The £3k challenge - today's "guess what it is"

I'd probably tell her to get another Golf. Older drivers tend to like what they know and 3k will get a tidy mk5. Get one with the 1.9 TDI and it'll be economical and bomb proof.(the 1.9 is supposed to be more reliable than the 2.0 - there's a reason minicab drivers like their mega mile Octavias to be fitted with it).

Agree, get another Golf, all the switches will be in the same place too, for an easy transition

Not a Golf but not far off:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002217575388?radius=45&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=ip155ab&sort=price-desc&price-to=3500&fuel-type=Petrol&maximum-mileage=60000&page=4

Or, they seem to do well around there:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002257696061?radius=45&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=ip155ab&sort=price-desc&price-to=3500&fuel-type=Petrol&page=5

Possibly too old giffer but I it's not far from box-fresh:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002147306460?radius=45&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=ip155ab&sort=price-desc&price-to=3500&fuel-type=Petrol&page=17

Mk2 Focus are reasonably reliable and very easy to drive with simple controls.

My estate was a good car and allowed me to walk away from an 80mph crash on the motorway without a scratch so they're strong old beasts.

I think you've nailed it there, bang on brief. 

So, this particular thread has finally been resolved after a hiatus of a few months due to lockdown.

This morning, apparently at the crack of dawn, my brother-in-law took his mother up to the bright lights of Norwich to see a selection of possible candidates for her new car, which he and I had narrowed down based on some revised criteria - it needed to be an automatic and there was less focus on practicality as in the meantime her elderly lab had finally gone to the great kennel in the sky. Just needed to have four seats so that she could occasionally get a couple of small grandchildren in for local pottering around Aldeburgh.

Anyway, just received a call from the two of them in BiL's car heading home from Norwich to say that they'd bought one of them. Lots of excited twittering from his mother who said it was perfect and gorgeous, and she was thrilled with it.

Anyone care to guess what "it" might be?

Fiat 500 or a MINI.

No one is calling. £3k Golf gorgeous.

I would assume a MINI of some sort.

Congratulations to all those who picked up on the hint!

It is indeed a MINI. A very tidy 06-plate first gen MINI Cooper convertible with an automatic gearbox. Silver with black bonnet stripes, 16” alloys and a very tidy “graphite” leather interior. Appears to have the Chilli pack. 69k miles with FSH, fresh MoT, freshly serviced, new exhaust and recent tyres, and with a year’s warranty.

Before the Golf she had an MGF, so she decided she fancied going back to something a little more fun.

Mildly amusing since my mother also has a silver MINI Cooper automatic with a black roof, albeit that hers is a Countryman and an S.

My niece and nephew already call MINIs “Granny cars”, so now that both their grandmothers have matching silver and black ones, they’ll be absolutely convinced of it.

Yup, for £3.5k it didn't seem bad value. Automatic ones seem pretty rare and this one looked well cared-for.

Almost a pity, as BiL's mother isn't likely to look after it well. She's a terrible driver and doesn't as a rule look after cars well.

A gen 1 MINI that well cared for is almost a collectors item. Great buy.