Good starter car for 17 year old - £750-£1500 budget?

[greenarrow]

Hammer67 said:

Buy the latest, lowest mileage Micra K11 you can find. Loads about for a grand or so.

Bought one for little Miss H67 in 2012 when she was 17 for £800 with 60k on it.

She still has it now with 110K on it and several years NCB.

It`s now 18 years old but is still 100% reliable and costs pennies to maintain.

I love K11 Micras..I really do...had several as hire cars and learned to drive in the mk1 Micra like many people who took up driving in the 1980s..

however, not sure my daughter would want one.... has an image commensurate with little old ladies. However, she's not really a car gal, so if she isn't fussed, its certainly high on my list.

I wonder if it will be cheap enough to insure though...seems like Jap cars are more expensive than European ones...

[Countdown]

Micra are (were) great cars. However the Yaris is better in every respect and especially crash protection. You can get perfectly decent Mk1s for £500 and Mk2s for £1500.

Not as nice as a Fiesta to drive but far more reliable. My daughter hasn’t managed to break hers yet

[greenarrow]

• UPDATE

Bought her a Ford Ka in the end. 2006 model. Found one without a single rust advisory, which is very rare and I decided that it was a good choice based on purchase price, insurance cost and driving fun! Equivalent year Yaris, Corsa or Peugeot 107 was going to be nearly double the cost.

Insurance is very good on the Ford Ka. Of all the cars I did quotes on, only the Hyundai i10 was going to beat it. She paid £315 as a provisional driver, fully comp.

I've driven it only briefly but I can see why these cars got good reviews when new. Feels really nimble and fun. I'm actually looking forward to stealing it for urban drives, when the occasion arises. I love small low powered cars.

[Gary C]

greenarrow said:

** UPDATE

Bought her a Ford Ka in the end. 2006 model. Found one without a single rust advisory, which is very rare and I decided that it was a good choice based on purchase price, insurance cost and driving fun! Equivalent year Yaris, Corsa or Peugeot 107 was going to be nearly double the cost.

Insurance is very good on the Ford Ka. Of all the cars I did quotes on, only the Hyundai i10 was going to beat it. She paid £315 as a provisional driver, fully comp.

I've driven it only briefly but I can see why these cars got good reviews when new. Feels really nimble and fun. I'm actually looking forward to stealing it for urban drives, when the occasion arises. I love small low powered cars.

Sounds great.

Low powered cars are where it's at !

Just had a blast in the lads polo, brings back so many memories of having to hang back, accelerate around bends and use momentum to pass the napping Audi driver.

[alorotom]

greenarrow said:

** UPDATE

Bought her a Ford Ka in the end. 2006 model. Found one without a single rust advisory, which is very rare and I decided that it was a good choice based on purchase price, insurance cost and driving fun! Equivalent year Yaris, Corsa or Peugeot 107 was going to be nearly double the cost.

Insurance is very good on the Ford Ka. Of all the cars I did quotes on, only the Hyundai i10 was going to beat it. She paid £315 as a provisional driver, fully comp.

I've driven it only briefly but I can see why these cars got good reviews when new. Feels really nimble and fun. I'm actually looking forward to stealing it for urban drives, when the occasion arises. I love small low powered cars.

I loved my Ford Ka - 1997 P plate (P438KON) , it was my second ever car and it was like a little go kart and racked 95k and 3engines on it lol

Later I also had a SportKa and loved that too

Great buy