Best car for a 18 year old 'just passed' driver,£15k budget

[rallycross]

Get something overly powerful and RWD then after you crash it in the first couple of months of driving (yes you will) just tell them they were fools for giving you £15k to fund a first car (that's what everyone else will also tell them if they have not already done so).

[stedale]

If I was your age again I'd want an mx5. On a more practical note I'd echo the fiesta suggestions or what about an astra of some sort there are some good discounts on these leaving plenty for insurance
e.g. http://www.frfmotors.com/vauxhall/new-car-offers/a...

Edited by stedale on Wednesday 25th March 14:25

[S10GTA]

Dave200 said:

Responses to threads like this show off the worst of Pistonheads, and are the why the place is largely populated by miserable middle-aged men, like these ar5eholes:

Taz1383 said:

Bl**dy hell. 15k? Sorry but the bank of mum and dad really paid off for you didn't it...

So what you've actually done is come on pistonheads to boast you have effectively a years minimum wage to spend on a car, one that you will probably crash.

Is this a wind up?

DrDoofenshmirtz said:

I can't believe any parent would throw £15k at their kid to get a car
I will stop here as I don't want to judge any further...but the OP is very lucky indeed!! If he had any sense...

Who the f**k could be rude enough to discriminate towards someone they've never met, on the basis alone that his parents appear to have worked hard enough to provide him with a good lifestyle?

To those telling him to sack off the £15k and spend £5/£500/£5k, what's your motivation? The guy has a budget, and has asked for a recommendation. Just because this doesn't fit with your experience or preconception of what a 'first car' should be, doesn't make it any less valid.

To the OP - grab a copy of Autocar, get out to some main dealers [u]with your parents[/u], and have a test drive of some hatchbacks (Astra, Golf, Leon, Ibiza, Polo, A3 etc.) to see which one feels most like 'you'. Be prepared to buy used approved from a dealer, anything up to a year old gets you into a better model for the money and still has the balance of the warranty. Don't go wild with a massive engine at this stage (a 1.4/1.6 will be more than adequate), and think about trading up when you've got a bit more experience under your belt.

[jamesedwards]

You mentioned putting in your own money if needed... Are you for fking real? Is 15k not enough? They could give you 100k and you'd be thinking oh for an extra 5k I could have this or that. Annoying considering your not even paying it yourself but anyway rant over, genuine advice now and I hope it helps because I seriously think its a good one.
Genuinely serious suggestion

Lease a new Fiesta Red Edition.
1.0 ecoboost gives good poke
Looks very good
Insurance won't be as high as an ST (which, having just passed and with the greatest respect, you probably wouldn't appreciate the difference anyway)
Isn't a Corsa LE
Comes with toys
Is, apparently, a cracking drive (read some rave reviews)
You clearly want to spend 15k for the sake of it, because you can, and this pretty much will achieve that.

Seriously, take a look.

Edited because I was being too much of a dick.

Edited by jamesedwards on Wednesday 25th March 19:49

[lukefreeman]

Gad-Westy said:

Ikemi said:

Pick one

There's nothing like the cost of fibreglass repair in the back of your mind to help you concentrate when manoeuvring/parking! Honestly though, perhaps look at a S1, the older shape? You could easily purchase one and insure it for £15K. Maybe even a S2 Racetech? It's not the fastest or the most practical car, but they're hugely fun to drive!

You have so many options available to you. However I'd certainly recommend buying 1-3 years old, so you get the most car/spec for your cash

That one car with the roof fitted really upsets my OCD!

Loved my Elise but it wasn't the cheapest car to insure even a 28 years old. Crap for shagging in too

How cheap is cheap?

I'm 25 and she's 27, and we pay £900 for a elise touring, r26.r, megane diesel and a v6 rover 75.......

OP think outside the box, get something Classic. bhes love classic cars. An old porker will do nice.

[S10GTA]

lukefreeman said:

How cheap is cheap?

I'm 25 and she's 27, and we pay £900 for a elise touring, r26.r, megane diesel and a v6 rover 75.......

OP think outside the box, get something Classic. bhes love classic cars. An old porker will do nice.

Okay, this is starting to bug me now. Why not read the thread and try again. The people who are footing the bill want a car no more than a few years old, and they won't let him invest the rest for use later. It's not tricky.

[anonymous-user]

McSam said:

Welcome to PH, hope you enjoy your stay.

I'm 23, have owned six cars and still have two of those. The grand total I've spent buying all of the cars is £4,800, and for the last three years I've been driving around in this:



It's a 1999 BMW 328i and it is absolutely superb. Handles well, plenty powerful enough with 190bhp, lots of space and equipment, universally liked by people from my grandparents to sixteen-year-old cousins.. And so on. It cost me £1750 to buy and it's never let me down in 22,000 miles so far.

I think you've posted in this thread by mistake. Readers' Cars is here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...

HTH

[lukefreeman]

S10GTA said:

lukefreeman said:

How cheap is cheap?

I'm 25 and she's 27, and we pay £900 for a elise touring, r26.r, megane diesel and a v6 rover 75.......

OP think outside the box, get something Classic. bhes love classic cars. An old porker will do nice.

Okay, this is starting to bug me now. Why not read the thread and try again. The people who are footing the bill want a car no more than a few years old, and they won't let him invest the rest for use later. It's not tricky.

I did read it.....I'm saying fk his parents.

[anonymous-user]

Has anyone mentioned already that the 2nd year of insurance might need to be considered? Quite a few of these cars will still cost thousands to insure in the 2nd year. A 1.0 ecoboost Fiesta is 125bhp which is a very expensive car to insure for an 18/19 year old. It'll be another £2k+ to insure in the 2nd year won't it?

[Munter]

lukefreeman said:

I did read it.....I'm saying fk his parents.

Ok but by the sounds of it they retired so the price has to go up a bit from the standard fee. Plus do I have to do both or will the one that suits my preference best do?

[lukefreeman]

Munter said:

lukefreeman said:

I did read it.....I'm saying fk his parents.

Ok but by the sounds of it they retired so the price has to go up a bit from the standard fee. Plus do I have to do both or will the one that suits my preference best do?

I'd reccomend a threesome, can't leave one or the other out.

OP does the car need to be big evough to allow munter to go dogging with your parents?

[JT361]

Buy a cheap little stbox for £1,000

Spend £4,000 insuring it

Spend £10,000 on a BANGING sound system

guaranteed to get you women!

[Justin Case]

rocky79 said:

........ so perceived as safe and reliable. Neighbours will also approve.

If you are 18, surely it is essential to get a car that meets the first of the criteria to keep the folks happy, but fails the second by as much as possible

[ChrisR99]

I was quoted just over £1500 a year for a MK3 Focus Ecoboost 125. Only £50 more than a MK1 Focus 1.6!

I was surprised at the price tbh, so I can't wait to get one!

[ChrisR99]

NiceAndChrispy said:

Also for reference I went from a MK3 to the MK3 facelift in identical spec last week and really the differences are mostly aesthetic - the pre-lift MK3 is equally brilliant.

Cheers, can't wait to get one.

[rampantdidact]

Personally I would get a car for the first year to get used to driving and get my first yers no claims as that is a big factor when insuring (it was for me).

I would get a previous shape Corsa 1.2l or fiesta which you could pick up for a reasonable price and to insure for an "ok" amount.

Once you have your first years experience, you will be least likely to crash/kerb the car if you choose to upgrade to a better/more powerful car.

I'm glad my first car was pretty cheap as the rims had no edges left!



P.S I have got better at parking...... Slightly

[zarjaz1991]

I've not really got any recommendations.

18 years old and £15k to spend on a car? Go round the showrooms, test drive anything they will let you, and buy what you like the best. Then drive like an adult and be sensible and careful and enjoy every bloody minute of it.

Take no notice of the grumpy old gits in this thread, grumbling and moaning and saying it's a waste and you'll only crash it. At 17 I was driving company vehicles up and down the country doing about 40,000 miles a year. Loved every minute of it but was always praised by my passengers for my sensible (yet not slow, in the right conditions) driving.

Enjoy every minute of it and ignore the grumpy lot.

[kamilb1998]

I've turned 17 early this month and am now running my old XJ as a daily. I was told on the phone that it's an insurance group 33 by some insurers who refused to cover me. I found an insurer who will cover me and I'm paying £1900 for the year.

I was unable to find a decent insurance quote for my car late last year and was going to go in and order a VW Up! to run around in until insurance for the XJ became cheaper. Thankfully I found the insurer who covered me for a reasonable price, saved the parents £12k and have a nicer car to run around in.

What am I getting at? Buy a V12 XJ-S!

[zarjaz1991]

kamilb1998 said:

I've turned 17 early this month and am now running my old XJ as a daily. I was told on the phone that it's an insurance group 33 by some insurers who refused to cover me. I found an insurer who will cover me and I'm paying £1900 for the year.

I was unable to find a decent insurance quote for my car late last year and was going to go in and order a VW Up! to run around in until insurance for the XJ became cheaper. Thankfully I found the insurer who covered me for a reasonable price, saved the parents £12k and have a nicer car to run around in.

What am I getting at? Buy a V12 XJ-S!

That's the spirit! Well done lad. And enjoy every minute.

[Oilchange]

Astonishing! £15k on a first car, I am very envious but here goes.

IF it was my first car I would buy and insure something like a small engined saloon, like a Rover 75 or a Honda Accord. Solid, reliable, comfy, sizeable back seats electric everything and a good sound system.

And with the other £10k I'd save for an amazing holiday.


I'd avoid something small purely because I think they are less crash worthy overall...