[baby_girl21]

Hey I am a 17 year old girl and I'm looking at buying my first car. I don't want anything big although not too little either. It needs to be something cheap to buy and insure and pretty reliable. Atm I would use it to go to school, training, work, shopping etc however I want to go to uni next year so I would probably want to take it with me. I have no idea what sort of car I want and I wanted some advice on whats good and whats not? I was mainly looking at Ka's and Clio's but I am pretty easy so anything's good for me

[JC.]

A Ka is about as small as you can get, unless you're looking at those microcar things?

What about something a little outside the box - mk1 mx5?

[Hygeia]

My Nissan Micra was fantastic for a first car

[TattyBoJangles]

I've got a Yaris, and it's fantastic - cheap to insure, reliable, good fuel economy etc. Although it looks small from the outside, I've had two of my boyfriend's 6ft+ friends in the back, who commented on how roomy it was

[kiai8]

citroen c1/toyota aygo/peugeot 107 - £20 a year road tax and my insurance was around 800 quid! (I'm 19)

I'd go for a toyota if you can afford - they have a better reputation

[Hevinha]

My 1st car was a fiat punto, was very reliable

[Herr]

(Original post by baby_girl21)
Hey I am a 17 year old girl and I'm looking at buying my first car. I don't want anything big although not too little either. It needs to be something cheap to buy and insure and pretty reliable. Atm I would use it to go to school, training, work, shopping etc however I want to go to uni next year so I would probably want to take it with me. I have no idea what sort of car I want and I wanted some advice on whats good and whats not? I was mainly looking at Ka's and Clio's but I am pretty easy so anything's good for me

Depends on your budget and how much you can spend towards running that car.

The KA is a good choice for a first car, though I won't buy the cheapest one I come across.

Clio.... I generally stay away from french cars, too many problems with them generally.

You could also look into a Fiat Panda 1.2 or a Toyota Aygo if your budget allows for it. All are nice and small.

[M4LLY]

(Original post by baby_girl21)
Hey I am a 17 year old girl and I'm looking at buying my first car. I don't want anything big although not too little either. It needs to be something cheap to buy and insure and pretty reliable. Atm I would use it to go to school, training, work, shopping etc however I want to go to uni next year so I would probably want to take it with me. I have no idea what sort of car I want and I wanted some advice on whats good and whats not? I was mainly looking at Ka's and Clio's but I am pretty easy so anything's good for me

Get a Ford Fiesta 1.25. No matter whay age they are, if you pick the right one they're pretty good first cars. Avoid the Clio as if its a Clio II you are thinking of getting they have a problem with the bonnet catch corroding which could potentially cause the bonnet to fly open when the car is at speed.

[OwenFerny]

Go for a 1 litre engine size. Vauxhall Corsa's are not THE cheapest for insurance, but they cost less than 1k, which is a lot less (generally) than the cars that cost less to insure (like a new Peugeot 107). Make sure that before you buy your car you check out the insurance price (you can go on eBay and find a liscence plate number of a similar car from the pictures and put that in). You will be dealing with very large amounts for the insurance so its very important to look around a lot.

I paid 800 for my Corsa, 130 for tax and 2800 for insurance, and I looked around a LOT. The first year is always going to be expensive, but I have a quote next year for 1200, so it does go down. Some tips for insurance, if you want your own, for a no claims bonus, is to put your parents (if they have a good record) onto it as named drivers, this made mine go from 5000 to about 3000 a year. Also, make sure you fiddle with the little details, just to check. You might think that parking in a garage would be the cheapest, but that was 700 pounds MORE than on the street. So just check.

Good luck. Driving is great fun.

[Future_Dr]

I have started learning. And I use my mum's astra 1.6 but I want my first car to be a nice focus.

[baby_girl21]

Thanks guys this is really helpful, I will defo have to look more into the insurance side of things. I noticed quite a few people mentioned different Fords, are they good first cars? And how reliable are they?

[erdemrose]

I'm learning to drive in a Peugeot 206 - it's great for parking in small spaces and I've had no problems with it so far .

[Hunter38]

I would stay clear of ford ka's. Some of them suffer from serious rust and reliability issues. Ford fiestas are generally good cars, pretty bomb proof and cheap to run and repair. Renaults get alot of bad press but anyone i have known that's bought one has had no problem but make sure you check it thoroughly first. Vauxhall corsas are good first cars too. I'd say go for a corsa, Clio or fiesta. They're all cheap to buy, run and insure. Oh and don't get a 1 litre as mentioned above if you ever travel on motorways. Go for a 1.2 minimum.

[JC.]

I'd love to know why I get a neg everytime I suggest an MX5 as a first car?
Plenty of people had them as first cars when I was at school???

I guess all the sheep fear anything other than dreary little hatchbacks.

[Hermione_moo]

Nissan micras, cheap to run, cheap to fix, cheap parts and cheap insurance.
Personally avoid fords, peugeots and Citroen, they are prone to issues later in life, expensive fixes as a rule and are the statistically higher for accidents for first drivers (according to what car!)

[freespirit_94]

I sense im about to be laughed at buuuuuuuuuut (here goes)

Morris Minor 1000, my first car and yes it is old HOWEVER it has several pros, and a few cons.....

Pros: my provisional insurance on it for a year is £270 :O :O :O insurance
only due to go up to £500 when i pass
unique, doubt anyone else will have one near you
classic car so tax exempt!
as of last week (i think) MOT exempt too :O :O :O
sturdy and simple, i know nothing of cars and yet even i can tinker with it and fix the minor problems
good in snow, cause of tiny thin tyres
aaaand despite what everyone tells you it can top 30mph -_- fine @ 60mph too XP
also they are SOOO CUTE, like little space cars ^^

Cons:not got 6 gears, hell it aint even got 5, the morris is a 4 gear car
if you;re in a city, the constant stopping and starting wont do it much good
cheap to buy but may need maintenance if it you want it shiny ^^
also if you cant really buy them new, so if you want a new car ignore me

im sure ive convinced you to buy one IMMEDIATELY

[JC.]

(Original post by freespirit_94)
I sense im about to be laughed at buuuuuuuuuut (here goes)

Morris Minor 1000, my first car and yes it is old HOWEVER it has several pros, and a few cons.....

Pros: my provisional insurance on it for a year is £270 :O :O :O insurance
only due to go up to £500 when i pass
unique, doubt anyone else will have one near you
classic car so tax exempt!
as of last week (i think) MOT exempt too :O :O :O
sturdy and simple, i know nothing of cars and yet even i can tinker with it and fix the minor problems
good in snow, cause of tiny thin tyres
aaaand despite what everyone tells you it can top 30mph -_- fine @ 60mph too XP
also they are SOOO CUTE, like little space cars ^^

Cons:not got 6 gears, hell it aint even got 5, the morris is a 4 gear car
if you;re in a city, the constant stopping and starting wont do it much good
cheap to buy but may need maintenance if it you want it shiny ^^
also if you cant really buy them new, so if you want a new car ignore me

im sure ive convinced you to buy one IMMEDIATELY

Pre '60 vehicles are MOT exempt from november.
If it's a morris you're reccomending, then the later 1275 version is probably the best bet. The early side valve engines are no good for modern traffic and the early A series isn't much better.

Never owned a Morris Minor myself, although I have driven plenty and do own an example of the successor to the minor amongst my fleet in the form of a MK1 Marina Coupe SDL.

*edit*
Points to look out for on a morris minor is rust underneath - particularly the floors and also front inner wings and suspension mounting points are all pretty critical.
If it's a traveler you're contemplating it's also worth mentioning that the wood is actually structural - so this needs close scruitany.

[Herr]

(Original post by freespirit_94)

That was my first car many years ago. While it is a good suggestion it isn't suitable for the vast majority of first time drivers.

[ManchesterUnited7_]

(Original post by baby_girl21)
Hey I am a 17 year old girl and I'm looking at buying my first car. I don't want anything big although not too little either. It needs to be something cheap to buy and insure and pretty reliable. Atm I would use it to go to school, training, work, shopping etc however I want to go to uni next year so I would probably want to take it with me. I have no idea what sort of car I want and I wanted some advice on whats good and whats not? I was mainly looking at Ka's and Clio's but I am pretty easy so anything's good for me

ford fiesta ?

[EliteAlex000]

Ive got a Toyota Yaris. Its 12 years old and is as tight as a drum. Had no problems with it whatsoever (touch wood). It comes extremely highly recommended! A lot of my mates have gone down the clio and corsa routes, they don't seem to have had too many issues.

I think bottom line, go japanese, Toyota, Honda etc. they are very reliable cars.


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