Learning to drive atm and wondering about what car to get later if i pass

SkeeterUK

SkeeterUK

SkeeterUK

Soldato
Joined
24 Oct 2005
Posts
16,393
Location
North East
Hi all.

Ive been learning to drive since about april i think now and even tho its late ive just passed my theory test first time, woohoo, and with having a 4hr intro lesson and 2 sets of 10hr and half way through my 3rd set of 10hrs i am hoping that i can do my practical test soonish tho with being 37 it might take another 10hrs i dunno.

So with a low income i dont have loads to splash about so have to be picky with a car if i get one.

I hear fiestas and corsas are good for first time drivers and low to insure but ive also heard that due to young people usually picking those that they might not be the cheapest to insure afterall due to them being popular first time cars.

So I was wondering what others here might think of being a good car to look for.

Im a big lad so need something i can get in and use comfortably so no tiny cars.

I have looked at some focus cars on autotrader for under a grand and saw a few about 700 i think, they would be 2004 ish era with a high mile count like 100k or more. Did a go compare of one and came out about 600ish for me with 5000 mpy as a guess at how much id drive per year. As its just to go see family around me and shopping, not work or anything.

Saw a cheap astra 1.6 i think, tho gone now which was a nice blue 2002 150k miles for 490 and that came out on go compare to be 500ish a year.

Just wondered what i could possibly get for a medium car that doesnt need work and just can drive without worry as i doubt i could afford anything to repair for awhile after buying a car and then paying the insurance and tax. Doesnt have to be speedy just that it could manage 70 on a19 or something if need be ok, doesnt have to be flashy just comfy seat, wide enough and have adjustable steering wheel (in and out and up and down) and adjustable seat as when learning i have to really lower it to the bottom to be ok with the pedals as im tall at 6ft 2. Gearstick that isnt hard to reach when im driving as when im in the corsa learning i find it a reach when putting it in 1st or rev sometimes. And have to have air con as i get warm too easily.

Any ideas?

Oh and should i go with a trader or private, private might be cheaper but im not covered much if the cars a dud after a week after i bought it, least buying from a business i have some protection i think if anything breaks they can fix it for free like a warranty that i presume comes with it.

Probably will try to stick to something japaneese like nissan, or honda or toyota or vauxhall, and avoid fiat, peugeot citreons as heard they rust and and all sorts some of them types.

I think a focus like my brothers st 170 (size wise) would be a good fit to be comfy in while driving so a smaller car would probably be too uncomfortable. A quashqui would probably be great size wise as nice and roomy as sister has one but i dont think i could afford one of them.

Atm i think im wanting to try for a astra when the time comes, they seem a little bigger than a corsa my driving insutructer has and might be cheap enough i dunno. Most of the time on go compare admiral comes out the cheapest when i set to 200 excess and 5k annual miles which i probably wont ever get near to, more like 3k as i dont go out really and wont go very far.

Budget is probably 500-800 for a car tho max id go if its a amazing car would be 1k at max limit and 600 for insurance from the way things are looking, im probably gona get my brother to be a named driver to possibly lower the insurance down a bit and he can drive it now and then when he comes over mine but ill be the main driver of course.
 
Maclaren 720s, does so many things right... and is quite cheep as well.

Or... yeah Focus.. everyday of the week over some Vaux pile of junk, the Ashtray is not even close to a Focus. The Ford is simply a much better drive.
Personally i would go Jap .. or er Macca.. yeah Macca.
 
SkeeterUK said:
A quashqui would probably be great size wise as nice and roomy as sister has one but i dont think i could afford one of them.
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Personally I'd avoid Nissan based on my experience - while not exclusively the case as to some degree it will be the story with any vehicle in this price range but once they are in your budget there is probably all kinds of work that needs doing not to mention lots of low key maintenance that while not strictly required will probably be a bit bothersome. I'd say Honda or Toyota a much better bet.
 
The old Nissans are really good, they last forever as long as it doesn't rust to badly. Their "fashion" SUVs like the quashqui not so much. They are a bit **** by Japanese standards.
 
Nissan aint been the same since the Renault merger.
They used to be really good, up there with Toyota and Honda but since being infected with the French "crap" virus they churn out a lot of toss thesedays.
Folk love the SUV's for some reason (i would rather walk) but Nissan aint been producing the goods properly for years. :mad:

Basically your going to have a less than stellar car for that money anyway, unless your really lucky, so i would be inclined to buy it to run for an MOT then change again.
 
But he's not going to be getting a new Nissan. My wife's old '07 Micra only ever had two issues with it in about 60k and 8 years of driving - new brake pads and an oil change required. That was it...that car was bulletproof. Definitely not a good shout for the larger man, though. I looked like a clown driving hers.
 
To be honest anything £500-800 ish is bordering on bangernomics territory. If it's not got a bunch of warning lights lit and the electric windows still work then it's a win. As for working AirCon - good luck, most will need a regas at minimum.
 
get on autotrader and browse cars that fit what you need. on a different tab, have a comparison website open, throw in lots of different cars, take notes (including Model(obviously) year, trim level, engine size)

Find a list of cars you're willing to spend the insurance cost on, and then start looking into reviews on which cars you prefer from that list.
 
SkeeterUK said:
Hi all.
Probably will try to stick to something japaneese like nissan, or honda or toyota or vauxhall, and avoid fiat, peugeot citreons as heard they rust and and all sorts some of them types.
Click to expand...

This isn't at all true ime. There's more rust on my current Honda Civic than I've seen on any of the FIATs, Renaults or Citroens I've owned. Granted it's only surface rust on the underside of the car, but it's rust the other cars didn't have. Japanese cars tend to lack underbody rust protection.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/rusty-cars-why-theyre-not-thing-past

“Fords rust, as do certain years of BMW and Mercedes. Certain years of Golf front wings rust, too.”

“Mk2 Focuses suffer a fair bit with tin worm, and my 58-plate Mk2.5 is starting to show signs of it.”

“Recently, I’ve seen more than one Mazda 6 with rotted sills and arches, as in large MOT failing holes.”

“French makes are pretty good for not rusting.”

“My Citroën and Renault are both 13 years old with zero rust.”

“My old X-plate Honda Accord had no rust at all when I sold it on a year ago, and my dad’s 52-plate CR-V is totally rust free, too.”
Click to expand...

What about an 8G Civic?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201910022847516
 
Only bought two sub £1k cars, a 2001 1.4 VW Lupo, and a 2003 BMW 316ti Compact, both were great for different reasons (and both were for the wife, or more accurately the GF at the time).

The Lupo was so simple, nothing really to go wrong, was fun to chuck about and wasn’t that slow given the 85PS and low kerbweight. Downsides were it was noisy, both wind and road noise, it was likely to be as useful in a crash as your average Pringles tin, and it’s carrying capacity for luggage was pitiful. It did however lose absolutely zero value.

The 316ti was lovely, sure it was a bit basic for a 3-series, with it’s cloth interior and basic manual aircon, but it was smooth, quiet, relatively frugal and comfortable. It needed nothing other than a cracked front spring in the time we owned it. Even the aircon worked! Downsides were that it was quite slow (heavy for the power output), it was more expensive to insure than the Lupo, and the compact has questionable looks.

At this end of the market, I’d not focus on any particular car and instead buy on the length of the remaining MOT, the recent MOT history and the condition. The Lupo and 316ti were bought in this way, both came on premium branded rubber, no silly MOT failings (showing running on a shoestring usually), and both were in great condition inside and out. We saw some real dogs during the search for both cars, such as a Seat Ibiza with the roughest idle I’ve ever seen, a Fiesta with more dog chew marks on the interior than I thought possible, and a Micra that was more rust than paint.
 
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