, it had 32,000 miles on the clock only. I only paid £2000. I bought it with the intension that if I knock or bump it in my first few years..I wouldn't cry about it.  Not the sexiest car in the world, but its not bad..and fixing it is cheap as anything! I have a friend who has a VW and it costs her a fortune to repair.

It may not be the sexiest car on the planet but its like a cart horse....has never broken down on me (touch wood) and I have had her now for over 2 years.  Very reliable, speedy and nippy to drive.

I think any car can be ok second hand...just make sure it has low miliage, MOT thats over 6 months (new MOT ideal) because people sell their cars as the MOT is about to expire if they think it is due for some serious garage work..so avoid anything with 3 months MOT left. Check its had very few owners ect.  If you buy a little car that has over 40k miles on the clock, check it has had a cambelt change and major service before you buy it, or buy one just under 40k miles and get one fitted yourself..That is the worst thing that can go.  Check when it had a break pad change and double check the clutch when you test drive it.  If the clutch is raised too high before the car "bites" then you need a new one of those as well.  One last thing before you buy it, check the serial number of the engine matches the serial number on the front doors of the car. (Incase its two cars welded together as a "cut & shut" ) its rare, but no harm in checking.  If they don't match...do not purchase it.

Hope all goes well! 

Thanks for all the suggestions.  They have been fantastic.  And keep any more coming.  You guys are confirming what I've been reading.  This is helpful getting people with real life experiences with these cars to back it up.

Budget is (at most what I want to spend) about £5000.  I'd like to spend less as I'm new to the whole clutch driving thing (minus all my lessons), so I want something that if I slowly wear it down by stalling a lot, I won't care, but also want something reliable (hence why the budget is higher).  It's one of those conundrums in my head at the moment.  I think the frugal side will win.   

Something to bear in mind when buying a car is the bight point & how you prefer it (to make it easier to not stall).

I've only had experience driving a diesel Clio (learned to drive in) & petrol Corsa (own) mind, but Clio's tend to have a higher bight point making it a bit easier IMO to drive.  Corsa's tend to have a lower bight point (you really have to have the clutch dipped quite low to change gears etc.).

What kind of car are you learning to drive in currently & how comfortable are you with it?

Something to bear in mind when buying a car is the bight point & how you prefer it (to make it easier to not stall).

I don't think that is really true, because in my experience, once you are out there driving, with more driving experience, you won't stall the car. Once I got my license and was out driving, I never stalled my car...except once on the M62 when I forgot I wasn't driving an automatic....dur.

I thought if the clutch bites high and you dont have to put your foot to the ground to change gears, then your clutch is on its way out 

Whichever model of VW suits your needs.  We've had two - a Golf and a Passat - and will probably buy a third when the time comes.  Very reliable and comfortable cars.

Something to bear in mind when buying a car is the bight point & how you prefer it (to make it easier to not stall).

Yup agree with this 100%.  I've been driving manuals since I was sixteen and driving now for close to 30 years.     
Bought a PT Cruiser 5 years ago and the bight point is so high on the clutch that I still stall it on the odd occasion.  Never ever did it in any of the other cars that I have driven.

I thought if the clutch bites high and you dont have to put your foot to the ground to change gears, then your clutch is on its way out 

You sound like my husband driving my car...I insist that there is nothing wrong with the clutch. He says its on the way out. 

We love our P-reg Vauxhall 5-door Astra, Peanut.  It's reliable, diesel, been to Ireland and back and all over Scotland and some of England, and seen us through good times and bad.

It's almost part of the family and we treat it as such - very well.