CT Poll: Bangin' Banger Or Super-Safe Shed; Which Would You Splash The Cash On?

We want your votes on one of the biggest young driver dilemmas. With your first car budget, do you buy something cool and nippy but flimsy, or opt instead for safety and lack of sex-appeal first?

This works on all levels. Say you've got £1200 to blow on your first ride. That could bag you a cheeky Nineties era warm Ford, like this SportKa, or even a 123bhp Puma coupe. (Wheeyyy!) But, they're old cars, with only one airbag, no stability control, rear drum brakes, and only a couple of NCAP stars.

For the same grand, you could put yourself in a 2002 Fiesta with double the airbag count, and an extra ten years of crumple zone and seatbelt know-how. Should the worst happen, we known which we'd rather be in. But we also know what we'd rather play with on a decent stretch of B-road...

Or say you've got a meaty £3500 to play with. You could haggle to buy the finest hot hatch ever: a Peugeot 205 GTi. There can't be much cooler for the money, surely? But would you feel happier with your better half and best mates riding shotgun in a Vauxhall Corsa, which is still on sale? Or even a 2005 Renault Clio? Neither are B-road heroes like the Pug, but better should you come off the black stuff.

Your Vote