First car help required.

Heybunny

Hi everyone! I passed my test last Wednesday and I'm hurrying to find a first car for myself as Uni has already started, please help! :P

I've looked at:
Peugeot 206
Nissan Micra (I like those 2nd generation facelift ones most, Wiki lists them as Micra K11C (1997–2003))
Ford KA (Dad's recommendation, I don't like the look of them myself)

There's so many cars on the market I'm just a bit overwhlemed, to be honest. Any suggestions of a good first car would be brilliant.

Specifications are:

~ 50 mile commute from Sheffield > Huddersfield and back, can go along an A road or two motorways.
~ Wanting something safe, economical, cheap for parts and reliable. I don't care about how fast it can go really, so long as I can drive competantly at NSL when needed.
~ Don't care about perceptions (ie, OAP car, chick car, boy racer car) in terms of looks, will care when it comes to insurance though.
~ Would prefer a 5 door car.
~ Budget is < £1k for the car.

One more question; I have no idea about petrol vs. diesel. Does it depend on how much driving you do, or the type of drving? (eg, city vs motorway/NSL roads) All I know is that I've been told diesels are better fuel economy but higher on insurance. That said though, my dad is constantly moaning about having to put £10 of diesel in his Berlingo van every 5 minutes.

Please tell me of some great places to buy/look at cars! Been going on Gumtree and Autotrader so far and I just bought an Admag, but it's tough when I have no idea what to look for.
Thanks very much for reading!

red_eye

206 are not bad micras are reliable good run around ford ka on the other hand are good aslong as you dont go for the endura e engines the spark plugs seize, snap a plug and you might need a new cylinder head.

diesels are more expensive to buy as demand has gone up due to the whole world being in debt, they are more fuel efficient then petrol they also can lug every thing in your bed room to halls (providing it fits) without a sweat and they are impossible to stall oh and I think your dad has a right foot made of lead if hes putting £10 every 5mins. Parkers or glasses guide will help you with what to expect with prices

LandyAndy

Heybunny wrote: »

~ 50 mile commute from Sheffield > Huddersfield and back, can go along an A road or two motorways.
~ Wanting something safe, economical, cheap for parts and reliable. I don't care about how fast it can go really, so long as I can drive competantly at NSL when needed.
~ Don't care about perceptions (ie, OAP car, chick car, boy racer car) in terms of looks, will care when it comes to insurance though.
~ Would prefer a 5 door car.
~ Budget is < £1k for the car.

!

Make sure you have a healthy maintenance budget.

patman99

If you don't want to be stung for insurance, look at the sort of car your granddad would drive. By all means get a quote on the Micra and 206, then go get one on something like a Volvo S70 diesel, or even a small van (commercial variants of cars are much cheaper to insure than the cars they are based-on).
You will be quite surprised at the difference in costs, and all because you choose a car that has no 'youth appeal' so is less likely to end-up being modified.

djs2303

I bought a 02 plate Renault Clio 1.5 diesel. It is cheap as chips to run (57mpg on school runs and 68 on long runs) and the road tax is a mere £20 for the year!!!

The insurance, is group 4.

Mine has 203,000 miles on the clock, starts first time, and pulls brilliantly. Can do a steady 70, 80, 90 or even 100 on the motorway has the power to overtake safely and has good Ncap ratings too

Congrats on passing ya test too

adi_clarke85

Congrats on passing your test. I used to recommend a black box insurance scheme to all my learners, none of them seemed to want to take it up though. The Co-op do one, there is also i-kube. You pay depending on your drivng style, i.e. the smoother your drive and the fewer miles done would mean you are rewarded. It also means you've got a good excuse not to be the designated driver as they penalise you for driving in the wee hours :-)

Heybunny

red_eye wrote: »

206 are not bad micras are reliable good run around ford ka on the other hand are good aslong as you dont go for the endura e engines the spark plugs seize, snap a plug and you might need a new cylinder head.

diesels are more expensive to buy as demand has gone up due to the whole world being in debt, they are more fuel efficient then petrol they also can lug every thing in your bed room to halls (providing it fits) without a sweat and they are impossible to stall oh and I think your dad has a right foot made of lead if hes putting £10 every 5mins. Parkers or glasses guide will help you with what to expect with prices

:rotfl:Pretty much!
Thanks a lot for the advice on the cars and diesel engines!

patman99 wrote: »

If you don't want to be stung for insurance, look at the sort of car your granddad would drive. By all means get a quote on the Micra and 206, then go get one on something like a Volvo S70 diesel, or even a small van (commercial variants of cars are much cheaper to insure than the cars they are based-on).
You will be quite surprised at the difference in costs, and all because you choose a car that has no 'youth appeal' so is less likely to end-up being modified.

Thanks There is one Volvo S70 within 30 miles on Autotrader and it'll cost 5k to insure it! :eek: I've looked at some older cars, just a bit put off as I learned in a very modern Fiesta with a load of newer options that an old car wouldn't have...I kinda feel like I'd be out of my depth. XD

djs2303 wrote: »

I bought a 02 plate Renault Clio 1.5 diesel. It is cheap as chips to run (57mpg on school runs and 68 on long runs) and the road tax is a mere £20 for the year!!!

The insurance, is group 4.

Mine has 203,000 miles on the clock, starts first time, and pulls brilliantly. Can do a steady 70, 80, 90 or even 100 on the motorway has the power to overtake safely and has good Ncap ratings too

Congrats on passing ya test too

Fantastic advice, I never even thought about Clio's, or Renaults for that matter! How is it for parts? I think I see quite a few around now I think about it so maybe it's quite cheap.

Thank you for the congrats!

adi_clarke85 wrote: »

Congrats on passing your test. I used to recommend a black box insurance scheme to all my learners, none of them seemed to want to take it up though. The Co-op do one, there is also i-kube. You pay depending on your drivng style, i.e. the smoother your drive and the fewer miles done would mean you are rewarded. It also means you've got a good excuse not to be the designated driver as they penalise you for driving in the wee hours :-)

Yeah I also posted this on a student forum and the box/co-op/i-kube options were discussed, but quickly stopped once I told them I was 25!

Thank you!

Limey

The old late 90s Starlets are cheap as chips to buy and run, also being outside the usual 'studenty' car bracket they're cheap to insure as well. :cool: Otherwise have a look at the Yaris' too.

Don't buy a Ka, they rust out of the factory (my Mrs works in an insurance repair bodyshop).