Any suggestions for my first car?
Discussion
Hi Guys... Long time lurker, first time poster.
Anyway.. I've been thinking about buying my first car and I was looking for a little advice. I'm 19 and I've got a couple of years experience as a named driver. My licence is clean and I've never made a claim so insurance isn't too bad.
I've made a shortlist of cars that I'm considering at the moment but it would be great if anybody's got any other suggestions or experience with the cars I've mentioned. I've not got a fixed budget at the moment, but I don't really want to spend any more than £5000 (obviously cheaper is better). Probably worth mentioning I'll be driving on a fairly even mixture of city/motorway/rural roads.
So far I've been thinking:
Fiesta ST - Favourite option so far. Could get a good one for £4000 + £1200 for insurance
Suzuki Swift Sport - Maybe around £4000-£5000 to buy. Cheaper to run than the fiesta and £1000 to insure.
MK1 MX5 - The PHers Favourite
. Only £1500-£2000 for a nice one. Would need to be a UK car to get insurance for around £1100
E30 318is - I do quite like these. The 318is would be preferable for insurance while not being too slow. Insurance would be around £1200 but nice examples do seem rare. Maybe around £2000 - £2500 to buy?
205 GTI 1.9 - I do have a soft spot for these, what are they like to live with every day though? Insurance would be around £1100 and it seems like you can get a nice one for £2000-£3000. Are prices on the rise?
I'm open to all suggestions - hatch/coupe/saloon/convertible. I guess main criteria is something that is relatively hassle free to own but sill fun to own.
Anybody got any suggestions?
Anyway.. I've been thinking about buying my first car and I was looking for a little advice. I'm 19 and I've got a couple of years experience as a named driver. My licence is clean and I've never made a claim so insurance isn't too bad.
I've made a shortlist of cars that I'm considering at the moment but it would be great if anybody's got any other suggestions or experience with the cars I've mentioned. I've not got a fixed budget at the moment, but I don't really want to spend any more than £5000 (obviously cheaper is better). Probably worth mentioning I'll be driving on a fairly even mixture of city/motorway/rural roads.
So far I've been thinking:
Fiesta ST - Favourite option so far. Could get a good one for £4000 + £1200 for insurance
Suzuki Swift Sport - Maybe around £4000-£5000 to buy. Cheaper to run than the fiesta and £1000 to insure.
MK1 MX5 - The PHers Favourite
. Only £1500-£2000 for a nice one. Would need to be a UK car to get insurance for around £1100E30 318is - I do quite like these. The 318is would be preferable for insurance while not being too slow. Insurance would be around £1200 but nice examples do seem rare. Maybe around £2000 - £2500 to buy?
205 GTI 1.9 - I do have a soft spot for these, what are they like to live with every day though? Insurance would be around £1100 and it seems like you can get a nice one for £2000-£3000. Are prices on the rise?
I'm open to all suggestions - hatch/coupe/saloon/convertible. I guess main criteria is something that is relatively hassle free to own but sill fun to own.
Anybody got any suggestions?
Personally, I think your choices are sound, but how about looking for something fairly classic that will give you individuality but not cost a fortune on insurance, (classic policy maybe?)...
Capri
Viva/Magnum/etc
Cortina
Boggo spec' MKII Escort
MKIII Escort
Sierra
Manta (maybe)
MKI/II Astra
Commodore (if you can find one!!)
Monza
Carlton
I'm sure all of them can be had for much less than your £5k budget, you can learn to drive and maintain properly and 'cut a dash' at the same time.
JM2PW
Capri
Viva/Magnum/etc
Cortina
Boggo spec' MKII Escort
MKIII Escort
Sierra
Manta (maybe)
MKI/II Astra
Commodore (if you can find one!!)
Monza
Carlton
I'm sure all of them can be had for much less than your £5k budget, you can learn to drive and maintain properly and 'cut a dash' at the same time.
JM2PW
- Way under budget.
- No depreciation.
- No tax.
- Insurance should be cheap (especially if you can arrange classic).
- Reasonably reliable and easy to fix (with a hammer). Parts cheap.
- Can be rented out for marriages for extra £££.
- More fun than a modern - not quick, but will teach handling.
- Shagging space in rear (well, maybe...if you're both small).
- Far cooler than anything your mates have.
d, but that shouldn't affect you too much if you move it on after a while.I reckon if you did kept this one washed, you'd lose nothing on it 2 years from now.
Big Rod said:
Personally, I think your choices are sound, but how about looking for something fairly classic that will give you individuality but not cost a fortune on insurance, (classic policy maybe?)...
Capri
Viva/Magnum/etc
Cortina
Boggo spec' MKII Escort
MKIII Escort
Sierra
Manta (maybe)
MKI/II Astra
Commodore (if you can find one!!)
Monza
Carlton
I'm sure all of them can be had for much less than your £5k budget, you can learn to drive and maintain properly and 'cut a dash' at the same time.
JM2PW
pretty sure he wants to reach his intended destination Capri
Viva/Magnum/etc
Cortina
Boggo spec' MKII Escort
MKIII Escort
Sierra
Manta (maybe)
MKI/II Astra
Commodore (if you can find one!!)
Monza
Carlton
I'm sure all of them can be had for much less than your £5k budget, you can learn to drive and maintain properly and 'cut a dash' at the same time.
JM2PW
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Some of the older stuff might require a bit of thought as it's gonna be my only car. I do like old stuff, but I'd be more likely to get a classic if it was a hobby/weekend car.
I really like the Twingo RS, the one in your profile looks great. It would be stretching my budget quite a bit, might be worth test driving one anyway though. I'm guessing the cup pack is worth having?
Hadn't thought about the Lupo GTI. Good suggestion! Nice cars, they seem to hold their value pretty well. Are the later 6-speeds the ones to go for?
I really like the Twingo RS, the one in your profile looks great. It would be stretching my budget quite a bit, might be worth test driving one anyway though. I'm guessing the cup pack is worth having?
Hadn't thought about the Lupo GTI. Good suggestion! Nice cars, they seem to hold their value pretty well. Are the later 6-speeds the ones to go for?
I thought you could only get classic insurance over 21?
Mx-5 wouldn't be a bad shout, although be prepared for jealous piers to call it a girls car constantly.
My general advice for a 19year old:
1) Go on autotrader, note down all the cars you like complete with numberplate
2) Set up a quote on confused.com
3) Go through 1 by 1 running a quote for each numberplate
4) Note down the results
5) Make decision taking into account insurance costs
For example if a twingo RS comes out at £1100 and a Mx-5 turbo is £1300... Get the Mx-5
A small list of cars I would get a quote for
Clio 172, Clio 182, Megane 225, Astra GSI, Zr 160, Fiesta ST, Audi S3, Leon Cupra R, A3 1.8T Quattro, Golf R32, BMW 328i, e36 M3, Mx-5, Audi S4, Civic type-r, Honda S2000, BMW Z3... You get the idea.
Mx-5 wouldn't be a bad shout, although be prepared for jealous piers to call it a girls car constantly.
My general advice for a 19year old:
1) Go on autotrader, note down all the cars you like complete with numberplate
2) Set up a quote on confused.com
3) Go through 1 by 1 running a quote for each numberplate
4) Note down the results
5) Make decision taking into account insurance costs
For example if a twingo RS comes out at £1100 and a Mx-5 turbo is £1300... Get the Mx-5
A small list of cars I would get a quote for
Clio 172, Clio 182, Megane 225, Astra GSI, Zr 160, Fiesta ST, Audi S3, Leon Cupra R, A3 1.8T Quattro, Golf R32, BMW 328i, e36 M3, Mx-5, Audi S4, Civic type-r, Honda S2000, BMW Z3... You get the idea.
Random choices there lol what about a mk1 Focus? Even the normal ones have awesome handling and ride comfort, very reliable and cheap to buy and run. My mrs just bought a 2004 1.6 Ghia for peanuts, its an absolute riot to drive, can chuck it around like an Peugeot hot hatch! And I have an old Peugeot hot hatch, 306 GTi-6 and the Focus has very similar handling and feedback, brakes even feel as good tbh.
Some more good suggestions, keep them coming!
If I'm honest, I don't really like MGB's much. Nothing wrong with them, but I think you really need to love cars like that to do the whole classic car ownership thing.
A 306 GTI6 would cost around £1500 to insure so pretty pricey.
I'd love an EK9 but insurance is a real killer, especially with them being imports.
If I'm honest, I don't really like MGB's much. Nothing wrong with them, but I think you really need to love cars like that to do the whole classic car ownership thing.
A 306 GTI6 would cost around £1500 to insure so pretty pricey.
I'd love an EK9 but insurance is a real killer, especially with them being imports.
zedx19 said:
Random choices there lol what about a mk1 Focus? Even the normal ones have awesome handling and ride comfort, very reliable and cheap to buy and run. My mrs just bought a 2004 1.6 Ghia for peanuts, its an absolute riot to drive, can chuck it around like an Peugeot hot hatch! And I have an old Peugeot hot hatch, 306 GTi-6 and the Focus has very similar handling and feedback, brakes even feel as good tbh.
Good shout - My nephew had a 1.8 remapped/chipped to match a 2.0 - Insurance was too bad either.Great fun - Till he lost it and put it through a fence.
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