Advice on buying first car, and also saving up for a 2nd car
Discussion
I'm new to this forum so apologies if this question has been asked alot.
I recently accepted a 30k grad position, and I'm currently thinking of what car to buy as my first. I've had my driving licence for almost two years now, but I haven't owned a car and barley driven any since.
I've been looking into 1.0l Toyotas since I know they'd be incredibly cheap and reliable to run with on paper and through reviews of people that have owned them. Given the workplace is a 5-10 minute drive from where I live, I wouldn't need a diesel. I think my budget would be, if possible, £1k for the car, and whatever insurance I can get which is cheapest for me would be also good on top.
What first car can you guys recommend that's cheap, but something that I can also keep for a long time.
I want to also save up for a decent car whilst I own my first car. I've been looking into GT86, Audi S4 B8, S2000, I think I'd want to have a budget around £10k for it. What cars within the likes of the two I mentioned can you recommend me within that price bracket? Or any general advice on how I would prioritise saving up for a nice sporty car that I'd like to take to the track?
I've always been into my cars, and one of my goals some point after graduation is to be able to have a nice sports car. The days of aspiring to own Evos, Skyline etc are now gone given the inflated prices.
I recently accepted a 30k grad position, and I'm currently thinking of what car to buy as my first. I've had my driving licence for almost two years now, but I haven't owned a car and barley driven any since.
I've been looking into 1.0l Toyotas since I know they'd be incredibly cheap and reliable to run with on paper and through reviews of people that have owned them. Given the workplace is a 5-10 minute drive from where I live, I wouldn't need a diesel. I think my budget would be, if possible, £1k for the car, and whatever insurance I can get which is cheapest for me would be also good on top.
What first car can you guys recommend that's cheap, but something that I can also keep for a long time.
I want to also save up for a decent car whilst I own my first car. I've been looking into GT86, Audi S4 B8, S2000, I think I'd want to have a budget around £10k for it. What cars within the likes of the two I mentioned can you recommend me within that price bracket? Or any general advice on how I would prioritise saving up for a nice sporty car that I'd like to take to the track?
I've always been into my cars, and one of my goals some point after graduation is to be able to have a nice sports car. The days of aspiring to own Evos, Skyline etc are now gone given the inflated prices.
Edited by Asura on Saturday 27th November 17:40
If toy want cheap and reliable probably a Toyota Aygo/ Citroën C1/ Peugeot 107 is not a bad shout. They are all the same car so don't worry about which badge is on the bonnet.
Would be cheap to buy and get you a couple ofnyears NCD before you move on to something bigger and better.
Relatively cheap to insure too compared to most other cars on the road.
Would be cheap to buy and get you a couple ofnyears NCD before you move on to something bigger and better.
Relatively cheap to insure too compared to most other cars on the road.
The first thing to do is get some no claims behind you, which will mean keeping your first car for a while.
So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
OP, I'm in a similar position as you. Recently got a grad job but with a little less starting wage. I've gone for a Yaris which cost me £750 to tie me over for a bit whilst I save up for something that I want and also the Yaris is easy to work on so I can learn the ropes of working on cars. My current goal is to save up for an E46 M3 which is one of my top 5 cars and should be attainable in six months, pending they don't appreciate like crazy which is highly possible. The R34 Skyline and Singer 911 are tied at number 1 but that's never going to happen.
We purchased our son a 57plate 1.2 petrol Renault Clio Dynamique this year with alloys, air con and even a sunroof!! Immaculate it is.
It was a local car and had full dealership service history, nothing major when checking past MOTs, so knew we had got a well looked after car.
The cambelt and clutch had also recently been replaced.
It’s been absolutely faultless.
I also see plenty of them about which shows they are also reliable and well thought of for first time cars too.
We paid £1k and it’s definitely been worth it.
Even if he wanted to sell it, he would probably still get £1k for it now, seem to hold that sort of value if services well.
We also have at the moment a little Toyota Aygo 1.0 on loan from mother in law whilst waiting for our new M135i and I will tell you now, it is beyond gutless compared to the little older Clio and way less comfortable too!! The back pain from the awful seats is crazy! But I can’t moan too much as it’s a free car in the meantime, Just know which I prefer and it’s defo the Clio!
Without a doubt, worth a look and drive of one especially quite a few would be about for a £1k budget.
We found ours via our local Gumtree and was first in line of a fair few many people who wanted to look at it.
It was a local car and had full dealership service history, nothing major when checking past MOTs, so knew we had got a well looked after car.
The cambelt and clutch had also recently been replaced.
It’s been absolutely faultless.
I also see plenty of them about which shows they are also reliable and well thought of for first time cars too.
We paid £1k and it’s definitely been worth it.
Even if he wanted to sell it, he would probably still get £1k for it now, seem to hold that sort of value if services well.
We also have at the moment a little Toyota Aygo 1.0 on loan from mother in law whilst waiting for our new M135i and I will tell you now, it is beyond gutless compared to the little older Clio and way less comfortable too!! The back pain from the awful seats is crazy! But I can’t moan too much as it’s a free car in the meantime, Just know which I prefer and it’s defo the Clio!
Without a doubt, worth a look and drive of one especially quite a few would be about for a £1k budget.
We found ours via our local Gumtree and was first in line of a fair few many people who wanted to look at it.
Asura said:
I want to also save up for a decent car whilst I own my first car. I've been looking into GT86, Audi S4 B8, S2000, I think I'd want to have a budget around £10k for it. What cars within the likes of the two I mentioned can you recommend me within that price bracket? Or any general advice on how I would prioritise saving up for a nice sporty car that I'd like to take to the track?
I've always been into my cars, and one of my goals some point after graduation is to be able to have a nice sports car. The days of aspiring to own Evos, Skyline etc are now gone given the inflated prices.
Congrats on the new job, hopefully there will be some helpful senior ppl around who can accelerate your learning.I've always been into my cars, and one of my goals some point after graduation is to be able to have a nice sports car. The days of aspiring to own Evos, Skyline etc are now gone given the inflated prices.
Of the three cars you mention, the Audi is less suited to trackdays as it's quite heavy and nose-heavy. The S2000 would be great, but it's also already appreciating in value and fairly old. The GT86 is probably best of the three as an attainable trackday car. I'd consider the RX-8, they're pretty good/cheap, albeit you pay on the maintenance. 350Z is a bit heavy but good value from £5k for 276hp RWD. Also for road & track fun on a budget, don't rule out MX-5s and third-gen MR2s (or even an MGF) if you don't need too much practicality.
Jamescrs said:
If toy want cheap and reliable probably a Toyota Aygo/ Citroën C1/ Peugeot 107 is not a bad shout. They are all the same car so don't worry about which badge is on the bonnet.
Would be cheap to buy and get you a couple ofnyears NCD before you move on to something bigger and better.
Relatively cheap to insure too compared to most other cars on the road.
Yeah, I think the Aygo/C1/107 might be something I'm going to go for. What's your opinion on Fiestas? Would be cheap to buy and get you a couple ofnyears NCD before you move on to something bigger and better.
Relatively cheap to insure too compared to most other cars on the road.
ZX10R NIN said:
The first thing to do is get some no claims behind you, which will mean keeping your first car for a while.
So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
Yeah, I'm definitely going to keep my first car for a while. Your idea seems really tempting especially if I'm going to be keeping it for such a long time. My only issue is if I do spend more (although a little bit), the potential issue could be that the value of the next car I want (most likely GT86) is going to increase given the other Japanese sports cars are really hiking up. So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
Mo28 said:
OP, I'm in a similar position as you. Recently got a grad job but with a little less starting wage. I've gone for a Yaris which cost me £750 to tie me over for a bit whilst I save up for something that I want and also the Yaris is easy to work on so I can learn the ropes of working on cars. My current goal is to save up for an E46 M3 which is one of my top 5 cars and should be attainable in six months, pending they don't appreciate like crazy which is highly possible. The R34 Skyline and Singer 911 are tied at number 1 but that's never going to happen.
I've also considered the Yaris since one of my friends had one, they're pretty nice and I think they're just Aygo's but with more stuff in them. Hopefully, you'll get that M3! And it's a shame seeing the cars you seen in your childhood becoming increasing unattainable. sigh
Luanmapo said:
We purchased our son a 57plate 1.2 petrol Renault Clio Dynamique this year with alloys, air con and even a sunroof!! Immaculate it is.
It was a local car and had full dealership service history, nothing major when checking past MOTs, so knew we had got a well looked after car.
The cambelt and clutch had also recently been replaced.
It’s been absolutely faultless.
I also see plenty of them about which shows they are also reliable and well thought of for first time cars too.
We paid £1k and it’s definitely been worth it.
Even if he wanted to sell it, he would probably still get £1k for it now, seem to hold that sort of value if services well.
We also have at the moment a little Toyota Aygo 1.0 on loan from mother in law whilst waiting for our new M135i and I will tell you now, it is beyond gutless compared to the little older Clio and way less comfortable too!! The back pain from the awful seats is crazy! But I can’t moan too much as it’s a free car in the meantime, Just know which I prefer and it’s defo the Clio!
Without a doubt, worth a look and drive of one especially quite a few would be about for a £1k budget.
We found ours via our local Gumtree and was first in line of a fair few many people who wanted to look at it.
Another of my friends had a Clio from that generation. I was really unsure of French cars as I heard about their reliability. But I'll definitely look into these! I've actually been considering M135i the older gen for a possible contender for my next car. Would you recommend it for track? It was a local car and had full dealership service history, nothing major when checking past MOTs, so knew we had got a well looked after car.
The cambelt and clutch had also recently been replaced.
It’s been absolutely faultless.
I also see plenty of them about which shows they are also reliable and well thought of for first time cars too.
We paid £1k and it’s definitely been worth it.
Even if he wanted to sell it, he would probably still get £1k for it now, seem to hold that sort of value if services well.
We also have at the moment a little Toyota Aygo 1.0 on loan from mother in law whilst waiting for our new M135i and I will tell you now, it is beyond gutless compared to the little older Clio and way less comfortable too!! The back pain from the awful seats is crazy! But I can’t moan too much as it’s a free car in the meantime, Just know which I prefer and it’s defo the Clio!
Without a doubt, worth a look and drive of one especially quite a few would be about for a £1k budget.
We found ours via our local Gumtree and was first in line of a fair few many people who wanted to look at it.
Asura said:
ZX10R NIN said:
The first thing to do is get some no claims behind you, which will mean keeping your first car for a while.
So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
Yeah, I'm definitely going to keep my first car for a while. Your idea seems really tempting especially if I'm going to be keeping it for such a long time. My only issue is if I do spend more (although a little bit), the potential issue could be that the value of the next car I want (most likely GT86) is going to increase given the other Japanese sports cars are really hiking up. So what I'd do is spend a bit more than 1k & buy a nicely spec'd with a little bit of go (around 120bhp should do) yes you'll be paying more for the car & insurance but this will help temper the cost when you transition to the second more powerful car in 2-3 years.
samoht said:
Congrats on the new job, hopefully there will be some helpful senior ppl around who can accelerate your learning.
Of the three cars you mention, the Audi is less suited to trackdays as it's quite heavy and nose-heavy. The S2000 would be great, but it's also already appreciating in value and fairly old. The GT86 is probably best of the three as an attainable trackday car. I'd consider the RX-8, they're pretty good/cheap, albeit you pay on the maintenance. 350Z is a bit heavy but good value from £5k for 276hp RWD. Also for road & track fun on a budget, don't rule out MX-5s and third-gen MR2s (or even an MGF) if you don't need too much practicality.
Thank you! The people there really like their cars. Of the three cars you mention, the Audi is less suited to trackdays as it's quite heavy and nose-heavy. The S2000 would be great, but it's also already appreciating in value and fairly old. The GT86 is probably best of the three as an attainable trackday car. I'd consider the RX-8, they're pretty good/cheap, albeit you pay on the maintenance. 350Z is a bit heavy but good value from £5k for 276hp RWD. Also for road & track fun on a budget, don't rule out MX-5s and third-gen MR2s (or even an MGF) if you don't need too much practicality.
I'd also consider an RX8. I think their fuel economy is really bad?. But, given the purpose of my second being that I'm going to temporarily use it as a daily until I get another Decent daily, then the plan is that the my second sporty car will just be at the garage and track so, RX8 also sounds like a good shout.
As long as I can afford the car for both track and regular maintenance, I'm not fussed. The goal for me is to learn, have fun and improve my track skills. I think my mind is set on the GT86, but the MX5, MR2 and 350z also sound like a really good substitutes. I think I'll most likely decide when I have save up enough, to make a final decision. But I'll steer away from the S4. But given that, I'm guessing the Golf R/S3 (mk7/8v) is also nose heavy? I looked into M135is but their parts are really expensive, so it's a no for me for that.
loskie said:
when you say 10 to 15 min drive, how far is that?
Although no NCB and new driver your age should help a bit. If doing low miles look at cars with poor MPG(unpopular). But as you've suggested low insurance groups too.
Any mass produced car should do you really.
It's 2 miles from where I live. Although no NCB and new driver your age should help a bit. If doing low miles look at cars with poor MPG(unpopular). But as you've suggested low insurance groups too.
Any mass produced car should do you really.
What cars with low mpg can you suggest given my budget? I can push to £2k. I think optimal for me would be to be as cheap as possible.
ZX10R NIN said:
If you're talking 2-3 years time GT86's will have come down in price, they won't be increasing as they're not a rare car, also remember your first car will still be worth something so you can add that to your budget.
That's a good point to be fair! I hope they do, then that's just makes saving up for it more easier. Asura said:
That's a good point to be fair! I hope they do, then that's just makes saving up for it more easier.
Also if you don't mind a Cat car you can get something sensible with a nice spec/low miles if you don't know much about cars then get an AA/RAC inspection done first.When looking at Cat cars I tend to look at ones that were catted early in their life because they tend to be properly sorted & represent a decent buy at this price point vs one that has recently been repaired.
Cat D Citroen DS3 DStyle Plus you should be able to haggle the extra off of the price:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111159...
1.6 Hyundai Coupe Series 3, smart car that'll see you right for a good few years
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111059...
Cat D you'll probably get this for 1k at which point it could be a great buy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111280...
1.6 Megane Coupe Dynamique
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
When it comes to track toys buying something someone has already converted isn't a bad call:
E46 325i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
E36 325i
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133903047530?hash=item1...
loskie said:
two miles walk(40 mins) or cycle(10mins)?
Maybe an odd suggestion but is an MX5 insurable? Look at specialist insurers.
I don't really know about insurance groupings but a Mito or Punto may be worth a shout. You'll get more for your money looking at unpopular models.
Yeah, pretty much takes me 40 minutes to get there by walk. MX5s are really cheap, so I can definitely look into it. I doubt that insurance would be cheap given the area I live in have high average insurance premium. But I'll have a look at specialist insurers, because if I can buy an MX5 with that then it'd be really good and would help with long term costs. Maybe an odd suggestion but is an MX5 insurable? Look at specialist insurers.
I don't really know about insurance groupings but a Mito or Punto may be worth a shout. You'll get more for your money looking at unpopular models.
ZX10R NIN said:
Also if you don't mind a Cat car you can get something sensible with a nice spec/low miles if you don't know much about cars then get an AA/RAC inspection done first.
When looking at Cat cars I tend to look at ones that were catted early in their life because they tend to be properly sorted & represent a decent buy at this price point vs one that has recently been repaired.
Cat D Citroen DS3 DStyle Plus you should be able to haggle the extra off of the price:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111159...
1.6 Hyundai Coupe Series 3, smart car that'll see you right for a good few years
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111059...
Cat D you'll probably get this for 1k at which point it could be a great buy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111280...
1.6 Megane Coupe Dynamique
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
When it comes to track toys buying something someone has already converted isn't a bad call:
E46 325i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
E36 325i
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133903047530?hash=item1...
I'll consider Cat cars especially cat N's. But I'll have to weigh them against insurance to see if they would be enough for my first year. When looking at Cat cars I tend to look at ones that were catted early in their life because they tend to be properly sorted & represent a decent buy at this price point vs one that has recently been repaired.
Cat D Citroen DS3 DStyle Plus you should be able to haggle the extra off of the price:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111159...
1.6 Hyundai Coupe Series 3, smart car that'll see you right for a good few years
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111059...
Cat D you'll probably get this for 1k at which point it could be a great buy
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111280...
1.6 Megane Coupe Dynamique
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
When it comes to track toys buying something someone has already converted isn't a bad call:
E46 325i
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111209...
E36 325i
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133903047530?hash=item1...
What other beginner RWD track cars would you suggest other than BMWs? I think their parts would be really expensive.
Asura said:
I'll consider Cat cars especially cat N's. But I'll have to weigh them against insurance to see if they would be enough for my first year.
What other beginner RWD track cars would you suggest other than BMWs? I think their parts would be really expensive.
Parts aren't actually overly expensive on the E36/46 due to the fact they have a big following, 350Z's are a very good choice.What other beginner RWD track cars would you suggest other than BMWs? I think their parts would be really expensive.
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