Choosing a car for driving instruction...
- Thread starter timbob
- Start date
As a teenager I can't see why it'd be a problem in the slightest, it's not your car and you're only learning to drive in it.
I'll never understand the whole learning in a small car thing, the easiest car i've ever driven is my dads volvo 940 Estate, nice and square so it's easy to judge where the corners are! So much easier to park when you can see the bonnet end rather than it just slope away from you into nothingness!
I learned in a Focus (AA) and it's quite a nice car to sit in and drive.
Good visibility (I dunno if this is unique to the Focus but my instructor had worked out where the kirb needed to be in the rear quarter window for bay parksetc.) and automatic settings for most of the controls (lights, wipers) etc.
Good visibility (I dunno if this is unique to the Focus but my instructor had worked out where the kirb needed to be in the rear quarter window for bay parksetc.) and automatic settings for most of the controls (lights, wipers) etc.
2008 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Zetec Climate 5 Dr
If I were you, I wouldn't be spending £12k on a car. Truth be told it tends to be parents that will pick instructors, and I'm sure cost and reputation is the most important thing. Not does he drive a skoda or an audi.
Make your lessons as cheap as you possibly can, bring in the crowd first of all. Your new to this game and there are thousands of instructors out there in a much better position than you. Get a sub £5k car about 3 years old, make it petrol (less problems), and make it a little quirky so it stands out when your giving lessons.
The above example would probably appeal to the female generation too
If I were you, I wouldn't be spending £12k on a car. Truth be told it tends to be parents that will pick instructors, and I'm sure cost and reputation is the most important thing. Not does he drive a skoda or an audi.
Make your lessons as cheap as you possibly can, bring in the crowd first of all. Your new to this game and there are thousands of instructors out there in a much better position than you. Get a sub £5k car about 3 years old, make it petrol (less problems), and make it a little quirky so it stands out when your giving lessons.
The above example would probably appeal to the female generation too
Definitely do NOT buy a diesel for driving instruction. The DPF will screw you over big time.
Corsa/Fiesta/Polo/Fabia is where I would look. The first two would probably be quite a bit cheaper than the Polo. £8k may even buy you the Corsa (1.2 Sxi 5dr maybe?) from Network Q without having to borrow much at all. If you get a Corsa dont get it in grey so you dont look like a BSM car!
Corsa/Fiesta/Polo/Fabia is where I would look. The first two would probably be quite a bit cheaper than the Polo. £8k may even buy you the Corsa (1.2 Sxi 5dr maybe?) from Network Q without having to borrow much at all. If you get a Corsa dont get it in grey so you dont look like a BSM car!
DPF is manageable - aren't they all additive or sorted by CR adjustment now? DMF is probably more of a worry. My dad does driving instruction, and has gone through a few (admittedly Pug 207 isn't helping the cause).
My brother in-law is a driving instructor and likes the Clio. I asked him why he got a Clio again when the first one needed a new engine and he said it offered great all-round visibility for his students. It's also quite small but can still fit his family in with 5 doors too.
What about a Yaris? I managed to fit a 5 piece drum kit in that (with the rear seats down, of course), all hardware(big rack thing in a coffin bag) and a mid-sized guitar amp. I'm sure you could get your sax in there.
I had the mk2 (facelift?) one and you couldn't see the speedo too well from the passenger seat. The later ones, like Raymond has, I think are a lot more visible.
It never gave me a problem (though was a 1.4 D4d)... over 80-odd thousand miles.
I learned to drive in a 1.3 Micra. I think I would prefer to learn to drive in a petrol, rather than diseasel.
I had the mk2 (facelift?) one and you couldn't see the speedo too well from the passenger seat. The later ones, like Raymond has, I think are a lot more visible.
It never gave me a problem (though was a 1.4 D4d)... over 80-odd thousand miles.
I learned to drive in a 1.3 Micra. I think I would prefer to learn to drive in a petrol, rather than diseasel.
Interesting discussion guys, all the contributions are appreciated
I think I'm leaning more towards the Fabia. It's making sense to buy a cheaper car, especially as (after discussion on here, in driving instructor forums and with RL instructors) it doesn't look to be a major factor in pupil's choice.
Got myself a test drive booked in the new shape commonrail 1.6 diesel (75PS) at the weekend. My only concerns are the lack of spare wheel (even a spacesaver is only an option), and the gearing. One person on another forum has mentioned that a long 2nd gear likes to pull the car along quite quickly, making slow speed feet-off driving (into tight junctions) faster than is preferable. Hopefully this won't be as bad on the 75PS version, compared to the 105PS car he owned.
That's very strongly worded! How do all the other driving instructors I see driving DPF equipped cars manage? As I've said already, I've done plenty of research and given my personal use of the car and driving style, I don't believe this will be a problem.
I'm with you on the price thing. The more I think about it, the more I think it would be wise not to use the whole of my planned car budget on a car. I do think that going for a sub £5k car with 30k miles on the clock is going a little far the other way though - it could be 7 years old with 150k by the time I sell it.
I know people will disagree and find examples of busy instructors using 10 year old Hondas (or the like), but even I think "hmm, business not so good then?" when I see an instructor in an old car. Most I know of try not to run a car more than 3 or 4 years old.
I'm going to be careful with the lesson price thing. I most certainly don't want to make my lessons as cheap as possible. Some instructors are out there offering "Five lessons for £55". After costs, these instructors are earning about £3 an hour and are surely on the road to putting themselves out of business. I'd not want an instructor who values their skills so cheaply to teach my (imaginary) child. I'm not so worried about bringing in a crowd to begin with as I'll have no franchise or car lease fees, no car finance to pay off, and a part time job that pays my bills already. So I can charge a fair price, build up pupils slowly, and wait for my reputation to grow.
I'm avoiding the Clio - a close friend in the village is a retired ADI, and had a number of bad things to say about the new Clio. His previous generation Clio was excellent, but he hated the new one - and the local dealership.
I think I'm leaning more towards the Fabia. It's making sense to buy a cheaper car, especially as (after discussion on here, in driving instructor forums and with RL instructors) it doesn't look to be a major factor in pupil's choice.
Got myself a test drive booked in the new shape commonrail 1.6 diesel (75PS) at the weekend. My only concerns are the lack of spare wheel (even a spacesaver is only an option), and the gearing. One person on another forum has mentioned that a long 2nd gear likes to pull the car along quite quickly, making slow speed feet-off driving (into tight junctions) faster than is preferable. Hopefully this won't be as bad on the 75PS version, compared to the 105PS car he owned.
That's very strongly worded! How do all the other driving instructors I see driving DPF equipped cars manage? As I've said already, I've done plenty of research and given my personal use of the car and driving style, I don't believe this will be a problem.
2008 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Zetec Climate 5 Dr
If I were you, I wouldn't be spending £12k on a car. Truth be told it tends to be parents that will pick instructors, and I'm sure cost and reputation is the most important thing. Not does he drive a skoda or an audi.
Make your lessons as cheap as you possibly can, bring in the crowd first of all. Your new to this game and there are thousands of instructors out there in a much better position than you. Get a sub £5k car about 3 years old, make it petrol (less problems), and make it a little quirky so it stands out when your giving lessons.
The above example would probably appeal to the female generation too
I'm with you on the price thing. The more I think about it, the more I think it would be wise not to use the whole of my planned car budget on a car. I do think that going for a sub £5k car with 30k miles on the clock is going a little far the other way though - it could be 7 years old with 150k by the time I sell it.
I know people will disagree and find examples of busy instructors using 10 year old Hondas (or the like), but even I think "hmm, business not so good then?" when I see an instructor in an old car. Most I know of try not to run a car more than 3 or 4 years old.
I'm going to be careful with the lesson price thing. I most certainly don't want to make my lessons as cheap as possible. Some instructors are out there offering "Five lessons for £55". After costs, these instructors are earning about £3 an hour and are surely on the road to putting themselves out of business. I'd not want an instructor who values their skills so cheaply to teach my (imaginary) child. I'm not so worried about bringing in a crowd to begin with as I'll have no franchise or car lease fees, no car finance to pay off, and a part time job that pays my bills already. So I can charge a fair price, build up pupils slowly, and wait for my reputation to grow.
I'm avoiding the Clio - a close friend in the village is a retired ADI, and had a number of bad things to say about the new Clio. His previous generation Clio was excellent, but he hated the new one - and the local dealership.
Good call on the Yaris - I'd not even remembered Toyota existed...! I'll try and pop up to Northampton at the weekend to have a poke about one
Are they still quite expensive?They are either doing long motorway journeys on a regular basis or are sitting on a ticking time bomb.
You might notice that BSM have gone to Corsas (from the Fiat 500) and they arent taking one single diesel car, what does that tell you? They didnt want diesels because of the DPF issue.
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To me, BSM not taking any diesel cars means that they are only thinking about the lower initial purchase cost of petrol cars and couldn't care less that their instructors are having to pay higher fuel bills.
I'll be making return trips to/from the midlands once every 2 or 3 weeks - my personal mileage was over 30,000 a year until Xmas (when I quit my band, which accounted for about 15,000 a year). The other 15,000 comes from my music teaching, and a fair bit of driving between schools across and around Milton Keynes - which is chocka block with 70mph dual carriageways.
Like I said, I've done plenty of reading, research, talking and asking salesmen at dealers and mechanics at the local indy garage. Nothing's come up to indicate the DPF will be a problem, given my use of the car.
The only horror stories you hear are from eco-head drivers who'll never exceed 1500rpm and who never take their car out of their town, and hence, very rarely above 30mph.
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