Car for new driver

[SGirl]

Well, it’s started. Son has just turned 16 and already his thoughts are turning to what car he should get when he’s passed his test. There’s plenty of time yet, but I’ve told him we’ll spend some time over the next few months narrowing down the selection before we choose a few cars to go and see just before he turns 17.

Thing is, I’m not really sure where to start looking. Personally, I wouldn’t mind him having a Defender because it’s solid and slowish and will spend all its time broken anyway. But he’s not keen.

So what’s the latest on cars for new drivers? Is it still the case that insurance is marginally cheaper on cars that kids that age don’t normally drive? Would it be more sensible to buy him something newish and less likely to break down, or something older and cheaper until he’s got a bit more experience? What I don’t want to do is give him unrealistic expectations - if he thinks he’s getting a new car, he’s going to be disappointed.

He mentioned last night that he “wouldn’t mind” an old Mercedes - he found a 15-year-old one last night that’s within budget. But it’s huge for a new driver, it’s got galactic mileage on it and it’s going to cost a fortune in parts every time it breaks down.

So, any advice would be much appreciated! Like I said, there’s plenty of time yet but we need to consider our options before we start looking for a specific car. Thanks for your help.

[Baldchap]

What's the budget?

[Pothole]

Avoid thinking along the lines of "but it's huge for a new driver". Kids are usually pretty adaptable and if he turns out to be a decent driver and is interested in driving he'll adapt very quickly.

[SGirl]

Baldchap said:

What's the budget?

Haven’t decided exactly. Probably no more than about £5000 initially, but there’s an element of flexibility if we find the right car.

[Shiv_P]

If I was starting driving again, I'd buy a Yaris/fiesta keep for 2 years and avoid crashing. 2 years NCB and 19 years old means insurance is generally reasonable on something quick

[rxe]

Also very interested in this. Eldest is also 16, and is keen to be on the road about a nanosecond after his 17th birthday, I don’t want to spend money on some hateful Polo or C1. I have visions of starting his motoring career in some underpowered barge Alfa or Volvo - physically robust, needs maintenance (I want him to learn maintenance) and pretty slow.

I assume insurers will have other ideas. My perfect car for him would be an Alfa166 2.0 - woefully underpowered, encourages a relaxed driving style on standard suspension and will need regular fettling. The horror option is a C1 on PCP. Yuk.

[SGirl]

Pothole said:

Avoid thinking along the lines of "but it's huge for a new driver". Kids are usually pretty adaptable and if he turns out to be a decent driver and is interested in driving he'll adapt very quickly.

There is that, but if he wants to drive something big he can borrow our cars. I’m more concerned about the cost of running a car like that - all he sees is the price to buy, not the cost of a gearbox or an alternator or whatever. Or even the cost of fuelling it. Though I was the same at his age, in fairness. His ultimate goal at the moment is an Aston, but he can buy one of those himself when he’s earning enough!

[SGirl]

Shiv_P said:

If I was starting driving again, I'd buy a Yaris/fiesta keep for 2 years and avoid crashing. 2 years NCB and 19 years old means insurance is generally reasonable on something quick

He’s not having anything quick. No way. Not ever.

[SGirl]

rxe said:

I have visions of starting his motoring career in some underpowered barge Alfa or Volvo - physically robust, needs maintenance (I want him to learn maintenance) and pretty slow.

I was thinking Volvo too - I had one before I got into Range Rovers and he loved it. It would certainly do the job. (And I wouldn’t mind having another to use!) Alfa is a good call too - he likes those. Might have to check the insurance on one of those.

Absolutely no PCP though. If he wants a new car, he’ll have to save up. But I don’t think he will anyway - he likes older interesting cars.

[kieranblenk]

When I passed nearly 6 years ago, I was after a Rover 75 as while the image isn't the best I thought I could use it to my advantage and bag a bargain insurance wise. Wrong. It was over £3k the quote I received. Everything with an engine above 1.4 litre was just ludicrous. I settled on an 04 Fabia which was a decent little car.

A small coupe might be worth a look such as a Puma. Likewise a small saloon (Volvo S40 or something) might be a good middle ground. If I was passing now I'd probably buy an Alfa Mito as I really like the look of them - I'm considering a QV for my next car in fact.

[Pothole]

Morris Minor. Easy to work on, fantastic spares availability (and cheap spares, too) Slow, but fun and can be had in 4 door form.

[MrGTI6]

Peugeot 106 1.5D. Very slow, easy to work on, reliable, and they seem to run on thin air.

Failing that a K11 Micra.

[ZX10R NIN]

Alfa Mito Veloce 95/120 save the rest for when he's built up his no claims & wants something more interesting.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Toyota IQ3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Volvo C30

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Kia Pro Cee'd 3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

1.5 Subaru Impreza

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Smart Fortwo

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[SGirl]

Lots to think about there - thanks all! The Volvo C30 is a front runner at the moment. Suggested the Morris Minor, only to get one of Those looks that teenagers give their mums when they think the marbles have finally been lost.

A friend of mine offered me a Smart Roadster, which would be handy because I have one of those already (but my son won't be driving it, it's modified and I don't want him binning it). But I'm not convinced, because the gearbox does take some getting used to and I don't want him thinking that kind of transmission is normal.

The hunt continues! Thanks for all your help so far.

[RSTurboPaul]

If you want him to not crash (or at least be at less risk of crashing), you need to get him skilled at operating the machine before he has to go on the road and deal with the morons on it - otherwise he's trying to learn to operate the vehicle while also learning to survive on the road and understand how a vehicle handles, which surely at least doubles the workload.

There should be some 'earlydrive' or similar courses in your area, or there's always the Under 17s Car Club (although you may have left it too late if he's already 16).

It would also be useful to find out if there are any dry/wet handling courses nearby, or something like a trackday or a skidpan if nothing else - better to learn how a car handles in 'extreme' situations in a controlled environment, rather than learning it out on the road with people/cars/trees to hit.

[SGirl]

RSTurboPaul said:

If you want him to not crash (or at least be at less risk of crashing), you need to get him skilled at operating the machine before he has to go on the road and deal with the morons on it - otherwise he's trying to learn to operate the vehicle while also learning to survive on the road and understand how a vehicle handles, which surely at least doubles the workload.

There should be some 'earlydrive' or similar courses in your area, or there's always the Under 17s Car Club (although you may have left it too late if he's already 16).

It would also be useful to find out if there are any dry/wet handling courses nearby, or something like a trackday or a skidpan if nothing else - better to learn how a car handles in 'extreme' situations in a controlled environment, rather than learning it out on the road with people/cars/trees to hit.

Thanks Paul, we've already done that. He did Young Driver for ages, until he got bored. We tried a couple of supercar driving days - fun while you're driving, but a lot of standing around waiting. And we've done some offroading as well.

I like the idea of a handling course, though. He did one of those ages ago, where they ended up learning how to reverse at speed around bollards and stuff, but it would be good to find another couple of those before he's let loose on the roads.

And I've decided he's definitely never going in my Roadster. I was out in it a couple of days ago, and given the number of times I nearly ended up being driven over (!) it appears people in massive SUVs simply don't see it, despite the fact it's bright red. They just cut into lanes directly in front of it. No point in adding that kind of stress to driving before he's even got started properly.

Anyway, enough ranting. I'll definitely look into a handling course or two for him - thanks!

[RSTurboPaul]

SGirl said:

RSTurboPaul said:

If you want him to not crash (or at least be at less risk of crashing), you need to get him skilled at operating the machine before he has to go on the road and deal with the morons on it - otherwise he's trying to learn to operate the vehicle while also learning to survive on the road and understand how a vehicle handles, which surely at least doubles the workload.

There should be some 'earlydrive' or similar courses in your area, or there's always the Under 17s Car Club (although you may have left it too late if he's already 16).

It would also be useful to find out if there are any dry/wet handling courses nearby, or something like a trackday or a skidpan if nothing else - better to learn how a car handles in 'extreme' situations in a controlled environment, rather than learning it out on the road with people/cars/trees to hit.

Thanks Paul, we've already done that. He did Young Driver for ages, until he got bored. We tried a couple of supercar driving days - fun while you're driving, but a lot of standing around waiting. And we've done some offroading as well.

I like the idea of a handling course, though. He did one of those ages ago, where they ended up learning how to reverse at speed around bollards and stuff, but it would be good to find another couple of those before he's let loose on the roads.

And I've decided he's definitely never going in my Roadster. I was out in it a couple of days ago, and given the number of times I nearly ended up being driven over (!) it appears people in massive SUVs simply don't see it, despite the fact it's bright red. They just cut into lanes directly in front of it. No point in adding that kind of stress to driving before he's even got started properly.

Anyway, enough ranting. I'll definitely look into a handling course or two for him - thanks!

Excellent stuff It sounds like you are preparing him well, which is pleasing to see. More people should be like you!

You could (both) look at a skidpan session, if you've not done it before - something like what they offer here: http://www.essexskidpan.com/contact-us/

Alternatively, I was previously looking at some of the options on here: www.driftlimits.co.uk/ but have yet to book anything (because procrastination/skint/disorganised... lol)


Have you done IAM / RoSPA / HPC?

If not, you could both do it together once he's passed his test, so it's a bonding experience and you both derive the benefits.

I would suggest he could do it beforehand, but it seems to me that most driving instructors/examiners don't appreciate actual advanced driving techniques, preferring instead to teach by rote and examine against it. (I recall a 'driving test' I had to undertake before I could qualify to borrow a pool car for work - the chap was not happy that I didn't signal to turn into a side road when there was literally no-one around to see it. )

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Tuesday 12th February 09:59

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Tuesday 12th February 09:59

[anonymous-user]

Isn't a Volvo/Alfa/Mercedes going to be pretty much uninsurable for a 17 year old? Surely insurance cost is why most youngsters end up with a C1/Polo/Fiesta etc.

[RSTurboPaul]

Joey Deacon said:

Isn't a Volvo/Alfa/Mercedes going to be pretty much uninsurable for a 17 year old? Surely insurance cost is why most youngsters end up with a C1/Polo/Fiesta etc.

IIRC HPC have arranged their own special insurance coverage, whereby all qualified HPC members are covered to drive each others' cars, even when they are crazy-fast/expensive supercars or similar.

I wonder if it could be worth contacting them to ask if they could check whether a 17 year old would be able to be covered through their insurance arrangements?

If it was possible, and they were able to confirm it would be a reasonable cost, it would make the one-off cost of doing HPC a bargain if it saved a lot more money over the forthcoming (expensive) early years of insurance cover for an otherwise 'new' driver.

[rfn]

SGirl said:

RSTurboPaul said:

There should be some 'earlydrive' or similar courses in your area, or there's always the Under 17s Car Club (although you may have left it too late if he's already 16).

Thanks Paul, we've already done that. He did Young Driver for ages, until he got bored. We tried a couple of supercar driving days - fun while you're driving, but a lot of standing around waiting. And we've done some offroading as well.

I'm involved with the U17CC and they also run week-long courses (www.under17driver.co.uk) that may be of some use around his 17th birthday.

As for cars... SEAT Ibiza seems to go down well for young(er) drivers these days?