Ideal first car?

[dla389]

As the title says, I'm after a recommendation for a first car to drive. I have already booked for my driving lessons and will be starting in a few weeks time, so I'm thinking which car should get me going for the first few years of driving.

I am currently eighteen years of age and my budget is £700-£1500. Insurance is also an issue - so I have the following cars in mind;

Peugeot 206 (2000 edition)
VW Golf (mark 2)
Renault Clio (mark 1 with facelift or mark 2)
Ford Focus (mark 1)
Vauxhall Corsa

Any idea's or recommendations?

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2009 20:21:57 GMT @dla389 said:

As the title says, I'm after a recommendation for a first car to drive. I have already booked for my driving lessons and will be starting in a few weeks time, so I'm thinking which car should get me going for the first few years of driving.

I am currently eighteen years of age and my budget is £700-£1500. Insurance is also an issue - so I have the following cars in mind;

Peugeot 206 (96-00)
VW Golf Mark 2
Renult Clio Mark 2
Ford Focus Mark 1

Any idea's or recommendations?

Or a Ford ka or is that to girly??

[Steve09]

I'm in the same position as you, but I'll recomend you on a Ford Focus Mark 1 Or a Clio. I don't really like the 206, it looks a bit bulky, and aren't vw golfs a little bit too old? My choices are a old style Corsa, clio or a fiesta.

I suppose my final recomendation for you mate is A Clio, it looks like a nice stylish first car. Think yourself lucky, I've got another 2 months to wait untill i'm 17 and can learn.

[john]

Jun 10, 2009 20:21:57 GMT @dla389 said:

As the title says, I'm after a recommendation for a first car to drive. I have already booked for my driving lessons and will be starting in a few weeks time, so I'm thinking which car should get me going for the first few years of driving.

I am currently eighteen years of age and my budget is £700-£1500. Insurance is also an issue - so I have the following cars in mind;

Peugeot 206 (96-00)
VW Golf Mark 2
Renult Clio Mark 2
Ford Focus Mark 1

Any idea's or recommendations?

Forget the Focus lol. The insurance on that will be sky high. Just to give you an idea, i passed my test when i was 19, so 4 years ago this July, and i got a Mk4 Fiesta, the bubbly looking one, on an R-reg, so the car was 8 years old at the time. Engine size was 1.2, so not very powerful either. It cost me £1k, yet the insurance was.........sit down for this.......£1800!!

What i'd recommend is something similar, plus you MUST do the pass plus. It knocks off about 10% on your insurance in the first year, which is a life saver. Think i got mine down to around £1600 if i remember rightly.

Hope that helps you out abit mate

[vjaska]

Jun 10, 2009 20:21:57 GMT @dla389 said:

As the title says, I'm after a recommendation for a first car to drive. I have already booked for my driving lessons and will be starting in a few weeks time, so I'm thinking which car should get me going for the first few years of driving.

I am currently eighteen years of age and my budget is £700-£1500. Insurance is also an issue - so I have the following cars in mind;

Peugeot 206 (96-00)
VW Golf Mark 2
Renult Clio Mark 2
Ford Focus Mark 1

Any idea's or recommendations?

Pop down to your local Arriva garage and take an S reg ;D ;D ;D

[snowman]

If its your first car and you are only 18 then start by looking at Insurance. You want something in a low group 1,2 or 3 otherwise the insurance will cost as much as the car

Use the internet and get a few quotes for cars like Ka, Clio, Pug 106, Aygo, Corsa, Citroen C1 and see what each will cost you.

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2009 4:58:16 GMT snowman said:

If its your first car and you are only 18 then start by looking at Insurance. You want something in a low group 1,2 or 3 otherwise the insurance will cost as much as the car

Use the internet and get a few quotes for cars like Ka, Clio, Pug 106, Aygo, Corsa, Citroen C1 and see what each will cost you.

As has already been said, your age will severely affect your insurance premium, so the choice of vehicle (including obviously the engine size) is important.

So, as well as selecting a car with a small engine, you need to consider what it would cost to repair if you had an accident.

'Foreign' cars and low volume manufactured vehicles will have higher replacement parts costs than large mass production models, so stick to Ford, Vauxhall, VW and Peugeot/Citroen (IN THAT ORDER) when considering what to buy. Pop into WH Smiths and look (no need to buy ;D) at Parkers used car guide, it gives the insurance group of all these types.

[dla389]

Jun 10, 2009 23:29:43 GMT john said:

Forget the Focus lol. The insurance on that will be sky high. Just to give you an idea, i passed my test when i was 19, so 4 years ago this July, and i got a Mk4 Fiesta, the bubbly looking one, on an R-reg, so the car was 8 years old at the time. Engine size was 1.2, so not very powerful either. It cost me £1k, yet the insurance was.........sit down for this.......£1800!!

What i'd recommend is something similar, plus you MUST do the pass plus. It knocks off about 10% on your insurance in the first year, which is a life saver. Think i got mine down to around £1600 if i remember rightly.

Hope that helps you out abit mate

Thanks for the info John. Now the Focus is out of the way. Don't want to be paying a premium for car insurance regardless.

I also wanted to know, is a 1.4 litre engine equipped vehicle any better than having one with 1.2 litres or lower? I had an impression any car with a 1.4 litre engine or lower should offer a very cheap road tax, as opposed to the higher ranked engines. Am I right that a 4-door vehicle is slightly cheaper to insure than a vehicle with 2-doors?

Also, do you still own the Fiesta? If so, is it any good? I think I'll have to take on the Pass Plus too. ;D

Jun 10, 2009 20:49:40 GMT Steve09 said:

I'm in the same position as you, but I'll recomend you on a Ford Focus Mark 1 Or a Clio. I don't really like the 206, it looks a bit bulky, and aren't vw golfs a little bit too old? My choices are a old style Corsa, clio or a fiesta.

I suppose my final recomendation for you mate is A Clio, it looks like a nice stylish first car. Think yourself lucky, I've got another 2 months to wait untill i'm 17 and can learn.

Steve, I also had the in Clio mind (mark 1 or 2), until a friend told me French cars are very unreliable, as well as the Peugeot and Citreon. Now I reckon I should think twice before regarding these cars. I have to admit the Clio plays the part in looks, very stylish and also of good value. The mark 3 Clio would be a dream to own, although there's no way I could ever afford one, lol. I don't think the 206 is bulky at all, I think it's very curvy and neat at the very least.

As for the Golf, I'm not after something too old or too new, just something to get me from A to B, reliable, cheap to insure and run. The mark 2 version I was considering is the 1998 edition, can't be too old can it?

Jun 11, 2009 8:13:33 GMT @bighat said:

As has already been said, your age will severely affect your insurance premium, so the choice of vehicle (including obviously the engine size) is important.

So, as well as selecteing a car with a small engine, you need to consider what it would cost to repair if you had an accident.

'Foreign' cars and low volume manufactured vehicles will have higher replacement parts costs than large mass production models, so stick to Ford, Vauxhall, VW and Peugeot/Citroen (IN THAT ORDER) when considering what to buy. Pop into WH Smiths and look (no need to buy ;D) at Parkers used car guide, it gives the insurance group of all these types.

Will do.

[dla389]

Another question. Automatic gearbox or manual gearbox.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages between these two gearbox types in a car? Obviously, automatics should be easier to use, less stress behind the wheel and more comfort, whereas manual offers more control and there are more of these available on the market. These are just my opinions, now I want to hear yours. By the way, I have never driven a manual or automatic car, hence about to start my driving lessons. I need to decide on which transmission to be taught under before I begin. And lastly, will one be cheaper to run than the other when purchasing a car? Would it have an impact on my insurance?

Thanks in advance.

P.S, I'm not taking in any advice from someone who has not owned/driven an automatic or manual car. ;D

[snowman]

Jun 11, 2009 10:44:10 GMT @dla389 said:

Another question. Automatic gearbox or manual gearbox.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages between these two gearbox types in a car? Obviously, automatics should be easier to use, whereas manual offers more control and there are more of these available on the market. I have never driven a manual or automatic car, hence about to start my driving lessons. I need to decide on which transmission to be taught under before I begin. And lastly, will one be cheaper to run than the other when purchasing a car?

Thanks in advance.

There are 2 different driving tests, if you take it in a manual, you get a licence that allows you to drive either. If you take automatic then your driving licence will be automatic only.

Autos generally use slightly more fuel. At least on the official (unrealistic) mpg figures. However mpg can vary by upto 30-40% depending on your driving style. Heavy footed in City traffic vs cruising mid speed in country. Some new autos use less fuel than manuals as they keep engine speed optimised

If you are buying a £1000 car don't worry about differences in maintenance costs, you would probably scrap it, if clutch went or gearbox failed.

I used to drive manuals, but my wife liked auto in Town so that is what we now have. To be honest in London auto is much nicer as it takes the hard work out of crawling in traffic.

[Steve09]

Oh sorry mate, I think I understood it wrongly, yeah the Golf Mark 2 (1997-2006) looks better than the older generation of Golf's. I know that Corsa's , VW Golf's and Polo's are popular cars for first time drivers.

I was wondering, don't you like the Corsa? I say this as they're reliable and quite cheap to maintain, and I'm hoping to get one when I learn, unless I get turned away from them. .

[Deleted]

If you want to have control over your vehicle, of regard driving as a hobby, then a manual would probably be more suitable. Also if I'm correct automatics are generally more thirsty.

[greeny253]

Jun 11, 2009 10:51:04 GMT @dla389 said:

Another question. Automatic gearbox or manual gearbox.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages between these two gearbox types in a car? Obviously, automatics should be easier to use, less stress behind the wheel and more comfort, whereas manual offers more control and there are more of these available on the market. These are just my opinions, now I want to hear yours. By the way, I have never driven a manual or automatic car, hence about to start my driving lessons. I need to decide on which transmission to be taught under before I begin. And lastly, will one be cheaper to run than the other when purchasing a car? Would it have an impact on my insurance?

Thanks in advance.

P.S, I'm not taking in any advice from someone who has not owned/driven an automatic or manual car. ;D

I would suggest manual - as you have identified you as the driver have more control over the gears (which I miss driving an automatic now but I can't drive manuals comfortably anymore ) and if things go wrong with the gearbox manuals are generally cheaper if a replacement is needed. Plus by doing a test in a manual (as the others have identified) you then have the choice of driving both manual and auto.

Modern automatics use very little fuel - I drive a 99 Astra (also a good first car though watch the trim level for insurance purposes) 1.6 on an auto 'box and I could probably manage some 300 miles on a tank but I tend to fill up when the tank is 3/4 empty to save myself the best part of a tenner.

As for which car to get I would suggest something like a Fiesta or Corsa - both are fairly reliable. I had a 1.1i Fiesta on an L registration and it did what I needed it to do for fairly low insurance (group 3 I think).

Lastly - don't modify whatever you get. It might look cool but it'll kill your insurance - and if you don't tell them about the modifications you'll be up the creek without a paddle if you crash. Get a few years no claims first then do it

[john]

Totally agree with Greeny there. Plus, the good thing about a Fiesta is that it's so economical its crazy!! 4 years ago petrol used to cost around 90p per litre, which meant i could full it up from 1/4 empty for just about £20. Nowadays it'd probably cost about £30, but its gnna be much cheaper than most.

As for the difference between 1.4 and 1.2, who knows. All i know is that a 1.2 should be cheaper. I've just been added onto my girlfriends insurance on her Fiesta for absolutely nothing. So that just goes to show how much not claiming in 4 or 5 years adds credential to your insurance

[lc1]

Learn in a manual as said it means you can then drive both Manual's and auto's.

As bighat said, look at insurance first and then look for the car.

For what it's worth I had a Pug 106 (s reg) and never had any problems with it, actually that's not true as the immobilizer started going oh and the driver's door wouldn't shut if it was cold (but that was due to a bodged insurance repair job )

As for engine size, the 1.2 should be more economical however will have less grunt, my pug was a 1.1i and was plenty quick enough if a little unrefined.

If I was you on your budget I would be looking at,

Ka, 106, Fiat cinquencento etc (at a push the clio)

Build your no claims up and then get something a bit nicer, oh and you will get stung for insurance until your about 25.

FTR my first car a was a T reg escort (not T111XXX but XXX111T ) which I picked up for about £400 and it cost me about £600 to insure

Also when you get the car, get yourself a Haynes manual for it and most of the mechanical bits you can probably do yourself.

Oh and should have said if you get an auto 9 times out of 10 you will end up paying more road tax as there CO2 emissions are higher than the manual counterpart