OMFG. Another first car thread :)

allllec

allllec

allllec

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Just been thinking about it some more, just wanted peoples inputs, thoughts and suggestions really.

Budget would be around £3k. But thats for the car and insurance! As you can imagine for a wee lil 17year old like me insurance is more than the cost of the car!

So far i've been thinking

Corsa. 1.0/1.2. For around 1k you seem to be able to get a nice tidy 60k example. Don't like corsa's in the slighest however. and insurance comes in at 1.4k

Fiat Seicento. Can get a pretty new (2000). 40k, good nic one for 1k and insurance is 1.2k. Don't find the car overally appealing but the price is attracting me somewhat.

Focus. Now this is where im stretching myself. For 1.7k~ish I can get a 1.6 LX with around 60-80k on the clock. They seem to be quite tidy. But insurance comes in at 2k. Now.. If I could be sure its very unlikley im going to see any major/expensive faults/repairs/service costs I would possibly go for one becuase I really like Focuses(foci?).


Now thats my short list.

I've looked at the following and they are all similar to the corsa description above except they are all 1.6k on the old insurance.

106's
Saxo's
Clio's
Fiesta's
Ka's
Polo's
Micra's

and I'm sure there are plenty of other small hatches i've thought about but can't remember them just now.

So, thoughts? I think the Corsa is probably my prefrence at the moment, like i said i dont like them but i prefer them over any other small hatchback.

Seicento, Well I understand at a whopping 900cc there gonna be pretty darn slow and anyoing but if someone could honestly say its going to be fairly reliabe/cost/hassel free I'd happly get one over a corsa.

Focus - I know you'r all going to say get one. And that clearly is what I want to do but I'm not sure I would be able to afford it.

(for now) all im looking for in a car is something that will run for 1-3years without be having to touch it. IE as cheap as possible. Only exception to that would be if i got something a bit nicer i wanted to hold onto for longer, say a focus.

Oh im pretty sure most of these cars fall into this catagory but 40+mpg is pretty important.

Anyway, any help appreciated.

Cheers

Alec
 
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ChoÞÞer said:
You could spend over a grand on a first car, but its known that you will hit a other car and curb the wheels and that. try and spend less about 600ish quid on a first car, 1 that will get you around, and let you build up your no claims then think about getting a focus or some think more powerful :)
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Well I was looking at sub £800 cars but most of them are around the 100k mile mark and that's when I become unsure of how long they are going to last.

But hay if any of the cars listed and likley (obviously all we can do is take an educated guess) to be okay at that milage for a year or two then i'll deffinatly check them out!
 
Yeah tried all the big names as well as the big search engines. The focus is actually the only car where eCar isn't cheapest for me.

Endsleigh come out cheaper for a Focus.

Would you agree with other persons post about not getting a nice car as a first car?

Just for a laugh I looked up a 1.8 Zetec and it's litterally £200 more than a 1.6 LX :cool:
 
Tom|Nbk said:
The Ghia is classed as a Luxury spec, it's the one that comes with the awful fake wooden dash and other 'toys' such as heated seats, cruise etc etc.

The Zetec is classed as the more sporty model, these come with bolster seats, stiffer suspension and different dash colours etc.

Basically if you were on the motorway all day I'd 110% want the Ghia, if you're around town doing the occasional A road you'd want the Zetec.

Also try and get one with a Climate Pack it's almost a neccesity (heated windows for winter and AC for summer!)

I do get the impression from your OP that the Focus is the one you're after. Great first cars cheap to run, parts cost pittance, servicing you can do a LOT yourself and I almost certainly would with an older example.
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Yeah I want the Focus. Just have to be sure it's not going to cost me too much to maintain. If they don't, as you suggested, and I can afford it I'll get one probably.

Zetec it is in that case :) Climate pack as well if I can :)
 
Tom|Nbk said:
The Focus will cost no more than the Fiesta would to maintain, or many of the other cars on your list. Just be careful choosing one, hold out for the best one. It may take time.

In 18 months of ownership my Focus cost me £60 when a sensor broke...

The rest was all consumables like tyres, pads etc etc. Interesting to see what the other Foci owners say as I know there are a fair few on here.
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Cool.

Anything imparticular you know of to look out for?

Also what about milage (bearing in mind i'd only be adding 5k~ a year)? 100k on the clock anything to worry about?
 
Just a meger strech to 2.5k and we're in business you reckon?

Well depends what happen's on the job front this weekend. But if everything goes to plan fingers crossed it should be do-able :)

You've been very helpfull. Much appreciated.

One last question, Do you reckon it would be worth investing in a 1.8.

Im learning to drive in a 1.6 new focus (a lovely AA one ;)) and I feel it has plenty of nip about it, but maybe thats just becuase I'm new to this whole driving thing. Thoughts?

Thanks again :)

Alec
 
Cool again thanks for all the information.

I looked at the 1.4 but I read before that it feels very underpowered and since a Focus would be a treat it'd be daft to get a 1.4 :) Cool. 1.6 it is then.

Didn't realise there was a face lift. That particular one you linked to looks the mutts nutts. Deffinatly my favouite looking Focus. Don't fancy the new ones (obviously not suggesting I could afford one). That looks very swish.

Well like I said this all comes down to what's happening on the job front. But if I get the job(s) im after than I'm dead set on a focus :)

Thanks again!

Cheers

Alec
 
Oh btw that 2001 Focus you linked too.

1.8k for 1year :o (well not actualy one year, 8months of ecar pay-as-you-go which gives 1 year ncb after 8months)

Pretty swish I'd say :o
 
Well had my interview today. Went really well hope I get this job. If I do its £800 p/m after tax. So £500 aside every month for a few months.

Depending on when I take my test etc I may end up getting some clapped out Vax Corsa for a few months as a stop gap until the focus.

Anyway still got to get the job and a driving lesson so lets not get ahead of our selves :o
 
My mum got a letter today telling her that her pension is worth £0 so I doubt shes in any situation to be giving out money :o lol. Not that she could afford it anyway!

But hay. Im aiming for that focus and I'll try don't worry ;)
 
howardcanning said:
I'm quite surprised at that £1.8k insurance quote. Who was it with? I reckon you could get it lower than that. It's hardly a supercar :)
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With eCar.

It's a bloody mirical tbh. I would very much doubt I can get lower with my age and postcode etc. I've looked at all the big names, all the big insurance search engines and eCar always come out on top.

1.8k is a bloody good price for me! considering not so long ago I was getting the cheapest quotes on a Punto 1.2 for 2.3k :o
 
Had many a thread on this topic.

Yes yes and yes :) I've been around the 6 main search engines. The big idependant sites, eg ones you've listed and direct line.

I've also gone direct to the insurers that come out top on the search engines to see that they are correct and I can quite safley say eCar is the cheapest insurance for me and by £500++.

Trust me I'm over the moon with that quote :cool:




(granted the punto has come down but before christmas it was 2.8k, not 2.3k that was a typo). I'll requote it now see what its come down too.)

It's now coming in at 1.8k. Slightly more reasonable that before but still bloody awfull for such a underpowered piece of **** :p
 
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Kingy said:
As a new driver, when considering your new car budget, remember that you will only be insuring it TPFT. This makes it a gamble, and the golden rule of gambling is that you shouldn't gamble what you can't afford to lose.

There is a balance to be found, between buying a cheap nail that will need a lot of maintenance and therefore ultimately costing as much as a decent one in the first place, and spending £2.5k when £2k or less may do, wile being easier to stomach if despite driving like an angel, some stupid cow pulls out on you and you stack it at 30.

Also, think carefully about things like tyres. There are those that will skimp on your sole contact point (hopefully) with the road, on the basis that it's no super-car. Fair point, but, whether your car has got 100 or 1000 thousand horses, at some point, you WILL need to do an emergency stop. I have always bought the best WET tyres I could find, for no other reason than I would feel like such a prize **** if for want of a car lengths extra stopping distance I'd cracked my front bumper or worse (!), and subsequently lost more than extra £15 or whatever per corner I'd saved.

Kudos on being sound as well, you're the first young lad I've seen in here asking for help that doesn't think they know better already, that sort of attitude will win you a lot of respect... :)
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The TPFT point is a bloody good one that didn't cross my mind at all.

Oooerrrr. You've got me thinking now. Infact I'm seriously considering getting a £500 jobbie to (hopefully) get me 1/2 year ncb and get fully comp on a nice car (for example a focus).

So lets take the focous out of the equation.

Seems to me to be between. Fiesta 1.25 and Corsa.

I personally havent actually heard a good argument for the Fiesta and its an extra £300-400 on the old insurance. Where as the corsa really as the cheapest but bearable car I've found.

Anyone advice on corsas? Years/Milage to avoid or anything?

Thanks again people mucho appreciated :)

Stellios said:
My 306 was £1500 in my first year when I was 19.
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Bah humbug. Get your coat :p
 
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