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

[Pothole]

zarjaz1991 said:

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.

+1. I'm way more jealous of you than the OP!!

[stedale]

Oilchange said:

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

Coke and hookers surely

[Munter]

Oilchange said:

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...

It's truly amazing how many people can't read on PH. Yet can still type out what appears to be a reasonable form of english.

There is no cash option. There is a car option. That's it. He can pick a car, any car within a few rules about age and budget and practicality. Other than the car there is nothing to be received.

[Hudson]

Left field choice - Mondeo Mk4 2.5t. Same engine as the Focus ST, albeit with a different map (easily sorted )

They go for about 5k. Girls like being comfortable as opposed to harnessed into some group-b wannabe, they sound good, they handle well for a big car, they're practical (chuck all your mates in it and go do whatever it is uni students do), looks are subjective of course, should be cheaper to insure, as no teenagers are currently crashing mondeos into bus stops.

Alternatively, ask the cheap gits to stump up another 5k and get you a Focus RS

[CBurgess97]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If I'm totally honest I'm disappointed at the range of new/relatively new cars I could get for that sort of money. I was expecting to be looking at M3's, Porshe Boxters etc but instead can get a 1.6 at the maximum most of the time... Disappointing and damaging to the car hobby if young people can't get drivers cars. I've decided to down the classic route for those that care having found out that the insurance is much cheaper and the car will not depreciate. I have narrowed it down to a '66 Mustang, Volvo P1800 or a Mercedes W114. I looked at a thunderbird but it was 10mpg which is rediculous, I can get 25 out of the mustang which is pretty good in my books. Obviously whatever I get will get vinyl wrapped and given a spruce up.
thanks

[Pothole]

CBurgess97 said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If I'm totally honest I'm disappointed at the range of new/relatively new cars I could get for that sort of money. I was expecting to be looking at M3's, Porshe Boxters etc but instead can get a 1.6 at the maximum most of the time... Disappointing and damaging to the car hobby if young people can't get drivers cars. I've decided to down the classic route for those that care having found out that the insurance is much cheaper and the car will not depreciate. I have narrowed it down to a '66 Mustang, Volvo P1800 or a Mercedes W114. I looked at a thunderbird but it was 10mpg which is rediculous, I can get 25 out of the mustang which is pretty good in my books. Obviously whatever I get will get vinyl wrapped and given a spruce up.
thanks

Obviously.

[Spanna]

CBurgess97 said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If I'm totally honest I'm disappointed at the range of new/relatively new cars I could get for that sort of money. I was expecting to be looking at M3's, Porshe Boxters etc but instead can get a 1.6 at the maximum most of the time... Disappointing and damaging to the car hobby if young people can't get drivers cars. I've decided to down the classic route for those that care having found out that the insurance is much cheaper and the car will not depreciate. I have narrowed it down to a '66 Mustang, Volvo P1800 or a Mercedes W114. I looked at a thunderbird but it was 10mpg which is rediculous, I can get 25 out of the mustang which is pretty good in my books. Obviously whatever I get will get vinyl wrapped and given a spruce up.
thanks

Come on guys, I'd say obvious troll is obvious at this point.

[S10GTA]

CBurgess97 said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If I'm totally honest I'm disappointed at the range of new/relatively new cars I could get for that sort of money. I was expecting to be looking at M3's, Porshe Boxters etc but instead can get a 1.6 at the maximum most of the time... Disappointing and damaging to the car hobby if young people can't get drivers cars. I've decided to down the classic route for those that care having found out that the insurance is much cheaper and the car will not depreciate. I have narrowed it down to a '66 Mustang, Volvo P1800 or a Mercedes W114. I looked at a thunderbird but it was 10mpg which is rediculous, I can get 25 out of the mustang which is pretty good in my books. Obviously whatever I get will get vinyl wrapped and given a spruce up.
thanks

And there was me sticking up for you....now I feel stoopid.

[vtecyo]

Spanna said:

CBurgess97 said:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! If I'm totally honest I'm disappointed at the range of new/relatively new cars I could get for that sort of money. I was expecting to be looking at M3's, Porshe Boxters etc but instead can get a 1.6 at the maximum most of the time... Disappointing and damaging to the car hobby if young people can't get drivers cars. I've decided to down the classic route for those that care having found out that the insurance is much cheaper and the car will not depreciate. I have narrowed it down to a '66 Mustang, Volvo P1800 or a Mercedes W114. I looked at a thunderbird but it was 10mpg which is rediculous, I can get 25 out of the mustang which is pretty good in my books. Obviously whatever I get will get vinyl wrapped and given a spruce up.
thanks

Come on guys, I'd say obvious troll is obvious at this point.

Agreed.

[CBurgess97]

Im actually not a troll thank you very much!

[Pothole]

CBurgess97 said:

Im actually not a troll thank you very much!

Custard test once you've 'bought' something.

[Samjeev]

CBurgess97 said:

Im actually not a troll thank you very much!

So you say, but you expected to buy an M3 with 15k? let alone insure it (good luck finding and insurer that would do that)
Being 22 myself and looking to trade up my 2013 Fiesta Zetec S to a Fiesta ST im struggling to find many below 15k.

I'm not saying that having a good car at that age is stupid and you'll crash it seeing as at 21 we got our 300bhp Vx220 turbo and i've yet to crash that yet! but expecting to get an M3, boxter or "drivers car" for 15k is naive. granted you can get some cracking cars for <15k but they're not going to be newer than 5 years old

[rich83]

So we've gone from a Peugot 3008 to a mustang in 5 pages.... lmao

[User33678888]

See what insurance will cost you on something like this
autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201503071524199
It'll teach you a lot. It's rwd and manual with enough poke to make progress but probably not enough to get you in too much trouble. And they are built like tanks for when you do inevitably have a little bump. Then stick the rest in the bank for once you've got a couple of years practice under your belt and can afford to insure something a bit more lively.
Either that or spunk the lot on something else and end up having to drive to a Clio in a few years.

[ChrisR99]

A 66 Mustang? Are you bonkers? You'll just wreck it and die. Stupid so young and I'm younger than you! Get something sensible for the time being and get a drivers car when you're older.

[007 VXR]

Pothole said:

CBurgess97 said:

Im actually not a troll thank you very much!

Custard test once you've 'bought' something.

This .....


If true then fair play mate

[Hoofy]

CBurgess97 said:

-powerful enough to drive from Newcaste to Aberdeen through the Scottish border

I do like this line.

[Pat H]

When I was 17, My Dad and I built a Westfield Seven.

We did it the hard way, scouring the scrap yards for an old crossflow, Marina axle and the clocks out of a Midget.

Great fun, learned a lot about mechanics and didn't crash it.

You can do it the easy way....

Caterham Seven 160

I am astonished by some of the suggestions. This is PistonHeads, not bloody MumsNet.

My daughter is looking forward to being old enough to drive. She has her eye on a Triumph Spitfire or an X1/9.

[Liquid Tuna]

Dude, get this. £12k with money left to insure it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E24-635-CSi-Highline...

[CBurgess97]

The modern hatchbacks are quicker than the '69 mustang so surely that means I'm less likely to die? Also I've been pretty lucky in terms of not being killed so I think I've got a pretty good chance James Dean was really young when he got a Porsche and it worked well with him for Afew years