My strapping 6 ft 4 son has just passed his test at 21. I know the subject of first cars has been discussed before but do any of the backroomers have any recommendations for a first car that will save us trying all the favourites for size? Budget is the usual £1000, daily commute of around 12 miles each way.
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He could do worse than a Mk 1 Punto, assuming you can find a decent one - I'm 6' 6 and used to drive one in perfect comfort. More room in the footwell than in the Mk 2, also. I freely admit bias towards small Fiats, but then I've always got on well with them.
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I am the same height archie and i started in a mark III fiesta which was ok. I now have a pug 306 which i think is very comfortable indeed for a small ish hatch.For 1000 you might struggle to get a good 306, but the non turbo diesels are quite cheap now and they are group 3 or 4 insurance i think.
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Archie
I'm over 6'5". For my current car, I was looking for a cheap to run hatchback. I could fit in the Seat Arosa and previous shape Nissan Micra easily. The previous shape Polo, Citroen Saxo and Renault Clio were all too small. Current Polo and Ibiza are fine, but out of you price range. My first car was a Lada Samara. Don't do it. I've also owned a 1980s Saab 900 and 1992 VW Passat, but insurance might be an issue. The Saab was also expensive to run. There was no problem with my mother's H reg Mazda 323 fastback, and it was a very reliable car too, though I'm not sure of the insurance group. Hope this helps.
BogStandard
Seat Ibiza 1.4S
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Likewise, 6'4" and comfortable in a Scorpio (not latest model) which can be purchased well within price range, complete with all the toys you can want.
Manual very rare though.
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Mk II Polo. Loadsaroom - & loadsachange from your £1,000 as well!
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Just make sure you have strong legs for the non-servo brakes. An anchor in the glovebox was an optional extra on MkI and II rhd polos.
I would go with the Punto, but get the rear brakes checked out as they have a habit of winding themselves into a right two and eight (see the car by car breakdown) and make sure the sump is in good condition (ditto). If not fixed or questionable, buy it anyway but knock 'em back £200.
Cheap to run and insure and reasonable street cred. Parts easy to find and loads of Fiat and Alfa specialists around who will lavish TLC on it for a fraction of main dealer cost and with a lot more knowledge and passion for the job.
Not a bad drive either.
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Thanks everyone. plenty of ideas there. Now all we have to do is find a good one!
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Thanks everyone. plenty of ideas there. Now all we have to do is find a good one!
Car or idea? ;o)
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I'm a lanky 6'6" and drive a BMW 318 e30 shape (made up til 92 in touring form) and a Ford Ka, both of which I find comfy (Loads of headroom in the Ka!)
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There are plenty of Citroen ZXs around at around that price, I would think. You should be able to get the turbo diesels too. They are good engines and give the car very good performance. Nice handling too. There is more leg room in the front seat of a ZX than in a Xantia, which is a bit cramped.
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Any Mk3 Cavalier with the height adjustable driver's seat wound down to its lowest setting should be OK up to 6'ft 6. Loads available in your price range.
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>>Just make sure you have strong legs for the non-servo brakes.
This is a car for a strapping great 21 year old 6' 4" fellow. Are you suggesting he's a ........?
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>>Just make sure you have strong legs for the non-servo brakes. This is a car for a strapping great 21 year old 6' 4" fellow. Are you suggesting he's a ........?
Ah, so there's the danger that this strapping chap could brake hard and end up sat in the rear seat, just like officer High-Tower in police academy.
Surprised that an '82 Civic without the front seat wasn't suggested.
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Umm, a lot of the suggestions are either difficult or impossible to insure for a 21 Yr old. I sold my wifes Suzuki Swift to a guy who was around 6 4 and he could drive it comfortably. Also reasonably cheap insurance (I think grp 2 or 3) Should pick up a decent one for around £ 1K.
Jim
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I would go for an early Polo. Helicopter Jr who is 6'1" tall had no problems , our old Classic quite regularly held him and three or four rugby playing mates of huge dimensions and their kit. Cheap to insure and buy.
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Don't buy Helicopter's old one though.
Probably smells of sweaty rugby players... ;)
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Get yourself a properly sized car like a Ford Mondeo, Citroen Xantia or a Peugeot 405. Couple of years ago when I was after my first car I got a nice 1.9TD Xantia. Much better than the older, equivilently priced tiny little shoebox I could have got like everyone else who gets a first car goes for.
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Aah yes - Theres nothing like the sweet scent of sweat, liniment and old jock straps .... A real mans car! We used to use a pig as an air freshener....
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If you want an old Polo, go for the MK3 like mine (1991-1994). You'll get that all important servo and injection across the range, all for a low price.
'get yourself a properly sized car'. Yeah, with properly sized bills ;-) But if you struggle with the smaller cars, you may have to look at these. But looking at what everyone says about the Polo, you might not have to.
Let us know how you get on.
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Properly sized bills is just another misconception which helps reduce the value of large cars and increase the value of small cars.
My Xantia had an excellent, reliable and torquey 1.9 Turbo Diesel engine which was just as good on fuel as my friends little 1.3 Fiesta, and in the 2 years I drove it it cost me very little in terms of repairs and servicing, certainly no more than a Fiesta or Saxo would have done.
Insurance was perhaps £200 a year more than it would have been for a small car, but thats not exactly THAT much when you are spending £1000+ on the car - infact you'd save that much alone over buying an equivilently aged small car.
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It wouldn't call it a 'total' misconception, because it is kinda true. I know where your coming from though, as we too had a 1.9 TD Xantia which during the time we had it cost very little to maintain. But, when the time came in to trade, it needed a miriad of things doing to it, including a clutch. Not cheap on a Citroen!
Not forgetting that road tax is more, and as you say, insurance will be a little more, which is an important factor when its your first car at 21.
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