First car for son

[ro250]

My eldest is coming up to 17 so the car conversations have started. I know my way around the basics of used car buying but I'm out of touch with that market segment. I guess we're looking around £4k (preferably less) for something a new driver will get insured on, so probably a1 ltr something.

I've been amazed at how much things like a tatty 12 year old Fiesta are retailing for so I wanted to keep options open. Corsas seem popular. He likes Polos but they're expensive so I think off the table.

My question is really what to go for or avoid in this 10-12 year old small engines hatch market. Clios any good? I seem to recall something about the Fiesta Ecoboost engines so is there something to avoid there?

Any steer helpful!

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

if it was me, and it was 2 years ago, I'd go down the route of something older, bought privately, so that the progeny can learn his craft, put some damage on it, and then you can retail it later for probably what you paid for it.

I bought a Ka for my daughter, privately, for £2500. Even now 2 years later it's worth more than that.

People like Fords, and at that end of the market, they clamour for them.

[kiethton]

Hyundai i10 or Kia Picanto normally come out very cheap on insurance and running costs - should be plenty in budget?

[Jordie Barretts sock]

I paid £1200 for a 2007 Fiat Punto. My son loves it and I'm pretty certain it's worth the same now as it was 2 years ago.

No point in spending £4k on a car they will bend.

His insurance was about £1100 from memory after he passed.

Also, insure it from the off in his name with you and his mum as named drivers. Works out cheaper in my experience.

[filski666]

I was looking at older stuff for my daughter soon to turn 17 - but the insurance is crazy - if you can get something which has all the modern safety systems such as AEB then it seems to come down a lot.

I am going with a 2018 Skoda Fabia 60PS version - they are about £8k, but insurance is £1600 a year instead of £4000 when I checked - don't need to be that new, but as she will need to drive to college everyday on dual carriageways, I want her to have something low mileage, reliable and safe.

[Jamescrs]

I'd suggest avoiding things like Clio's, Corsa's and Fiesta's because they are the popular ones for new drivers so likely to attract higher premiums.

Maybe worth looking at Yaris, Fiat Pandas maybe a good shout and possibly Kia Picanto

[sjc]

This was £1800 in November 2018, 80k miles,belt and clutch recently done. It’s been utterly brilliant for him,not the usual tin box,and was £880 to insure in his name. All his mates can’t understand how he got it.

[filski666]

sjc said:

This was £1800 in November 2018, 80k miles,belt and clutch recently done. It’s been utterly brilliant for him,not the usual tin box,and was £880 to insure in his name. All his mates can’t understand how he got it.

has that been scrapped since? I put the reg into confused.com to get an idea of insurance prices for my daughter and it can't find the details?

What spec is it out of interest, £880 for a new driver is crazy low insurance

[Evil.soup]

I will be in your shoes in a a little over 18 months and have been searching the market for future options.

A late model MK6 Fiesta is a fantastic place to start, a 2008 car will be around half your budget or less private for a good one and they tend to be pretty bullet proof. The sweet spot is the 1.4 Zetec, I owned one for 18 months and sold it the middle of last year, nippy and handles well with very few common faults or issues to be concerned with and they are cheap as chips to run and maintain.

Insurance should be quite reasonable and they are probably the easiest car to drive I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

I did a quick insurance check to add my son and can't remember the exact figures, but I recall thinking it wasn't as painful as I was expecting.

[sjc]

filski666 said:

sjc said:

This was £1800 in November 2018, 80k miles,belt and clutch recently done. It’s been utterly brilliant for him,not the usual tin box,and was £880 to insure in his name. All his mates can’t understand how he got it.

has that been scrapped since? I put the reg into confused.com to get an idea of insurance prices for my daughter and it can't find the details?

What spec is it out of interest, £880 for a new driver is crazy low insurance

No it’s on his private plate now.
1.6 petrol R design. Has cruise,brilliant seats,2 tone leather,climate etc and feels like a tank compared with the toy like stuff. I just added Bluetooth for him and gave it a tart up.He’s done about 40k miles of his own now,doesn’t want to upgrade.
Insurance was in his name,10k pa, both parents as named drivers parked on a drive in a “good” postcode.
Insurance algorithms are bizarre,have a play around with mileages/excesses,etc etc.

[Ryyy]

I wouldn't rule out the higher engine cars, I think you'd be suprised at the results, I'm not saying 2.0s, but a 5 door 1.4 astra life doesn't have the same stereotype as a 3 door 1.2sxi corsa.

I think prices have cooled a bit too, I passed at 17 in 2014 and my insurance on a 52 plate 1.2 clio was £2100 don't seem to hear numbers like that anymore

[filski666]

sjc said:

filski666 said:

sjc said:

This was £1800 in November 2018, 80k miles,belt and clutch recently done. It’s been utterly brilliant for him,not the usual tin box,and was £880 to insure in his name. All his mates can’t understand how he got it.

has that been scrapped since? I put the reg into confused.com to get an idea of insurance prices for my daughter and it can't find the details?

What spec is it out of interest, £880 for a new driver is crazy low insurance

No it’s on his private plate now.
1.6 petrol R design. Has cruise,brilliant seats,2 tone leather,climate etc and feels like a tank compared with the toy like stuff. I just added Bluetooth for him and gave it a tart up.He’s done about 40k miles of his own now,doesn’t want to upgrade.
Insurance was in his name,10k pa, both parents as named drivers parked on a drive in a “good” postcode.
Insurance algorithms are bizarre,have a play around with mileages/excesses,etc etc.

Well, I had a play around with most options and best I can get is £2k with a dashcam and black box fitted....

[sjc]

filski666 said:

sjc said:

filski666 said:

sjc said:

This was £1800 in November 2018, 80k miles,belt and clutch recently done. It’s been utterly brilliant for him,not the usual tin box,and was £880 to insure in his name. All his mates can’t understand how he got it.

has that been scrapped since? I put the reg into confused.com to get an idea of insurance prices for my daughter and it can't find the details?

What spec is it out of interest, £880 for a new driver is crazy low insurance

No it’s on his private plate now.
1.6 petrol R design. Has cruise,brilliant seats,2 tone leather,climate etc and feels like a tank compared with the toy like stuff. I just added Bluetooth for him and gave it a tart up.He’s done about 40k miles of his own now,doesn’t want to upgrade.
Insurance was in his name,10k pa, both parents as named drivers parked on a drive in a “good” postcode.
Insurance algorithms are bizarre,have a play around with mileages/excesses,etc etc.

Well, I had a play around with most options and best I can get is £2k with a dashcam and black box fitted....

Last three insurers gave been Tesco Black Box £883,Admiral £794 and now Hastings direct £675.

[ZX10R NIN]

I got my son an Alfa Mitp it's a great car & with a 4k budget you'll get a good one:

Twin Air Sportiva:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303145...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304166...

1.4 Veloce:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303315...

[Cambs_Stuart]

I'll be shopping for a car for my son next year. I did wonder about giving him my clio 172, but insurance was £9k. I live in the hood.

[jonny996]

Amazed no one has mentioned a Mini, ours got a First model, it’s a 1.6 but only has 74hp & insurance was about £800.

[Decky_Q]

Just bought my nephew his first car, a 2010 citroen c3 exclusive+ 1.6hdi with panoramic roof for £1500. He loves it.

At the lower end of the market I would advise keep a few quid short of the top budget for issues that will need sorting, and buy on condition rather than look for a particular brand or model.
I'd stay clear of any of the cars that have an image tax such as fiat 500, vw golf, MINI, bmw 1, merc a, audi 1 etc. And others that have a 'bargain' or reliability image tax toyota and dacia. The best vfm will not be these.

[georgeyboy12345]

Here's what I'd be looking at

Alfa Romeo Mito TwinAir
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304176...


Mazda 2 1.3 TS
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301133...


Fiat Punto 1.4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303235...


Fiat Panda 1.2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304045...


Seat Ibiza 1.4 SE SC
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...


VW Up 1.0
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208289...


Ford Fiesta 1.25
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303014...

[Dashnine]

jonny996 said:

Amazed no one has mentioned a Mini, ours got a First model, it’s a 1.6 but only has 74hp & insurance was about £800.

My eldest had a Mini First when he was 17 in 2017, sold it 2 or 3 years later for about what we paid for it and the cars not worth much less now given the rise in secondhand prices.

Now trying to find something for my younger son, 17 in July. His mothers car and my daily’s are autos, and my other car’s a manual but with a 4.6 litre V8 so I’m not bothering with a quote for him on that.

[ro250]

This is all great advice and I'm expanding the search now and will look at all the suggestions. I'd run some quotes on a Corsa and Fiesta and it was looking like around £1500pa insurance once he's passed. His mates seem to be paying the same.

I will check insurance on some of the others. I remember back in the day how cheap my Orion was to insure compared to the equivalent engined Escort.