Classic choices for first car

[T.Jones77]

I am 17 very soon and I am keen to get an 80s-00s hot hatchback which I can really enjoy driving on tight b roads etc.

My heart was originally set on a golf mk1 gti or a late 80s mini, but my mate just bought a mini and I wanna get something different.

Cars I have also looked at are 205 gti, 205 rallye, and their 106 counterparts as well as a simple mk2, mk2 gti or a nova.

Can I get some pointers on individual versions of these, other hot hatches that I may have missed out on and also the insurance levels of each.

Thanks in advance!

Edited by T.Jones77 on Thursday 31st August 11:29

[lucido grigio]

T.Jones77 said:

I am 17 very soon and I am keen to get an 80s-00s classic hot hatchback which I can really enjoy driving on tight b roads etc.

My heart was originally set on a golf mk1 gti or a late 80s mini, but my mate just bought a mini and I wanna get something different.

Cars I have also looked at are 205 gti, 205 rallye, and their 106 counterparts as well as a simple mk2, mk2 gti or a nova.

Can I get some pointers on individual versions of these, other hot hatches that I may have missed out on and also the insurance levels of each.

Thanks in advance!

Before you go any further go to a comparison site for insurance quotes for a hot hatch and 17yo ,no experience.

Good luck with that !

[T.Jones77]

Yeh I know what you mean, I got a job in the meantime to help subsidise the insurance, my mate pointed me to a rallye instead of a gti for this reason.

[Monkeylegend]

Out of interest have you had any insurance quotes yet?

The other issue to consider is that the desirable early hot hatches are now commanding good prices for the better cars so maybe consider something like a 305Gti or maybe a Corrado/Scirocco G40.

[T.Jones77]

Monkeylegend said:

Out of interest have you had any insurance quotes yet?

The other issue to consider is that the desirable early hot hatches are now commanding good prices for the better cars so maybe consider something like a 305Gti or maybe a Corrado/Scirocco G40.

Yh i got a basic idea, my mate is on 1800 a year for his mini with adrian flux.
My car might fit in my garage which may help a bit, not much the ahahaha

[Monkeylegend]

T.Jones77 said:

Monkeylegend said:

Out of interest have you had any insurance quotes yet?

The other issue to consider is that the desirable early hot hatches are now commanding good prices for the better cars so maybe consider something like a 305Gti or maybe a Corrado/Scirocco G40.

Yh i got a basic idea, my mate is on 1800 a year for his mini with adrian flux.
My car might fit in my garage which may help a bit, not much the ahahaha

Is that a classic Mini?

[loskie]

a bit of a leftfield answer but what about a Suzuki Swift Sport. Purportedly like an old skool hot hatch. The cars you are talking about are now becoming expensive. It would be a shame to get one as a first car, like most of us you are likely to crash in the first couple of years of driving.
If you do go for an 80s or 90s classic get an agreed value insurance policy otherwise the merest will write it off.

[T.Jones77]

Yh its a classic late 80s mini

For the cars im looking at they are just around 1-5k with the mk1s being more for decent condition, I completley get where you are coming from and I do like the swift but I wanna get a car which I can spend a while on tinkering if uno wat I mean, and not which every kid at my schools got.
Thanks for the tip on insurance Ill look into that.

[Zetec-S]

£5k budget? No idea what the insurance would be tho

Nissan Pulsar
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Toyota Starlet
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[tonyb1968]

Just because a car "may" be classed as a classic does not mean you will get cheap insurance on it. Check your insurance first and then understand these cars will need more than average maintenance to keep them road worthy.

[T.Jones77]

tonyb1968 said:

Just because a car "may" be classed as a classic does not mean you will get cheap insurance on it. Check your insurance first and then understand these cars will need more than average maintenance to keep them road worthy.

Thanks for heads up, checking insurance when I get back home on Sat, by all means understand that I would be happy to get my hands dirty in terms of basic maintenance, cars are something im very passionate about, I wanna enjoy driving :P

[JS1500]

I bought an MG Midget for my first car at your age. I'd been looking at Minis and Mk1 Golfs (non-GTI) but things changed, I wanted RWD.
A Mk1 Golf GTI would be a great choice I reckon, though you'd get more Mk2 for your money.
Good plan going for a classic - depreciation proof motoring and you get to tinker and make it your own. And chicks dig classics.

[mikey P 500]

Nice idea to get an older hatch back as your first car and will stand out from most modern cars but think you will need to be realistic to what you can insure, maybe a smaller engined model to start with, the upgrade in a few years one you have some NCB to a hot hatch.

[JS1500]

Remember though that most of the cars you're looking at may well be available to insure through classic policies. Definitely worth shopping around, checking out insurers aligned with clubs etc.
IIRC my MG was ~£2k to insure for the first year and dropped to £900 the 2nd year, £700 3rd year etc.

[mikey P 500]

At 17yrs old you are not going to get a classic insurance policy for your only car. Classic insurance is normally limited to a second car and cheap because they mirror the discount of you NCB from main car. I am fairly sure this isn't a loop hole for cheap insurance for new drivers.

[Defconluke]

Suzuki Ignis Sport or Mk6 Ford Fiesta Zetec-S

[Spitfire2]

mikey P 500 said:

At 17yrs old you are not going to get a classic insurance policy for your only car. Classic insurance is normally limited to a second car and cheap because they mirror the discount of you NCB from main car. I am fairly sure this isn't a loop hole for cheap insurance for new drivers.

I was about to pop up and say the same.

The Triumph Sports Six Club had a scheme that gets (somewhat) cheaper insurance for young Triumph drivers, but that is a rare thing (and it may no longer be available).

[T.Jones77]

JS1500 said:

I bought an MG Midget for my first car at your age. I'd been looking at Minis and Mk1 Golfs (non-GTI) but things changed, I wanted RWD.
A Mk1 Golf GTI would be a great choice I reckon, though you'd get more Mk2 for your money.
Good plan going for a classic - depreciation proof motoring and you get to tinker and make it your own. And chicks dig classics.

An MG Midget would be an awesome first car, you have somewhat inspired me. I expect the insurance to be outta this world, far too exspensive for a 17yo. I will look at it none the less just in case.

As for classic insurance policies I think generally you have to be at least 18. Adrian Flux and Footman James seem to be close enough that I can get.

[T.Jones77]

Thanks guys for your car suggestions also, I think Im probs looking at stuff a little bit earlier but nonetheless good inspiration to what money can buy.

[Frankthered]

The recommended choices (by local indie mechanic) when I was looking for my first car in the late 80s were Mini (obviously classic) and Mk 2 Escort.

I guess Ford prices are a bit silly at the moment, but if you're looking for something of that sort of era, you might pick up a Fiesta?

Have you considered maybe looking at the warm versions, rather than the hot hatches - like 205/106 XS (or XSi) rather than the GTis? No idea how many of them are still around though. There's also stuff like the AX GT or 309 GTi (I guess that's the one the earlier poster meant, not the 305).

The other option might be a kit car of similar vintage - some were quite practical, like the Quantum - basically Fiesta mechanicals in a fiberglass monocoque (or steel chassis and GRP body for the later H4) - I believe that these can be insured quite cheaply, even by new drivers.