First car!

[WilmaHun]

For my first car I had a £700 corsa. I was so glad I bought an older car for my first car, as I curbed the wheels more times than I care to remember and reversed into my Dads front wall a couple times too (I am a good driver now, promise!) I financed my second car, which I still have now, after I'd been driving for about 2.5years. I'm glad I didn't get a "nice" car for my first as I'd have been absolutely gutted to bump it etc.

I wouldn't recommend financing your first car, especially if it's going to be a reasonably cheap car as you'll just end up paying interest which isn't worth it really when you could just save the cost of the car and buy outright.

Your insurance is likely to be fairly high for your first car, so before going and buying one make sure you do a few compare the market quotes for different makes/models so you get a rough idea of which type of car is going to be most cost effective for you. Also look at reviews on Parkers for safety ratings, fuel consumption, general market value etc too.

 

[under the ivy]

Feel like I’m on Top Gear with this thread

 

[hereforthememe]

When I was looking at insurance before I failed my test last week it was about £1200 for the first year starting price so play around on comparisons sites with different cars.

Mine was £1400 for a 1l petrol in my first year, it's pretty standard unfortunately.

It should come down to about £800 a year after first couple of years.

Drive a 1.6l now and it's come down, and it'll come down again when I hit 25 (if there are young drivers here, you are penalised by being under 25)

 

[BettyCrockerr]

So I have recently started taking driving lessons and have taken to it really well. I want to aim to buy my own car by January but I have no idea where to start! What are good first cars? I don’t want anything too expensive, I’m thinking around the 1.5k-2.5k mark.

I’ve been looking at a few ford KA’s and Citroen c1’s but again, I have no clue. Do you recommend doing finance? Do I go through a garage or get a second hand car?

Are you going to be using your own car to learn in ontop of your lessons? If not, then just wait until your nearly test ready to buy a car.

for a first car, don’t get something on finance. Get an older, cheap run around that you can drive around in without worrying too much about bumping it - you Only truly start to really learn to drive once you’ve passed your test and are out driving on your own so you want something you can just potter around in and really get to grips with driving in. Look at an old style Clio,KA,Micra,Fiesta etc

Even if you spent £1000 on an older car and get a year or so driving out of it that’s going to be better than financing an expensive new car.

 

[hereforthememe]

For your first car, get a cheap one that is petrol and low insurance group. Ford KA, Peugeot 206, etc.

You're insurance premiums are going to be high but once you pass the one year mark with hopefully a no claims bonus, then look to upgrade your car and finance that if you wish.

I've been driving a few years now and my next car will be financed, but only because it's cost-effective if you want to drive a sports car like me you really want to be paying attention to your insurance premiums though for first car

 

[jawidjanqndn]

Me and everyone I know are completely clueless on cars so I couldn’t thank you all enough for your help!! I feel like I have some sort of an idea now will definitely update this thread when I do buy.

 

[WilmaHun]

Mine was £1400 for a 1l petrol in my first year, it's pretty standard unfortunately.

It should come down to about £800 a year after first couple of years.

Drive a 1.6l now and it's come down, and it'll come down again when I hit 25 (if there are young drivers here, you are penalised by being under 25)

I agree! Mine was £2,000 for my first year. Dropped dramatically to around £850 in my second year and now I'm over 25 I pay about £230 a year! Prices for young, new drivers are crazy high!

I have my boyfriend as a named driver on my policy and it brings it down, (even when he was under 25 and I was not it bought it down still weirdly enough).

 

[hereforthememe]

I’m looking at getting a Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 (same car) or a Fiat 500. Ideally I’d like a 2014 plate or higher but it all goes down to what I can afford.

I’m more concerned about the boot size. I’ll be using the car quite often to take my Nana out and she had a mobility scooter. It collapses down but it still quite bulky - I’m already imagining the scenes of me trying to fit it in a Fiat 500

Get a Ford Focus

Reliable cars and the boot is bloody massive, fold them back seats down as well and you can fit an IKEA bookcase in there. I've been there

 

[hereforthememe]

I’ve been looking at golfs and love them but wasn’t sure on the reliability of them etc! And I’m looking at a manual.

Manual VW would be a good shout then. Don't recommend automatic VWs as there are better brands for auto's
ETA - you can't go wrong with German engineering. Also, many cars come with VW engines

 

[I’mThankyou_]

Would any of you recommend a Volkswagen for a first car? If so what model?

My partner has always had VW's. He started with a VW UP and now has a Polo and he loves them. Fantastic car. I recently got rid of my mini to upgrade to a bigger family car and he was desperate for me to change to a VW. He's never had an overly expensive issue with them

I now have a Golf GTD! As I said above loved my first car (mini) but I do love my golf as well, it’s been really reliable in the four years I’ve had it now and it’s really nice to drive. Mines manual as well.

Mini's are the best!

 

[under the ivy]

I’ve read about their handling (Fiat 500). I don’t think we should bash anyone’s decisions when it comes down to cost and affordability though. In an ideal world, I’d drive an Audi A1 / TT VW’s are solid cars yep - my friend had her 2002 Golf only up until recently when she traded it in for an Audi A3.

My next door neighbour used to have a Ford Fiesta and that looked nippy and roomy. Lots to think about.. I need to pass my test first

 

[I’mThankyou_]

Fiat 500s have the same engine as KA's. I managed to fit a IKEA bookcase in my KA. They're also quite similar on the inside

 

[Lola UK]

I’ve got a Fiat it’s actually fairly roomy inside! It’s cheap to run, easy to park and drive. It’s not a long term car but definitely a good option! My first car I absolutely ragged, I had no spatial awareness when I first passed and it was covered in scuffs and bumps and scratches so don’t get an expensive pretty car, save that for a few years.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

When I was looking at insurance before I failed my test last week it was about £1200 for the first year starting price so play around on comparisons sites with different cars.

 

[Welshgal]

Don’t have much advise but if you go for a second hand car make sure to check the car thoroughly (or better bring someone who knows their way around cars). Don’t rely on whoever is selling.
A friend of mine got a cheap second hand car but had to put so much money into it because things kept breaking. It was ridiculous.
Best of luck with your lessons.

 

[Secretadmirer]

I’ve been looking at golfs and love them but wasn’t sure on the reliability of them etc! And I’m looking at a manual.

I now have a Golf GTD! As I said above loved my first car (mini) but I do love my golf as well, it’s been really reliable in the four years I’ve had it now and it’s really nice to drive. Mines manual as well.

 

[under the ivy]

I’m looking at getting a Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 (same car) or a Fiat 500. Ideally I’d like a 2014 plate or higher but it all goes down to what I can afford.

I’m more concerned about the boot size. I’ll be using the car quite often to take my Nana out and she had a mobility scooter. It collapses down but it still quite bulky - I’m already imagining the scenes of me trying to fit it in a Fiat 500

 

[LaurieLaurie]

I wouldn’t get finance on a 2.5k car. Will you be learning in it?

 

[hereforthememe]

Fiat 500s are one of the worst rated cars by Which?

Honestly don't see what the fuss is about with them, they look awful. Give me a Focus ST or an M3 any day (obvs I know, budget and all that)

 

[Giggling Squid]

Second hand cars are expensive at the moment so what you get for your money might be a little less than you would have done a few years ago..

If you need to extend your finance a little bit, I have always bought cars using a low interest bank loan rather than finance, that way you own the car straight away.

I would recommend test driving, and then looking at insurance gtoups, tax, servicing and running costs to work out what you can afford.. worth bearing in mind that different models of the same car can be vastly different in terms of insurance, tyres etc

I drove a fiesta for years, and it was great. Cheap tyres, cheap servicing, parts were not too expensive, and the model I had was a cheap insurance group

Parker’s is good for understanding value of a used car, what you’d expect to pay, insurance group etc