Learning to drive...a new car or old?

reason2

dont approved dealers still offer long term warranty on some nearly new cars.. ie, if you pick up a panda for 4k its insurance group 1 - its tax is low.. and a long warranty for any issues.. its not stupidly powerful, but if (like me) he just wants to drive he wont care that its a corsa, a c3 or a panda and such like..

my very first car was a 98 fiesta, bought it for £400 scrapped it for £100 8 months later because it had to be driven in reverse for 5 mins before it would go forward.. had oil leaks and all sorts of problems..

upgraded to a corsa nearly new - had it ever since and the only thing i have had to do is replace a 70p connector for windscreen wash.. its immaculate.. and cheap to insure..

i think the theory get a banger because it might get a dint or have a few problems is backwards because surely your less likely to look after and take care of something thats already half dead..

Wh05apk

LEJC wrote: »

...hence my original request for thoughts on old car, expensive insurance...or new car slightly cheaper insurance...

Basically whichever option we choose its going to cost roughly the same...I just wondered which option others might choose

Not sure where you are getting your figures here, we paid £2,000 for an 8 year old Yaris and is still worth about £1500, so approx. £300 pa depreciation? insurance for first year as a 17 year old was approx. £1,000, now paying £5-600 2 years later, car has needed minimal maintenance.

Cars of this age seem about the best compromise, a 7/8 year old car for about £2,000 seems to be a good respectable/reliable car, it is still modern and comfortable enough, and depreciation is minimal.

LEJC

reason2 wrote: »

dont approved dealers still offer long term warranty on some nearly new cars.. ie, if you pick up a panda for 4k its insurance group 1 - its tax is low.. and a long warranty for any issues.. its not stupidly powerful, but if (like me) he just wants to drive he wont care that its a corsa, a c3 or a panda and such like..

I'll look into this...

The problem is the whole concept of cars and learning to drive,with packages available seems to have changed even within the last few years.

It used to be quite easy to get free or discounted insurance on most new cars as an incentive without age restrictions,but its not so common now.
It certainly isnt an easy process certainly financially for a 17 year old to learn to drive these days!

LEJC

Wh05apk wrote: »

insurance for first year as a 17 year old was approx. £1,000,

Thats a very good quote...sadly the cheapest that we have currently found is around the £4k mark,based on a car with a value of £2000.

Wh05apk

LEJC wrote: »

Thats a very good quote...sadly the cheapest that we have currently found is around the £4k mark,based on a car with a value of £2000.

Important things are to add parents as named drivers, that makes a big difference, restrict mileage to say 6-7000 (if realistic) and avoid comparison sites, go direct, use quidco/topcashback etc. I have even got business use on there too! Insurance groups are only a guide, learners tend to like low group cars, so they tend to be more expensive, as someone suggested try a Volvo, they can be surprisingly cheap, Our Yaris, despite having the same power as a Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S is very good to insure, Ka's, Corsa's, clio's etc tend to be popular and hence more expensive.

We found Admiral/Bell and Aviva most competitive, but do go direct.

oliverr

The new car PCP and lease deals with free insurance for 1 or 2 years like the Just add fuel from Peugeot usually have the minimum age limit of 21 so free insurance is out of the question as otherwise people would be jumping on an offer like that with the cost of 17 and 18 year old's insurance.

I'd spend 2 or 3 grand on something that isnt a complete wreck and will atleast be decently reliable but won't be the end of the world if he has an accident because it isn't a brand new car. But at the same time don't get him one thats on its last legs and will cost a fortune to maintain and spends more time in the garage than on the road, an old-ish Yaris or Polo will be safe and shouldn't be too much hassle.

Joe_Horner

Going slightly left of field (in fact, out the ballpark), condiser one of the less popular (and so cheaper) "classics". Something like a Triumph Dolomite (but not a Sprint!) or other 70s B offering. a couple of grand will get you a really good example of most of those, about £750 will get you a decent useable one.

Potential advantages, depending on how he takes to the idea are:

Cheapness. Our daughter learnt in a Daf (automatic, so not ideal but it's what she wanted). Insurance as a provisional holder was about £300 a year, once she passed her test that shot up to £375. Yes, £375 insurance for a 20 year old new driver who passed her test that day! Fuel is NOT as bad a people expect either (hers avareaged about 40mpg and 45 or so on runs - not that bad for a small auto!), especially considering the likely limited mileage he'll be doing to start.

Easy to maintain. They do need more frequent servicing than a modern, but servicing them is generally an hour or so of time and a bit of oil. There are far less things to go wrong and present you (him?) with big bills. Parts are unexpectedly easy to find in most cases. They also give him a chance to take on the maintenance himself, if he wants, using basic tools and knowing about your car is always a benefit

Individuality. Makes him stand out from the Corsa Crowd, which may well have a knock-on effect in his attitude to driving. You just need to be prepared to answer endelss questions from random people in car parks.

Safety. No doubt lots of people will jump on this but, when you know you're driving around with no airbags and "adequate" brakes you learn very quickly to look ahead and anticipate. You also tend to be more aware of how fast you're actually moving compared to a modern mobile lounge suite. Knowing that a crash is going to hurt is one of the best deterrents goig for not crashing in the first place!

Pride. Again depending on how he likes the idea, he's far more likely to take pride in the car, and what he does with it, if it's not just another eurobox that can be replaced if it gets bent.

There are undoubtedly disadvantages as well, which I'm sure others will point out loudly further into the thread, but it's another option, and one that's worth not dismissing without considering it first

LEJC

thanks joe horner...not an area I had even considered, but well worth investigating

Although considering its a 17 year old male on the outskirts of a major city,the insurance may not look quite so favourable as yours,but certainly worth looking into.

skivenov

Or a commercial. When my brother was learning, most of his mates had Escort vans because the insurance was loads less than for a car.

colino

I think there is an additional point to be covered and every new driver should be made to drive the most basic, albeit safe, shed for the first year of driving, due to the deplorable driving standards we have in this country. My niece for example has just been given a new Fiesta by her over-indulgent dad and frankly her new licence isn't going to stay clean long with her belief that the car is just a way to get her from shop window to shop window. Even this little car is so loaded with driving aids, some weren't invented 10 years ago and if they were, would only be found in luxobarges.
I'm sure new drivers would develop their skills and be aware more readily of their surroundings, if they drove basic, 1.0, old-school, non-power assisted Pandas for a year. At least then in the future they would be more defensive drivers and appreciate the toys too.