1st car for a 17 yr old?

dora37

DS1 is learning to drive and in a few weeks would like to take him out for experience, however our cars are not really suitable.

We are considering buying him a car and wanted to know the following:

1. Where is the best place to find a genuine, safe and reliable second hand car?
2. On a budget of approx £2 - £2,500k, are we being realistic for getting a decent and safe car?
3. What would be a good reliable car and easier (!!!) on the insurance?

Thanks.

hm71_2

would go for a fiesta or peugeot 106 an older car is probably good insurance wise.- we made the mistake of getting a corsa and insurance is crippling!!

cajef

hm71 wrote: »

we made the mistake of getting a corsa and insurance is crippling!!

Depends which model you buy, the basic 998cc engine is group 1 or 2 insurance, ideal for a new driver.

http://www.comparethemarket.com/manufacturers/vauxhall_corsa_insurance.asp?SRC=CM01

jaydeeuk1

2-2.5 would give you plenty of options.
Corsa's, fiestas etc are quite reliable, cheap to insure on smaller engines and the sheer amount available mean theres plenty to choose from and its easy to get parts when it does go wrong.

Otherwise for something different, have a look at some of the smaller cars by Daewoo (matiz), suzuki (alto), daihatsu (sirion), hyundai (amica, Getz-good car)etc. For the same money you would probably get something more recent, with more safety kit and in general are more reliable.

hm71_2

cajef wrote: »

Depends which model you buy, the basic 998cc engine is group 1 or 2 insurance, ideal for a new driver.

http://www.comparethemarket.com/manufacturers/vauxhall_corsa_insurance.asp?SRC=CM01

we bought a 1.2 went through the insurance search in martins plan and cheapest was £2200. but we expected it to be high as a 17 yr old boy.

cajef

I think you will find for that engine size most makes and models will be a similar price to insure for a seventeen year old new driver.

I was a driving instructor and my pupils were always telling me how expensive insurance was for them on anything other than a basic model of vehicle with low engine size.

dora37

Any ideas on where to look for one - would I be better looking online or at local car dealers (of which I have no experience!)?

davetrousers

dora37 wrote: »

2. On a budget of approx £2 - £2,500k, are we being realistic for getting a decent and safe car?

That's probably what you need to budget for for the insurance!

Idiophreak

Most main dealers won't have too many cars at that price point, so you may need to be looking privately...

ArsenalFC

There are a lot of choices in the small car market with the good budget u have set for the car. I always recommend the toyota yaris, even though I think it has feminine looks. Design still looks good and reliability is second to none, I'm currently on the lookout for a small car and the yaris is top of my list with a budget just like yours.

I have been driving for more than 12years and have owned 5 cars in that time and a toyota corolla was one of them which I had for 5 years, it was just so reliable. I just sold my bmw 323ci to a relative, so u can imagine if I dont mind going from a bmw to yaris then that tells u something. (lowering running cost the major factor for downgrading - namely petrol)

A new shape ford fiesta are also highly recommended by the car magazines, if you can get one with a good level of trim then its also a decent car. So look into autotrader and local papers, ebay is also another good option as u can pick up really good price there. Be prepare to travel to find a good car and always should take someone with some knowledge about car when viewing. It is also recommended to take out a hpi report - £5 from RAC. Good luck.

tubbee2

can't really comment on the cars - 17 year old son was given his grandmothers old pride and joy astra, only done 40,000 in 12 years, lovingly cared for - crashed it into an electricity pole within 3 weeks !! However, Quinn insurance who don't show up on the usual insurance comparisons were fantastic - also the cheapest, and if you can get past the online form which has the longest list of occupations I've ever seen - and I can happily recommend them. (We replaced the Astra with a Clio from a local car sales place, and it's been ok - but haggle!!)
Hope this helps