Buying a car for my daughter to learn in........

[Blue62]

Any advice from those who've been there? My eldest is approaching her 17th birthday and I will be looking for a suitable car on the basis that mine and Mrs Blue's are not suitable.

My chief requirement is that it is safe, reliable, easy to drive and will retain some value. At the moment I am thinking of a used Mini Cooper, mainly because they look more robust than Saxo's, Polo's etc, if I had my way it would probably be a Sherman Tank.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Honda Jazz. Easy to sell on, retain value and I would have thought it significantly more reliable than the mini brand.

[Dave Hedgehog]

euroncap will give you a fair idea on safety, whilst its not a comprehensive test its the best we have to go on

http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

[SteBrown91]

mk3 renault clio, cheap, fairly reliable if you avoid ones with the keycard/auto lights etc, also has a 5 star ncap.

[Vaud]

Don't forget to check insurance with 2 types of quote - with her as a learner and with her as passed. Can be radically different by car.

Not sure on lease constraints for younger drivers, but for 90 a month you might be able to lease her an Up.

http://www.gogreenleasing.co.uk/business-lease-car...

[backwoodsman]

If the insurance is ok, I would go with the Mini.

[kiethton]

Insurance on a Bini will be horrific surely?

I'd go with a Toyota Yaris if the budget is below £5k or a newer shaper fiesta if above.

Both are able to withstand serious abuse, are frugal and have cheap servicing/repair costs are safe and easy to drive/learn in with good visibility. Go for the 1.0/1.25 (60bhp) for ultimate insurance cheapness.

[Krikkit]

kiethton said:

Insurance on a Bini will be horrific surely?

I'd go with a Toyota Yaris if the budget is below £5k or a newer shaper fiesta if above.

Both are able to withstand serious abuse, are frugal and have cheap servicing/repair costs are safe and easy to drive/learn in with good visibility. Go for the 1.0/1.25 (60bhp) for ultimate insurance cheapness.

Agree with this - a BINI might look cute, but parts are expensive and the visibility is much worse than some of the competition. Not good for a newbie.

[300bhp/ton]

Blue62 said:

Any advice from those who've been there? My eldest is approaching her 17th birthday and I will be looking for a suitable car on the basis that mine and Mrs Blue's are not suitable.

My chief requirement is that it is safe, reliable, easy to drive and will retain some value. At the moment I am thinking of a used Mini Cooper, mainly because they look more robust than Saxo's, Polo's etc, if I had my way it would probably be a Sherman Tank.

So what are the "unreliable" ones?

Personally I believe people should learn in bigger cars. Ideally something Vectra/Mondeo sized. This is two fold:

1. It means they won't be afraid of driving bigger cars later on.

2. It should mean they have a better sense of spacial awareness. Also if they then want a small car, it will be 'easy' to park. Rather than becoming a whole new challenge.

Bigger cars tend to be safer and generally ride and drive better too.

[telecat]

My Daughter has a 5 door Ibiza 1.4 Sport. Current shape from 2008. She adores it and it is new enough to have the safety features required.

[kiethton]

300bhp/ton said:

Blue62 said:

Any advice from those who've been there? My eldest is approaching her 17th birthday and I will be looking for a suitable car on the basis that mine and Mrs Blue's are not suitable.

My chief requirement is that it is safe, reliable, easy to drive and will retain some value. At the moment I am thinking of a used Mini Cooper, mainly because they look more robust than Saxo's, Polo's etc, if I had my way it would probably be a Sherman Tank.

So what are the "unreliable" ones?

Personally I believe people should learn in bigger cars. Ideally something Vectra/Mondeo sized. This is two fold:

1. It means they won't be afraid of driving bigger cars later on.

2. It should mean they have a better sense of spacial awareness. Also if they then want a small car, it will be 'easy' to park. Rather than becoming a whole new challenge.

Bigger cars tend to be safer and generally ride and drive better too.

The problem in my experience though as a fairly young driver is that the costs associated with running them are higher.

For a 17 year old that's likely still at school with little parental support you need to consider the additional costs of a bigger car:

30mpg as opposed to 45mpg
£300 extra for insurance...
£100 extra for tax...
£20 a corner more for tyres....

This is in additional to the social elements - what 17 year old female wants a mondeo? Would the OP like his daughter owning a car with a large rear seat area?

[300bhp/ton]

Dave Hedgehog said:

euroncap will give you a fair idea on safety, whilst its not a comprehensive test its the best we have to go on

http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

I'm pretty sure the NCAP rating only really works for a vehicle of the same weight and size. Which is a bit misleading. So a larger lower NCAP rating vehicle may well be safer if you collide with a lorry or other larger vehicle.

[vanordinaire]

I bought a Morris Minor for my son to learn to drive in so that he would 'learn properly like I did' with no ABS, no power, no grip etc and as he also had to do all his own servicing and repairs he might learn some respect for the mechanicals.......It sat without moving for a year before I relented and bought him a crappy little Corsa which he loved and passed his test in 6 weeks later. My daughter saved up her Saturday job money and bought her own crappy little Clio just so that her 'eccentric' dad wouldn't get to choose something interesting for her.

[unpc]

I went through this with mine and she had her heart set on a Mito but was awful to drive. She didn't like driving the Mini either so I ended up getting her an 09 Fiesta which is a cracking car. Oddly enough the insurance was cheaper on the 1.4 than the 1.25.

[crofty1984]

kiethton said:

Would the OP like his daughter owning a car with a large rear seat area?

MX5 it is! With one seat removed.

[kiethton]

crofty1984 said:

MX5 it is! With one seat removed.

Brilliant! She can even take her top off then!









(The car not her OP!)