THE ULTIMATE FIRST CAR THREAD!!!!!

[danzooo]

Okay so every time I come on to hxf and visit this section there's always a plethora of threads asking "Which car should I get for my first car" and to be honest every single one of them gets the exact same answers.

So to save everyone pulling their hair out at replying to each of these threads with the same list of cars, I thought I'd create this guide to good first cars.

So, em, here it is. Don't hesitate to reply suggesting ones I may have missed (and if anyone comes on saying "oh i jst bght a brand new bmw n ma dad pays 4 it" you can just go away).

Ford Fiesta Mk4 (1996 - 2002)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Ford_Fiesta_Mk4.jpg

Fiat Punto (1999 - 2005)
http://www.subzeroautomotive.com/members/1644123/uploaded/fiat-punto-2.jpg

Peugeot 206 (1998 - 2006)
http://kydrives.net/photos/bestari_peugeot_206_1.jpg

*RECOMMENDED!!*
Renault Clio mk2 (1997 - 2007)
http://stumac.stegough.com/clio/mk2ph2.jpg
Best: 1.2 16v Dynamique

Peugeot 106 (1991 - 2003)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Peugeot_106_open_phase2.jpg

Vauxhall Corsa (C) (2000 - 2006)
http://www.avsvauxhallbreakers.co.uk/Images/Parts/CORSA%20C.jpg

Ford Ka (1996 - 2008)
http://www.carpages.co.uk/ford/ford_images/ford_ka_03_05_06.jpg

SEAT Ibiza (2002 - 2008)
http://www.seat-ibiza-mk4.co.uk/ibiza_photo_galleries/014/seat_ibiza_tdi_sport_016.jpg

Citroen Saxo (1997 - 2003)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Citroen_Saxo_silver_l.jpg


Further advice:

- It will work out cheaper on your insurance if you are added to your parents' policy and have them as named drivers of your car. A good one is Admiral Multicar, add your parents' car(s) along with yours to the policy and watch those premiums fly down.

- Your insurance premiums are calculated on a number of factors such as your age, the area you live in, your gender, the place your park your car overnight and much more. As well as the make, model, age, engine size, replacement cost, level of desirability etc of your car.

- When looking at first cars, look for ones with small engine sizes. If you are 17 and just passed your test, it's never a good idea to buy a 2 litre diesel Mondeo for your first car. Ideal engine sizes are below 1.4.

- The insurance group of your car will also affect your premiums. The lower the insurance group, the lower the insurance. Anything below insurance group 4 should be reasonable.

- Of course it's totally upto yourselves, but it's often advisable never to buy cars that:
*have very high mileage (i.e. over 90k)
*have no service history
*have been written off and repaired, or stolen and recovered
*have been modified

- When on the test drive, look out for various telltale signs that the car may be a bit rubbish. Things like it veering to one side by itself, rattles, knocks, taps, take all these into consideration before buying. Also have a good look at the panel gaps; odd or ill-fitting ones suggest a crash (although if your car has all the receipts and a FSH, this should be apparent anyway).

- It's worth texting the particular registration plate of a car your going to view to 88600 to find out it's history; e.g. if it's had plate changes, been stolen, scrapped etc.

AND REMEMBER, YOU'LL PROBABLY MAKE A LOT OF DAFT MISTAKES IN YOUR FIRST CAR BEING AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER! SO IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD - AS LONG AS IT'S A CHEAP, AFFORDABLE RUNAROUND :)

x

Thread stuck by Oli (Forum Manager): An excellent guide, +rep!

[Ed.]

Excellent and so true.

I've got the Vauxhall Corsa.

[kuzkasate]

Very good thread, helpful and contains a lot of useful information!
+rep

[Minstrels]

Very good thread and as said, will help lot's of members looking for help. +rep


P.S It is possible to insure the BMW for 4K ;)

[Camy]

Good idea, and good suggestions aswell. +Rep.

I would recommend the Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/Citroen C1 (They're basically the same car, all made in the same factory.)
They're cheap, good value, reliable and great for a first car.

[myke]

A great guide Dan, I'd give another tip and that's to check out the owner forums before you buy, you'll find out how much the community is thriving and also you'll be able to find the common faults and any hints to look for when buying a specific car, just search the manufacturer, followed by forums e.g.

Vauxhall Corsa owners forum or just vauxhall corsa forum :)

[danzooo]

Thanks guys, I definitely agree with the owner's forums - full of intuitive guides and help on maintenance for them.

One for the Corsa listed is corsa-c.net, one of the big ones anyway

[kuzkasate]

Thanks guys, I definitely agree with the owner's forums - full of intuitive guides and help on maintenance for them.

One for the Corsa listed is corsa-c.net, one of the big ones anyway

know any for a golf?

[myke]

know any for a golf?

Ta-da!

http://www.cars-guide.com/volkswagen-forum/volkswagen-golf-f2.html

:)

[jackass]

I would recommend the Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/Citroen C1 (They're basically the same car, all made in the same factory.)
They're cheap, good value, reliable and great for a first car.

Cheap for a first car? I don't think so!

[danzooo]

Yes, the Toygeotron are still relatively new so they're still quite dear. My girlfriend's friend recently bought a '57 plate 107 for her first car and it was 5 grand.

[Apple]

Very good thread and as said, will help lot's of members looking for help. +rep


P.S It is possible to insure the BMW for 4K ;)
Possible to insure which BMW? (Sorry I see no mentioning of any other BMW in the thread) :P

Good idea, and good suggestions aswell. +Rep.

I would recommend the Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/Citroen C1 (They're basically the same car, all made in the same factory.)
They're cheap, good value, reliable and great for a first car.
Yes they are great little cars. They are designed to be cheap to build but also have good build quality. They basically avoided having to waste any money on pointless parts resulting in a very cheap little car. With that being how they were built things just get even better, they are really light so have amazing fuel economy and are quite nippy.

[kuzkasate]

Ta-da!

http://www.cars-guide.com/volkswagen-forum/volkswagen-golf-f2.html

:)

yeh i found that too, but was wondering if there were any better ones.
this will do i suppose cos theres a problem with the generator, its making some bloody wierd noises.

[danzooo]

Seeing as it's not letting me edit the first post I'll post an update of the recommended models and their respective insurance groups (thanks to Apple for suggesting this)


Fiesta Mk4 1.25 Zetec - group 6
Fiat Punto 1.2 Active - group 3
Peugeot 206 1.1 L - group 3
Renault Clio 1.2 16v Dynamique - group 3 (may also want to consider less specced models Expression or Authentique at group 2)
Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 16v SXi - group 3
Ford Ka 1.3 Collection - group 3
Seat Ibiza 1.2 S - group 3
Citroen Saxo 1.1 Desire - group 4

Majority of data taken from Parker's Guide (http://www.parkers.co.uk/).

[tdi]

insurance groups have now changed, they're now 1-50 and not 1-20

[Zak]

I still have my old vauxhall corsa!

although it snapped its cam shaft in the first year :\

[Conservative,]

Only one I would get is 206. Good job I never have to pay for insurance and can get a free or very cheap car brand new :) I love being disabled.

[danzooo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvE8fmsHI4w

Some used car buying advice from the man who knows best!

[tdi]

mike brewer is a *******.

[danzooo]

mike brewer is a *******.

you aren't the first to have said this, why?

[tdi]

he's all lardy-darr on the telly, and speaks like 'some right dodgy geezer' to back up the fact he's a car salesman, who basically trawls around shouting at people who don't know a great deal about the car they're selling thus knocking them down to a price far less than the car's actually worth because they haven't got a clue, and then proceeds to continue presenting the show like 'I'VE done such and such to this,' etc. when in reality not enough credit is given to Ed China who generally knows his stuff and all in all does all the work on said cars.

that is all.

[danzooo]

now that you put it like that, you're actually correct!

gotta be super jealous of Ed China though, would absolutely love to have his knowledge!

[Accipiter]

Im 17, literally just passed yesterday, how much do you think insurance would be for the seat or clio mk2?

[myke]

Im 17, literally just passed yesterday, how much do you think insurance would be for the seat or clio mk2?

That depends on a lot of factors, you're better off looking up insurance quotes

[danzooo]

Im 17, literally just passed yesterday, how much do you think insurance would be for the seat or clio mk2?

Could range between, I couldn't even tell you, it all depends on a range of factors, you're best looking up insurance quotes. For my mk2 Clio (Dynamique, 1.2 16v) it's roughly £1400 a year, but I'm on an Admiral Multicar policy with my mum's Zafira and my dad's Seat Ibiza Bocanegra on the policy also, so that's maybe something worth looking into.

[danzooo]

I feel I should update this thread to add a couple more which I've noticed have came down in price since I first wrote this thread.

As many of you may know, the Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo/Citroen C1 can be picked up as old as an 05 '55 plate, which is hard to believe but is getting on a bit now in age. So in update to the first post...

Citroen C1 (2005 - present) - 1.0i "Vibe" at insurance group 1.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Citroen_C1.jpg

Peugeot 107 (2005 - present) - 1.0i "Urban" at insurance group 1.
http://www.car-conceptfocus.info/images/peugeot-107 (5).jpg

Toyota Aygo (2005 - present) - 1.0i VVT-i at insurance group 1.
http://www.autospecifications.org/car-reviews/wp-content/uploads/toyota-aygo.jpg

A couple more that have come down in price also...

Ford Fiesta Mk6 (2002 - 2008) - 1.25 "Finesse" at insurance group 3
http://www.auto-cult.com/images/reveals/Ford-Fiesta-Finesse-HJ05OTT-001-500.jpg

Renault Clio Mk3 (2005 - present) - 1.2 "Expression" at insurance group 2
http://images.motoring.co.uk/images/car-pictures/mucf-images/500x375/spid1/8a/c1/8c/renault-clio-2008-glacier-white-hatchback-1-2-expression-16v-3dr-gy08hxr-8ac18ce1d16d07e0f53519c76f420117-m2.jpg

[GoldenMerc]

http://home-and-car-repair.com/car/uploads/Maserati-MC12XX.jpg
My new dream....

[Dexter2000i]

nothing better than a black corsa, with black alloys! i know i'll be getting one of them next year!

[LiquidLuck.]

Peugeot 206 ftw. :P

[danzooo]

Some more firsties (yay can't believe this thread is still stickied!)

- Fiat Grande Punto (2006-2010) - 1.2 Active (Insurance group 4)

http://the-car-club.co.uk/Images/Pictures/FIAT-Grande-Punto-600.jpg

- Vauxhall Corsa (D) (2006-present) - 1.0 Life (insurance group 2)

http://www.autoweb.co.uk/dealer_sites/car_pix/used-vauxhall-corsa-013578511681992.jpg

- Peugeot 207 (2006-present) - 1.4 S (insurance group 6)

http://images.clickedit.co.uk/7875/78111537.JPG

- Skoda Fabia (2007-present) - 1.2 1 (insurance group 4)

http://images.constitutionmotors.co.uk/vehicles/skoda-fabia-hatchback-1-2-1-5dr-137861638-640x480.jpg
Of course there are other alternatives, however these are newer models I've noticed that have gone down in price recently, and early models of all these cars can be picked up for less than £3k.

I've not disappeared folks, keep checking back to this thread which I'll update every so often...