Wanna buy my first car!

richard734

Vanya,
Whatever you get, be prepared for teh fact that a sub £1k car is going to need approx £500 a year in parts/fixes.
Invest in a Haynes Manual for whatever you do buy, and prepare to get dirty
Saying that, one of teh joys of first car ownership is doing you own repairs, and it will take away teh fear that many people have when it comes to doing simple fixes/maintainence work. Good Luck!

alun4

My experience is that you add older drivers (mum and dad) as additional drivers ..... you are the main driver. Do not consider "fronting". My conclusion has been to find a low cc (long MOT) car with almost no worth. Insure fully comp with large vol excess. Consider low mileage you will be able to afford!

But I do understand you NEED the car now. Both my children did and I did all those years ago! (tried my test and passed on my 17th Birthday, worked my socks off from 13 to buy the car (which I did and re-built when I was 16) with no parental support. No regrets ... would do it again and I still enjoy driving!

Lum

Low engine size means nothing insurance wise these days, as others have said all the typical "first driver" cars have really high insurance premiums these days.

For that sort of budget I'd look for something like an old Ford Mondeo, sure they're not very trendy and are likely a lot bigger than the car you learnt in, but they are worth very little for what they are and there's so many of them about that parts and servicing are comparatively cheap. Should be cheaper to insure too as they're not typically driven by young drivers and thus the statistics show they aren't crashed as much.

alun4

Lum wrote: »

Low engine size means nothing insurance wise these days, as others have said all the typical "first driver" cars have really high insurance premiums these days.

For that sort of budget I'd look for something like an old Ford Mondeo, sure they're not very trendy and are likely a lot bigger than the car you learnt in, but they are worth very little for what they are and there's so many of them about that parts and servicing are comparatively cheap. Should be cheaper to insure too as they're not typically driven by young drivers and thus the statistics show they aren't crashed as much.

We were getting quotes of £1100 for a 1000cc car and £2400 - £3000 on all the "Compare" sites for a very old Mondeo which we sold for £300 with new MOT (no work required this year and owned from 11 months old).

Lum

Hence why I'd agree with the comment about getting quotes for any car you're considering. I know a fair few youngsters who have gotten better deals with larger engined "grandad cars" than the typical 1 litre Corsa.

All I'm saying is don't just assume that small car/engine = low insurance and write off* the likes of Mondeos, Volvos etc.

*pun not intended.