Thinking of taking lessons soon

Business Man · 28 May 2006 at 01:55

Im thinking of taking some lessons soon which I probably should have done a long time a go. Im thinking of going with BSM, anyone else used them before ? What are they like ? Does any one know how much they charge, I know AA charge £24 p.h

Since BSM use Corsa's I thought it would be better as I'm thinking of getting a Corsa once I've passed my test.

[TW]Fox · 28 May 2006 at 01:56

Go with a local independant, cheaper and often the tuition can be better

But if you really are set on a Corsa, book a few lessons with BSM to show you how terrible they are.

Violent-J · 28 May 2006 at 02:01

Whats wrong with Corsas?

[TW]Fox · 28 May 2006 at 02:03

Violent-J said:
Whats wrong with Corsas?

Basically, it is either poor or average in everything it does - this is simply not good enough when there are numerous Supermini's out there that are average to excellent. For everything the Corsa does well, something else will do it better, there is virtually nil reason to chose one over anything else bar 'they look pretty'.

Replicant · 28 May 2006 at 02:06

Well i was with BSM for ages, then changed to an independant, in fairness the cars arn't that bad well maintained clean, modern etc and the corsa isnt that bad to learn in really, but i think the instructors are a little too eager to extract money from learners and prolong the time until test date.

Violent-J · 28 May 2006 at 02:07

Fair enough Fox, I agree totally with everything you've said there.

MrMatteh · 28 May 2006 at 02:09

i learnt with bsm

had an astra though

Really nice instructor.

i'd say ask your mates though, go on their recommendations

Replicant · 28 May 2006 at 02:11

[TW]Fox said:
Basically, it is either poor or average in everything it does - this is simply not good enough when there are numerous Supermini's out there that are average to excellent. For everything the Corsa does well, something else will do it better, there is virtually nil reason to chose one over anything else bar 'they look pretty'.

True there are better cars out there, but you can be sure you will be paying for the privilege, Yaris, Corsa, Matiz, basic focus etc are pretty similar, the mini is a good bet but not many instructors use them and those BMW service costs will be passed on.

[TW]Fox · 28 May 2006 at 02:14

Replicant said:
True there are better cars out there, but you can be sure you will be paying for the privilege, Yaris, Corsa, Matiz, basic focus etc are pretty similar, the mini is a good bet but not many instructors use them and those BMW service costs will be passed on.

Matiz is dire - perhaps the only car I'd have a Corsa over. I thought I was going to die the day I took one of those around a roundabout at 20mph.

The Corsa isn't noticeably cheaper than many of its rivals, VW Polo excepted. And as for the Mini's servicing costs, they are suprisingly reasonable and I can't remember the last time I saw a Mini that DIDNT have the TLC fixed price servicing pack anyway - mind you, it's for 5 years and very soon the first Y reg Mini's are reaching 5 years old..

Zip · 28 May 2006 at 03:32

[TW]Fox said:
'they look pretty'.

WTF no they dont

Matiz is dire - perhaps the only car I'd have a Corsa over. I thought I was going to die the day I took one of those around a roundabout at 20mph.

I know the feeling. I had to do my driving lessons and a small suzuki ignis and when i was on the motor way and driving the back roads at 100kph i felt like i was going to die.
When you corner in them it feels like they are just going to fall over :eek:

Spamalot · 28 May 2006 at 04:23

[TW]Fox said:
mind you, it's for 5 years and very soon the first Y reg Mini's are reaching 5 years old..

I wish I had bought one of them, now thats cheap good motoring! The prices they still sell at is :eek:

[TW]Fox · 28 May 2006 at 10:23

Spamalot said:
I wish I had bought one of them, now thats cheap good motoring! The prices they still sell at is

Yup, had you bought a brand new Mini 5 years ago you'd be laughing now as you'd have lost perhaps £3-4k tops on depreciation, paid £150 for 5 years servicing, etc etc.

Brilliant - stunning residuals. A rare chance to buy a brand new car and not get shafted.

paradigm · 28 May 2006 at 10:27

Aye, we had a brand new Cooper S when they were first released, got rid of it last year when it reached 3 years old, and had lost a staggering £3k on it

Fantastic little cars, especially with the residuals!

Chronos-X · 28 May 2006 at 10:32

Virtually everyone learns in a Corsa these days - probably more for tuition insurance purposes than anything else.

When I got my 205, I quickly realised there were two processes here - learning to drive in a new Corsa, then learning to drive from scratch in an old 205

Completely different way of controlling each.

William · 28 May 2006 at 10:34

I don't think they do MrX, everyone I have seen has either learnt in a mini or a focus. I was the exception learning in a 206D which the OP should also stay well away from.

Kroegen · 28 May 2006 at 10:59

Im with BSM, im on my 5th lesson and already doing roundabouts and the dual carriage ways

They are very good indeed. The corsa's are weedy, but the tuition is superb.

R0B75 · 28 May 2006 at 11:06

I did my tuition in a Corsa. It's quite a nice car and I was thinking of getting one as it was good to drive.

I went with A+ driving school (A plus) and I booked my lessons in a block with my instructor. I paid for 15 hours tuition and the practical test in 1 go for £290. I'd say that was a bargain these days. They give you an assessment lesson after which they say how many lessons they think you will need, they then book your test straight away and you work towards it. It's puts a little more pressure on you but it's a good way to learn as opposed to waiting for the instructor to say when you're ready and fleecing you of all your cash.

Saytan · 28 May 2006 at 11:44

corsas are hateful cars to learn in. they're uncomfortable over even short distances, and my not-exactly-huge (size 9) feet caught on the underside of the dash when coming off the clutch. the steering is vague, and the gearbox manages to be both rubbery and notchy at the same time.

Cyanide · 28 May 2006 at 11:46

I had my lessons with BSM. Had a corsa for my first 10 lessons and it was OK... then my instructor switched to an Astra. My opinion on Corsa's suddenly took a turn for the worse

Memphis · 28 May 2006 at 11:48

Chronos-X said:
Virtually everyone learns in a Corsa these days - probably more for tuition insurance purposes than anything else.

I'm pretty sure that only 1 or 2 schools up here use them, out of say, 10 or so.