Recommendations for a cheap car to commute in please
I'm facing a dilemma car-wise. I passed my test last week and will soon be beginning the 12 mile commute to uni everyday along a big NSL dual carriageway. I currently have a Citroen C1 which I bought a few months ago but honestly, I really didn't like it and so put off driving it and let my Mum use it instead. Now I've passed my test and I'm faced with a car that I don't really like and I'm unsure what to do.
I learnt to drive in a Ford Fiesta (not sure what engine size but it was definitely quite powerful). I'm now in my 1L C1 and it makes me feel incredibly nervous and vulnerable when out driving. The small engine means I hesitate at roundabouts and junctions as I can't quickly pull out like I could in my instructor's Fiesta. I also struggle getting it up to speeds when on dual carriageways. Additionally, because it's very small and low I feel very vulnerable being around other cars and I just don't feel safe and protected in it.
The reason I got it is because I'm a student so I don't have a lot of money to spend. I wanted something that had cheap tax (£20) and insurance (£700/year) and was cheap to run.
My parents really like the car and think it's a perfect first car but I just can't shake the fact that I don't feel safe in it.
I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on whether I should keep the car or get something else instead? I've been considering the Fiat 500 because it too has cheap tax and insurance and is small enough for my hopeless attempts at bay parking but still is slightly taller and more bulky than the C1.
Any opinions or insights would be really appreciated.
Thank you.
I learnt to drive in a Ford Fiesta (not sure what engine size but it was definitely quite powerful). I'm now in my 1L C1 and it makes me feel incredibly nervous and vulnerable when out driving. The small engine means I hesitate at roundabouts and junctions as I can't quickly pull out like I could in my instructor's Fiesta. I also struggle getting it up to speeds when on dual carriageways. Additionally, because it's very small and low I feel very vulnerable being around other cars and I just don't feel safe and protected in it.
The reason I got it is because I'm a student so I don't have a lot of money to spend. I wanted something that had cheap tax (£20) and insurance (£700/year) and was cheap to run.
My parents really like the car and think it's a perfect first car but I just can't shake the fact that I don't feel safe in it.
I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on whether I should keep the car or get something else instead? I've been considering the Fiat 500 because it too has cheap tax and insurance and is small enough for my hopeless attempts at bay parking but still is slightly taller and more bulky than the C1.
Any opinions or insights would be really appreciated.
Thank you.
The Fiat 500 is an awful drive, none of the engines are particularly gutsy and it's an awful drive. The only thing it has going is that it looks a bit different.
A Fiesta is the best bet, cracking to drive, the 1L Ecoboost 100/125 is a good engine and has great steering, very predictable and quite well made etc.
A Fiesta is the best bet, cracking to drive, the 1L Ecoboost 100/125 is a good engine and has great steering, very predictable and quite well made etc.
A lot of driving is about confidence, not too much, not too little. Get plenty of practice out on the open road; even though you've passed your test you can still take a passenger in the car to help you out! I think everyone feels nervous just after they pass their test.
The good thing about a small engine is that it makes you a better driver because you have to plan things like overtaking. You're also less of a risk to yourself and others.
Your parents almost certainly want what is best for you. They've also been driving a lot longer than you. A C1 is a perfectly adequate car for a student on a budget - their may be better options - but not by much.
SS
The good thing about a small engine is that it makes you a better driver because you have to plan things like overtaking. You're also less of a risk to yourself and others.
Your parents almost certainly want what is best for you. They've also been driving a lot longer than you. A C1 is a perfectly adequate car for a student on a budget - their may be better options - but not by much.
SS
I agree with supersaps, the problem here is confidence, not the car. Get someone to sit with you and then woman up and get out on the road. Go early morning this weekend to have quiet roads and then just drive as much as you can.
Otherwise you will end up getting fixated on the car and never feeling confident driving anything but a ford fiesta.
Otherwise you will end up getting fixated on the car and never feeling confident driving anything but a ford fiesta.
Original post by ShivP_98
The Fiat 500 is an awful drive, none of the engines are particularly gutsy and it's an awful drive. The only thing it has going is that it looks a bit different.
A Fiesta is the best bet, cracking to drive, the 1L Ecoboost 100/125 is a good engine and has great steering, very predictable and quite well made etc.
A Fiesta is the best bet, cracking to drive, the 1L Ecoboost 100/125 is a good engine and has great steering, very predictable and quite well made etc.
I would love a Fiesta but I just can't afford the tax and insurance for it, insurance is pretty much double what I'm paying now.
Original post by Alfissti
The Fiat 500 isn't any bigger than the Citroen C1, does have better power if you can find one of the earlier 100PS models
Is there much difference between a 1L and a 1.2L car in terms of power (I know pretty much next to nothing about cars as you can probably tell lol). I like the more bulky and stocky feel of the Fiat 500 as in the C1 I don't feel well protected and it's very, very basic.
Original post by Supersaps
A lot of driving is about confidence, not too much, not too little. Get plenty of practice out on the open road; even though you've passed your test you can still take a passenger in the car to help you out! I think everyone feels nervous just after they pass their test.
The good thing about a small engine is that it makes you a better driver because you have to plan things like overtaking. You're also less of a risk to yourself and others.
Your parents almost certainly want what is best for you. They've also been driving a lot longer than you. A C1 is a perfectly adequate car for a student on a budget - their may be better options - but not by much.
SS
The good thing about a small engine is that it makes you a better driver because you have to plan things like overtaking. You're also less of a risk to yourself and others.
Your parents almost certainly want what is best for you. They've also been driving a lot longer than you. A C1 is a perfectly adequate car for a student on a budget - their may be better options - but not by much.
SS
That's true about the confidence, in retrospect I had a pretty bad instructor who would only focus on the negatives so I don't have a lot of confidence in my driving. That paired with being out in a car a lot different to the one I'm used to has made my driving take 10 steps backwards. I just worry about being too slow on dual carriageways (and eventually motorways) as it really struggles to get to 40 let alone 70!
Original post by HFBS
I agree with supersaps, the problem here is confidence, not the car. Get someone to sit with you and then woman up and get out on the road. Go early morning this weekend to have quiet roads and then just drive as much as you can.
Otherwise you will end up getting fixated on the car and never feeling confident driving anything but a ford fiesta.
Otherwise you will end up getting fixated on the car and never feeling confident driving anything but a ford fiesta.
I'll ask my Mum if she can come with me early Sunday morning and try and just aimlessly drive around. I've been driving my parents to the supermarket and stuff but once I get there I'm so shaken up by the experience I ask them to drive back home. You're probably right about getting fixated on the car and blaming it for feeling nervous, my friends have managed to go from brand new top-of-the-range cars to a cheap little KA or Polo so I'm sure I can do the same eventually and am just over-thinking it.
Original post by LeaX
Is there much difference between a 1L and a 1.2L car in terms of power (I know pretty much next to nothing about cars as you can probably tell lol). I like the more bulky and stocky feel of the Fiat 500 as in the C1 I don't feel well protected and it's very, very basic.
Is there much difference between a 1L and a 1.2L car in terms of power (I know pretty much next to nothing about cars as you can probably tell lol). I like the more bulky and stocky feel of the Fiat 500 as in the C1 I don't feel well protected and it's very, very basic.
The 1.2l in the Fiat 500 isn't any more powerful than the 1l in the Citroen C1, you won't feel any difference between the 2 as the Fiat is slightly heavier too.
It definitely does feel sturdier.
If it is the car you like to have then go for it.
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