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Learning To Drive


Derek Gibson

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cheap = anything diesel.

cheap and awsome = do yourself up an old mini, costs next to nothing. then insurance is low and if its 30 years or older, its exempt from road tax...which i've just paid £90 for 6 months.

edit: unless you don't like minis...then that info is useless

Edited by Matt Staples
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Sit in your parents car and get yourself aquainted with all the controls.

Don't go anywhere/start the engine, but practise changing gear without looking at the gear stick and getting the timing of the clutch right.

Get to know where the ancillary controls are, what a good driving position is etc. This will all change when you get used to your instructors car, but it'll give you a headstart and you'll be able to get on with actual driving quicker.

Also, have a look under the bonnet and have a poke around (but only when it's cool remember!) and ask your mum/dad/whoever to point out the dipstick (at this point he could make a really cool joke and point to you/a family member/passer by.... Feel free to use this one btw)/oil filler cap/etc.

None of this will help you drive as such, but it'll be free and will make driving easier, helping you to move onto the real driving as soon as possible so you don't spend 3 lessons sitting at the roadside learnign where everything is.

Car wise, go small capacity and earn no claims, buy better car next year.

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Anything in a low insurance group:

Group 1 cars:

* Chevrolet Matiz (05 on)

* Citroën 2CV6 (81-90)

* Citroën C1 (05 on)

* Citroën C2 (03 on)

* Fiat 126 Hatchback (87-92)

* Fiat 126 Saloon (77-87)

* Fiat Panda (04 on)

* Fiat Panda (83-95)

* Fiat Seicento (98-04)

* Peugeot 107 (05 on)

* SEAT Marbella (88-93)

* Skoda Fabia Hatchback (00 on)

* smart fortwo Coupé (04 on)

* Toyota Aygo (05 on)

* Toyota Yaris Hatchback (06 on)

* Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (00-03)

* Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (03 on)

* Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (93-00)

* Volkswagen Fox (06 on)

Nearly all of those are the 1L versions incase your wondering, However, the Citroen c5 5door is 1.4!

info @ http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/insurance/index.aspx

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bsm company apparently have a simulater wich you can use before you are 17 might go give that a blast :-
Yes they do. The simulators are based on a Vauxhall Corsa and as far as I know there is one in every BSM shop in the country. They had one of the on the RAC stand I was working on at the motor show and I had a few goes in it. It is absolutely nothing like driving a real car! There is no bite point on the clutch, the pedals have no feel to them, the steering is just like a playstaion game and you obviously get none of the sensations or road feedback like in a moving car. Its a good way to learn the basics, like how to pull away, change gear etc...
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Anything in a low insurance group:

Nearly all of those are the 1L versions incase your wondering, However, the Citroen c5 5door is 1.4!

info @ http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/insurance/index.aspx

Ohhh Citroen 2CV. Im getting one of those(honestly) and Ive got a quote for £777 third party (Y)

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When you come to buy your first car, dont buy a Peugeot - 106 to be precise.

Parts and maintainance is tres poo poo. Just had to spend 175 quid on fixing accelorator cable and injection pump, 3 days before my MoT aswell! eeek.

Girlfriends just got a Fiat Punto, Nreg. Absolutely brialliant cars (Y)

Want to get a newer reg, newer shape for my possible 2nd car

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cheap = anything diesel.

if only that was true, i want a diesal audi (1.9tdi a4), but my insurance company want to rape me for it :( 2200 3rd party...

even with my diesal cavalier they are trying to rape me-1200 3rd party

luckily, i can go on dads insurance which will cost a grand total of...FAG all :)

anyway, small cheap cars, fiestas and polos/golfs are about the only small cars that have really impressed me for value for money and performance, several of my friends have them and havent had any major troubles :) saying that, id still never buy either of them

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(1.9tdi a4),

there's your problem ...

at 27 with a brand new driving license I got quoted 3300 fully comp for one of them and 1900 third party (assuming the car's only worth 4000)

however, if i'd been driving since I was 18 and never made a claim it'd be £450

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One thing to add for those learning to drive, I've been insured on my parents car since I passed my test, even though I don't really use it any more. They're insured with Direct Line, and as a result I'm now eligeable for a discount because I've been a named driver for 7 years without a claim.

Best bit is that after a year of having a policy in my own name, the discount gets converted into full no claims, so I'll have 8 years no claims!

So even with no no-claims of my own, I'm being quoted £275 fully comp on a 1.8 Focus! And £625 fully comp on a BMW 328i :D

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if only that was true, i want a diesal audi (1.9tdi a4), but my insurance company want to rape me for it :( 2200 3rd party...

even with my diesal cavalier they are trying to rape me-1200 3rd party

luckily, i can go on dads insurance which will cost a grand total of...FAG all :)

anyway, small cheap cars, fiestas and polos/golfs are about the only small cars that have really impressed me for value for money and performance, several of my friends have them and havent had any major troubles :) saying that, id still never buy either of them

Trouble is you cant build no claims on someone else' policy so as soon as you try and get your own, you'll be raped again...

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Trouble is you cant build no claims on someone else' policy so as soon as you try and get your own, you'll be raped again...

aye i know, but im probably going to uni next year/travelling for quite a time, so its really not a problem, i guess its my fault for having a hatred of little cars and splurging everytime i see an audi :(

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Not sure about Mini's, but generally for cheapness you want something:

Diesel (cheaper overall fuel consumption)

4 door (cheaper insurance because in a crash people get trapped in the back of 2 door cars)

Newish (cheaper insurance because new cars are less likely to break)

Small (smaller cars need smaller engines and that's cheaper for fuel + insurance)

Fords (parts are cheaper/easier to find)

VW's (last forever)

Bear in mind:

If you buy anything French the electrics will pack up surprisingly quickly

If you buy anything Japanese it will be cheap but built entirely from black plastic :P

If you buy anything German build quality won't be great but everything will last

If you buy anything old then check it's history

If you buy anything new then make sure you get a load of extras thrown in

Obviously this doesn't literally apply to every car ever made before anyone starts saying "My VW packed up first day I had it" or "I have a Peugeot and the electrics are fine" etc etc, but it's a genrally accepted guide, lol!

Davey

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Trouble is you cant build no claims on someone else' policy so as soon as you try and get your own, you'll be raped again...

As per my previous post, yes you can!

I've been on my parents insurance since I passed my test, and now that Direct Line offer no claims for named drivers (kind of) I can get discounted insurance even though I've never had a policy of my own.

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Newish (cheaper insurance because new cars are less likely to break)

Not at all.

I couldn't even dare think of insuring a phase 3 GTi-6, something like 2001 onwards. However, i can insure a phase 1 GTi-6, almost the same power, but a 95 for 1400, which is cheaper then i got quoted for my currently 1.4 306.

Although, to be fair, the rest of what you said is pretty much spot on.

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Don't buy an old VW Polo what ever you do. They are as useless as a one legged man arse kicking competition. I used to have one, every time we went over 36 mph the oil pressure warning light came on and it started to make a buzzing noise. Useless. But a few laps round the banger-racing track made me feel much better :) Edited by Mr_Tensile
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