New or 2nd hand vehicle?

PixieLandGirl

PixieLandGirl

PixieLandGirl

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Riteo, im hoping to pass my driving test at some point this year & looking at buying a little Kia Picanto. I just wondered is it wise to buy a new car straight away or should I settle with a 2nd hand vehicle, as im likely to save a few pennys too?

Any other buying advice would also be really helpful :)
 
Secondhand all the way. Let someone else lose 30% as they drive out of the door :D

Also i'd consider not spending more than £1.5k so if you do ding it you won't be too annoyed.
 
First car id lower the budget to a lot less. No matter what car you have you are likely to ding it or get board of it after a year or so of driving.

Then when you have your 1 yr NCB you can start to look for something a little nicer. My sister spanked £6k on a Yaris that was a lovely little car now it is a wreck, She was warned lol
 
Agreed. Don't spend loads of money on your first car - it's pointless. Just get something cool! I had a 1980 Mini as my first car. It was an absolute dog but was great fun!
 
You'll really regret spending anything more than a few k on something like a Kia picanto in a few years - buy a shed for £1k as your first can and get something decent when you can afford to insure it
 
I am going to echoe what the others have said, only with more ...oomph "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T BUY A KIA" ...there we go :)

In anycase, I recommend you buy what ever you choose, second hand, even if it's only a year old the first owner will have taken the biggest depreciation hit and you get a much better deal. Also, if the car had any early niggles, the first owner would probably have had them sorted, it'll also be run in etc.

I don't subscribe to the whole, don't buy a decent car for your first car as you will bash it up idea though, I didn't, my first car was immaculate and remained so until someone drove into it when it was parked, which could have happened to any car belonging to anyone. Still it was good if not better than before after being repaired.
 
I'm not sure if Kias are inherently bad, they're just distinctly "meh"

I dont think you should avoid buying decent as a first car because you'll bash it up (although the risk is higher), but because you'll regret it when you want to buy and can afford to insure something nicer, but you cant because you're still paying off the first one which has already depreciated hugely.
 
When I had lessons a while a go I found the fiesta to big. Not the car itself, just the fact that i'm 5ft & manoeuvres we're awkward due to my legs feeling like they were stretching slightly (no matter the seat set-up) :(.

Can I just ask what's so bad about Kia's in general & the Picanto?

I've drove around 3-4000 miles in my dad's Picanto without much bother, his is 2nd hand & he's had it around 2 years. Is it the longevity of a Kia that is the issue or the car build?

And ty for all the feedback, it's really useful to see what everyone else thinks :D

Edit: I also need a car that someone who is 6ft 6 can fit in easily without too much of a squeeze lol
 
PixieLandGirl said:
When I had lessons a while a go I found the fiesta to big. Not the car itself, just the fact that i'm 5ft & manoeuvres we're awkward due to my left leg feeling like it was stretching (no matter the seat set-up) :(.

Can I just ask what's so bad about Kia's in general & the Picanto?

I've drove around 3-4000 miles in my dad's Picanto without much bother, his is 2nd hand & he's had it around 2 years. Is it the longevity of a Kia that is the issue or the car build?

And ty for all the feedback, it's really useful to see what everyone else thinks :D

Edit: I also need a car that someone who is 6ft 6 can fit in easily without too much of a squeeze lol
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By best mate is 5ft (also a girl, with girly priorities) and after trying to get her into my car for a laugh, I can appreciate where you're coming from - she drives a Micra and finds it fits her very well. She's had it 3 years and all it's needed has been tyres, wiper blades and services. A much better car than the Kia too
 
PixieLandGirl said:
When I had lessons a while a go I found the fiesta to big. Not the car itself, just the fact that i'm 5ft & manoeuvres we're awkward due to my legs feeling like they were stretching slightly (no matter the seat set-up) :(.

Can I just ask what's so bad about Kia's in general & the Picanto?

I've drove around 3-4000 miles in my dad's Picanto without much bother, his is 2nd hand & he's had it around 2 years. Is it the longevity of a Kia that is the issue or the car build?

And ty for all the feedback, it's really useful to see what everyone else thinks :D

Edit: I also need a car that someone who is 6ft 6 can fit in easily without too much of a squeeze lol
Click to expand...

Peoples hatred of Kia will stem from the fact they are a budget Korean manufacturer. Their cars were (and still are though less so) plasticky inside and flimsy on the outside. They develop rattles after not so long and actually operating them won't be as pleasant as some of the european brands (that cost more for a reason). Having said that, unlike French cars, which typically can suffer from similar things, they dont tend to go wrong electronically.

My friend owns a Hyundai, (Hyundai = Kia btw), and its all of the above. having said that, it has also done 40+ miles a day for the last year without so much as a hiccup (its now 9 years old as well so not really indicative of more modern Kia/Hyundai's).

I think what people are saying though is that if you roughly halve what you would spend on a new Picanto, say 5k? Down to around 3k, you will find lots of small cars by better manufacturers, such as Ford, VW etc. which are simply nicer cars to own and drive. When you're learning you don't care how bad a car is, once you've passed and are confident, you start to notice that annoying notchy gearchange, or that stiff clutch, or the way the car wobbles from side to side on the motorway or the way it simply doesn't accelerate etc. :)

And as has also been said, if you don't ding your first car you will be a much more careful driver than most!

Having said all of that, as a basic car that does in fact work as a car, I don't think anyone here is likely to say that if you bought a Kia Picanto, it wouldn't do at least that. They typically are reliable cars.. just not very nice compared to the available competition.

Also, look out for the Fiat Panda, excellent little car.
 
Ill have a nosey at the Micra :).
Are Citroen ok .. or am I terribly attracted to bad cars? :P

Like I say I'm a while of being ready to drive, but I want to plan my finances & what not as I'm also hoping to buy a house this year.
 
PixieLandGirl said:
Ill have a nosey at the Micra :).
Are Citroen ok .. or am I terribly attracted to bad cars? :P

Like I say I'm a while of being ready to drive, but I want to plan my finances & what not as I'm also hoping to buy a house this year.
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Cit are getting better, though I assume you're looking at the C1?

The C1 is the same as a Toyota Aygo or some Pug model I forget.

If its the C3, then my advice would be to steer clear. If its a Saxo, well i'll let others tell you why not.

Really do genuinely look at the Panda though. If you could get one of those in a 1.1 with Dynamic trim or above, they are very solid little cars, nice to drive, ride well and very refined for what they are. Though I realise their looks can be divisive. Or if you fancy Diesel, the 1.3 MultiJet is a corking little engine, if a little rough. My mum gets a genuine 70+ MPG out of hers (deduct about 10MPG for more normal driving!)
 
Depends on the Citroen - they're not the best manufacturer out there

What's your budget? Presumably new Picanto money - 6~7k?
 
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