First car *what car?*
Discussion
Been looking for a car for 3 months now, getting bored of trawling autotrader/ph for a first car, cant decide what I want!
Looking at spending 3k tops on it, hooning around for 2 years then trading in for something a bit more gutsy, will be used for 14 mile round trip to work and social visits ... occasional motorway trips too.
Preferably small, 1.4L, cheap to insure (22 with no NCB), holds it price?!? (a bit), anything less than 60k miles ...
Ideas so far: fiesta zetec 1.4, Citroen c2, seat leon 1.4
Help appreciated as its nearing winter and don't want to cycle any more
Looking at spending 3k tops on it, hooning around for 2 years then trading in for something a bit more gutsy, will be used for 14 mile round trip to work and social visits ... occasional motorway trips too.
Preferably small, 1.4L, cheap to insure (22 with no NCB), holds it price?!? (a bit), anything less than 60k miles ...
Ideas so far: fiesta zetec 1.4, Citroen c2, seat leon 1.4
Help appreciated as its nearing winter and don't want to cycle any more
smarties89 said:
Looking at spending 3k tops on it...Preferably small, 1.4L, cheap to insure (22 with no NCB)...anything less than 60k miles
The trouble is, those requirements in combination are going to lead to classifieds boredom. smarties89 said:
Ideas so far: fiesta zetec 1.4, Citroen c2, seat leon 1.4
Fine if that's what you want: small, lacklustre shopping hatchback. Serves a purpose I guess, but I can't see them keeping any value.Why the requirement for a small engine? If it's for economy, fair enough. If it's for insurance purposes then you can do better.
60k miles tops? Will the car suddenly become desperately unreliable at 80k, 100k? The OH's Audi is just shy of 100k miles on the odometer and all I've had to do so far is replace the cooling fan with one from the scrappy for £30 delivered. Hardly the byword in unreliable.
At the risk of becoming 300bhp's apprentice, have you considered something older and more leftfield? Insurance for classics can be rudely inexpensive. Granted, often you won't build up a no claims bonus, but see if you can get yourself down as a named driver on a family member's policy if their insurance company operates a no-claims system for named drivers. You don't have to drive their car, but it's building up all the while.
A sample of more interesting machinery for your perusal:
2.8i Capri for £2995
I learnt to drive in my father's 2.8i Granada, and that Ford V6 engine was impressive. 3rd gear would take you from pootling to leptons very very quickly. 14 years old, driving around Castle Combe in that - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
I just ran an insurance quote on this versus a 1.4 Fiesta Zetec through the mainstream insurers and it came to just £200 a year more fully comp for a 22 year old with no no claims. And that's the mainstream insurers - phone a few classic insurers and I bet you'll find it's significantly cheaper.
But if the Capri isn't to your taste, how about a:
Triumph Spitfire for £3250
Much fettling done recently including a full respray in 2005. Includes a hard top as well (seeing as how you mentioned the cold weather). I'm sure a bit of haggling will get that closer to your £3k limit. Only 100cc more than your suggestion for a 1.4 as well, but in that car it'll feel a lot more down the B-roads. A doddle to work on so no need to take it to someone else for servicing, saving you ££££s in the process.
Still on the soft tops, how about a stunning looking
MG Midget for £2500
New hood, that paintwork looks fairly recent, and new tyres on some classic minilites. I guarantee that will impress onlookers far more than a 1.4 Seat Leon. I'm sure they'd throw the hamper in for good measure if you asked nicely.
Said hamper's worth of food for thought?
spending my time running insurance quotes putting anything more than 1.6L takes the insurance to £150 a month minimum, where as anything 1.4 max's at £110 as im not made of money and really doing it to boost my NCB, i figured 3k would get me something semi decent that i wouldnt have to fix every time it goes in for an MOT.
Try things like the MG Midget listed above. It'll be far more fun to drive than anything modern you can afford and might turn out to be considerably cheaper to insure, too. My first car was an MGB when my friends were all driving crappy hatchbacks, and I never regretted the decision. 
smarties89 said:
spending my time running insurance quotes putting anything more than 1.6L takes the insurance to £150 a month minimum, where as anything 1.4 max's at £110 as im not made of money and really doing it to boost my NCB,
It will do, if you're getting quotes on the same type of car that every other first car driver is using, as they tend to get crashed, a lot. I don't doubt the temptation to get a similar car to that of friends is tempting, but you're only ever going to get bent over by the insurance companies doing that, and usually minus the lube. Or, as you've found out, be forced to drive something desperately lacklustre in the engine department which you'll probably end up ragging everywhere to make progress with the resultant reliability issues that entails.smarties89 said:
I figured 3k would get me something semi decent that i wouldnt have to fix every time it goes in for an MOT.
I would suggest that basing future MOT expenses on an arbitrary sum isn't going to work well. Buy on condition and history. I'd be more confident that spending 1.5k on a car that doesn't attract new drivers with their on/off acceleration style than 3k on one that does, but of similar age would get a car that needs far less replacing.
Again, referring back to the OH's Audi, in the two MOTs since she's owned it the only thing that needed replacing was two front indicator bulbs where the orange coating had broken up. Cost of the car was £1650. This car is 13 years old and knocking on the door of 100k miles. Cheap does not necessarily equal big bills.
smarties89 said:
Jagnet, nice car suggestions hadn't really thought about anything like them! This could keep me entertained for a while ... although i feel in a rush to buy something soon as the good old english summer is coming to an end 
And with it a noticeable price reduction on classic soft tops hadn't really thought about anything like them! This could keep me entertained for a while ... although i feel in a rush to buy something soon as the good old english summer is coming to an end jagnet said:
smarties89 said:
Jagnet, nice car suggestions hadn't really thought about anything like them! This could keep me entertained for a while ... although i feel in a rush to buy something soon as the good old english summer is coming to an end
And with it a noticeable price reduction on classic soft tops hadn't really thought about anything like them! This could keep me entertained for a while ... although i feel in a rush to buy something soon as the good old english summer is coming to an end 
You could expect to get a removable hardtop for a Midget or Spitfire for the winter for that money if you want one. OP: if you like old school mini's but don't want to blow a wad of cash on one.... Simillar style but far less insurance/purchase price, and probably tax free options:
> Austin 1100 or Austin 1300
> Van den plas
> hillman imp
> triumph herald
> old school volvos..... like 1960s. Was on at classic auction, £1100. Beautiful car.
> Austin 1100 or Austin 1300
> Van den plas
> hillman imp
> triumph herald
> old school volvos..... like 1960s. Was on at classic auction, £1100. Beautiful car.
Not wishing to take this off topic into an insurance debate, but do you know if your postcode is particularly poor insurance-wise OP? Only ask because I'm 19 with no NCB and 3 points and seems like my quotes are cheaper than yours, for much faster cars (Leon Cupras, 328s, Golf GTis, etc)
Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
LawAys said:
Not wishing to take this off topic into an insurance debate, but do you know if your postcode is particularly poor insurance-wise OP? Only ask because I'm 19 with no NCB and 3 points and seems like my quotes are cheaper than yours, for much faster cars (Leon Cupras, 328s, Golf GTis, etc)
Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
Adding additional experienced drivers, even if they aren't going to use it, it a must. Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
A policy on my own came in at around £1k on a 2.0 Audi A3. (I'm 21 with 4 NCB)
Added mum and GF and the price came down to £600.
Nice 40% discount thank you very much!
jagnet said:
smarties89 said:
Looking at spending 3k tops on it...Preferably small, 1.4L, cheap to insure (22 with no NCB)...anything less than 60k miles
The trouble is, those requirements in combination are going to lead to classifieds boredom. smarties89 said:
Ideas so far: fiesta zetec 1.4, Citroen c2, seat leon 1.4
Fine if that's what you want: small, lacklustre shopping hatchback. Serves a purpose I guess, but I can't see them keeping any value.Why the requirement for a small engine? If it's for economy, fair enough. If it's for insurance purposes then you can do better.
60k miles tops? Will the car suddenly become desperately unreliable at 80k, 100k? The OH's Audi is just shy of 100k miles on the odometer and all I've had to do so far is replace the cooling fan with one from the scrappy for £30 delivered. Hardly the byword in unreliable.
At the risk of becoming 300bhp's apprentice, have you considered something older and more leftfield? Insurance for classics can be rudely inexpensive. Granted, often you won't build up a no claims bonus, but see if you can get yourself down as a named driver on a family member's policy if their insurance company operates a no-claims system for named drivers. You don't have to drive their car, but it's building up all the while.
A sample of more interesting machinery for your perusal:
2.8i Capri for £2995
I learnt to drive in my father's 2.8i Granada, and that Ford V6 engine was impressive. 3rd gear would take you from pootling to leptons very very quickly. 14 years old, driving around Castle Combe in that - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
I just ran an insurance quote on this versus a 1.4 Fiesta Zetec through the mainstream insurers and it came to just £200 a year more fully comp for a 22 year old with no no claims. And that's the mainstream insurers - phone a few classic insurers and I bet you'll find it's significantly cheaper.
But if the Capri isn't to your taste, how about a:
Triumph Spitfire for £3250
Much fettling done recently including a full respray in 2005. Includes a hard top as well (seeing as how you mentioned the cold weather). I'm sure a bit of haggling will get that closer to your £3k limit. Only 100cc more than your suggestion for a 1.4 as well, but in that car it'll feel a lot more down the B-roads. A doddle to work on so no need to take it to someone else for servicing, saving you ££££s in the process.
Still on the soft tops, how about a stunning looking
MG Midget for £2500
New hood, that paintwork looks fairly recent, and new tyres on some classic minilites. I guarantee that will impress onlookers far more than a 1.4 Seat Leon. I'm sure they'd throw the hamper in for good measure if you asked nicely.
Said hamper's worth of food for thought?
LawAys said:
Not wishing to take this off topic into an insurance debate, but do you know if your postcode is particularly poor insurance-wise OP? Only ask because I'm 19 with no NCB and 3 points and seems like my quotes are cheaper than yours, for much faster cars (Leon Cupras, 328s, Golf GTis, etc)
Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
Not got a clue to be honest but im not far from slough so that probably boosts it a fair bit! No idea why my quotes are so high, i have put the old bird on it and that brings it down like £200, pretty much everyone else in the family has maximum points on their license Try adding a couple of older family members to your policy, adjusting your milage to as accurate as possible and putting the excess up to what you could reasonably afford.
And mileage is hard to calculate, the more the miles the higher the premium? I know if you put the voluntary excess it lowers premiums right?
Mileage does not (as far as I know) effect premiums.
I'd echo the leftfield approach.
I tooled around in a Mitsi Galant v6 as my first car, a friend had a 3l Omega.
Both were cheap as chips to insure compared to the normal hatches etc., simply as they have very low risk profile owners, and very few young bucks choose them.
I went on to a MGB GT.
If you want something reliable, yet cheap to insure, a couple of options I've owned spring to mind.
Suzuki Samurai - with lower gearing it did 40 top whack, but very little stopped it, the roof and windscreen folded for true wind in the hair, and girls loved it.
MX5 mk1 - bloody awesome, cheap to buy, cheap to run, looks good with a little freshening, girls love it, you'll love it, and when you've built some no claims you can always supercharge it.
Bet none of your mates will have either, which will lead to many moistened gussets, whilst your jealous mates use predictable insults to hide their conformism biting them in the arse.
I'd echo the leftfield approach.
I tooled around in a Mitsi Galant v6 as my first car, a friend had a 3l Omega.
Both were cheap as chips to insure compared to the normal hatches etc., simply as they have very low risk profile owners, and very few young bucks choose them.
I went on to a MGB GT.
If you want something reliable, yet cheap to insure, a couple of options I've owned spring to mind.
Suzuki Samurai - with lower gearing it did 40 top whack, but very little stopped it, the roof and windscreen folded for true wind in the hair, and girls loved it.
MX5 mk1 - bloody awesome, cheap to buy, cheap to run, looks good with a little freshening, girls love it, you'll love it, and when you've built some no claims you can always supercharge it.
Bet none of your mates will have either, which will lead to many moistened gussets, whilst your jealous mates use predictable insults to hide their conformism biting them in the arse.
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