Best first car?
Discussion
Hi folks I'm looking at buying my first car soon, not passed yet, but don't think I'm too far off. Just looking now so I know what to look for when I do pass. Im 17 and will use the car for commuting to work in town and comunting to college once a week in Birmingham, I will also probably use it for weekends going a bit further out on country roads and motorways. Not after anything really cool or sporty, just a nice cheap, reliable runaround for my first year of driving. Any ideas or opinions?
Even if it has as much street cred as a pair of Crocs, a K11 Nissan micra. Can be had for no money, cheap to insure, run and repair and they're a hoot to drive. Had one as a courtesy car for about 3 weeks and had a lot of fun in it. A redline of 7300RPM helped...
Failing that, a fiesta. Good ones can be had for under a grand and they're pretty bulletproof. But condition is everything.
Failing that, a fiesta. Good ones can be had for under a grand and they're pretty bulletproof. But condition is everything.
JakeT said:
Even if it has as much street cred as a pair of Crocs, a K11 Nissan micra. Can be had for no money, cheap to insure, run and repair and they're a hoot to drive. Had one as a courtesy car for about 3 weeks and had a lot of fun in it. A redline of 7300RPM helped...
Failing that, a fiesta. Good ones can be had for under a grand and they're pretty bulletproof. But condition is everything.
This X1000 great underrated car, massively underneath the youth radar so usually still in good fettle great little revvy engine can be great fun to drive enthusiastically. go for a pre 2000 3 door 1.3 IMOFailing that, a fiesta. Good ones can be had for under a grand and they're pretty bulletproof. But condition is everything.
Just a heads up, Admiral let you build up no claims with them as a named driver. I find they are cheapest for the cars I search on go compare for pretty much every time as well, but it might be worth having a look as it might save you a shed load in insurance and if you go with them again, you'll have no claims! So get put down as on your parents insurance and you might not get raped by the insurance companies.
How expensive are Saxo VTRs to insure? I keep seeing kids with them and I think they look pretty neat in the right colour, meant to be fun to drive as well.
How expensive are Saxo VTRs to insure? I keep seeing kids with them and I think they look pretty neat in the right colour, meant to be fun to drive as well.
Pick something favoured by pensioners to keep insurance low. Micra is a good shout, also Fiat Panda (early examples of the modern version must be creeping below a grand now?), Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Alto.
Avoid anything with "street cred" to start with. Go with dull to minimise insurance costs, build up a year or two of NCB, then it will be more feasible to run something you actually like
Avoid anything with "street cred" to start with. Go with dull to minimise insurance costs, build up a year or two of NCB, then it will be more feasible to run something you actually like
At that price you need to be looking at condition rather than a specific car. Saying that, my £700 1.0 W reg K11 is still going sweet, something rattles every other week inside or out, but a bit of tinkering is always fun (when you're making progress of course). Mpg is much better than my sisters 1.3 Enduro engined Ka too, hitting 45 mpg easily. I overpaid for my Micra but you should look on owner groups to see what people are selling on, I regularly see 12 month T+T Micras go for £400-500 which is silly money.
Jonny_ said:
Pick something favoured by pensioners to keep insurance low. Micra is a good shout, also Fiat Panda (early examples of the modern version must be creeping below a grand now?), Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Alto.
Avoid anything with "street cred" to start with. Go with dull to minimise insurance costs, build up a year or two of NCB, then it will be more feasible to run something you actually like
+1Avoid anything with "street cred" to start with. Go with dull to minimise insurance costs, build up a year or two of NCB, then it will be more feasible to run something you actually like
I have a yaris 1.0 which has not let me down once, sips fuel and is ridiculously cheap to insure for an 18 year old. Plus the central speedo means that passengers (parents) can't see your speed
Wolfboy97 said:
Corsa 1.0 is very cheap to insure, but I know the gear linkages breaking is a common fault on them, not sure on the reliablity with vauxhalls.
If the linkage problem is the same as I'm thinking, all you have to do is keep some cable ties in the glovebox.When the rubbish little plastic ball joint inevitably pops itself off, tie the two arms together and you'll be on your way. The cable tied joint will also last a surprisingly long time and after you've done it a time or two, it gets really quite easy.
You don't need a VTR. You'll have stacked it within a week. My first car was a Corsa 1.4 Hi Torq (now there was a name for irony). It was virtually free to insure, run, buy, fix, tax and service. 9 months later I had a Jaguar with a straight six and more toys than Hamleys. Meanwhile, all the VTR gang were, well, still hoofing about if Godawful decade old Citroens because they'd overreached initially and gone for the "fast" (again, names for irony) version.
Saxos are for people like my nan. I don't care what Max Power magazine says, they're not cool, they're not fast and the last thing on earth they are is worth the time, money and effort. Save your money, drive a box for 9 months then buy a proper car.
Simon.
Saxos are for people like my nan. I don't care what Max Power magazine says, they're not cool, they're not fast and the last thing on earth they are is worth the time, money and effort. Save your money, drive a box for 9 months then buy a proper car.
Simon.
I'm going to get my first car in the next few months and am looking at these. (I'm 26, by the way.)
Plus points:
- Comfy. Like, properly comfy. Living room comfy.
- Bigger than your usual first cars, which are generally cramped little superminis.
- Safer than your usual first cars as well - all that metal in front and behind if you get shunted or hit something.
- More power than your usual first car.
- Loads of room in the back for your mates.
- Loads of boot space for when you drive off to university.
- Serious value for money - check the bargain basement thread, been loads in there for under a grand.
- Loads of kit - CD autochangers, leather, climate control, cruise control, auto 'boxes can all be had.
- The styling - it hasn't aged badly at all.
And the best bit...
- Despite the relatively high insurance group, cheap to insure because of the image, because young people don't generally buy them, because they don't get stolen and because they don't get crashed.
Something family sized with a 1.6 16v is doable. They attract a lower premium to begin with so you can easily get a 1.6 megane/focus/astra over a 1.2 supermini for a similar price. Plus the benefit of a larger car bringing the comfort of space, motorway cruising ability and generally better standard kit. You can expect a CD player, electric windows and A/C spending a grand on a focus.
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