First car: Yaris, Picanto, or Peugeot 208

400ixl

The Yaris for many as a first car is often expensive to insure as it is a common car and therefore has a high number of accidents.

When we looked for my daughter, the Hyundai i20 (2016- facelift version) was cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure and a better all round car. We could get one that was still in manufacturers warranty for less than a 10 year old Yaris.

tamworthy

400ixl said:

The Yaris for many as a first car is often expensive to insure as it is a common car and therefore has a high number of accidents.

When we looked for my daughter, the Hyundai i20 (2016- facelift version) was cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure and a better all round car. We could get one that was still in manufacturers warranty for less than a 10 year old Yaris.

That's a very good point, 400ixl, thank you. I've been researching Hyundai i20 and Peugeot 108, too, after giving Peugeot 208 up. Though some forumites (in one of my many open tabs) said Hyundai cars are like plasticky white goods, so I'm not sure if it's safe and sturdy first car.

Car_54

Toyotas are legendarily reliable.

French cars are notorious for electrical problems, post-warranty.

My limited experience supports both of those prejudices.

facade

Definitely not the Peugeot!

My neighbour loves them, and they are always going wrong. After great expense & trouble he finally got his 208 working 100% and his wife promptly wrote it off.....

I'd be wary of an old Yaris too.

Everyone knows that they are brilliant reliable cars that never need servicing or any form of attention, and they tend to be "got rid of" when they are in a poor state. (Make sure it has a full service history)

Suzuki make good reliable cars that tend to be bought by "sensible older drivers" as long as you avoid the ex-driving school swifts!

For a cheap run-around, try a Fiat Punto, again "sensible older drivers" which makes them less desirable, cheap to buy and cheap to insure (I'd rather have a Fiat than a Peugeot.....) or a Panda, but these are more popular and prices are a bit higher.

raptor2004

Definitely go for the Yaris, far more reliable 

Goudy

A couple of alternatives to think about.
The Hyundai i10 and the Honda Jazz.

The i10 is basically the sister car to the Kia Picanto and an ideal first car.

The Jazz is almost as legendary as the Yaris but they do tend to hang on to their value and weren't cheap to start with, so won't be cheap when comparing to other cars year for year.

The Fiat Panda isn't a bad shout, they are pretty basic, even in top trim but they are noted for reliability, more so than the Punto. Steer clear of the 875cc Twinair, it's thirsty and can have expensive problems with the Uniair system.
There's really not much to worry about with the 1.2 litre cars though.

Suzuki's although great cars, tend to all be in higher insurance groups than they really should.
I'm not sure why, but if you look at similar class cars, the Swift seems to be a group or three higher.
The Alto is about as basic as cars come but they do have a certain charm about them and built for Indian roads, so really robust.

Another car/s worth considering is the VW Up/Skoda Citigo/Seat Mii.
Early cars were a bit basic and I always found the gearboxes were rumbly, loud and with a load of gear lash, but they steadily improved them over the years.
Later cars actually drive really well and are a pleasant place to be. 

If your budget can stretch to it (though it might be a big if), look for later cars that have some active safety kit, things like active brake assist and lane departure warning.
They tend to be better on insurance as insurance companies think mitigation of accidents is a big bonus.

My nephew was recently is a similar position.
Looking for a cheap first car but with crippling insurance premiums.
When we upped the budget to a later i10 with some safety features is actually worked out around the same cost initially, but he should reap a bit over the next couple of years with lower insurance premiums going forward.

400ixl

tamworthy said:

400ixl said:

The Yaris for many as a first car is often expensive to insure as it is a common car and therefore has a high number of accidents.

When we looked for my daughter, the Hyundai i20 (2016- facelift version) was cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure and a better all round car. We could get one that was still in manufacturers warranty for less than a 10 year old Yaris.

That's a very good point, 400ixl, thank you. I've been researching Hyundai i20 and Peugeot 108, too, after giving Peugeot 208 up. Though some forumites (in one of my many open tabs) said Hyundai cars are like plasticky white goods, so I'm not sure if it's safe and sturdy first car.

20 years ago maybe, they are now designed to european standards and come with 5 year warranties (Kia, a Hyundai sub brand is 7 years). They do still have some hard plastics, but so will the Yaris and others in this class.

You will always get badge snobs. Our i20 and Tucson are both better built that my old Mercedes was and equally as good as my current Audi.

Another one to consider is the MG3, cheap to buy, reliable but will depreciate more (but you saved up front).

You need to get out and drive them, find the one that suits you and has acceptable performance and reasonable insurance costs.

tamworthy

Car_54 said:

Toyotas are legendarily reliable.

French cars are notorious for electrical problems, post-warranty.

My limited experience supports both of those prejudices.

There are a lot of people online saying that about French cars too, and some commented on how rusty they can be. Although I've seen some forumites and some "commentators" who said French cars had improved a lot, I think I'm going to step away from them for the time being, as my bank account is not ready for "newer" versions of those "better" cars. Thanks, Car_54!

tamworthy

facade said:

Definitely not the Peugeot!

My neighbour loves them, and they are always going wrong. After great expense & trouble he finally got his 208 working 100% and his wife promptly wrote it off.....

I'd be wary of an old Yaris too.

Everyone knows that they are brilliant reliable cars that never need servicing or any form of attention, and they tend to be "got rid of" when they are in a poor state. (Make sure it has a full service history)

Suzuki make good reliable cars that tend to be bought by "sensible older drivers" as long as you avoid the ex-driving school swifts!

For a cheap run-around, try a Fiat Punto, again "sensible older drivers" which makes them less desirable, cheap to buy and cheap to insure (I'd rather have a Fiat than a Peugeot.....) or a Panda, but these are more popular and prices are a bit higher.

Indeed, when it's so much trouble to run and maintain them, they are not worth it (at least to me, at the stage I am right now).

I've been looking at 2010–2012 Yaris as I cannot agree more that when peope don't give them proper care, they too can become a pain. I'll make sure I check if there's a full service history.

Thanks, facade, also for the Suzuki and Fiat suggestions! I'll check them out

Ayr_Rage

Our other car, in Thailand, is a Suzuki Celerio and is also worth a look.

It is pretty basic but also very reliable and surprisingly roomy.

You will find quite a lot a very low mileage examples here as they were often bought by older drivers, if you just want wheels and are not too worried about badge snobbery it could be yet another option.