What first car shall i get???
Discussion
Afternoon all, i am hoping to acquire my first car this summer, have a budget of £3500 (dont mind stretching a little more) and i am unsure what to purchase. My first choice is a Fiat Panda 100hp, why? because i think it looks quite sporty, supposed to handle well and be quite nippy however, cant seem to find many (if any) under 4k. I have considered the Corsa and Clio route but i wanted something that was maybe a bit more interesting and less obvious. Lastly, as insurance will not be cheap, i probably wont be able to insure a car with an insurance group higher than 5. Anyone got any other alternatives??
The best tip I would give any young driver is to run a quote on the individual vehicle. Don't rely on the insurance group as, whilst a good indicator, these can be very inaccurate.
I think you'll struggle for a decent Panda 100HP under £4000. I also think you'll definitely struggle to insure it.
I'll be the first to tell you what you already know and say that you're best getting the cheapest you can for now and getting something decent after 12 months. Run some insurance quotes based on a years NCB to see what I mean.
Best of luck!
I think you'll struggle for a decent Panda 100HP under £4000. I also think you'll definitely struggle to insure it.
I'll be the first to tell you what you already know and say that you're best getting the cheapest you can for now and getting something decent after 12 months. Run some insurance quotes based on a years NCB to see what I mean.
Best of luck!
I think you should spend no more than £2k on your first car, but if you can afford it and the inusurance a 100hp Panda would be a good idea! I doubt anybody else at your age would even consider it! (presuming you are >20) I've mentioned the car to my mates before, they have laughed... but it sure would show up a lot of the other superminis they drive!
Going with the £2k thing, in fact maybe even just £1k, I've always though Punto Sportings were a good first car.
Going with the £2k thing, in fact maybe even just £1k, I've always though Punto Sportings were a good first car.
Prof Prolapse said:
The best tip I would give any young driver is to run a quote on the individual vehicle. Don't rely on the insurance group as, whilst a good indicator, these can be very inaccurate.
I think you'll struggle for a decent Panda 100HP under £4000. I also think you'll definitely struggle to insure it.
I'll be the first to tell you what you already know and say that you're best getting the cheapest you can for now and getting something decent after 12 months. Run some insurance quotes based on a years NCB to see what I mean.
Best of luck!
Thanks for that advice, i will bear that in mind.I think you'll struggle for a decent Panda 100HP under £4000. I also think you'll definitely struggle to insure it.
I'll be the first to tell you what you already know and say that you're best getting the cheapest you can for now and getting something decent after 12 months. Run some insurance quotes based on a years NCB to see what I mean.
Best of luck!
But then again I am a bit biased! ><
Have you done any insurance quotes? You may need to sit down.
The 100HP is a good car, but it's a warmish hatch. Prepare to be bent over because ALL new drivers crash. (Except me, but I've been on borrowed time for a decade).
Get something cheap. And preferably awful. The Hyundai Scoupe that Hammond had in the Top Gear is ironically a bloody good choice - reliable-ish, reasonably good looking and ridiculously cheap.
Alternatively, and I'm not (just) being predictable here, try a 90bhp 1.6 MX5. They're not as good as the full-power 115bhp 1,6, or the 130bhp 1.8. But they were brought in specifically to have a lower insurance group and they are a metric bazillion times better than any tinny little hatchback. AND you'll get a really good one for £1250/£1500 so I can't imagine why you'd spend any more. Seriously.
The 100HP is a good car, but it's a warmish hatch. Prepare to be bent over because ALL new drivers crash. (Except me, but I've been on borrowed time for a decade).
Get something cheap. And preferably awful. The Hyundai Scoupe that Hammond had in the Top Gear is ironically a bloody good choice - reliable-ish, reasonably good looking and ridiculously cheap.
Alternatively, and I'm not (just) being predictable here, try a 90bhp 1.6 MX5. They're not as good as the full-power 115bhp 1,6, or the 130bhp 1.8. But they were brought in specifically to have a lower insurance group and they are a metric bazillion times better than any tinny little hatchback. AND you'll get a really good one for £1250/£1500 so I can't imagine why you'd spend any more. Seriously.
Personally I wouldn't spend that much on a first car and fork out silly insurance like I did. If I were to do it again I'd get something infinitely more reliable and cheap like a 1.3 Micra GX. They're not particularly sporty or that fast but you can still have fun in twisties believe it or not, insurance should be a fairer amount and the 90's Nissans are known for reliability. A mint, low mileage one of these would set you back about a grand to 1500.
melvster said:
Ibiza, never thought of those, that would be a good option, basically a Polo but a lot cheaper. Thanks.
Might be worth looking at the Fabia too, but doesn't look as nice as the Ibiza to me.On a completely different tack, a student we had a couple of years back bought an MGB. Not as quick as a hot hatch but very cool, cheap to insure and easy to do all his own maintenance.
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