1st commuter car (young driver)
Trying to decide between a Renault Clio GT Line and a Mazda3 as my first car and wanted some opinions from people who’ve actually owned/driven them long-term.
Context:
- UK based
- Engineering student
- Will likely be commuting around 60 miles a day during placement (mostly motorway/A roads)
- Budget around £7k-£9k
- Insurance quotes surprisingly similar for both (~£1.5k)
- Looking to buy cash, not finance
- Want something reliable and comfortable long-term, not just something that looks good for 3 months
The Clios I’ve been looking at are mainly:
- 2017-2019 Clio GT Line
- 1.5 dCi manual
- Around 50k-60k miles
The Mazda3s I’ve been looking at are mainly:
- 2016-2018 Mazda3
- 2.0 Skyactiv-G petrol manual
- SE-L Nav
- Around 60k-70k miles
A few things:
- I actually enjoy driving and don’t just want “cheapest possible A to B”
- I’ve heard the Mazda is much better for motorway comfort/refinement
- I’ve also heard the Clio is cheaper to run and better on fuel
- I’ve read mixed things about Mazda diesels so I’d only go petrol if I got the Mazda
- Reliability matters a lot because I don’t want surprise repair bills as a student
I’ve test-driven smaller cars already and they’re fine, but I’m wondering whether I’ll regret not getting something more refined once I start doing regular long-distance commuting.
For people who’ve owned either:
- what’s ownership actually been like?
- common issues?
- real-world running costs?
- which would you choose for my situation?
Would appreciate honest opinions from owners.