Girlfriend / Car

londonbairn

londonbairn

londonbairn

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Joined
29 May 2005
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West London
My girlfriend finally wants to start learning to drive. To facilitate this, we are contemplating getting a cheap, small car, rather than letting her drive my car.

We were thinking of a Ka, seems like you can get fairly decent examples for £500 (we ideally don't want to go above this given its purpose).

Anything we need to watch out for on them? I believe head gaskets is a big thing. She loves the look of them, so she has her heart set on it.

Also, in terms of insurance, how should I go about this? I presume since I am using my NCD on my other car, I cannot also use it on this as a main driver, so we would just have to insure her on it (and pay loads until she passes?)
 
Just done this with my step daughter. Bought the car last November, Ford KA 55 plate. She really loved it. I started to teach her, now she hates the car and wont go out with me in it. She has had proper lessons ever since but still will not drive the KA. She got very confused driving an older 1.3 litre petrol compared to the 1.7 diesel KIA she is learning in.

I wouldn't bother buying a car or teachering her yourself. Just go straight for lessons. Once passed buy the car.

However on the insurance front. If you do buy a car now, make her the named driver, she will start earning NCD. Add you as a named driver. Huge price drop. But there will be a huge price jump once she gets her full licence.

KA works out best on insurance and I think fords are super easy to drive.

Hope some of that helps!

But seriously, my step daughter didn't speak to me for a couple of days after 1 lesson. . . lets just say we had a near miss with a metal barrier. . . Obviously was my fault. . .
 
concur with opinions and save yourself the aggro :p if you are going to get her something wait until she's had a good few lessons with a proper instructor and wait for their OK that she's good enough to go out driving with others. So rather than you teaching her it's more her just getting the practice in and you're there as an extra pair of eyes and ears. Don't want to get her off on the wrong foot with some bad habits you might have ;)

did this with my parents and it worked out well, BSM guy said I was at a level where I could go out with parents so every day to and from school I'd get 30 mins driving practice each way :D


Also my friend who was learning to drive had quite a few lessons but think the guy was dragging it out so I took her out for a few "lessons". she was a good driver but just needed some confidence which afterwards she said she got from going out with me as the other driver just took her on the same rubbish little route.

so yeah, in summary... let her get lessons and get OK'd to go out driving with others so she has the base skills down and then go get a car so you can take her out and build her confidence :) my opinion anywho :)


don't want to be screaming at eachother after one ride ;)
 
darknite said:
Just done this with my step daughter. Bought the car last November, Ford KA 55 plate. She really loved it. I started to teach her, now she hates the car and wont go out with me in it.
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Thats interesting, my sister went out and bought a KA as her first car and after the first few weeks she absolutely hated it, it leaked, rattled and was just rubbish. Recently my dad caved and bought her a nice newish polo. This does mean that she has one for sale now :P
 
For £500 you'll get a shed of a car, will probably need a lot of work just to get it through the MOT
 
Just bought my misses a Skoda Fabia to learn in and she prefers it over the swift she learns in. Ive done a Multi-car policy for the 2 of us and the 2 cars, with her on a provisional.

I wont lie when I take her out it does get stressful but she also has proper lessons in between.
 
+1 on the driving isntructor, use that £500 for lessons/test etc. Then get a decent car once she's done.

KA is awful and remember she is learning to pass a test, not to drive.

An instructor will be able to help her do that better than you.
 
mk2 ph2 clio is a lovely little car to get started in (Personal experience and I still own the car 4 years later)

Get driving lessons, avoid the KA, parents had one, it had to be welded every year, misses the essentials like a bloody temperature gauge *Facepalm* gutless 1.3 engine...do yourself a favour, and don't even mention the word "KA" it will curse you forever.
 
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£500 KA means a lot of rot, despite the huge plastic bumpers!

Any KA will have huge potential for rot and an engine that first appeared in the 1950's ford anglia.
 
I let the fiancée drive my Mitsubishi Galant once (learner insurance etc.), and she managed to nearly rip off the front bumper.

She now has a 1.2 Corsa which she is learning in. I'd just pay for lessons though if I had not already offered to teach her. It will be much easier in the end :p
 
She got very confused driving an older 1.3 litre petrol compared to the 1.7 diesel KIA she is learning in.
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I'd say thats fair enough. I can remember driving after passing, in a 'new' car and burning up the clutch awfully while taking the last owner back home.
He thought I was the worst driver ever and due a crash shortly but I took it round some waste land by myself and figured what I was doing wrong - eventually
 
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