Safe well built car for someone with a baby - Low Insurance cost

lalahland

Hello there,

I am going to be sitting my test this year (at 30 something - kept putting it off) and hopefully passing - my instructor is rather optimistic and has said to have a look at cars. I am at a loss as to what car is best for someone with a baby and have only ever driven a Ford Focus and a Volkswagen Polo and to be honest prefer the VW. I will be able to stretch to £2000 maybe £3000 at a push but need to select a car which will be safe in case of an accident and will not cost a fortune to insure as I will only be a newbie in the driving world.

Any recommendations regarding cars or how to lower insurance would be welcomed.

Thanks for reading.

:A

Hintza

All cars will be safe enough. So pick what you fancy and can find within your budget.

Kilty_2

It's easy to get tied up with NCAP ratings and stuff, but really as Hintza said most cars are safe enough these days.

If you're really obsessed, get a petrol Renault Laguna II - they're not reliable but are 5 star cars and are cheap due to non reliability.

Tiddlywinks

Hintza wrote: »

All cars will be safe enough. So pick what you fancy and can find within your budget.

I disagree - with this budget the OP may be looking at some older models some of which offered much less protection.

OP - you need to put in some time to do a bit of research.

Look at autotrader to see what cars fit into your budget and that you fancy driving and then check the safety of it here:

http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx

The site has older model scores as well as showing the latest models and is the best way to make comparisons if safety is your main concern.

Regarding the baby, make sure that you have a correctly fitted child seat as they are only going to offer protection if used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

lil.smartie

I love my Beetle, VW so reliable & pretty chunky too, really easy to get to rear seats & loads of headroom for getting the belts around car seats & ISOFIX too

Kate

DUTR

It's gotta be a Maybach with additional armour plating, surely your child is worth the spend?
If not consider post #2

sarahg1969

If you are seriously concerned about safety, you'd be best investing in a good-quality car seat in which your child can stay rear-facing until 3/4 years old. Your child is much safer facing backwards until they are 3 or 4. They are expensive, but you can buy them in this country.

http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b1994.full

http://www.rearfacing.co.uk/

scheming_gypsy

I'd say a Volvo, they're build like Russian shot putters (female) and surprisingly realistic on insurance.

Tiddlywinks

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

I'd say a Volvo, they're build like Russian shot putters (female) and surprisingly realistic on insurance.

I'd second the vote for a Volvo - I've had them since the mid 90s and have loved every one of them.

You can get a 440, S or V40 very reasonably now. The saloon versions are more affordable because the estates hold their value more than the four doors.

A new driver should soon get used to the size (they're a bit bigger than a Polo or Focus ) and even the much older models offer really good occupant protection.

The best fuel efficiency came from my old 440 1.8 - it did around 40mpg which is not bad given the size and weight of the car (and my driving style).

sarahg1969

If you get a Volvo, you can get a rear-faxing Volvo car seat, too.

scheming_gypsy

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

The best fuel efficiency came from my old 440 1.8 - it did around 40mpg which is not bad given the size and weight of the car (and my driving style).

I was looking at a V70 TDI. 2.5 litre engine and they're banging out 55mpg in a car that size.
Although I'm also watching this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150664041285?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 for my winter car...