Hi I have recently passed my test and I am looking for a car for around a grand. Could anyone tell me what I should be aiming to get for that money + the most reliable cars.
Thanks for help
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Your question is a bit vague to say the least.
Depending on your age, that will have a impact on what you can afford to insure, regardless of the car costing £1000. The insurance could cost 3 or more times that.
Do you want something small, large, practical, economic, trendy?
or just a reliable car to get you from A to B that you couldn't give a monkeys about what it looks like?
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Sorry, I'm 18. I'd like a trendy car I guess but also quite reliable. The types of cars I've been looking at so far are Corsas, Saxos, Clios, Puntos etc. So just something small but trendy. I hope i've expanded a little on what I'm looking for. I'd also like a car which is around under 10 years old if this helps at all.
Thanks
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"Corsas, Saxos, Clios, Puntos etc. "
These cars are all dire IMO. The problem is that youngsters like yourself all want them (the reason escapes me) so prices are high.
If you buy a car in the next class up i.e Astra, Xsara, Megane etc. then you will be getting a much nicer, roomier, more refined car for often no more money. And you will be just that bit different from all your mates and their tedious small hatches.
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The 1991-1996 3 door Honda Civics are cracking cars within budget and would be my choice, (much better than the cars you mention) but I think the insurance will be too much. Unfortunately, you need to be looking at things like Micras, Fiesta and the Ka as well as the cars you mention.
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Your biggest problem will be insurance. Use confused.com to give you comparative quotes for all the cars mentioned. Even raising a group ot two will make a big difference. I've heard of 18 y/o lads having to pay £1,200 for their first year.
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Just for an alternative view, how about a Fiat Uno - the 999 FIRE engined models are un-burstable, group 1, not too bad to look at, and very cheap to run. A really good one might knock you back £400. Still quite a few one-lady owner ones around. My last one cost £150 - sold it for £320 witha weapy heater matrix.
Run it for a couple of years, take the ribbing from your mates who have Saxos with Lexus-styled rear light clusters, and sell it for the price you paid for it, so long as it has a 12 month MoT. By then your NCD will be reasonable, and then splash out. No grief if it gets trolleyed in a car park, and no-one will ever dream of stealing it!
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You could do a lot worse than a 1998 on 1.2 Clio though it might take nearer £1200 - £1500 to get one in good order.
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If you can bear the Megane and the Xsara, you'll find them agreeable, particularly a Megane 1.6 which is quite low insurance-wise. Alternatively you could look to an older 306...if cred is that important.
You'll find that (though looking at insurance groupings give an impression) the more young folk you see in a particular make the higher the cost - Saxo's are notorious and I got an obscene quote from an insurance company once. The Megane, by comparison, will leave most of them for dead (in 1.6e form, or 1.4 16v), will have extra space for mates, you might also be able to get one with some toys like a/c...
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At 18, any insurance quote will be around £800 plus depending on your postcode.
So work backwards from insurance costs. What Car on line have all insurance ratings iirc. You want Group 1 or 2.. which means you will want a small car and the basic model with as few extras as possible.
At £1k, you don't want aircon: it is one more expensive thing to go wrong.
Youngest son started on Mark3 1.1 Fiesta 3 door with no extras. Easy and cheap to run and insure. He paid £1k three years ago. 30k miles on still running .
madf
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Actually i've changed my recommendation. Get a Rover 200 (96-99) 3dr (looks better). Extremely cheap to buy and run (good economy on most engines) and will move when you want it to. Does have some issues, but I think as long as you keep a close on the coolant and such it'll treat you well. Or get the diesel.
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Ok thanks for your recomendations. I've been looking around everywhere to get the best deals, also looking at the quote for insurance for each of them. I am still looking though, but today I visited an Astra P reg 1.4 and a Citeron saxo 1.1 R reg. They were both similar prices insurance wise but the saxo costing more to buy.
I think I am going to opt for the Astra if I do decide to opt for either. I've searched round so many garages around north wales and not many have cars for under a grand. And if they do they are always fiestas, corsas and saxos.
Going back to the Astra, it has only done 67k miles and for a grand I think it's quite a good deal. Owned by a friend of the family so they are very trustworthy, and the car looks quite clean overall. Would you opt for that or carry on looking?
Thanks
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I visited an Astra P reg 1.4 and a Citeron saxo 1.1 R reg. They were both similar prices insurance wise but the saxo costing more to buy. I think I am going to opt for the Astra if I do decide to opt for either. Would you opt for that or carry on looking?
You might find the 1.4 Astra a bit gutless, to be honest. Take it for a good test drive beforehand, preferably with a hill or two on the route - if the owner will allow?
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DD:>>You might find the 1.4 Astra a bit gutless, to be honest.
Driven within the speed limit in this country it should be perfectly adequate. He 's 18 - he'll enjoy changing gear to go up hills, and a has driving lifetime to look forward to exciting cars. And if he gets 6 points in the first 2 years (IIRC) he'll lose his licence. I urge you Rob to put DDs comment out of your mind - just about anything you can insure will be similar in performance, to all practical purposes.
The Astra would probably be be much better value than Ka/Micra/Fiesta/Corsa/Saxo etc - these Group 1/2/3 cars tend to be £1000+ even when clapped out, due to the demand from new drivers, and the Astra is in a different class of space and comfort. If it's sound, go for it and put the traffic light GP out of your mind!
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning the Astra. However, comparing it with smaller cars with similar engine sizes, it will feel sluggish in comparison, and you might find the frequent gear changing becoming tedious after a while, not to mention possible engine & gearbox wear due to those frequent gear changes and having to rev the engine more.
As I said, take it for a test drive and see what you think.
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Worth thinking about a classic car- insurance will be MUCH cheaper. Doesn't have to be a 60s or 70s machine- some 80s & 90s cars can be had with classic ins. Have a look on ebay classic car section, see what takes your fancy, call up some classic insurers.
Save money AND be a bit different!
HTH,
Alex.
--
Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
you are a miner.
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I thought there was a 21 year old limit on classic insurance?
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I got offered a Peugeot 106 S reg 1.1 petrol car so I decided to go with that. After searching for hours looking for the right insurance quote I decided to go with Swinton who were still very expensive. It's a nice car and will do for me now, and as I only paid a grand for it I think it was a bargain. The milage was at 45k which added to the bargain. Thanks for your help guys!
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just seen this thread and was going to say the 1400 astra is a good car but see you have bought a 106 on an "s" for a grand,well done they are good cars and the only real problem apart from the brakes needing a little more than average maintainance they rot under the spare wheel (have a look and cover it with anything if you see the tell tale brown stuff rearing its head)
The only other thing is get used to the car as they are a bit tail happy and need treating with a little bit of respect if over cooked on a tight corner.
again well done best of the bunch in my opinion and it will have the latter front end the look 2
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning the Astra
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confused moi. not condoning or not condemning ?
Bound to be one or the other ;o) - DD
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