One for the Road: A cheap car with a secure boot
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Roger Briman is looking for a cheap car with a boot so his valuables are tucked away in a secure location...
A car for the head
That's the one disadvantage of hatchbacks: if someone breaks in, they have access to the whole car. Also, leave the parcel shelf off and everyone can see what's inside. Saloons aren't as popular as they used to be in the UK, except in the executive market.
I'll assume Roger doesn't want a BMW or Mercedes, but something down-to-earth. Such as a Seat Toledo, which is closely related to the booted VW Golf. A 2002 1.6 model with 85,000 miles with a year's MoT and six months' tax is £1,000 from a dealer.
A car for the heart
The Ford Focus saloon is a compact and very able saloon that is great to drive and surprisingly sporty. Being a Ford, it will be cheap to insure and run. It is just a question of which engine would be best for Roger.
Actually, before we get there, the majority of them were sold with top-of-the-range Ghia or LX specification, so Roger might as well aim for those. The 1.6 petrol is reliable and punchy, so the 2002 1.6 LX I saw advertised with 70,000 miles and two owners for £889 is perfect.
Looking to buy?
Email James Ruppert at onefortheroad@independent.co.uk, giving your age, address and phone number, details of the type of vehicle in which you are interested, and your budget
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments