im looking to buy my 1st car as im currently doing driving lessons
but i really dont know where to start??? i have been looking at pug 106 and citroen saxos.....im looking for something that will be cheap on insurance so im lookin at engine sizes upto 1.3 maybe 1.4....
i have got about 700.00 to spend but i really just dont know.... i have heard that there is common problems with 106 and saxo which is the head gasket is this right?? as this is kind of putting me off buying one of these?
also i have no idea what to look for when i got to view the cars?
can anyone advise me?
Edited by Pugugly on 19/07/2008 at 21:52
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Just get whatever you can for the money, that looks well cared for. If it looks clean and hoovered and no scratches, it will generally be well maintained too, like by older people. At £700 it is the bottom end of the market, so you aren't buying the car as an investment, just something that will hopefully last a year or two. Also check the insurance, you may find it a lot cheaper to go for a 1 litre than a 1.3 litre, despite there being hardly any real world difference. Take someone along who has owned cars for years, preferably someone who knows a bit about them. There is a car by car guide on here at www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm
which gives you an idea. You will always hear people bitch about a car model they had a bad experience with and other people extoll the virtues of the same model, so you just have to balance them out a bit.
Edited by Webmaster on 21/07/2008 at 18:25
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Think function not form at your budget. For some reason 106s, Saxos, Corsas and Clios are fashionable among the young. Less so, inexplicably, are KAs and Fiestas. These are far more entertaining to drive, generally reliable, cheap to maintain and paradoxically cheaper to buy.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 19/07/2008 at 17:29
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What Hamsafar says is good advice. Beware of expensive cars that have come down in the world, because you won't be able to afford to maintain them. Don't believe it when people tell you they last 'for ever'. They don't, and there's always a reason why they are cheap.
I would underline what he says about taking someone along when you go to look at cars. They will discourage you from making an impulsive decision you may later regret, and they should be able to tell the difference betwen a sound high-mileage car and an abused shed.
There is a wide choice of cars at that price level and with good luck and good management you may find something that will last for years if looked after.
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has it got to be 'cool' or will anything do for a while until you can afford better
because... something that most young people wouldn't look at twice is far less likely to have been thrashed by some boy racer and equally less likely to be stolen
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700 quid for just the car, or insurance as well - I suspect the insurance will be a lot more than the car, and a fair bit more than 700 quid!
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My first car about 3 years ago was a Pug 106 1 litre which I bought for £900. Served me very well for 6 months until I started doing too much mileage and had to upgrade to something bigger and more powerful. I'm sure you could find one for £700.
Though as has been said the insurance will be a lot. I was an 18 year old male and it was around £1500 for the first year (but now at £600 for a brand new much more powerful car so don't despair it won't stay that way for long!)
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I've just been throught this as my 18 yr old son has just passed his test.
My advice would be Nissan Micra or Ford Ka, I did look at Puntos,106, Saxo, Fiesta, etc.
We ended up with a KA2 P reg 60K & full Ford SH & PAS - price £700.
I was impressed with the Micra's but most don't have PAS which was important to us.
Generally Japanese cars are the most reliable, and a Micra is less likely to have been abused.
Insurance for the Ka was £1250 but I'm sure it would be < £1000 for a female of the same age.
good luck
J
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also i have no idea what to look for when i got to view the cars? can anyone advise me?
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Don't go on your own - a lot of rubbish around at this price, take someone who knows about cars. eg Dad, friends Dad, neighbour who fixes his own car etc etc. I'm sure someone will help you, no one wants to see someone ripped off.
Autotrader website will show what's available at your price range in your area, but - again - a lot of the cars look ok in the photo but up close it's another story. Get help!
J
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thanks for all your replys!
im a female aged 27 with kids so im not a girl racer lol!
but i am going on either my stepdads or cousins insurance to make it a little easier for me..... cousin has said definate yes....but stepdads would be even cheaper.....
alls i want is a car that i know will be a...reliable for a couple yrs... and b something that wont be too pricey if it does brake down..
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I agree with DavidHM
"going on stepdad/cousin..." insurance, ie lettting them declare they are the main driver when you will be the main driver is a practice known as "fronting" which is illegal.
You/stepdad/etc may get the proposal passed - easy if you buy online - and the insurer will be happy to take your money - but if there is an accident then the circumstances may be looked into and insurers arn't stupid. A person who buys a car but then declares another (lower risk) driver to be the main user is an obvious case for further investigation.
My advice - stay legal.
J
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"A person who buys a car but then declares another (lower risk) driver to be the main user is an obvious case for further investigation."
And if you are the main driver then the policy has to be in your name. And the main driver is the one who does the most driving in it. It's not worth it and for anyone (especially female) over 25 the premium will be a lot cheaper than you think.
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Rover 100, latest you can get, lowest mileage as long as it has FSH, take someone who knows a bit about cars with you, make sure they have looked up the foibles of the 100 beforehand.
Should pick up a cracking 100 for less than £500, if looked after (oil change etc) will last you a good few years, just has no street cred whatsoever, which in some ways is a good thing because nobody will pinch it.
Insurance will be low, but bare in mind it does not come with airbags etc, if you want a 'safer' vehicle I would say a KA would be good, insurance will be more as it will be a 1.3 but should get a half decent one for £700 ish.
Just dont rush to buy.
CBG
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"Rover 100, latest you can get, lowest mileage as long as it has FSH, take someone who knows a bit about cars with you, make sure they have looked up the foibles of the 100 beforehand."
Why would you get a 100 which is truly terrible when you can have a 200 for that money? The 200 is still a good looking, decentish car while a 100 is a shed on wheels.
Definately wouldn't buy French, know someone who had a nightmare with a 306, paid £750 for it but spent over a grand in major repairs in less than a year! Obviously not all will be like that though
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>Why would you get a 100 which is truly terrible when you can have a 200 for that money?
Insurance would be considerably cheaper, parts are pennies, easy to work on.
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Hi
I would not recommend any french car in that price bracket at all, stick with a japaneese car and you wont go far wrong. I have just bought a 99 T plate 1.3 micra with remote central locking, sunroof, PAS for £1100 with 12 months MOT and 6 months tax....it is a 1 owner car with a Full Nissan service history. Take your time these gems are out there.
good luck
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Sarah, at your age (younger than me though) you'd be surprised how cheap insurance can be if you shop around. However, if you simply go on as a named driver on someone else's insurance when the car is yours, it might be cheaper than real insurance but it's an expensive way of paying for no insurance, which is what you'd get if the insurer ever found out that you'd misled them.
In any event, once you have had insurance in your own name for a while it will be much cheaper again so long term, going in someone else's name might not even save you any money at all.
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Sarah at your age (younger than me though) you'd be surprised how cheap insurance can be if you shop around.
I doubt it, at 18 insurance is VERY expensive, even if you shop around. £1250 sounds very cheap for an 18 year old male if that is fully comp. I paid about that price to insure my 899cc Seicento (insurance group 1) when I was 19, and that was a few years ago. Females are likely to be at least a few hundred cheaper though.
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P3t3r, Sarah is 27 so her insurance will not be as bad as for a 18 year old.
If it helps, my daughter aged 23 paid £750 in her own name (student, third party, kept on drive, on a 1.4 engined, sporty car) in the New Forest, three years on she is paying £400 ish now a teacher in Camden, kept on the street.
With young children you will be better with four doors rather than two. Look at the Micra as they are reliable, easy to drive and plenty around at a good price. Have a browse through the Car-by-car breakdown to give you a better idea of the various cars you are looking at and what they may need doing to them!
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Sarah
If I were you, I'd also go for a Micra. Bought one for the wife 8 years ago. It's now 10 years old, and we've had very few problems. Always starts first time and just goes. A bit 'agricultural' to drive, but very reliable.
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Re: the insurance. Just got a quote on a medium-risk postcode for a 27-year-old woman on a 1.0 Micra - £425 with Direct Line (the one and only website I tried). How much are you going to save by putting it in someone else's name? And how will no claims change that in future? It's simply not worth the risk unless you can't afford a car at all.
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With learner/new drivers it's all about the insurance group of the car. I bought a 1.2 Corsa P reg for £695, and it's a good car. Lively enough, economical, and easy to maintain. It's a Group 2. My 20 y/o daughter (full licence) and my 17 y/o (L) share it. I'd advise against the Fiat Punto, which while roomy, is prone to all kinds of problems by the time it gets to that age. We had one, but it's no more....
"but i am going on either my stepdads or cousins insurance to make it a little easier for me..... cousin has said definate yes....but stepdads would be even cheaper....."
Not a good idea at all, in my opinion.
Edited by oldnotbold on 20/07/2008 at 23:00
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Stompinsarah,
My first car was a Nissan Micra R reg. The most reliable car I have ever had. Maybe not the most cool. But economical, fun to drive. 1.0 ltr 16v. Nice and cheap to insure as well! My mate had a 1.3 KA, it was ok but the micra had a much nicer feel to it inside and a bigger boot.
That would definatly be my bet!! Good Luck
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