first car?

[Peter_t]

hopefully i will be driving soon so am starting to think about what cars to look out for. i dont reely care what it is exept it has to be cheep to run, reliable, rugged and not too expensive (im thinking £800 seccond hand)
also diesel or petrol??

any advice would be great
pete

 

[Mesquite]

I'd go for a diesel if you can. Reasons being lower insurance, car tax and better fuel consumption.

 

[Sniper]

Yep I agree with Mesquite there, deisel will give a far better mileage for your money, and look for the smaller sized engine and it will be cheaper for running. A small van (Corsa size) is a good starter, something a wee bit different and can be picked up good and cheap. It'll take loads of gear when your out & about, and most would be ex works so most likely have a decent service history. Also less attractive to theives.

 

[Wilderbeast]

diesels more forgiving on the gear box on low engine sizes i.e you're less likey to stall if you miss 3rd and put straight into 5th etc, which lets face it, most people do when they are learning/ just passed!!

 

[alpha_centaur]

The wee peugeot 106 diesels are brilliant, I've had one going to get another soon. Lotsa space when you fold down the back seat's and they do over 60 to the gallon, cheap insurance and you can pick up a decent older one for about £500 if you shop about. Just don't expect it to be fast, but then again you'll not get many speeding tickets with it either

 

[Mikey P]

The wee peugeot 106 diesels are brilliant, I've had one going to get another soon. Lotsa space when you fold down the back seat's and they do over 60 to the gallon, cheap insurance and you can pick up a decent older one for about £500 if you shop about. Just don't expect it to be fast, but then again you'll not get many speeding tickets with it either

Yeah - have heard really good things about the Peugeot powerpacks - economical and reliable. Try and find something that's relatively cheap for parts and repair, plenty of bits at scrapyards - these can be killer running cost issues when you don't have mush money.

Mind you, as a young new driver, you'll probably want something big enough for a massive exhaust pipe, some little blue LED lights, and an ironing board strapped to the back for aerodynamic reasons.

 

[Peter_t]

Mind you, as a young new driver, you'll probably want something big enough for a massive exhaust pipe, some little blue LED lights, and an ironing board strapped to the back for aerodynamic reasons.

na i dont do bling, all the money people waste on that kinda junk they could have just got a better car in the first place!

am i right in thinking that the peugeot 106 is prety much identical to the citroen saxo? i know a cuple of guys who have had them and say they are great cars.

pete

 

[Chris G]

106 is a saxo and vice versa. If you want a diesel then get french or german. If you want cheap then think french or far eastern. 106's are nice looking but if you want spares then go for a saxo as there are far more of them (boy racers = scrap cars) and spares are really cheap anyway (GSF, Ebay, scrap yards, etc), and they are really easy to work on and Haynes do a manual for them. If you want a van get a diesel citroen C15 van (cheap, reliable, different, like a tardis, 55mpg, and I was quoted £200 fully comp on one last week.

 

[jimford]

From what I understand, the O.P. is a learner, in which case a van isn't really a good idea to take your test in!

Jim

 

[Chris G]

From what I understand, the O.P. is a learner, in which case a van isn't really a good idea to take your test in!

Sorry to ask, but why not? Anyway, when I took my test way back when I used the instructors car (assuming you go for propper lessons which I have to recommend*) and was driving my own vehicle (as car a it happens) in the afternoon.

* - Driving at work we get assessed by driving instructors every year (business insurance rules etc) and it never fails to amaze me just what rules/advice have changed in the previous 12 months. I remain in the "everyone should be retested every 10 years" camp. I passed with no "black marks" with the chief examiner testing me (had a reputation for being tough) and I know that I would fail miserably now - the test is that much harder.

 

[jimford]

Sorry to ask, but why not?

I took my test in a van (and passed), but the examiner didn't like it and commented that I shouldn't have done so. You're more likely to make mistakes when filtering into traffic coming from the left, and reversing round a corner.

In those days 'Real Men' didn't take driving lessons - only their wives or girlfriends!
;^)

Jim

 

[Dave Budd]

most people would take their test in the driving schoolcar tehy've been learning in. A lot of examiners don't like to sit in cars without dual control just in case

Anything old, small and common will do, especially when you are a young male new driver! When I first passed my test the AA quoted me £750 to insure a 15 year old nissan micra 3rd party! I found it cheaper elsewhere, but it was still over £500 at the time

until recently I've always had 1.1l cars (micras, metros, clios, polos) and all have been fine. I never spent more than £800 on one and they normally lasted me a couple of years or so. Get something with as lnog an mot and tax as possible, that way if you spend £500 on a car and run it into the ground then you won't want to try gettin it through an mot in 10 months time

 

[Peter_t]

thanks guys, great advice i think il try and go for a deisel 106 or saxo. a van would be usefull in my job but im thinking the insurance mite be higher and its more likely to get broken into.

106's are nice looking but if you want spares then go for a saxo as there are far more of them (boy racers = scrap cars) and spares are really cheap anyway (GSF, Ebay, scrap yards, etc),

are the parts not interchangable?

pete

 

[BigShot]

The one bit of advice I'd give is to look at the safety reviews.
I simply could not drive a car that even comes close to the "tin can" variety. I don't even like getting a lift in cars like that if there's any way to avoid it.

A friend was recently hit while driving a Ford Ka, head on at 30mph with no chance to slow down. He was in hospital for about a month, broken collarbone, broken foot and is still struggling to get about now he's finally out of a cast about 3 or 4 months later. Really screwed him up.
The other driver, who was completely at fault (driving on the wrong side of the road around a blind bend) walked away with nothing more than bruising.

Get a safe one.

 

[rik_uk3]

From what I understand, the O.P. is a learner, in which case a van isn't really a good idea to take your test in!

Jim

Took my test in a SWB Land Rover, no side windows, think I got a sympathy pass off the tester though

 

[Chris G]

Are the parts interchangable; I would have thought that that the major items would be just not the bodywork or the interior or glass.

 

[Peter_t]

hi again, i now thinking a small pickup would be usefull for work. im a tree surgeon and there are hardly any jobs about, i mite be able to get some part time work but im thinking of doing my own hedge cutting and small tree work jobs aswell. iv been doing a bit of research and the smallest i can find is a suzuki carry pick up and the next step up is toyota hilux sized stuf. problem is that the suzukis have a tiney 900cc engine and iv heard you have to rag them just to get to 40 and thats without a load on the back. i think the smallest toyota is a 1.8 petrol and the insurance would be horrendous
realy im looking for something in the middle that can be used as a normal car to get around aswell. can anybody help?

many thanks
pete

 

[SOAR]

VW caddy mate

 

[locum76]

Get a Nissan Micra. They're small, cheap and reliable.

 

[jimford]

Get a Nissan Micra. They're small, cheap and reliable.

Probably the best but of advice so far!

Jim (not a micra owner.)