- 27,213
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First Car Suggestions? Daewoo FTW. Nothing else Matiz. Oh, and ExigeExcel's Almera.
- Thread starter Danny
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I like to think of it as the "thrash the ass off it everywhere and never fall foul of a speed limit" factor
That too.
Now I'm missing the Maruti Alto we had for a week last year. Epic fun. No grip. No power. No weight. The last part more than makes up for the other two.
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I'd still never buy one of those cars if I had the chance at a decent one like the Focus, though... not unless they cost me next to nothing and I had a LeMons race to run them in...
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
I'd still never buy one of those cars if I had the chance at a decent one like the Focus, though... not unless they cost me next to nothing and I had a LeMons race to run them in...
Well a Matiz will set you back from about £700 in the UK.
You can find Focii for the same money but mileage will be interstellar, it'll be as smokey as a forest fire and the bodywork will look like it's gone ten rounds with Tyson.
I suspect Danny has paid a bit more for his than he got back for selling Kermit.
I really want to have a go in a Tata Nano for the same reason. Want to see how much of a thrashing it can take...
- 24,122
- Scarfolk
- Grim10
- Are you kidding?
Well it's funny you should say that. I've picked up the Focus for around £1300, it's an X Reg with only 70k miles on it and flawless bodywork. Slight scratch on the passenger side door, above the handle, but it's not really something to write home about. It really just needs a mechanical onceover.
And after 3 years, Kermit was bought by an 80 year old American lady for £100 more than we paid for it. I imagine that's mostly because it ended up in a much nicer condition than we got it in.
- 15,490
- UK
This is something I'll get to enjoy doing in a few months, first car. Can't really do insurance for anything with a remotely large engine (Skoda Felicia, 1.4l @ £145/month on cheapest quote.) Quite enjoyed the Fiat Panda (new shape) I learnt and did my test in, weighed nothing which counters the lack of power. Problem for me with small cars is actually having enough leg-room to get in them.
I might end up going for something a little odd, I don't want the 106-type small cars.
I might end up going for something a little odd, I don't want the 106-type small cars.
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Pandas are awesome, I'd definitely recommend one. And they're curiously reliable judging by reliability surveys etc. Fiats are getting better.
Although I agree with Famine's general take on insurance, it varies a hell of a lot. Much as small cars tend to be driven by young'uns therefore bumping up insurance, I've been checking quotes on various things for years and generally, whatever age I've been, small cars with small engines have been cheaper to insure than "unlikely" first cars with bigger engines and bodies.
So a Panda, Ka, Fiesta, whatever should still be cheaper (as long as you don't go for a big engine) than a Mondeo or whatever, regardless of the likelihood of new drivers having bigger cars.
Although I agree with Famine's general take on insurance, it varies a hell of a lot. Much as small cars tend to be driven by young'uns therefore bumping up insurance, I've been checking quotes on various things for years and generally, whatever age I've been, small cars with small engines have been cheaper to insure than "unlikely" first cars with bigger engines and bodies.
So a Panda, Ka, Fiesta, whatever should still be cheaper (as long as you don't go for a big engine) than a Mondeo or whatever, regardless of the likelihood of new drivers having bigger cars.
- 27,213
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I think that classic car insurance only really applies when you're using it as a second car, doesn't it?
I agree though, if I'd been more knowledgeable I would have got something like an MGB GT as my first car, since they're now out of my price range for a good one but back then they weren't. You live and learn...
I agree though, if I'd been more knowledgeable I would have got something like an MGB GT as my first car, since they're now out of my price range for a good one but back then they weren't. You live and learn...
- 15,490
- UK
I still think it can apply to younger drivers, doesn't have quite the same impact, but still has an effect.
MGB GT's, decent ones, aren't too bad atm, see them for about £1500. Not really looking right now, don't see much point in spending £500 on a first car, I want it to last at least 2 years, preferrably until I'm 25, by which point I'll have qualified and be able to afford something decent. Probably somewhere around £1000-1500, though that does mean waiting until about Christmas, I think it'll be worth it.
MGB GT's, decent ones, aren't too bad atm, see them for about £1500. Not really looking right now, don't see much point in spending £500 on a first car, I want it to last at least 2 years, preferrably until I'm 25, by which point I'll have qualified and be able to afford something decent. Probably somewhere around £1000-1500, though that does mean waiting until about Christmas, I think it'll be worth it.
- 6,584
- Kent, UK
- GTP_Jondot
As someone who has been lusting after a Mondeo for the last 11 months, I can confirm this theory. My car's a few hundred quid more to insure than a semi-basic 1.3 Ka, and a 1.8 Mondeo is another couple of hundred on top of that. That said, it's £200 less for me to insure a brand new 1.6 C4 than it is for my Ka, so there is some logic in there.
- 87,119
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
No, it can apply to only cars.
Problem was that, when I was first driving, I needed a car to get around. A car to work on - which I'd have liked - wouldn't have worked. Literally and figuratively. Of course, now I have both, so it's all good. I might be able to slip Marvin on classic too, since he's 17.
- 24,122
- Scarfolk
- Grim10
- Are you kidding?
Oddly, I've found the opposite to be true. The Focus is cheaper for me to insure than a lower-spec Fiesta would be. The Mondeo, however is another matter.
- 6,584
- Kent, UK
- GTP_Jondot
Here's what my confused.com results say on the matter:
From top to bottom: SportKa, 2000 1.8 Zetec Focus, 2000 1.25 Zetec Fiesta. And when I tried a Mondeo quote they told me to phone them. Make of that what you will.
With that said, I did an identical quote for the Ka a week ago and it came out as £900, so I'm not sure how much attention to pay to those results. Weirdly the same thing happened last year - it's almost like insurance companies add £700 to their premiums as soon as September 1st hits.
- 27,213
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Danger Mouse is 19 now so I suppose I should have a look around at classic quotes. I have a plan brewing though based on my previous post which might mean he'll get classic insurance by default...
It's a good car, but I'm not sure it's a great first car. I mean, if someone had given me one as a first car I certainly wouldn't have complained, but "cheap insurance" is very relative... I highly doubt it's that cheap compared to the usual first car options.
- 6
- casey-2pac
That is a very valid point about the insurance. Civic Sport is insurance group 6 in the UK, and it costs me about £4000 per year, its quite a big amount But for the car it isn't that bad, especially with the modifications i have done to it. I have it sitting at 150Bhp roughly.
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- 15,490
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Your MX-5 only costs you £225/year?
- 6,584
- Kent, UK
- GTP_Jondot
Fun fact: you could actually lease a Civic Type R for less than that monthly amount.
And for what I gave Quinn Direct last year, a very acceptable Citroen C1.
And for what I gave Quinn Direct last year, a very acceptable Citroen C1.
- 10,620
- gtp_jimprower
I just paid $70 U.S. for my '96 200SX...and my brother's '02 Taurus Wagon.
Why (even when split,) am I so much cheaper?
Why (even when split,) am I so much cheaper?
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