Spec my first car !

Andr3w

Andr3w

Andr3w

Soldato
Joined
6 Oct 2004
Posts
20,276
Location
England
Hey guys, I’ve done a couple of replies regarding my first car etc but now im starting to this seriously about it.

I will be buying it in about three months and will spend maximum 3.5-4.5k

The car will most properly be left on base mon-fri then could be driven 50+miles on the weekend coming home/going out etc

I have done a lot of insurance quotes on cars such as 1.6/1.8 focus 1.8 mondeos etc and the quotes are going on towards 2k :(

Im currently insured on my dads insurance driving a 1.6 06plate focus (not really sure if you need this info?)

I did of course look at the trust fiesta 1.25, but doing quite a few motorway miles, and needing something with quite abit of room for an ironing board/big bag etc it's not the right option for me.

Thanks.
 
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Yeh i have been thinking clio's, but ive been in a few and are abit too small for me, im quite tall at 6ft and would feel compact in it.
 
Mondeo ghia x, 406 hdi if you fancy diesel. There's an awful lot of cars available in this price range, focus/astra's are good shouts, as are bigger saloons like 406/mondeo/vectra etc.

In regards to insurance quotes, add your parents as named drivers and see how that affects them, admiral/bell are the cheapest for me at 17/18/19 yo.

You've got a lot to pick from just trawl the pages of autotrader, and i would say don't be duped into paying 3k for a car that costs 1k less to insure than a 2k car with more kit (mondeo ghia x, cough) :p .
 
Try your quotes with Direct line, and also Quinn who take your named driving experience into account...
 
Bigger cars are great.

More car for the money and less to insure. So i'd look at the aforementioned Vectras, 406s, Mondeos etc.

In fact, a new shape mk3 mondeo would be ideal. A tidy, reasonable mileage 3 or 4 year old Mondeo TDCi can easily be had inside your budget. Then you'll have a very nearly new, reliable, spacious, decently powerful yet economical car.

Being a repmobile, not many kevs drive them, so insurance won't be as bad as you think either.
 
The insurance on a 1.8 mondeo is a lot higher than you think. Its going towards the 2k mark which is too high :(

I just need some more advice, what about VW polos, a 1.4? VW are pretty reliable, and a mate has one thats quite nippy!
 
Personally I wouldnt buy french at that price for your first car.

(I had a clio a my first car and regretted it.) Things probably will go wrong with it and the parts are expensive.

At least if you go Axis of evil (Jap / German) It'll probably be reliable.


If you go Pseudo domestic (ford / vauxhall) it'll be cheap to repair and maintain if it does go wrong.
 
Not the kind of thing you want to drive 50 miles in at a time though? Bit small, better off getting something larger and more comfortable.
 
Look at vectras or even astras. Vectras very cheap for insurance! Friend had two vw polos, 1.4 which the engine blew and was pretty slow, then got a 1.6 which was pretty nice. Not my kind of car though. Get a mans version and get a golf :p
 
begbo said:
Look at vectras or even astras. Vectras very cheap for insurance! Friend had two vw polos, 1.4 which the engine blew and was pretty slow, then got a 1.6 which was pretty nice. Not my kind of car though. Get a mans version and get a golf :p
Click to expand...
a 1.4/1.6 golf?
Really?
I want the car to move :p
 
Have you tried Confused.com to get their 38 (or whatever) quotes for just entering your details once?

It's a good site for getting a quick and rough idea of the cost of insuring and general car. You usually find that one particular group of companies (the Admiral/Elephant/BellDirect group for example) might give you a good price on a particular type of car, and that you can go to one of their own websites and get a cheaper quote.
 
i used confused, the cheapest it found was £2728.57 and the most expensive it found was £7260.35 :eek:

edit: just tried insurance on a 3dr 1.4 polo (just for the sake of it) cheapest was £2710.64

WTF?
 
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Yeah i find with confused it quotes a lot over the odds tbh. not sure why but i can go to a company thats quoted me through confused and knock a grand off doing it normally. Confused is a waste of time, go direct!
 
What sort of details are you putting in? Are you putting in a provisional driving license on the form? £2700 on a 1.4 Polo is nothing short of silly, you must not have found the right insurance company yet.

See - just for kicks - what price you get if you stick in a £500 car. Find an Astra/Escort/Golf or whatever on Autotrader for half a grand, stick the details in and see what the quote is.

Edit - one more trick. Add you mum and/or dad and/or girlfriend/older sister onto your policy as named drivers. Adding my g/f onto my GTi policy knocked the best part of £500 off the price. And she's only driven it twice!
 
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