Motors New Car for New driver...

It's coming up to my 17th soon (w00t! ) and i'm looking for a car - got about a 1500 quid budget and i'm after something small (about Corsa size but not Vauxhall!) not into Maxing or any of that crap - important things are reliablility, cheapness (both for running and hopefully repair that won't be needed...) and the highest spec of factory fittings (including ICE).

I was thinking an R-reg Saxo, the middle model that looks like a pre-emptive design of the current spangly new one, or a Golf, Clio, some kind of Fiat perhaps, Pug106 - You get the idea!

Any ideas guys?

 

VW Punto! get a 1litre one and insurance shouldn't be too harsh
but if i were u i would learn to drive, then do the Pass Plus advanced driving thing and then buy a car, i would say there is very little point in having your own car without a license. Takes quite a long time to learn to drive, at least 6 months. i was 17 5 months ago and i'll be taking my test in a few months. the waiting list for tests is huge atm.

 

Olv, thats a FIAT Punto (not VW).

Krikkit, if you want reliable, go for VW (good all round) or Fiat (bullet proof engines). VW's are great but be aware that when they do go wrong they can be expensive for parts.

As for french cars like Saxos or Pugs etc, I'm not really sure. My mate has a Saxo, seems reliable enough but find it a bit 'cheap' and not all that nice to drive despite being quite fast.

 

i was thinking polo but typed punto lol. i meant polo

 

ah right, yeah a Polo would make a pretty good first car I'd say

 

Problem is, our family doesn't ahve a car i can drive in... we have one VERY expensive automatic (jag xjr anyone? ) and a big-ass Volvo that's a sluggish diesel so it'd be difficult to learn in and rather expensive to fix/insure (parts and bodywork for a V70 are horrific as well as a massive insurance bill).
So it's a shiny new car for me... The plan was for me to take advanced driving and then change insurance companies or something anyway - far less if you have Advanced Driving sounds a good thing to me.
Thanks for the advice. I'll shop around a bit and see what i can find.

 

I can pass many an hour browsing cars on the mighty http://www.autotrader.co.uk

 

Autotrader kicks ass - it's great for looking for cars and just browsing to see if there's anything nice on there (Lambo Countach anyone? )

 

Punto's kick ass. If you can get one of the 1.2 16v they are brilliant fun to drive. they have a small engine but have plenty of grunt compared to similar cars (you'll easily be able to blow the 1.4 novas away from the lights if you so wish.)

Never driven a Polo so I can't comment, but if they are anything like the newer golfs they'll be pretty cool.

Don't go for a fiesta the insurance will be higher than most other cars in the same class.

 

I'll have a look for a punto, they look pretty good from the outside. Woudln't ever buy a Ford - too crappy, almost as bad as a Nova! No decent Polo's round here atm for the price though, so that's a bit of a kick in the ass.

Anyone think an L-reg Golf would be a bad idea apart from parts?

 

If your buying a Punto, whatever you do don't buy it from a boy-racer type, it'll have had the nuts ragged off it! (Especially the 1.2 Sporting 16v)

Couples and older people will be much safer!

 

106 or Saxo definitely. Great cars.

 

any car with a peugot diesel engine in it

how guessed i would say that?

heck even the old rover i bought off my dad has the samepeugot diesel i had in my 306 & is in my mums 306

so my dad could buy a 2ltr turbo hdi 206

my 306 was dirt cheap on the insurance & as it was a 1.9 diesel it was a nice drive as well

 

Same bloody car underneath the bodywork...

 

a 1.0 micra



cheap insurance though (id imagine)

fiesta?

 

Micra? 1.0L? Not worth it, they guzzle fuel too much as the small engine has to do a lot more work to keep the car at speed.

 

I know, thats why I said "or"

Get a 1.3 Micra...it's actually not that bad It's a group 3, and very cheap to insure.

 

Does your 1500 budget include insurance? Cos if it does then your gonna have fun.

To insure me on an L reg Corsa 1.2 would have cost me bout 1500. (I'm 17 and have 0 no-claims bonus)

Cheapest thing I could find to insure was a B reg Mini 998c and that was still 700-800

 

Pug 106 1.1

Still in my opinion the best cheap and cheerful car available. The Saxo is almost the same car, but has the pansy-ass Citroen rear suspension. The VTR/VTS have the same back suspension that all 106s have.

You should get a 4 year old 106 for your £1500. I bought mine new for £5495, sold it after 18 months for £3500.

Brilliant wee cars, I gave mine a good thrashing constantly and still got over 50mpg out of it

 

Sounds like a fine deal to me, the question is, can i find one? (they're in rathe rshort supply round here i think...)