Is running an older classic possible for a teen daughter?
Discussion
My daughter will be learning to drive next year and as her 6th form college is quite a journey we will be keen to get her into her own car asap.
My first thought was to get her a basic but nice car like a Fiat 500, Fiesta, Beetle etc, but on reflection I was then thinking back to when I was a student and a female friend used to run me into the university campus in her MG Midget. Is it even remotely viable nowadays to investigate something like an early MR2 or MX5 insured under a classic car policy for a newly qualified young driver?
It just occured to me that it might be fun to buy something a little more interesting for her and it might be cheaper to insure a classic than it might be a boring Fiesta!
Interested in other people's views.
Saxon
My first thought was to get her a basic but nice car like a Fiat 500, Fiesta, Beetle etc, but on reflection I was then thinking back to when I was a student and a female friend used to run me into the university campus in her MG Midget. Is it even remotely viable nowadays to investigate something like an early MR2 or MX5 insured under a classic car policy for a newly qualified young driver?
It just occured to me that it might be fun to buy something a little more interesting for her and it might be cheaper to insure a classic than it might be a boring Fiesta!
Interested in other people's views.
Saxon
Whilst its a nice thought get the safest and most reliable car not the coolest / oldest.
My late 90s classic has airbags and ABS but if I have a bad crash in it I know the chances of serious injury are high as back in the day airbags were literally just bolted on and that was it. Very little crash testing is done. Something like a roll over does not bear thinking about.
My mid 2010s Audi is probably many times safer. Its slower. Its not as cool and its very very boring. But its safe, does not (touch wood) break down and needs little in the way of TLC.
My late 90s classic has airbags and ABS but if I have a bad crash in it I know the chances of serious injury are high as back in the day airbags were literally just bolted on and that was it. Very little crash testing is done. Something like a roll over does not bear thinking about.
My mid 2010s Audi is probably many times safer. Its slower. Its not as cool and its very very boring. But its safe, does not (touch wood) break down and needs little in the way of TLC.
CheesecakeRunner said:
Which car has bluetooth, CarPlay, and you'd like her to have a crash in?
Some interesting points there. Even if the last one is a little harsh it does have a grain of truth. All new drivers whether pre or post test make errors of judgement - it's part of the learning process. This can result in scraped paint, busted door mirrors or, of course, worse.Learning to juggle clutch, accelerator, choke and handbrake on an icy morning is certainly an experience.
Obviously reliability is a must. Once confidence in a vehicle is lost it is a long road to regain it.
You can pick up fun things like MINI convertibles, VW EOS or 207CCs for around £3k. Convertible would be fun but you do have to factor in reliability, safety etc.
As a father, Finding my daughter stranded at the side of the road because i bought her the car i wanted her to have rather than the car that she wanted would be heartbreaking.
As a father, Finding my daughter stranded at the side of the road because i bought her the car i wanted her to have rather than the car that she wanted would be heartbreaking.
Don't do it. Get the safest car you can afford. Learners / new drivers are overrepresented in crashes by some margin and it isn't worth any cost saving and certainly not worth it for a new driver to have an 'interesting car'. Let them learn & slowly build up ability & confidence in something like a Focus or Astra or Mondeo or whatever that is cheap but big enough to protect her in case of an accident.
What does she want?
As above, I wouldn't count on a classic being cheap to insure for a new driver, maybe get some quotes first.
For somethjng "different", a Daihatsu Copen may fit the bill as being small/fun/cute but without the hassles of a 50 year old car.
Or just get her an Aygo, they're actually good fun.
As above, I wouldn't count on a classic being cheap to insure for a new driver, maybe get some quotes first.
For somethjng "different", a Daihatsu Copen may fit the bill as being small/fun/cute but without the hassles of a 50 year old car.
Or just get her an Aygo, they're actually good fun.
Lease her something solid for 2 years to get NCD. Have you seen someone under 25 able to look up from their phone even crossing a road? NCAP, Bluetooth and a car that reads texts would be my very first thought.
Those Vauxhall Grandland things have all that and are sort cheap. Higher driving position, loads of space for mates and camping gear etc
Those Vauxhall Grandland things have all that and are sort cheap. Higher driving position, loads of space for mates and camping gear etc
I would echo the concerns voiced above re. safety.
As nice as it might be to have an interesting first car, if I was in your shoes, safety would take priority over this.
Other point is reliability as I would not want my daughters to be stranded at the roadside which is far less likely to happen with something newer.
I assume your daughter is into cars / driving? I get the impression a lot of youngsters are more concerned with image / connectivity / style etc and she might just view it as an embarrassing old car.
EDIT to add sorry this thread seems to be going one way!
I know 18 year old me would have loved an MX5 and to hell with the safety issues but now I'm a father I couldn't imagine doing anything other than giving my kids the safest possible vehicle, especially with the state of driving these days and the sheer number of distracted idiots out there!!
As nice as it might be to have an interesting first car, if I was in your shoes, safety would take priority over this.
Other point is reliability as I would not want my daughters to be stranded at the roadside which is far less likely to happen with something newer.
I assume your daughter is into cars / driving? I get the impression a lot of youngsters are more concerned with image / connectivity / style etc and she might just view it as an embarrassing old car.
EDIT to add sorry this thread seems to be going one way!
I know 18 year old me would have loved an MX5 and to hell with the safety issues but now I'm a father I couldn't imagine doing anything other than giving my kids the safest possible vehicle, especially with the state of driving these days and the sheer number of distracted idiots out there!!
Edited by R56Cooper on Wednesday 17th March 11:50
Cold said:
When my daughter was learning I bought her a car that was safe, would start in the morning and had a working heater.
So not a classic then.... I used Morris Minors while at 6th form and then my first job, not great on the motorway, but ok elsewhere, but this was in 1997, cars and the world have changed a fair bit since.I have a classic car, have owned several, and when I was learning to drive in the early 00's, I had a classic Mini. I fortunately never crashed that, but I did have a few small prangs in the other car (a new-ish at the time Yaris).
It's perfectly viable to get a 30 year old classic, with classic insurance, for a new driver.
However, as many posters above alluded to, get a car that's safe and easy to drive as the priority if you're selecting a car for her or she hasn't expressed a strong preference.
Even the smallest of new superminis (an Aygo?) will be safer, more reliable and more comfortable than a 30 year old MR2. If your daughter really wants a classic car, then fair enough, look at some options, but make sure she's going into it eyes wide open and not just "because it looks cute".
My missus loves our 50 year old Fiat 500, because it's cute and cool. And yet, she refuses to drive it, and even being a passenger in it is not high on her list of fun things to do.
Ignore the flippant comments about bluetooth/carplay. Personally I think they're valid requirements, most people who have Spotify or Waze will want some sort of phone integration, and any 90's car will still need a sat nav of one form or another... Thankfully these days there are so many solutions to this that it should not dictate the choice of car (you can fit an aftermarket headunit with Carplay to any old car...)
It's perfectly viable to get a 30 year old classic, with classic insurance, for a new driver.
However, as many posters above alluded to, get a car that's safe and easy to drive as the priority if you're selecting a car for her or she hasn't expressed a strong preference.
Even the smallest of new superminis (an Aygo?) will be safer, more reliable and more comfortable than a 30 year old MR2. If your daughter really wants a classic car, then fair enough, look at some options, but make sure she's going into it eyes wide open and not just "because it looks cute".
My missus loves our 50 year old Fiat 500, because it's cute and cool. And yet, she refuses to drive it, and even being a passenger in it is not high on her list of fun things to do.
Ignore the flippant comments about bluetooth/carplay. Personally I think they're valid requirements, most people who have Spotify or Waze will want some sort of phone integration, and any 90's car will still need a sat nav of one form or another... Thankfully these days there are so many solutions to this that it should not dictate the choice of car (you can fit an aftermarket headunit with Carplay to any old car...)
I'd be very worried about safety to be honest. Even if that wasn't a concern, I wouldn't imagine many companies would be lining up to insure an MX-5 for a new driver, at least not without requiring some sort of blood sacrifice.
It's better to enjoy the comforts of modern motoring every day and have the quirks of a classic as a treat, rather than the other way around.
It's better to enjoy the comforts of modern motoring every day and have the quirks of a classic as a treat, rather than the other way around.
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