Which bargain car will comfortably fit my daughter, her friends and their rowing equipment?

Dear Alex, 

My daughter is a vet student, which takes her to placements on farms throughout her training. She’s also a keen rower and ideally would like to transport four of her crew to various events. For a budget of £3,500, I’d like to get her a car that’s reliable, safe and not attractive to thieves. What should I consider?

– RC

Dear RC, 

The elephant in the room here is insurance. I’m making assumptions, but since your daughter is a student, the chances are she hasn’t been driving for long and that’s going to make her insurance costs crippling. 

So while it’s tempting to suggest some large, chunky SUVs that’ll fit her rowing mates in as well as getting her to remote vet placements, she might not be able to afford to insure any of them. 

Instead, I’ve tried to find cars that combine four-wheel drive, for those mucky tracks, with both a reasonable amount of interior space and a relatively small engine, to keep insurance costs down. Even so, always get a quote before buying, to avoid nasty surprises.

First up, the Subaru Impreza. Not the mad, rally-inspired WRXs of the 1990s, but the later Impreza – a rather conventional VW Golf-sized hatchback with a decent amount of interior space and that all-important four-wheel drive. 

These are all but forgotten now, which makes them great value – how about a one-owner 1.5 R from 2008 with only 68,000 miles for £3,100? 

The Impreza is pretty rare now, though, so you’ll have to search hard to find one. Less of a rarity is the Suzuki Grand Vitara – and it has the added advantage of extra ground clearance, to help clear the ruts and lumps on farm tracks. 

It isn’t quite as roomy as the Impreza inside, especially in cheap-to-insure 1.6-litre form, which only came as a short-wheelbase three-door, but worth a look when a 2009 example with 90,000 miles can be yours for three grand. 

If reliability is key, you could do far worse than to think Honda. The HR-V is another obscure four-wheel-drive from the early 2000s that would do the job, though given it’s an older design than the others I’m suggesting, it might not stand up quite as well in a crash. 

But these cars are well and truly bargain basement these days – I found a 2002 1.6i with 116,000 miles for only £1,395. 

If you fancy something newer, though, there’s the Dacia Duster – a rugged little 4x4 that will get her where she needs to go. You’d have to settle for a high-mileage example for this budget, but I found a 1.5 dCi Ambiance from 2013 with 92,000 miles, which doesn’t seem too bad, especially backed by a full service history. Yours for £3,450. 

Finally, another car that’s all but forgotten, but ticks every box: the Toyota Urban Cruiser. These small but spacious pseudo-SUVs had optional four-wheel drive, yet they’re not expensive to insure due to their small engines. 

Thieves won’t give it a second look, while the Toyota badge should ensure a decent level of reliability. I found a 2011 1.4 D-4D with 81,000 miles and a full history, for £2,990 – which sounds like an ideal fit. 

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