First car advice

Jim99 said:
My last purchase was a 5-door 1.25 Picanto with c. 20k on the clock for this sort of budget.

You can get them still in warranty for 3-4 years, and given the size of the car they're actually pretty nippy. More so than the 1.6 Diesel Golf I use at the moment.
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What Picanto model was that out of interest? On the site, there are various options.
 
Just get a petrol focus looks better than the other cars u are looking at and will be the most reliable and enjoyable to drive
 
have you done any insurance quotes? after spending weeks I found the cheapest cars to be -;

vw up
vw beetle(the new one)
fiat panda 100bph(power)
toyota corrolla 1.4

you won't be able to get the up! or beetle for 5k but the other two should be do-able! panda was very well reviewed.
 
grudas said:
have you done any insurance quotes? after spending weeks I found the cheapest cars to be -;

vw up
vw beetle(the new one)
fiat panda 100bph(power)
toyota corrolla 1.4

you won't be able to get the up! or beetle for 5k but the other two should be do-able! panda was very well reviewed.
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Yeah been finding the same. I am thinking about the Hyundai i10 now actually. It just seems like a "me" sort of car. Like the size and reliability factor. Low tax, insurance.

I hear what people are saying about the focus though. Seems like good choice. Just a case of finding one locally.
 
lemonade said:
Not necessarily, different cars can have different premiums, when I passed, 2.0 family saloons were cheaper than 1.0 superminis, not sure what the situation is now as that was a long time ago now, but your better of checking out wide range of cars than limiting yourself to Corsa's and such.
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This is true. Cars they don't expect you to have can be cheaper than those they expect (even when the insurance groups are miles apart. Seems stupid, but this is car insurance). But i'd still give it a year before thinking of anything with any power. :p
 
So... I got a car!

It's a 2005 Suzuki Swift 1.5 petrol manual. 51,000 miles on the clock. Got it for just under 3k which I was happy enough with.

Problem! I gave it a short test drive before buying around the dealership. Felt ok to me but clutch def felt different to what I am used to (having learnt in a diesel mini).

Figured I'd be ok eventually so went for it. Drove it back to mine and stalled few times. Again, just put it down to needing to master the clutch.

Been out again this morning and stalled badly on 3 occasions. Smoked it at lights to get going. Just seems to be very high biting point, and hard to find. Needs more gas than the diesel mini. I guess I'm used to being able to feel the lurch and creep forwards with clutch. That just doesn't seem to happen in the swift.

So... I'm worried I'm not going to master this car tbh. If I don't, I guess I have 2 options:

1) Sell back to dealership if they are willing to buy it (clearly I will lose money as they will ask for lower price than I paid but I will write it off as lesson learnt)

2) Sell it privately. Move on.

After this, I am considering just getting an automatic. Hassle free. Easy driving.

What do people reckon?
 
Petrol cars have less torque at lower revs compared to diesels, so they're easier to stall. A diesel motor you can pull away in 1st without ever using the accelerator.

If you're not happy with the car let the dealer know ASAP so you can potentially get the fault rectified, or get another vehicle, or ask for a refund as a last resort.
 
Give it time. A diesel and some petrols you can very easily pull away with no touch of the accelerator. Get out of this habit and you'll be absolutely fine.
 
Phonesis said:
So... I got a car!

It's a 2005 Suzuki Swift 1.5 petrol manual. 51,000 miles on the clock. Got it for just under 3k which I was happy enough with.
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Congrats on the car, hopefully you master the clutch soon! That's what I'm thinking of buying after I pass my test in a couple of months. If you don't mind my asking, how much is your insurance on it?

The quotes I got had the insurance for me at about ~£1500p/a :(

If you can't get the hang of the clutch and worst comes to worst, I might take it off your hands in a couple of months ;)
 
I couple of years ago I was in Lithuania driving around in a Diesel Scenic for two weeks. On my arrival back and getting into my petrol I was revving the bits off it to get it going. 10 minutes later and everything was back to normal!

The 1.5 in my GF's Ignis has a cable clutch which can be adjusted so I would get that looked at first as you can adjust the clutch biting point with it.
 
It takes a while to learn how to drive petrol if you've been used to diesels.

I stalled a lot when I got my Picanto. Just take your time, and remember to rev high if in doubt. If you're really struggling, then get your instructor to come with you a few times.

What I would definitely not do is give up on petrols and spend the rest of your life worried about driving them.
 
Yea you will adjust, I was bunnyhopping when I got what was in the end a very nice Honda. It was bit smaller engine, I guess less torque not quite sure why I sucked but I got it in the end. Clutch balance takes adjustment, should always take it easy in a new car anyhow; driving miss daisy mode

Someone lent me a turbo diesel Cupra to go pick up someone, never driven a diesel before and it had reverse next to 1st. So I pull off in 3rd, eventually I stalled it trying to pull off up hill but its got such a big pull so low down that is nice to have
 
I learnt in a diesel and the first time driving a petrol was after having bought my car. (Got my uncle to test drive it as i had no insurance.) Felt weird not using the clutch to creep and get going, but I got used to it quite quickly.
 
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Aod said:
Congrats on the car, hopefully you master the clutch soon! That's what I'm thinking of buying after I pass my test in a couple of months. If you don't mind my asking, how much is your insurance on it?

The quotes I got had the insurance for me at about ~£1500p/a :(

If you can't get the hang of the clutch and worst comes to worst, I might take it off your hands in a couple of months ;)
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Thanks dude! It's a great car. Don't regret getting it. Looks and feels brilliant imo. My insurance was about £800 fully comp. Used parkers to get best quote. Age could be factor. I'm 28.

Haha, you're on! I'd be up for a sale if I don't get on with it after few months.

I'm getting more used to it now but am definitely going to get the instructor I used to sit in with me for a hour or so and just do some general driving. I'm realising now that a good measure is the RPM I give it. Can find the biting point a little easier now after someone suggested I listen for it instead of feel. Once I hear the creak, I apply about 1500 RPM and release the handbrake. Seems smooth. 2000 RPM for hills I guess.

It does actually creep forwards a bit on the flat with just the clutch. So am happy about that as can use the clutch still to do tight parking etc.

But yeah, time will tell I think. If I really don't enjoy it I will have to go for diesel or auto I guess. But early days.
 
Phonesis said:
Thanks dude! It's a great car. Don't regret getting it. Looks and feels brilliant imo. My insurance was about £800 fully comp. Used parkers to get best quote. Age could be factor. I'm 28.

Haha, you're on! I'd be up for a sale if I don't get on with it after few months.

I'm getting more used to it now but am definitely going to get the instructor I used to sit in with me for a hour or so and just do some general driving. I'm realising now that a good measure is the RPM I give it. Can find the biting point a little easier now after someone suggested I listen for it instead of feel. Once I hear the creak, I apply about 1500 RPM and release the handbrake. Seems smooth. 2000 RPM for hills I guess.

It does actually creep forwards a bit on the flat with just the clutch. So am happy about that as can use the clutch still to do tight parking etc.

But yeah, time will tell I think. If I really don't enjoy it I will have to go for diesel or auto I guess. But early days.
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Just give it some time, you'll feel a lot more confident after having driven it for a while anyway, knowing that you can go away, get a rental or whatever and not have to worry.

The stalling in reverse always used to hack me off in my petrol, but like you say, you get used to it pretty quickly!
 
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