Hi
My boyfriend passed his test last week and so we have been out today looking for his first car... We've seen a few but one out of them all has stood out. However, we're after some thoughts and views of other people before he goes and spends the money.
The car we are looking at is a 1998 R Reg 1.4 Corsa Breeze. Its has just over 37,000 miles on it and comes with alloys and a cd player. Its for sale at £2495 but the garage has offered him it for £2350 with 12 months MOT and 3 months tax.
Is this a good deal and is the car going to be ok for a first car? My boyfriend has test driven it and he seems happy with it but as I said wants to hear some other views before he goes and spends so much. He's found insurance for it for £1150 fully comp, which seems reasonable for a first insurance policy on the above car.
What does everyone else think?
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Can't help you with the car price even though it sounds good but who the hell is he going to be insured with? I could cry. My first year, I was driving a 1.25 Fiesta and the lowest quote was pretty much 2 grand THIRD PARTY!!!
I'm off to cry now.
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Adam
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Its with Zurich Insurance... we were really surprised when we saw it was that low too. I think its coz he's 22 and got a decent job etc... they gave me quite a high quote and i've been driving 3 years!
Any more views on the car?
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Ahh 22. That's not as bad then. Have you read HJ's car by car breakdown of it (to the left)?
Might want to check if the timing belt's been changed.
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Adam
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I could easily be wrong with this, but I'm sure I remember that pre-2000 the Corsa was pretty badly thought of within it's class. Could be worth checking out some reviews (starting with HJ's breakdown) and seeing if alternative models might be able to offer more.
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To me, it sounds a bit steep for what is a 7 year old basic motor that would only have been £6-7k new. I know cars seem to date slower these days and if cleaned up can look like they're worth more than they really are. Is this the usual price? I know it's the most popular used sector, older small cars, so possibly is.
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We've checked it out on Parkers which said that the same car with 60,000 was worth £2160 when sold by an independent garage, so we were thinking that the price was ok considering its low mileage, alloys and cd player...
Also, I checked out HJ's car-by-car breakdown and so saw the note about the timing belt. Its something we are definately going to check
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At 18 i was quoted £3k tpf&f on a pug 205 1.1, i got half that with Direct Line!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Hi Jen, a friend had a Corsa and I didn't like it at all -- it felt bouncy and insubstantial, tho it had good visibility for easy parking. Fine if it's what he wants, but I wonder if he has tried any of the alternatives?
If I was looking at that size of car, I'd be more inclined to try a Fiesta -- I don't think they look as nice, but they are much nicer to drive and more comfortable to ride in.
But for my money, I'd be inclined to look at a Nissan Almera or Toyota Corolla. At that age, they cost about the same, but with Japanese reliability and much more space.
Also, I wonder are alloy wheels really a good idea on a first car? I bashed my first one into the kerb more times than I like to recall, and alloys will be more easily damaged and more expensive to replace/repair ... but maybe he is a better judge of a car's width than I am :)
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A CD player costs about 50 quid. Don't get so hung up on the fact it's got one becuase it really doesn't matter.
Personally I would buy something else. I'd be seriously miffed if I parted with over £2000 only to recieve a Vauxhall Corsa, quite possibly one of the most horrid, plasticy cars I've had the misfortune to experience.
The same money will buy you a Citroen Xsara 1.4, which will be newer, have more equipment, have a nicer interior, and not handle like it's mounted on mouldy compost rather than springs and shocks. Or a nice 1.9TD version of the above - with air conditioning.
Don't get so hung up on insurance. As it's his first car everything will be expensive so you may as well insure something worth insuring!
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Carry on looking. Look at private as well.
There are some cheap cars out there.
I would suggest you go to your local auction. Don't bid on anything but just see how cheap the prices are. Then look at what dealers are charging for those cars. Then take a deep breath and realise the profits they are making.
You should be able to get something post 2000 for that £2k of yours.
Oh, and Parkers are way over IMO. You really want to look at glasses guide and what cars are being advertised for at the moment.
H
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Actually the insurance doesn't seem that cheap to me either, although it depends where you are in the country. If you're in Lambeth or Salford or somewhere, it's cheap.
For a few hundred more (depending on your haggling skills) you might get a new shape Astra with the same engine, which is a much better car.
You might even be able to find that few hundred from looking around for cheaper insurance; the car sounds like a boy racer special, despite its low insurance group, and insurers might therefore give it a higher rating than you'd expect.
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Have a look on the left at Autotrader. It will give you an idea of what is available at what prices all over the country.
You should get a lot of hits with a popular model.
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Be sure to get it inspected before you agree to anything. If the garage isn't happy to have it inspected then walk away. You have the money, there are thousands of used cars out there, you are in charge of the situation. It is very easy to buy a dud.
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Agree with others - there are better cars for your money. My father-in-law recently bought a Corsa for my BiL. Mind you, he's a student, and he got a 2000V 1.2 16V 3dr (with CD player!) at auction for £1200. Makes yours look very pricy, given this car had 6 months tax and flew through its MOT.
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