Getting an older 'more interesting' car as a first car... Is it such a terrible idea?

Akagi

Akagi

Akagi

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Hi guys, so that time is growing ever nearer, when I will have to look into buying my first car.

The dilemma I am facing is a battle between my heart and my brain.

My insurance quote is the same for either of these scenarios:

2006 Ford Fiesta 1.2
£1500 value
Fully comprehensive

Advantages: Damage to my own car covered by insurance, good crash safety rating, good fuel economy
Disadvantages: Costs twice as much to purchase, less 'interesting', would cringe with every little knock and scrape, more complicated engine - more things to go wrong.

1986 BMW 316 1.8 w' tasteful third party alloys.
£750 value
Third party fire & theft

Advantages: Costs less to buy, wont be so fussed about minor knocks and scrapes, more interesting, would be happy to keep it for longer, simpler engine, less things to go wrong
Disadvantages: Damage to own car not covered, has a potential to be less reliable (however being an old BMW it could work the other way), not so good crash safety rating, lower fuel economy, will probably be a bit rusty

My Dad is an engineer, and he has a close friend who is a car mechanic, so third party fire & theft on an older car shouldn't be too much of an issue in that respect. (obtaining parts cheaply to patch it up)

I am a bit of a car fanatic, and I really like 80's E30's and E28's. So to own an E30 right from the off (even if it is a bottom end one) would be fantastically fulfilling.

I understand the fact that it will most probably be slower than the 1.2 Fiesta, and it has the potential to be a problem, but it really doesn't bother me so long as it lasts me 2 years or so. Any longer is a bonus. With a total outlay of £750 or so, if it decides to screw up beyond repair i'll get a couple of hundred quid for it even if it gets sold for scrap, and a £500 loss bearing in mind the fact that insurance will cost me £3K doesn't bother me a great deal. (bearing in mind that this is the worst case scenario)

*edit* it looks like the BMW 316 idea has been abandoned due to insurance cost After re-calculating it seems that the 316 would cost £1000 more to insure than I initially thought. I am now only interested in having an older car with no electronic assists as a first car, to build up my understanding of how a car handles with no computer aids so that I can get something more interesting once I have 1 or 2 years no claims bonus.

A MK.2 Golf seems to fit the bill reasonably well, however a RWD would be better.
 
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If the overall price isn't much different to the Fiesta, you're prepared to fix it, if it goes wrong and it's what you really want then I'd say go for it. Alternatively, if the price for the insurance on the 1.6 is the same as a fiesta, maybe the quicker ones will be a negligible difference and worth going for?
 
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mccarf said:
If the overall price isn't much different to the Fiesta, you're prepared to fix it, if it goes wrong and it's what you really want then I'd say go for it. Alternatively, if the price for the insurance on the 1.6 is the same as a fiesta, maybe the quicker ones will be a negligible difference and worth going for?
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I am what I would consider a 'sensible' teenager, I know the ways of the road as much as I feel I can at my age, I know my limits. (unlike some of these people my age who drive like morons and have a high chance of killing or injuring themselves and/or others because they don't understand how to drive safely, and in some cases even the basic laws of physics :p)

But at the same time I feel that a 318i or a 320i would be a little too quick for a first car. The performance of the 1.6l 3 series after over 25 years of abuse would probably be on par with, or less than that of the Fiesta.

Another one of my crazy ideas was that once I get a couple of years no claims bonus (i know, fingers crossed), if I have enough income to cover fuel costs, I could swap the engine for an E30 2.0 6cyl and make a few basic modifications instead of buying a new car, and the insurance should remain around the same.
 
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Much as I like BMW's I can't help thinking an 06 Fiesta would make a far nicer first car to build up NCB with for a couple of years, then, perhaps, I'd be looking at something nicer from the e36 /e46 range, with a decent engine and ideally not 25years of use & abuse.

The e30 sounds like a liability, the fiesta not.
 
Parts are readily available for the E30.

I would recommend the E30 if youre looking to learn how to work on your own car, it would be a good project as you can bet almost every aspect of the car, mechanically, is ruined, whereas the fiesta is much younger and there is much less scope for owners have to ruined them
 
Go with the BMW. It could very well be the start of a deep love and interest in cars and driving. Not something the Fiesta is going to inspire...
 
So long as your reasons for buying the BMW are purely based on the notion that you want it, rather than the outright initial cost, then buy one.

If, however, it is based on the fact it's cheaper to buy outright I'd steer clear - as the issues it will throw up will soon catch up that '20 years newer' Fiestas cost and overtake it.
 
It's up to you really, but I'd have that fiesta over a 316 e30 any day of the week.

What would be much more tempting would be something like an e30 or e36 is but i'm guessing they're completely out for insurance reasons?
 
The fiesta is actually a suprisingly entertaining car to drive with a good chassis and willing little engine.

An 80s BMW with an underpowered 1.6 probably isn't going to be as interesting to drive as you think!

By all means get an 'interesting' classic, for example with Iamzod's 2.8capri, the V6 alone makes it a very different experience to the fiesta. A 1.6 BMW would have been what I considered a boring car even back in the 80s!
If you're really keen on an E30 - at least do it properly and get one with a decent engine. It might not even be that much more to insure. As for too fast - even a 1.2 fiesta goes fast enough for someone to kill themselves, you're the one in control of the throttle pedal!
 
Go for the e30 :)

i have had plenty of old and interesting cars and they are much more enjoyable to own and drive. I am particularly into older german cars and have had plenty of old mercs and bmws. They are very well engineered and you will likely learn a lot from maintaining them.

I wouldn't worry about a 1.8 or 2.0 being too quick for a first car because they are not that powerful. the 1.6 is quite under powered and probably even slower than a 1.2 fiesta.
 
I would go for the Fiesta just because its newer and it will be a far nicer enviroment than the Bmw
 
I'd go for the older car, but I have always had old cars and generally prefer them. You'll learn a lot of useful skills running an older car that will serve you well in later life.

Was there a great deal of different between TPFT & fully comp? I had found that fully comp was sometimes cheaper. As above, a larger engine might be such a bad move and doesn't always shove the insurance up.
 
Lew said:
I would go for the Fiesta just because its newer and it will be a far nicer enviroment than the Bmw
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I like older cars, they have character :D

I would rather go on a long journey in an 80's beemer than a brand new air conditioned comfortable safety box. :p
 
p1RATE said:
Go for the e30 :)

I wouldn't worry about a 1.8 or 2.0 being too quick for a first car because they are not that powerful. the 1.6 is quite under powered and probably even slower than a 1.2 fiesta.
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Thats the plan now I think :)

And from what I remember bumping the engine size up to a 1.8 increased the insurance price quite a bit. :(

I'm not too fussed about it being slower than a 1.2 Fiesta if i'm completely honest. I could always do a few cheap modifications to the engine (filters etc) and take them off when it goes for MOT etc (shh :rolleyes:)
 
Sod sensible, get the beemer. You'll be much more interesting than your mates in their Corsas and Fiestas.
 
have you looked at a classic policy for the bmw?
might be worth looking around... tbh I'd go for the older car everytime, it won't be as reliable and things will def need fixed, but it will give you the chance to learn about car ownership, servicing etc on a fairly basic level - and you will also learn how to drive without all the aids of modern vehicles...
 
As much as I love the E30 I'd probably go for the Fiesta as the first car.

Simply because when I had my first car I was more concerned about driving it around with friends etc, not breaking down every so often or things falling apart.

Scratch the BMW itch when you can get one with a straight 6 :)

Shad said:
Not something the Fiesta is going to inspire...
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I disagree, the Fiesta is pretty fun to drive and the 1.2 engine is great.


If you're interested in learning about cars then I'd get the Fiesta and save for a small project on the side. Totally depends on what you want though, I just remember being 17 and although I had a pretty quick car I still remember having more fun messing around in it than I did appreciating the car (although I did do a track day).
 
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