First Cars

[LukasMcNeal]

So im 17 in a month and been looking at cars, obviously im going to get raped on insurance no matter what!

I know that theres the fiestas, corsas etc but they are extremely common and also expensive to insure,

im looking to spend say 2 grand ideally no more. Seen a few nice focuses but insurance is still rather pricey how ever I will wait til ive passed and ring for a proper quote so any good car suggestions will help me

[robbie-woods]

i say vw lupo or polo, ive got a lupo and never had a problem there not over the top price wise and still have enough power for day to day driving

[Duncy H]

I might be a bit biased but how about a mini? With a bit of searching you'll be able to find a perfectly usable one for £1000-£1800 and then as for insurance get yourself on a classic car insurance policy. Mine was £1300 fully comp, or £800 thrid part + fire and theft all in my name. Its kind of an investment too cause minis will only go up in value and its different to all these small euroboxes.

If I'm honest you are going to struggle to get everything for under £2000, not thats nice anyway.

[isitafox]

Drive a cheap as fook shed for a couple of years. I wouldn't even consider spending over £750 on a first car, especially when your gonna be paying so much for insurance.

[LukasMcNeal]

I might be a bit biased but how about a mini? With a bit of searching you'll be able to find a perfectly usable one for £1000-£1800 and then as for insurance get yourself on a classic car insurance policy. Mine was £1300 fully comp, or £800 thrid part + fire and theft all in my name. Its kind of an investment too cause minis will only go up in value and its different to all these small euroboxes.

If I'm honest you are going to struggle to get everything for under £2000, not thats nice anyway.

Dont you have to be 21 for classic insurance?

[dann2707]

I don't think you will earn no claims on a classic insurance policy either?

And for me that's how i'm getting my quotes so much cheaper every year.

I'd honestly get an absolute shed that has tax and an M.O.T and just potter around in that.

My first car was a 1.8 8v punto and that was cheap to insure.

[robbie-woods]

the thing with classic minis is if you know nothing about them it will always be at the garage, take it from someone that has owned 4. luckily i was quite handy when it came to cars but still cost alot to maintain!

[Greetings]

My first car was a 2nd generation CRX with a twin cam non-vtec engine and it was brilliant. Sold it 3 years ago but I'm briefly driving it now and am still enjoying it a lot despite being used to cars like the 7 series or BMW M models. Very good fuel consumption, incredibly reliable (over 65k miles it had a clutch done, exhaust, a few bushes, new discs and pads and that's it). It's easy to park, if you limit yourself to 1 passenger it's got a properly big boot and maintinence like tyres is very cheap. Plus it's properly quick but even if you don't want to drive it quickly (probably best if you don't) you benefit from the low weight and great torque that engine has at low revs. It literally pulls hard in 5th at over 1500rpm meaning you can go into top gear very early and relax without having to rev the shit out of it. Honestly I have never driven a car with such a small engine that pulls so well at low revs.

[Martin Reynolds]

Drive a cheap as fook shed for a couple of years. I wouldn't even consider spending over £750 on a first car, especially when your gonna be paying so much for insurance.

I'm 22, been driving for 4 years and am currently driving a Citroen Ax... Diesel It cost me £350, and ive spend like £200 at most fixing it.

if you find a reliable shed, drive it to the ground

[onza pro series guy]

heres my possibility list, it sounds like I'm in the same boat as the topic starter (except I'm a car-snob) Oh and I fully intend to take advantage of classic car insurance which is available to you at 17: Classic Mini (1000cc or less), Hillman Imp, DAF (of any sort), VW Polo Mk1, VW Golf MK1 1.1, Peugeot 205 XE/junior, Ford Fiesta MK1 1.1, Ford Popular, Fiat 126 and if I happened to win loads of money I would go out and buy myself a Fantasia green open-air Lupo and drive everywhere like this

[dezmtber]

My first car was a 2nd generation CRX with a twin cam non-vtec engine and it was brilliant.

i had one of these too.

i managed to redline 5th gear the speedo was reading 140+ mph.

mine had 140,000 on the clock and i still see it being used now by the guy i sold it to, 3 years ago.

my mate has one with a garret t25 tubo fitted it runs 190bhp at 6psi boost

crx mk2 very good car i say equal to a mk1 or mk2 golf gti any day and much much cheaper

[onza pro series guy]

i managed to redline 5th gear the speedo was reading 140+ mph.

On a track or closed road obviously?!

[RobinJI]

Not that it matters, as one wouldn't do 140mph anyway (not saying you didn't get 140 on the speedo, just that it wasn't a real 140, physics and aerodynamics say no unfortunately.)

I'm with the other guys about getting any old cheep car. I'm currently driving a '93 Passat 1.6td as my daily. Not sure how insurable one would be as a first car, as it's still not dirt cheep for me at 22, but in terms of its relevance here, it cost £400 including 6 months tax, I can sling most of a house in the boot (or 3 mountain bikes with both wheels on and still have 2 seats up in the back), it's quiet and comfortable sat at 80+ on the motorway, there's no fighting for shotgun, because even 6'4" friends can sit in the back with more than enough room, it uses no fluids, it's been flawlessly reliable, and if anything bad happens to it (which is really quite likely with a first car) then I'll only be out of pocket £300, what more do you really want out of a first car?

You can get a perfectly good, working, usable car for <£500, so personally that's exactly what I'd do for a first car, because if you do live up to the statistical likely-hood of it getting damaged, you won't have to care too much.

[Azarathal]

I'd love a mk1/2 golf for the looks + insurance. Stick a powersteering rack in, swap the drivetrain to RWD and see if you can squeeze a low mileage C20LET in engine bay.

Thats what I'd do anyway

[dann2707]

Just had a good think about it and I would deffo get a diesel.

A mk6 fiesta 1.4 tdci. They do 60mpg and only cost £30 a year to tax. Id imagine the insurance would be crazy low too.

They pull well too for what they are! I know a few people who regret selling theirs (my dad included) as its such hassle free motoring.

Just add its always the little things that make a car a decent purchase, got to appreciate everything adds up.

mot + road tax + fuel money + insurance + maintenence + money for damaged parts.

So the little things like super cheap road tax and economy is bliss!

[RobinJI]

I do agree with you on the most part Dann, but I'd imagine it'd take a fair few miles and a couple of years tax to make up the difference in initial cost between a 1.4 petrol fiesta and a 1.4 diesel one. If you're not doing too many miles then the petrol may well be a better option, especially if you tend to do mostly short trips, as running cold has a noticeably bigger effect on economy with diesels. Plus first cars only tend to get kept a couple of years, so a higher initial purchase price is a bigger deal than if you're keeping the car indefinitely. Plus remember even petrol small hatchbacks are pretty good on fuel, my mums 02 1.4 16v Fabia manages 45mpg all day long, and there's no chance of ever having to replace a turbo or intercooler, or have a boost leak or any of the other complications with a turbo diesel engine.

But yeah, if you're doing lots of miles then diesels's definitely the way forward, I tend to manage ~200 a week when I'm in Somerset just because of living in the arse end of nowhere, and going from my 1.6 petrol MX-5 averaging 33mpg to my 1.6 turbo diesel Passat averaging 50+ has made a really noticeable difference to how much spare cash I have.

[Pashley26]

Argh this thread hurts my brain!

If you LOVE cars, you will never quibble about the cost of insurance and running costs. You will buy the cars you want and feel awesome.

If you don't you will buy a shed and drive it forever whilst all your friends take the piss out of you. But then when you are 25 you will buy a nice car.

Make your mind up which camp you want to be in and buy to suit.

Within my first six months of driving I had owned a BMW 750IL, a mental Saab 900 Turbo, a Jag XJS and a Rover 220 Turbo. Because I am in the petrolhead camp.

My only actual advice is to say that my Ford Pop was £490 a year to insure when I was 17. And if you do short journeys and don't go anywhere major then you should get one, it will teach you mechanical sympathy and you will learn how to drive properly. I have had mine since I was 11 and have done over 60,000 miles in it with my dad, as well as it being my daily driver for 18 months whilst I had second cars. It has never broken down or failed me once and has been the best car I will ever own. So you should buy one too because they are awesome.

[Leistonbmx]

But not everybody can afford to just buy whatever car they want and happily pay for insurance and everything else...

[JD™]

Buy a shed, crash it, learn, buy something better. My first car was a Mk3 Fiesta 1.1, crashed it after 3 days but nothing major - wouldn't have wanted to do that to something that cost £2k!

[Jolfa]

Most of the suggestions in this thread are just stupid - small hatchbacks are the kinds of things all youngsters buy, get caught speeding in, crash and ruin and as such the insurance is always daft.

What you want is something your average 17 year old won't have, big old 80's estate (Volvo, Audi, Mazda that kind of thing) or something similar.

In order of insurance cost high>low between me and my mates at 17

1.3 MK2 Golf

1.0 Metro

1.8 MK5 Escort diesel

2.0 Mercedes 190

1.8 Mazda 323 estate.

And none of those exceeded £2k to buy and insure

Edited May 8, 2012 by Jolfa

[dann2707]

My insurance quotes never went by the car, only by the insurance groups.

[Simpson]

Get a shed. Pro's of a shit car.

• If you crash it - meh thats what insurance is for.
  
• Only have to get TPFT (not that that's nessicarily cheaper)
  
• Its more fun, they have more character and you can rag it about without getting into too much trouble.
  
• If you ding it in a car park you don't have to worry about getting the scratch out or anything.
  
• You won't be tempted to mod it, which not only is a waste of money it invalidates some insurance policys.
  
• If something goes terribly mechanically wrong, you can scrap it and not lose a lot of money.
  
• You can play with it and tinker with it, you can't go too far wrong.
  
• Its CHEAP like the budgy!
  
• There are lots of great value cheap cars out there.
  
• If you fag burn the seats it doesn't matter.
  
• If you drive any distance with friends they will more than likely drive their nicer car which means you can drink more.
  
• You can throw bikes in the back without worrying about your cars re-sale value.
  
• Plan on the car lasting 6 months but if it keeps running, HAPPY DAYS!
  
• Driving a shitter is funny you can be "that guy".
  

I've recently got myself a Yaris, 2002 (or something) like 20,000 miles for £900. Huge dent in the back where the old dear reversed into a pole, but doesn't matter. IMO if your not going to have a NICE car you might as well have a cheap one.

[LukasMcNeal]

Think I may be onto a winner, my dad has a 1.6 escort x reg. Hes had it since new think its done about 110k and its mint and hes never ragged it, he talked about me having it before and the insurance was rather high, but as any 17 year old 0 NCB it will be, so if I get his car and give him a few hundred then its only insurance I've got to worry about, and its not a shed at all really!

[Pashley26]

But not everybody can afford to just buy whatever car they want and happily pay for insurance and everything else...

I started life with the same opportunities as everybody else, and I bought stupid cars because it was what I wanted and it was my interest.

What I am trying to say is...If you really want something then it is possible, the only reason you couldn't afford what you wanted is because you hadn't worked hard enough.

[RobinJI]

Jardo, I've got to disagree to some extent there, being broke at 17 does not mean necessarily mean you've not worked hard enough, it can just mean you're still in education, working your arse off to set your self up to afford what you want in the future.

I'd agree with people moaning about spending ~1k for a decent trials bike, it's nothing a part time job along side college can't sort for most people, but cars can be a whole different level. I've always had interesting cars because I'm a petrol-head, but as a full time student there's no way in hell I could even begin to afford some of the insurance premiums you've paid in the past.