Car for daughters 18th, is this the right thing to do?

Car for daughters 18th, is this the right thing to do?

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Discussion

ZX10R NIN

27,632 posts

126 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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My eldest is 13 we have a 1.0T Fiesta Zetec with a dead engine & lots of scuffs so over the next four years the car will be built up & made ready for when he passes his test, he's paying half of his paper round money towards the car so hopefully he appreciate it more.

PixelpeepS3

8,600 posts

143 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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I don't have kids and i didn't get a car for any birthday. i had to work for everything.- i get this may 'alter' my opinion lol.



Do people respect stuff they're given as much as stuff they have to work for?

Maybe offer to pay her insurance for any car she buys?


henrycrun

2,449 posts

241 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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Get her some advanced driving lessons first.

RSTurboPaul

10,396 posts

259 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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henrycrun said:
Get her some advanced driving lessons first.
This.

And some skidpan / track time, so she has some clue of what a car feels like as it gets towards its limits and can, hopefully, get out of any situations her inexperience gets her into.

bucksmanuk

2,311 posts

171 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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PixelpeepS3 said:
Do people respect stuff they're given as much as stuff they have to work for?
With the experience of my sister buying her eldest his first car - the answer to that is a definite no. OK, it was only a C1, but it was brand new. They have bought him 3 cars now, each cheaper than the one before it, He has managed to expensively break (terminally in one case) all of them….
He’s 30 in 2 weeks, and he still doesn’t have a car of his own.

Sir Bagalot

6,481 posts

182 months

Thursday 18th July 2019
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Slow said:
I would avoid a blackbox even if 200-300 more without.
Why?

Oh, and for my youngest no black box = £700 more

Pothole

34,367 posts

283 months

Friday 19th July 2019
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Ron99 said:
That's true, but the small size of our Viva (Vauxhall's equivalent) has allowed me to dodge out of the way on numerous occasions where my Insignia (1ft wider) would have not been able to avoid some kind of collision.
Small cars are a lot easier to park, too.
You've narrowly avoided "some kind of collision" on "numerous occasions"? Could you go for more driver training please?

WAVman

Original Poster:

200 posts

65 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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Belated update on this folks.

It was my daughters 18th last week and we presented her with 18 small fairly insignificant presents (apart from a Tiffany necklace), and then an envelope with a cheque in it. She looked at the cheque without really understanding what it was for, so I told her it was for a car, and that we would allow her to put some additional money to it so get something she liked. I also told her that the original plan was to just buy her something, but some blokes off the internet told me not to!

She was quite thrilled with the money, and that it was specifically for a car. She then went through AT with a 'what the hell do I do now' look on her face. Later she said that maybe it would be better if I had just got her one and saved the hassle!

Anyway, we took her out 'car shopping' to give her an idea of the market and how to go about finding something suitable. She seemed set on finding a white 3dr Fiesta of some sort, but I don't believe these are great VFM £250'ish more to insure than some of the other options. She originally was against the 'go to' Girlie car of a Fiat 500, but having looked at a few this seems to be the direction we are going now.

She had her test late last week and sadly failed, so the pressure is off for a little while as she is OK practising in my wifes car whilst I wait for something to come up that makes sense for her. Tests are a 7 week lead-time in our area ATM.

White 500 Lounge, 63 plate or newer, pref below 50k miles would be great. I reckon I should get this for under £4k so wish me luck with the hunt.

Abbott

2,413 posts

204 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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Call Soupdragon he has a car going cheap soon

AJB88

12,448 posts

172 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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dont get a white Fiesta, missus has got one, watched her and her son one day walk up to a random white fiesta and sit there wondering why it wouldn't unlock. They are literally everywhere.

Leicester Loyal

4,552 posts

123 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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3.5k+ on a first car? I'd buy her a cheaper car and put the rest towards a house deposit for herself (but obviously you keep it until she buys one).

cbmotorsport

3,065 posts

119 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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Lucky girl. Image is incredibly important when you're that age, so you've done the right thing letting her choose what fits her best.

omniflow

2,581 posts

152 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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Sir Bagalot said:
Why?

Oh, and for my youngest no black box = £700 more
From what I've been told, if you go with a multicar policy (either Admiral or LV), add the new car to a policy that covers one or more other cars in the household, then add both parents as named drivers, it works out the same as or slightly cheaper than a black box.

The problem with this theory is that you can't get online quotes for this, you have to go via the call centre. Given that my daughter is yet to pass her test, I haven't had the opportunity to try it out.

I also think that if they delay a year or so, so are 18 or 19 when insuring their first car, things are a little bit cheaper.

sawman

4,919 posts

231 months

Monday 9th September 2019
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WAVman said:
Belated update on this folks.



White 500 Lounge, 63 plate or newer, pref below 50k miles would be great. I reckon I should get this for under £4k so wish me luck with the hunt.
Good luck with that - i searched fir several weeks for a similar vintage 500 and having looked at half a dozen, gave up as none of the ones i found were in fully working order. Ended up getting a nearly new one on pcp, figuring the 3 year cost would be the same. This has been fairly fault free, although the gear linkage parted company on a dual carriageway - leaving me with just 3rd gear, and the rear shocks were replaced under warranty at 2 years old. Its a great little car but i wouldn't want an elderly one!

WAVman

Original Poster:

200 posts

65 months

Monday 4th November 2019
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To complete this thread, my daughter passed her test at the second attempt last week.
On Saturday we bought a car which was delivered today.
We ended up with a white 3dr Fiesta 1.25 Zetec, 12 plate 70k for £3500.
Insurance is £951 for 12 months. Not too bad.

timberman

1,284 posts

216 months

Monday 4th November 2019
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Sir Bagalot said:
Slow said:
I would avoid a blackbox even if 200-300 more without.
Why?

Oh, and for my youngest no black box = £700 more
When we got our daughter her 1st car at age 19 (Vw up) having a black box fitted barely made any difference,

as I recall insurance cost was about £600 with me as named driver.

0a

23,901 posts

195 months

Monday 4th November 2019
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OverSteery said:
Discuss it with her, the options and the pro and cons including
- make/model
- servicing
- insurance
- mpg

and then look/buy together.

No short term 'surprise' facebook moment, but an opportunity for her to learn how to make significant financial decisions. Help her gain the skills she will need as a adult.
I’d agree with this. Write a card with what you want to do, then go car shopping with her.

My dad did this with my sister. The deal was that the car was safe, cheap to run (he rightly predicted that come service time it would at best be another birthday present he was sorting out) and vaguely suitable. 7 years on she traded her first car in and it was a brilliant little car.