Thetownend.com

It's my 17th in just under 2 months. I'm just beginning to think about what car to get.
Any ideas?
Obviously nothing expensive, or a huge engine.
Something small and smart.

A Smart car?

New or used? Budget?

rx8 - only 1300cc

Used.
£1000 hopefully.

 :D

You'll probably be looking at your usual Saxos, 106s and Fiestas for that budget.

I quite like the look of the Rover 200.
Is that bad. :D

you can have mine

Wankle.

Got my 1.2 Corsa for a grand, Dean. Can't say fairer than that!

For a first car you wanna be looking for a low insurance group mainly as on my 1.3 clio TPFT it cost me £1,300 to insure it.

Dont get a french car for starters, if will cost you more in repairs than what you paid for it, unless your gonna fork out and get a new one. as from previous experience and i know a lot of people who had the same issues with Renauts and Peugeots dont get one unless its no more that 5 or so years old

Milage is also something to look at the lower the milage the better obviously

If your looking for a car with a budget of 1,000 its gonna be atleast 8/10 years old so if you want something semi-stable you wanna look for probably a german car or similar

A VW Polo or maybe even a low spec Golf would be ideal
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLKSWAGEN/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-13-29-4294967159/advert.action?R=200737294493382&distance=1&postcode=sn34ds&channel=CARS&make=&model=&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

or a Vauxhall Corsa
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VAUXHALL+CORSA/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-13-4294966945-4294966969/advert.action?R=200741296134017&distance=18&postcode=sn34ds&channel=CARS&make=&model=&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

Ford Fiesta are normaly good first time cars
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/FORD+FIESTA/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-13-4294966400-4294967194/advert.action?R=200739295681240&distance=10&postcode=sn34ds&channel=CARS&make=&model=&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

or just get one of these
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/PORSCHE/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-13-4294967213/advert.action?R=200741296259517&distance=1&postcode=sn34ds&channel=CARS&make=&model=&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

Also look out for when the tax/mot's are due.

Make sure they atleast have had a recent MOT coz the last think you want is buying it and having an MOT done and finding out things are wrong with the car

and because it will be and oldish car you want one with cheap parts available - Ford and Vauxhall are normally good for this. Bits on my first car (fiesta) were cheap as anything.

yeah a fiesta is a great shout.cheap parts and loads of them about

My first car cost me £200. A mark 1 golf. 1982. Cost me £700 to insure TPFT. Had it two years. Only needed one tyre in those two years. Did about 1000 miles. Sold it on for £200. Absolute gem of a car!

Get a little fiesta.  They are apparently the most reliable engines and are 16v as well so although its 1.25 you still get a little bit of speed.  (better than KA's).

I had a fiesta and it was ace.

My first car was a 1.2 Corsa which I bought off of my Mum for £650.

I traded it in a year (and 5000 miles) later and got £850 for it.

Like Chubbs said though, I suggest getting something German. A Golf or Polo would probably be your best bet, too many Corsa's have been ragged to shit by chavs.

I don't like Fords (Fix Or Repair Daily), they rust and break too much.

This is my 2nd Ford and that hasn't happened to me at all.

New tyres has been the only thing really and the standard things like brake pads etc. which wear in time anyway.

Ive had 3 fiestas in my time! - my first car was a 1981 Fiesta - it cost £400  it was proper old school I loved it

Im sure I read somewhere that older type Fiat Puntos are the cheapest car to insure for lads under 20 to insure?

Ford or Vauxhall.

Spares are half the price of anything else, which you will need on an older car (don't forget it will need servicing, so the cheaper the bits are the better).

As others have said, a Fiesta is probably your best bet. Ford's are generally reliable (I have had 3, 2 Escorts and a Focus and I had absolutely no problems) although should something go wrong it is going to cost you buttons to fix. Low Insurance group is a must at your age.

A Corsa is another option although I personally don't like Vauxhall's.

Don't get a Punto or if you do don't drive it too hard - big risk of Head Gaskets going - mine cost £600 to repair.

My first car was a Fiat Panda 1988 - Insurance Group 1.

Insurance is everything - go for something in Insurance Group 1 and take Pass Plus after your test to get a further discount.

Here's a list of everything in Insurance Group 1:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/insurance/Groups/by-group.aspx?ig=1

I'd pick a Vauxhall Corsa (insurance group 1) based on that - only 1 litre 12V, but so cheap on insurance.

[pedant alert] * Wankel [/pedant alert]

Great car though, apart from the mpg which is shocking  :shock:

I would have thought a Vauxhall Nova was right up your street  :wink:

I had a Corsa 1.2, nreg for my first car, my parents gave it to me. Still in top quality condition, superb paint-work I still have it

ive got 1.1i saxo as my first car ... is a brill little car and didnt cost me an arm and a leg, i brought it for £750 off auto trader, insurance is £800 but no matter what you get its gunna kill you for the first year, but again my saxo has done me well so far!

Nothing over group 1 or 2 insurance else your get stung on insurance big time.

Wanna buy a Type R by the way?  :D

Dragging up an old thread. But I just brought my first car! :D A Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Breeze. Only cost me just over £700 to insure and I only passed my test 3 weeks ago! Haven't driven it on my own yet though.

I've got a Renault 5, £260, and it has a manual choke/nitrous switch.

The speed-o stopped working the other day, which is a pain, but on the plus side the mile-o isn't going up any more so its stuck on 66,481 until the next MOT at least.

For a grand you should be able to pick up a decent Ka with some life left in it. Loads of them about so prices are low for what you are getting, and parts are cheap and plentiful.

Otherwise its Punto/Saxo/Corsa/106/Fiesta/Clio etc, like Si says.

Oops didn't check the dates, nor the reply before mine

My first car was a blue mini with a white stripe over the bonnet & roof and spacers on the wheels - strangely you can get a very similar one in the new minis. Thought I might start and finish with the same car - but that's a bit morbid & we only have 7 miles of road & lots of salty air - will probably stick to the bike 8)

I'll probably get a Golf or something when I pass my test.

Citroens are not bad under rated. Dont get a renault 5 they dont go when its cold.

Saxos are proper chavy though so no thanks.

Ignore everyone else in this thread. Vw lupo 1.0 or the 1.7 diesel, you'll get one for about £1k, cracking little cars, cool as fuck too.

Or a mid-to-late 90s vw polo saloon, cheap and cheerful, and also cool as fuck as its a vw.

Mine was an Escort Mk 2 - white with white wheels..1.3...

That car rocked!!

When I was 17/18 I got myself a 14 year old 1.1 Mark II Fiesta for £300.  Low insurance group, lasted two years, passed two MOTs.  You have to start with a banger, and Fiestas are the most reliable bangers in the world.

N.B. That was 8 years ago.  Although that only makes me 25, I feel very old typing that.

Don't worry Doore.....your Fiesta was probably just coming off the production line at the time I got my first car, a Mini (1975 Mini Clubman) in a sort of "Army" green colour.....ace car!

The heater exploded in my escort - hot steam in the dash.

Went to get a quote to get it fixed.......fuck that....piece of copper piping some hose and jubilee clips and i managed to bypass the fucker..

No cost and of course no heater..........anti freeze on the inside takes yer breath away!!!

Mine was a Ford Fiesta ... cracking little motor ... Hyundai is good value for a new first car tho

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Toyota_Corolla_E80_Coupe_1983.jpg/800px-Toyota_Corolla_E80_Coupe_1983.jpg

This was the first car that I actually owned... which was a bit of a step up from driving my Mum's Hillman Avenger!!

Ford Transit LWB twin rear wheel.

2 litre petrol.

Great for carting motorbikes around in and for sleeping in at concerts and weekends away.

Buy a car made in the UK !
Don't export british jobs to France/ Germany etc !


Wouln't advise a ROver tho' The head gaskets are always going. I also got (when looking for my daughters first car) to avoid the 1.1 ltr Ford engines.

Mine was an Austin 1100 - a real piece of shit.

That's in good nic......old photo?  :D

My mate's first car was a Vauxhall Chevette; when he turned the heater on there was an aroma of Chicken Madras  ???

ive only had 1 car

My first car was a fiesta as well, it was cheap to run and cheap to fix. Unfortunately not cheap enough to fix after my little brother put it on it's roof.

Ive had 4 Fiestas over the years - They rock!

aren't they made by the London Rubber Company?

I was given a white D reg Nova by my auntie. It had a fetching yellow and grey interior, 4 gears and a manual choke. What a great first 'whip'...

You're getting confused with the Vauxhall Prophylactic RD.

Taken the day after I got it in 1985

mine was a 1.3 escort.

Morris Minor estate i might add.Shows my age.
 

A woody?

Austin A40 for me, light blue with a black roof.

Quite fond of it, yes.

Mine was my Grandad's 1984 Black Fiat Uno 55s, which i got with his passing. He'd owned it from new and despite being 13 years old when i got it, it only had 30k on the clock and FSH. I absolutely completely and utterly killed that car, much to my Dad's annoyance, as it was his dead father's much loved car. Sorry Dad. :(

Sorry Barry but Fiats are shit...........