Buying a "new" car and I need help!

"small maneuverable car, can't be too strong, have at best 5k€, must be pretty"
Alfa Romeo Mito maybe? 2008-10 probably https://www.google.pl/search?q=alfa+romeo+mito&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=eNKbVa79NaX5ygOQgYHgCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=631

I know nothing about cars but how about a used Batmobile?

150 of these were on sale in Bulgaria several months ago, they might have a few.

View attached image.

One more recommendation. After you decide which car you will purchase. Find your country's car club for that car. Sometimes it's a car club for make of the car like VW club or Opel club, but sometimes there are even more specific car clubs, like WV golf club.

Car club will most likely have a forum in which you could talk with other persons that already own that car. And they will know way more about that car than any of us could tell you.

Take 10 years old Alfa Romeo GT, those are magnificent cars you can buy for 4000 euros easily.
Another nice option is MINI Cooper One.

Hmm .. when it comes to looks, tastes tend to differ, a lot ... so pretty is relative. People here already mentioned VW Golf, or Polo, which are, indeed very reliable cars, but also expensive. However, you might want to take a look at Skoda's models, because basically you get a car with a reliable VW (Skoda belongs to VW) engine, that's much cheaper than a Polo or Golf. Here in Germany, the smallest model is called Citgo, it's cheap, ideal for short trips around town and it doesn't need much fuel. Now I've checked the Croatia website, sees like it might be not available in Croatia, in which case the next best model would be a "Fabia", which is still a small car and not too expensive, see here for details (hopefully I got the website correctly, as I don't speak Croatian): http://www.skoda.hr/fabia/nova_fabia/pregled
Oh and before I forget to mention, you can buy those cars, in a stunning bright yellow (at least over here), which - in my opinion - contributes a lot to "prettiness", as it's so much cooler than boring red, silver or black.

Na našem... Lakše mi tako :)

Pre 3 godine sam kupio Ford Focus za oko 3000e... 2002 godište, 1.8 dizel... To posle nekih 4-5 meseci finog istraživanja po internetu... Za te novce bi moja preporuka bio Focus 2 (model posle 2004)... Subjektivno je jako lep auto, fantastično upravljanje, subjektivno idealna veličina, itd...

Umešao bih se u tvoju wishlistu, ako nemaš ništa protiv;
Nemoj uzimati premali auto. Shvatam te u potpunosti zašto se plašiš, ali već posle par stotina pređenih kilometara u svom autu ćeš se osećati mnogo sigurnije, i minijaturne razlike u širini kola ti neće predstavljati problem skoro nikada. S druge strane, ako uzmeš premali automobil, osim za vožnju po gradu/okolini imaćeš problema sa prostorom, komforom, itd... Vidim da ti kratke relacije čine većinu vremena u kolima, ali kad budeš kupio auto drugačije ćeš razmišljati... Kad imaš auto, češće i dalje ideš... Veruj mi xD Hrvatska je predivna zemlja, nema razloga da je ne obiđeš na svojim točkovima... Nema lepšeg osećaja :) A, uostalom, kasnije i za neko inostrano putovanje...

Još jedna stvar koju u potpunosti razumem. I ja sam tražio auto sa većim prozorom, pa opet na kraju uzeo "tenkić"... U suštini, za relativno male pare možeš da ugradiš parking-senzore i da eliminišeš većinu problema sa zadnjim prozorom. Nemoj da ti to bude presudno u izboru...

Ni slučajno bez klime. Veruj mi... Kad ti je auto na Suncu pola dana, i kad udjes u njega, otvoreni prozori ne pomažu mnogo... Naročito pri većim brzinama (na autoputevima) gde smetaju i suviše utiču na potrošnju...

Ovaj deo wishliste je deo sa kojim se apsolutno slažem... Auto treba da bude startan i upravljiv... Kada nekog pretičeš, ne treba ti auto od 45 konja, ali ti ne treba ni 160, jer je to čisto iživljavanje...

<3 Osim u slučaju Fiat Multiple :) ovo je dosta subjektivno... Auto koji se tebi sviđa (npr. Pežoi), ne mora meni da se svidi... Ja ih ne volim XD

U svakom slučaju, želim ti puno sreće sa kupovinom kola! Predivan je osećaj kada sedneš u svoj auto... Mukotrpno "zarađen"! :)

Da, ne promasim temu; na osnovu mojih "istraživanja" od pre par godina, uglavnom za C klasu (malo veću) ovo su bili moji "favoriti": Ford Focus, Opel Astra, VW Golf, Toyota Yaris, Mazda 3, Skoda Fabia...

P.S. Da ne zaboravim najvazniju stvar... Mada verujem da vec znas... Kod kupovine polovnog auta, bez obzira koji je, koliko je generalno dobar model i sve... Pod ruku majstora kome verujes, i da se sve isproverava... Ne mozes da budes 100% siguran, ali smanjujes mogucnost kasnijih skupih problema... Eto... Sorry ako sam previse smorio xD

I don't know the price for a car in your country but these cars generally tend to be cheap:

Nissan - Micra
Nissan - Note
Volkswagen - up!
Škoda - Citigo
Škoda - Fabia
Suzuki - Celerio
Suzuki - Swift
Hyundai - i10
Hyundai - i20
KIA - Picanto
KIA - Venga
Peugeot - 108
Citroën - C1
Seat - Mii
Renault - Twingo
Chevrolet - Spark
Ford - Ka
Ford - Fiesta

suzuki swift could be got second hand and with decent optionals and colours for kind of cheap, no direct experience with it though

"The reason I'm leaning towards Peugeot is the fact that I've learned to drive in one and I'm just used to the feeling of that brand. It has all the controls in all the right places."

That shouldn't be the main buy arguement. It's like gaming - you need some time to get in - once you have gotten in and get used to it, you will be fine with the majority of cars, I guess.

It's not a small thing to buy a car you will be with for years. Google 'cute small cars' or something and take your time to work through the goodies, there are plenty... ;)

My personal favorite in the small cute liga at the moment would be an Audi A1 cabrio >> They look so bad ass cute ☺
[Not sure about the price, however :( ]

View attached image.

View attached image.

I still agree with VW Golf, they are pretty and cheap to keep. >.< Idk why you don't like them.

Ok I just gotta say I agree with the French car bashing... But being from the USA we don't buy Peugeots, shit, I'm not sure I've even SEEN one in a decade. Citroens even less so!

I wasn't even aware that either of them made a "pretty" car (or a reliable one)

Sorry for the no help, I just had to get those jabs in :P

I got an Opel Corsa, for the same reasons as you said. It was the better choice for me in my price range.

if you do low mileage avoid diesel cars. the vw polo, nissan micra pre (2001 mazda i think) take over, or have a look at skodas. the yeti is good even though it looks a bit bigger it doesn't feel it to drive and gives pretty good mpg even in 4x4 (optional) mode and might handle snow a bit better too.

Sadly I do not know crap about European cars. I only have a bit of knowledge about American and Japanese cars, and even there, most racing/sports/exotic cars... I was a bit of a supercars enthusiast years ago...

After reading through this whole topic I realized that I have little or no knowledge of European cars and wore out my Google search looking up some of the ones that have been mentioned.
I haven't seen a Peugeot in years. I didn't even know that the company was still in business. They were regarded pretty much as junk over here in the U.S.
What about a Fiat? I don't know what the prices are like over there for them but I thought that they made models that were economical and fit your needs.

The Japanese and Korean cars are the most reliable. Check the Hyundai Getz and i20, Toyota yaris and Nissan micra

Stop! Please consider this comprehensive Peugeot review from BBC's Top Gear: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2if9gy

Cheaply-made, sloppy-handling, lackluster dung, the lot of it.

.

Peugeot may have been good at making sturdy cars and sporty cars but it seemed they were absolutely brilliant at making terrible cars.

.

Are you two saying that Peugeot have spent 10 years deliberately making terrible cars?
Well, yeah, you can't make cars that consistently bad by accident.

I live close to the sea but there are also hills around
It can snow quite heavily (the heavily part often only for a week or so) during the winter
It has to have a big back window so I can actually see through it (like Peugeot 107, unlike Citroen Xsara)
Air conditioning would be great but I can survive without it

I think this would be a perfect match... my former neighbor used to drive one, and he loved that thing as it was cheap and reliable. You should mind that he wasn't poor (just maybe a bit crazy), as he had other SUVs like Grand Cherokee or a M-Class Mercedes beforehand.

View attached image.

I have no idea what you should buy, but don't get a BMW. Don't get me wrong i love my E46 but it was a money pit :D. At least it's fun to drive. I also wouldn't buy cars that start with F: Fiat, Ford, French

Hello? Why nobody said Smart? There is the new model out now, so you can find used ones for cheap. They are reliable, have huge space in them (me and my dad are 190cm tall and can fit in it with a week worth of food), has only two seats, ok, but I won't say that a 107 has 4 seats. You cant fit anyone there... Don't listen to all this "VW Golf" guys, they dont know anything about getting a good car for cheap. I don't say it's bad, but man, I got a new i20 with the same money as a Golf. Reliable, cuter and bigger...

The car would be used for short distances 99% of the time (going to work, shopping and stuff like that)

Don't buy a car, buy a bicycle :D They are A LOT less expensive and require less maintenance
(Basically this is a free bump since I have no idea about cars)

View attached image.

Well, i don't want to be that guy, but did you think it thoroughly ? buying a car isn't a small thing, they are expensive and can be pricey to maintain and use, think about whether you really need a car, then make your decision about which one to get, as a matter of fact they are really useful, but do take the time to think about your situation and whether you REALLY need it right now or if it could wait, good luck =)

I have a Peugeot 206, I've run into a few problems with it, but nothing too major. Overall I think it's a pretty good car, but its my first car so I don't have much to compare it to.

I drive a Ford Focus ST170 and its a nice sporty car , dont know if a ST is in your pricerange but a regular Focus or Fiesta is good cars and probably more suited for your needs