First car for new driver

sarahh112
sarahh112 Posts: 250 Forumite
Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
Hi
i was wondering if someone could give me some advice please?

My 24 year old daughter has just passed her driving test and she is looking to buy and insure her first car.

She is looking for a small car (so far the list of possibles is a Peugeot 108, Citroen C1, Fiat 500 or a Toyota Aygo). We know that the Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota are essentially the same car.

My question is should she buy a car that’s a couple of years old and insure it outright or would it be better to go for the Peugeot 108 and get it on their ‘Just Add Fuel’ deal? 

She’s happy to have a black box, regardless of which option she goes with, but I’m worried that the Just Add Fuel deal seems too good to be true.

Thanks in advance 
£2008 for 2008 club member 336

Comments

  • The cars you list are all ideal for a first car. Perfectly capable, a bit fun, small, and reliable, so you may as well just pick based in which one is in the nicest colour and has the extras that you like. Personally I wouldn’t be without parking sensors nowadays, cruise control, and apple car play or the android equivalent, but that’s just personal preference.

    You’ll nearly always save money by buying two or three years old over new, but in this case if the “just add fuel” includes insurance it may well not be so different.

    You can’t really go wrong with anything up to three or four years old from a reputable dealer, so it’s only down to cost. How much cheaper is it over the next three years to buy used, insure it, and sell it at the end compared to buying new, and getting the insurance included, and handing it back at the end.

    Have a look too on CarWow and the other broker sites, there are some good savings to be had on some new cars on there. You still get it from a normal franchised dealer, you just agree on the price on the brokerage site.
  • Bigphil1474
    Bigphil1474 Posts: 3,297 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    OP, have you had a quote for your daughter's circumstances or are you going off advertised prices? I expect the just add fuel cost will be high for a new driver. You just need to sit down and do the maths including all costs over a few years and work out which suits your daughter's finances best. Buying outright is usually the cheapest, and you own an asset, but the insurance might be a kicker. 
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Personally I wouldn’t be without parking sensors nowadays
    In a C1/108/Aygo or 500?

    You can reach your arm out behind and touch whatever's there.

    If you can't park something that size without binglers, you shouldn't be driving. Learners and new drivers relying on technology will simply never be able to drive properly.
  • foxy-stoat
    foxy-stoat Posts: 6,879 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 7 July 2021 at 10:53AM
    Do these little boxes even come with parking sensors?  

    I suspect the poster was talking about their current larger car - agreed though, I learned to drive in a MK2 Astra Merit, no driver aids apart from horrible steering wheel and had to learn to park and handbrake turn etc on my own with no youtube to help, they were the days....I think the Merit had some upgraded features over the L, for the life of me i cant think what they were.....nasty plastic headrests maybe....?
  • Do these little boxes even come with parking sensors?  

    I suspect the poster was talking about their current larger car - agreed though, I learned to drive in a MK2 Astra Merit, no driver aids apart from horrible steering wheel and had to learn to park and handbrake turn etc on my own with no youtube to help, they were the days....I think the Merit had some upgraded features over the L, for the life of me i cant think what they were.....nasty plastic headrests maybe....?

    Tesco car park like the rest of the yoofs, or out of the way industrial estates? 
  • Biggus_Dickus
    Biggus_Dickus Posts: 1,636 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 7 July 2021 at 11:54AM
    Do these little boxes even come with parking sensors?  

    I suspect the poster was talking about their current larger car - agreed though, I learned to drive in a MK2 Astra Merit, no driver aids apart from horrible steering wheel and had to learn to park and handbrake turn etc on my own with no youtube to help, they were the days....I think the Merit had some upgraded features over the L, for the life of me i cant think what they were.....nasty plastic headrests maybe....?

    Tesco car park like the rest of the yoofs, or out of the way industrial estates? 
    😂😂

    I’ve been driving that long I learned how to do  ‘handbrake turns’ on a horse & cart.


  • Grumpy_chap
    Grumpy_chap Posts: 17,685 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    had to learn to handbrake turn etc on my own with no youtube to help, they were the days....
    That is not part of the driving test 🤣
  • Biggus_Dickus
    Biggus_Dickus Posts: 1,636 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    had to learn to handbrake turn etc on my own with no youtube to help, they were the days....
    That is not part of the driving test 🤣

    Probably should be though;...it would mean our aspiring drug dealers and couriers would at least receive some formal training in the techniques of Police evasion. At the moment they just have to pick it up as they go along, bless ‘em,... and that can’t be right.  

     


  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Budget? Predicted annual mileage?
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
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