Advice on Corsa for first car/newly qualified driver please

[PennyW]

Hi

I'd be grateful if anyone can give me some advice on the following cars which I am currently looking at to buy. I've only recently passed my test but looking for a reasonably priced car that will keep me going for a couple of years at least!

Vauxhall Corsa 1.7DI 16V GLS 5DR 2001
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI LIFE 3DR 2005
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi Design 3dr Diesel Hatchback 2005

If you can suggest any other suitable cars, that would also be appreciated.

Thank you
Penny

[eybic]

Try to find something less mainstream, insurance will more than likely be a lot higher than on something less mainstream like a polo etc. insurers price according to the type of person that normally drives the car.

[LHD]

Any reason you're looking at diesels?

[Meoricin]

eybic said:

Try to find something less mainstream, insurance will more than likely be a lot higher than on something less mainstream like a polo etc. insurers price according to the type of person that normally drives the car.

Less mainstream... Polo

Eh?

[lbc]

I would avoid a Corsa/Fiesta/Clio/Nova etc as these are the cars that get crashed the most by young drivers.

Buy an old Volvo or something else less likely to be driven by a 17 year old.

The above tips will keep your insurance costs down.

Try some cars on one of the insurance comparison websites.

[PennyW]

Thanks All for your comments.

I was looking at diesels as I was learning in a Corsa 1.3. Ideally I would prefer to buy a Golf but i'm on a limited budget. Any verdicts on ford KA's?

Thanks

[Geekman]

Ka's seem decent enough, but I gather rust is a problem. The key with a first car is not just to get something that not only won't be crashed by young drivers, but is also fairly slow. Despite what some people say, it's rarely possible to get insured on volvos/jags with no experience, so I'd discount that idea unless you happen to have a particularly good postcode.

The cheapest to insure cars that I found when I was looking for my first car were the citroen c2, mazda 3 1.4, vauxhall astra 1.4, toyota yaris 1.0 and skoda fabia 1.2.

All those were considerably cheaper to insure than corsas/golfs/polos, I ended up with an astra which was slow and boring but actually a very good first car, and a million times better than a saxo/corsa.

[anonymous-user]

KA's are pretty prone to rust, hard to get a good one.. My daughter has had a 2004 Corsa 1.4 petrol for 2 years, great car, never missed a beat.. Insurance quite cheap for females compared to guys right? ( hers under 700 fully comp, aged 20)

[eybic]

Meoricin said:

Less mainstream... Polo

Eh?

There is certainly a lot less polo's on the road than corsas

[BorkFactor]

I would avoid the diesels - lots of expensive things to go bang. I had the misfortune of driving a Vauxhall Combo van (basically a Corsa van) with the 1.3 CDTI engine once and it was terrible. The turbo lag was horrific, I was very nearly caught out on the first roundabout I came to - my foot was on the floor and the thing wouldn't move!

If you must get a Corsa, go for a facelift 1.2 or 1.4 model, SXI if you can. The pre facelift ones have trouble with water in the footwells which is a dashboard off job to sort. My Mum has a 2004 1.2 Life (poverty spec) and it has been great. Had it since it was a year old and it has needed nothing. They were facelift towards the end of 2003 - look for the smoked rear lights and the less plasticy bumpers.