[Jaayson]

(Original post by A Mysterious Lord)
Hmm, I just tried Lancaster and got a quote for a 1977 Triumph Dolomite for £703.70. That is cheap by any measure

I'd rather not go with a Black Box insurer as I don't want to be accountable to them as to when or where I drive, that's my business.

I'd buy a classic car on the proviso that it's properly maintained, I fully expect to have to give it more attention than the average Fiesta or Corsa.

Also just realised, your 22. Should do ok compared to myself, at 17, classic car insurers didn't want to know.

[stargirl63]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted some pin pointers and some tips regarding buying my first car. I don't really know too much regarding what to expect and what to buy. I'm planning on going tomorrow to take a look at a few Ford Fiesta's or Renault Clios (those are the two I am deciding between). Besides the price and mileage it comes with, is there anything I should ask or look out for? I'm really new to this, I don't really know what I'm supposed to be looking for or expecting.

Thanks

[StaleMilk]

There are so many things to look out for when buying a car but generally you should look for a car with good service history, a long MOT and tax preferably. If you can take someone who knows about cars that would be a major bonus. are you looking to buy from a dealership or a private seller? I recently helped my girlfriend look for a Clio, we viewed loads of lemons but managed to find an immaculate one eventually.

[stargirl63]

(Original post by StaleMilk)
There are so many things to look out for when buying a car but generally you should look for a car with good service history, a long MOT and tax preferably. If you can take someone who knows about cars that would be a major bonus. are you looking to buy from a dealership or a private seller? I recently helped my girlfriend look for a Clio, we viewed loads of lemons but managed to find an immaculate one eventually.

Dealership.

I'm tryna figure out two cars

Renault Clio - 2009, 1.2 litre, 33,000 miles, for £5,500
or
Ford Fiesta - 2009, 1.25 litre, 30,000 miles for £7,000

[StaleMilk]

Because the mileage on both of them is so low there is very little chance of anything being wrong with them mechanically. Without more detailed information on them I can't comment really, the choice is yours.

[hypercaine.]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Dealership.

I'm tryna figure out two cars

Renault Clio - 2009, 1.2 litre, 33,000 miles, for £5,500
or
Ford Fiesta - 2009, 1.25 litre, 30,000 miles for £7,000

I personally would go for the Fiesta, I have experience with both Renaults and Fords (I say I but I mean we, they have been owned by my parents)
Obviously the Ford is more expensive so if price is important then go for the Clio, at that age and mileage you wont have any problems with either for quite a while. Renaults are pretty renown for electrical faults especially windows and central locking, I have also found that Clio insurance is fairly expensive (about £800 with one insurer which is quite a lot!)

[Herr]

(Original post by stargirl63)
Dealership.

I'm tryna figure out two cars

Renault Clio - 2009, 1.2 litre, 33,000 miles, for £5,500
or
Ford Fiesta - 2009, 1.25 litre, 30,000 miles for £7,000

That model of the Clio will be 1 generation old come November as an all new model will be released. Generally previous model Renaults lose their value very quickly.

The Fiesta, in Britain will always have demand for it and just about any mechanic will be able to maintain it. Generally far more durable than the Renault and Ford generally releases a new model every 5-8 years, and the 2009 model is a current model half way through before an all new one is released. Perhaps you might be able to get some money off this car and in the long term it should cost you less to own.

[e1usive]

Hi,

I know a lot of people in the car industry, so I can get cars at good prices before they go into auction, e.g a 3k car for around 1-1.5k

I've had a car come in, a Corsa 55 plate, corsa C 1.2

I can get insured for £1200 on that, assuming I pass my test in 10days, I'm 17, but I'm debating whether to wait and see if a good spec renautsportclio comes in.

Can anyone offer any advise which car would be best for me? The renautsport clio or the corsa

Thanks

[Coffeegirl]

Go with the one that you like. You are going to be driving it at the end of the day Personally I would go with the Renauntclio

[1992LP]

(Original post by e1usive)
Hi,

I know a lot of people in the car industry, so I can get cars at good prices before they go into auction, e.g a 3k car for around 1-1.5k

I've had a car come in, a Corsa 55 plate, corsa C 1.2

I can get insured for £1200 on that, assuming I pass my test in 10days, I'm 17, but I'm debating whether to wait and see if a good spec renautsportclio comes in.

Can anyone offer any advise which car would be best for me? The renautsport clio or the corsa

Thanks

A Renault Clio Sport is a totally different machine from a basic Corsa - you mean the 2.0 one with 172 / 182 bhp? If you can get insured on one of them and can afford it then go for it!

If you mean a basic Clio compared to a basic Corsa, then I would go for the Corsa. What trim is the one you are looking at (SXI / Life / SRI etc)? That will determine how well specced it is. My Mum has a 2004 1.2 Corsa Life which we have had since it was a year old and it has been fantastic. No problems at all and cheap to run.

If I was buying a car like that, in basic trim (i.e. not a performance model), I would be looking for a 1.25 Fiesta. They are brilliant little cars and I prefer them to Corsas and the like. Clios are meant to be quite good, but suffer from plenty electrical problems so I don't think I would ever trust it!

Good luck either way, sounds like you are in a good position

[A Mysterious Lord]

Hmm, I've found a nice Corsa 1.2 for a grand and got a reasonable insurance quote (£1.6k p/a with Co-op young drivers rather than £2.4k which has been my cheapest quote to date).

I wanted a classic car, mainly for insurance purposes but I'm thinking of practicality, it's all very well having something cool and unusual but reliability and the availability of parts made me think twice

[emznjav]

Hi i am 18 years old and male and am wanting to purchase a first car for myself. I will be travelling around 80 miles everyday from sheffield to bradford and back so need a reliable and safe car for the motorways. I was looking at honda civics etc and can get insurance on these for roughly £1200 with co-op so not too bad. I would like some advice from current owners please?

Regards

emznjav

[Stryder402]

get a diesel car, doing an 80 mile journey every day will eat up ur petrol faster than a diesel

[emznjav]

(Original post by Stryder402)
get a diesel car, doing an 80 mile journey every day will eat up ur petrol faster than a diesel

I am worried about all the problems associated with a diesel dpf problems injectors turbos etc for under the 2 grand mark.

[shaminn]

Quick question to everyone:

How much do you think a VW Polo 2011/12 model would cost an 18 year old to insure?

I was thinking about buying one soon, just slowly raising the funds but I need to find a way to sort out my insurance for the best price. So having said that, I want to know if a Polo is worth getting.

Thanks

[1992LP]

(Original post by shaminn)
Quick question to everyone:

How much do you think a VW Polo 2011/12 model would cost an 18 year old to insure?

I was thinking about buying one soon, just slowly raising the funds but I need to find a way to sort out my insurance for the best price. So having said that, I want to know if a Polo is worth getting.

Thanks

Completely dependant on your own circumstances - your postcode being the main one. I can'e believe some of the differences between my insurance and that of some of my friends from Edinburgh.

Best thing to do is get a few quotes from comparison websites / Admiral to give you a ballpark and go from there. Could be less than a grand, could be over 2!

The new Polos are quite good, I have always preferred the Ford Fiesta as you get more for your money and they drive a lot better. Have a go in a few cars ands see what you think

[southend1112]

Okay guys, haven't searched this due to 147 pages of it all, so new question!

Kia Picanto or VW UP/Seat Mii/Skoda Citigo

Which one would you rather have as your first car?

[Stryder402]

(Original post by emznjav)
I am worried about all the problems associated with a diesel dpf problems injectors turbos etc for under the 2 grand mark.

are you travelling on the motorway? or dual carriageway with speeds higher than 40mph? then dont worry about dpf,

[1992LP]

What is your budget? DPFs only came in a few years ago (2007 ish maybe?) so if you have a low budget you won't be looking at cars that have them.

What is your annual mileage? I know you say 80 miles a day, but is that every day? If your mileage is over 15k a year then I would consider a diesel as that is generally accepted to be the cut off point where a diesel car will start to make financial sense - considering that the cars cost more to buy in the first place (high market demand), the fuel itself costs more, a diesel engine won't return good fuel economy figures until warmed up (i.e. no use for town and low mileages) and the servicing costs more.

If you have a low budget I would still be wary of a modern diesel car - lots of expensive things to go wrong which will wipe out any savings instantly if they occur. Clutch, turbos, dual mass flywheels, injectors, and EGR valves being the main ones.

Having said that, if you are on a budget and do the mileage to justify one, I would recommend a VAG car with the 1.9 TDI engine. If you can stretch to it, the PD 130 is the pick of the bunch. Avoid the 150 as they are far less reliable, and the 90 and 110 are pretty good too.

Maybe something like a Volkswagon Passat B5, an Audi A4 B5, or even a Scoda Octavia?

Back to petrol cars, a Honda Civic is a fairly safe bet. Look into the Accord as well as they are cheaper to buy and can be cheaper to insure depending on your circumstances.

You could get a nice mk3 Ford Mondeo 1.8 for that money, go for a post 2002 one if you can. They are very reliable, and mine returned over 40 mpg on long trips.

You may notice I am recommending bigger cars, that is because due to the sheer volume of them in circulation they are very cheap and you can get a really good one for not much cash. Parts are cheap, and servicing is cheap too.

A mk1 Focus would be nice, especially the 1.8 model if you can stretch to it (nicer on the motorway, but a 1.6 would probably be fine).

[h4mza]

Hey guys, can someone help me choose which of these cars to buy as first car. I want something which is very reliable.

2001 Audi A3 1.6
Car cost around £1000
Insurance £1,100 - £1,300

1999 Seat Leon 1.6
Car cost around £700
Insurance £900-980

1997 - 2001 Volkswagen Golf 1.6
Car cost around £600 - 1,200
Insurance £780 - £970

2002 - 2004 Toyota Corolla 1.4
Car cost around £1,200 - £2,000
Insurance £900 - 1,300

All these cars are 80,000 - 140,000 miles.