Discussion
Reliable? Definitely. Cheap to run, too. Honda, see.
Get a small engined one and keep modifications to a minimum. This has the effect of
1) keeping insurance premiums low
2) saving weight which the weak engine would need to shift
3) saving you money cos you're not wasting it on "polishing a turd"; save up the money and spend it on a decent car when you're older and can afford the insurance and running costs. Sure, put decent alloys on, maybe an exhaust, but don't bother putting a Veilside bodykit on it, transplanting a Skyline engine into it or supercharging it; those kind of expenses put you further away from that Dream car (whether it's a 600bhp Skyline or some Italian or German supercar).
Get a small engined one and keep modifications to a minimum. This has the effect of
1) keeping insurance premiums low
2) saving weight which the weak engine would need to shift
3) saving you money cos you're not wasting it on "polishing a turd"; save up the money and spend it on a decent car when you're older and can afford the insurance and running costs. Sure, put decent alloys on, maybe an exhaust, but don't bother putting a Veilside bodykit on it, transplanting a Skyline engine into it or supercharging it; those kind of expenses put you further away from that Dream car (whether it's a 600bhp Skyline or some Italian or German supercar).
GMX09 said:
I know it's still quite a while until my 17th birthday
So at best you are 16 or younger?GMX09 said:
I've always wanted a Civic...
eh ok, they are very very sexy rare and exotic I do amit 
GMX09 said:
ever since I've been about 14 years old.
So max of 2 years, yep that really is just like "always".... 
GMX09 said:
...and I've always imagined either one of those to be a brilliant first car. However, recently I've been looking at used prices and they're really cheap. Are they reliable, and do you guys' think that either of those models would be a good beginner car?
If not, can you recommend any others?
They are a Honda so perceived to be very good. I suspect they are pretty good, but not infallible. Rover and Honda had close links in this period of time and many a 1.6 Honda engine was used in a Rover.If not, can you recommend any others?
By my experience these are generally pretty good. But being Jap does not mean it will be fault free.
Also all of these cars are getting on a bit now, so buy on condition more than anything.
And many of them have been ragged and modded to buggery, so I'd say avoid these as they will all be pretty s
te and badly looked after.Nothing wrong with modded cars, but cars such as these in this price range will not be good examples and I suspect just piles of junk that'll cost you a fortune.
Check out insurances, that's likely to be the biggest hurdle.
As for other 1st cars? Well there are loads, these are not really any better or any worse than anything else.
And despite what some say about Corsa's and Fiesta's, they are generally pretty easy to work on, parts are easy and cheap to get and there's a huge good supply of used parts.
I suspect parts for the Honda will be more pricey as is the way with most Japanese auto makers.
At the end of the day, ignoring my silly comments above. Buy what you want, just don't drive it like a knob and remember you'll probably be looking to change it after 12 months so don't go overboard on it.
ShadownINja said:
Reliable? Definitely. Cheap to run, too. Honda, see.
Get a small engined one and keep modifications to a minimum. This has the effect of
1) keeping insurance premiums low
2) saving weight which the weak engine would need to shift
3) saving you money cos you're not wasting it on "polishing a turd"; save up the money and spend it on a decent car when you're older and can afford the insurance and running costs. Sure, put decent alloys on, maybe an exhaust, but don't bother putting a Veilside bodykit on it, transplanting a Skyline engine into it or supercharging it; those kind of expenses put you further away from that Dream car (whether it's a 600bhp Skyline or some Italian or German supercar).
I'm just planning to do smalltime mods eg. exhausts, CAI, alloys, tyres...Get a small engined one and keep modifications to a minimum. This has the effect of
1) keeping insurance premiums low
2) saving weight which the weak engine would need to shift
3) saving you money cos you're not wasting it on "polishing a turd"; save up the money and spend it on a decent car when you're older and can afford the insurance and running costs. Sure, put decent alloys on, maybe an exhaust, but don't bother putting a Veilside bodykit on it, transplanting a Skyline engine into it or supercharging it; those kind of expenses put you further away from that Dream car (whether it's a 600bhp Skyline or some Italian or German supercar).
Thanks for the info.
GMX09 said:
@300bhp/ton - It's OK, I understand that around here my age group have a bad reputation. 
Thanks for posting.
lol 300bhp/ton said:
Also all of these cars are getting on a bit now, so buy on condition more than anything.
This is one of my largest worries. I'd love to get a Civic, but I feel like if I do I'll end up wasting money on a heap of old rusty metal that will fall apart in days and probably cost me more than anything I've ever ownt.300bhp/ton said:
And many of them have been ragged and modded to buggery, so I'd say avoid these as they will all be pretty ste and badly looked after.
This aswell. I don't really like the stereotypical 'boy racer' image that comes with the car. Why do they always have to ruin everything? :'(te and badly looked after.300bhp/ton said:
Nothing wrong with modded cars, but cars such as these in this price range will not be good examples and I suspect just piles of junk that'll cost you a fortune.
That sounds familiar... 300bhp/ton said:
As for other 1st cars? Well there are loads, these are not really any better or any worse than anything else.
And despite what some say about Corsa's and Fiesta's, they are generally pretty easy to work on, parts are easy and cheap to get and there's a huge good supply of used parts.
I'm not a fan of the newer cars. I don't really like the shape of anything, and they all seem a little bit more fake. It's hard to explain.And despite what some say about Corsa's and Fiesta's, they are generally pretty easy to work on, parts are easy and cheap to get and there's a huge good supply of used parts.
300bhp/ton said:
At the end of the day, ignoring my silly comments above. Buy what you want, just don't drive it like a knob and remember you'll probably be looking to change it after 12 months so don't go overboard on it.
I'll probably end up getting something exactly the same but much more powerful. Eg. Integra. Japs FTW!Thanks for posting.
Edited by GMX09 on Wednesday 7th October 15:09
I do know were you are coming from. I'm only 29, so being 17 was a million years ago
In my day it was all Vauxhall Nova's. Never really been my thing though, I always liked something a bit different to the rest.
Started out in a Land Rover, then an MGB, to an MGF (which was pretty cool back then as they were new), to a TR7, XJS V12 and a MG Maestro 2.0 EFI.
Can't say I really had issues with any of them and enjoyed them all. Also some of the more oddball choices always surprised (and upset) a fair few people.
If a Civic is what you fancy and its affordable, go for it. They aren't so old that you shouldn't be able to find a tidy one somewhere.
GMX09 said:
Technonotice said:
good cars.
1.4/1.5 are insurance friendly
Quite nippy
handle well
never go wrong if looked after.
much better than the eurobox corsa/fiesta etc
I never knew I could insure a 1.4/1.5. I've been told I'd even struggle to insure a 1.0. 1.4/1.5 are insurance friendly
Quite nippy
handle well
never go wrong if looked after.
much better than the eurobox corsa/fiesta etc
Thanks.
Much as I don't want to dissuade you from a Civic (I think they're very good), insurance on them is typically higher than an equivalent-performance European car - no idea why, maybe it's parts or something.
I'd find a typical Civic in your budget and compare it to the following:-
- Fiesta. Yeah, I know - but they're actually pretty good to drive (both MkV and VI), and parts are cheap.
- MG ZR. Another good-handling car which may need some TLC. Better than the older 200Vi
- Saxo / 106. VERY chuckable, but not very well built and many have been Barried.
...if the Civic insurance isn't a stupid amount higher, then I'd stick with a good EG-series. Hop over to one of the Honda-specific forums (HondaEvolutions if it's still going) to find out more about the engine options and badging (e.g. a VEi is actually an economy model, whereas an ESi is quicker).
I'd find a typical Civic in your budget and compare it to the following:-
- Fiesta. Yeah, I know - but they're actually pretty good to drive (both MkV and VI), and parts are cheap.
- MG ZR. Another good-handling car which may need some TLC. Better than the older 200Vi
- Saxo / 106. VERY chuckable, but not very well built and many have been Barried.
...if the Civic insurance isn't a stupid amount higher, then I'd stick with a good EG-series. Hop over to one of the Honda-specific forums (HondaEvolutions if it's still going) to find out more about the engine options and badging (e.g. a VEi is actually an economy model, whereas an ESi is quicker).
The insurance would have been quite high for me on a Civic 1.4 so I got a 1.8 litre Seat Toledo, not the fastest thing ever (quite dull actually) but up to 100ish it didnt give any ground to a Civic Jordan.
Civics EGs and EKs, are reliable, easy to drive, not the worst to drive, very reliable despite their age and easy to get parts for, good MPG as well.
Other options could be a 1.3 Starlet, it wont be a Glanza but still not too bad and Japanese enough.
Though if a Civic is what you want, go for it, dont waste money on mods that you cant easily take off and sell on. I did and learned my lesson. Intake and exhaust and maybe lowered a bit with nice wheels and the civics are nice looking cars as is.
Civics EGs and EKs, are reliable, easy to drive, not the worst to drive, very reliable despite their age and easy to get parts for, good MPG as well.
Other options could be a 1.3 Starlet, it wont be a Glanza but still not too bad and Japanese enough.
Though if a Civic is what you want, go for it, dont waste money on mods that you cant easily take off and sell on. I did and learned my lesson. Intake and exhaust and maybe lowered a bit with nice wheels and the civics are nice looking cars as is.
Modify it in any way, even a set of nice wheels and any inusrance company will have a field day with quotes for you. Once insured any mods will have to be declared otherwise if you have a prang and don't declare mods insurers won't pay out.
Put any extra mod money you have towards the cost of purchasing a good one in the first place that's been unmolested, properly serviced and sympathetically owned. Then you'll have reliable, economical, fun, and relatively free motoring for the next couple of years.
Keep it in nice unmolested condition for that time and it will serve as a down payment on something more interesting.
Sorry to sound boring but the cost of motoring is skyrocketing and these days the smart way to upgrade when you're young is to bide your time, save your pennies and keep your licence clean. Upgrade every couple of years this way and you'll be driving something very tasty in your early twenties.
Put any extra mod money you have towards the cost of purchasing a good one in the first place that's been unmolested, properly serviced and sympathetically owned. Then you'll have reliable, economical, fun, and relatively free motoring for the next couple of years.
Keep it in nice unmolested condition for that time and it will serve as a down payment on something more interesting.
Sorry to sound boring but the cost of motoring is skyrocketing and these days the smart way to upgrade when you're young is to bide your time, save your pennies and keep your licence clean. Upgrade every couple of years this way and you'll be driving something very tasty in your early twenties.
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