Decent 1.1 Litre Car

trotter_inc · 02-10-2003 3:00pm #1

Hi Lads!

Im looking to buy my first car in the coming months. Im 23 and got an insurance quote for 3,000 on a 1.1 litre car so I dont want to spend too much more on the car itself.

Can any of you recommend the best type of 1.0 or 1.1 litre car that I could buy which costs under 2,500 euro? I would probably be doing some long journeys so would need something reliable.

Thanks for the help!

unkel · 02-10-2003 10:06pm

Go for the Micra. It's 1.0 so you save yourself another bit on insurance. Quite nippy and comfortable on long journeys even if you are tall (6'+)

U can get a 94/95 model for your money

Blitzkrieger · 03-10-2003 12:43am

Fiesta.

That's about it really. They're fun to drive, can be got cheap enough and go forever.

daveg · 03-10-2003 7:07am

Toyota Yaris. My GF bought opne a few months ago. Great car and under 1L.

Torlac · 03-10-2003 8:24am

Trotter_inc the only car worth buying is a toyota starlet.
Firstly i've been told but quinn direct and axa that it's the cheapest to insure.
secondly there are loads around so it will be easy to find one and later if needed you should have no hassle getting 2nd hand parts.
Toyota's are famous for engines that can do over 200,000 miles and still run well if they have been serviced regularly.
because they are so good newer ones will be more expensive. for example you could buy a 90 starlet and pay the same for a 93 fiesta don't sacrifice age for quality. you will get a decent one for €2000 no hassle if your buying in dublin it will be more expensive cause small cars are prefered for traffic
all the best and happy hunting.:cool:

UbahOne · 03-10-2003 10:25am

Im 19 and got a quote on a 1.4l volkwagon 02 Golf for 1,400. That is having parents on as named drivers plus they have a perfect no claims bonus.

spockety · 03-10-2003 11:21am

Ubah - I think you'll find that YOU'RE the named driver on that policy rather than either of your parents!!!

UbahOne · 03-10-2003 12:01pm

I'd be the third named driver on the car. My Dad would be first and my mum second.

trotter_inc · 03-10-2003 4:09pm

How about Fiat Punto's? I know they're cheap but would a '95 or '96 be reliable on long journeys?

UbahOne · 03-10-2003 4:13pm

A guy i know last year picked up a 1.1l fiat punto 98 last year for 2.5grand. Great little car. Very nifty and cheapest insurance.

trotter_inc · 03-10-2003 4:15pm

Thanks UbahOne

gurramok · 03-10-2003 8:12pm

Originally posted by unkel
U can get a 94/95 model for your money

Just in case, if he's on prov. licence, some if not all companies will not quote on 10yr or older cars.

unkel · 04-10-2003 3:06am

Originally posted by UbahOne
I'd be the third named driver on the car. My Dad would be first and my mum second.

Doesn't work like that m8 I'm afraid. Your dad would insure the car and your mom and yourself would be named drivers. If you would make a claim, your parents would be stung badly on the insurance of their own car(s)

unkel · 04-10-2003 3:15am

Originally posted by daveg
Toyota Yaris. My GF bought opne a few months ago. Great car and under 1L.

Yeah right a Yaris for €2.5k - don't think so m8

But you have a good point. If you're looking into buying a new 1.0 car, very few people could argue against a Yaris. It is a very well built car that looks good (imho), is nippy (68bhp), will depreciate very little and is unlikely to give you any trouble for the first 20 years

I remember seeing the results of this consumer satisfaction survey (JD Power - big thing in the UK) where number 1 was Lexus 400, number 3 was Lexus 200, and guess what, the Yaris was number 2, beating ALL Mercs, Beamers, Audi's and VW's

My advice: if you wanna go for a Yaris, buy it new as they seem very bad value for money second hand (and rightly so)

BabyEater · 04-10-2003 5:34pm

Why not a 106 i think they are a good wee yoke.I have had mine for over 2 years now and not much too complain about.

Blitzkrieger · 05-10-2003 3:48pm

Originally posted by unkel
I remember seeing the results of this consumer satisfaction survey (JD Power - big thing in the UK) where number 1 was Lexus 400, number 3 was Lexus 200, and guess what, the Yaris was number 2, beating ALL Mercs, Beamers, Audi's and VW's

Aye, but a more important indicator is the reliability index, where they take the average amount of faults against the average cost of repair.

1. Mazda
2. Ford
3. Honda

(Toyata, Mitsubishi and the rest of the japs next)

So a Fiesta or a Mazda 121 (basically the same car) would be the best bet. I'm dreaming of a 1.6vtec Civic Coupe myself

daveg · 06-10-2003 9:17am

Originally posted by unkel
Yeah right a Yaris for €2.5k - don't think so m8

Ahhh.... sorry.... I missed the €2.5K bit. Indeed you will not get a Yaris for that price. Minimum would be €7K+ but they are a great car.

Sorry.

SheroN · 07-10-2003 4:20pm

go for a fiesta, yaris or starlet, I would say to stay away from a punto(any fiats actually:))

trotter_inc · 08-10-2003 9:25am

Are Fiats Punto's really that bad? The reason I was going for one of those was because they are cheap to buy and cheap to insure and there are lots of 1.1 litres around.

Are there many 1.1 litre Fiesta's around and are they as cheap to insure as Punto's?

Blitzkrieger · 12-10-2003 1:06pm

Personally, I'd stay away from the Punto. Everybody always says "you never buy a second Fiat". Quality has always been low. My sister recently had to replace the gearbox in hers.

Inurance wise there probably won't be much difference. The Fiesta might be slightly higher because it's a higher theft risk, tho it might also be lower cos it's worth less. Anybody see a contradiction in those two statements?

davil · 13-10-2003 1:11pm

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
Aye, but a more important indicator is the reliability index, where they take the average amount of faults against the average cost of repair.

1. Mazda
2. Ford
3. Honda

(Toyata, Mitsubishi and the rest of the japs next)

So a Fiesta or a Mazda 121 (basically the same car) would be the best bet. I'm dreaming of a 1.6vtec Civic Coupe myself

Yep I heartily agree with this man - he knows what he's talkin about. Oh by the way stay away from all the peugeot 6 models onwards - 106,206,307,406,607,806,807, etc. etc. They are all death traps i nmy opinion - I used to work for a Peugeot Garage

[The things I've seen!!!! :f33r:]

P.S- wouldn't mind an ould S-2000 meself, now that's a beast that's worth 56 grand! 2.0L, 240BHP, it's an animal. Or the next best thing would be the new Integra TYPE-R, saw one out beside the red cow the other week. Another 9k rpm beast....... me drool.

Scruff · 13-10-2003 1:15pm

Doesn't Fiat stand for Fix it again tomorrow?

trotter_inc · 13-10-2003 5:19pm

How about VW Polo's? They any good?

Blitzkrieger · 14-10-2003 8:43pm

You'd think so, but I knew a guy who needed a new gearbox on a 3 month old Polo.......twice. I've heard a lot of bad stories about them. Then again I know one family who have two Polos and have never had any trouble. Just make sure you get a mechanic (reliable if they exist) to check out whatever you buy.

AthAnRi · 15-10-2003 7:31pm

My sister owns a 97 Polo. She has had it for almost 4 years and the only trouble it has given her was a hole in the exhaust.

If you stay away from buying the first year of a new model you should be ok. for example. I wouldn't buy a 95, 00 or a 03 as these are all the first years of particular models. Your best bet is to look for a 97.

puntosporting · 15-10-2003 8:39pm

Puntos are fine im on my second,my sis has had two along with a good few friends never had any trouble!
"fix it again tomorrow" is an old one maybe back in the 70/80`s but modern fiats are as reliable as the next car!

davil · 20-10-2003 8:43am

Originally posted by AthAnRi
If you stay away from buying the first year of a new model you should be ok. for example. I wouldn't buy a 95, 00 or a 03 as these are all the first years of particular models. Your best bet is to look for a 97.

Good advice. These cars when they all come out haven't ironed out all the kinks, and in the cases of some manufacturers there are a lot of recalls, some of them for safety. After a couple of years, in most cases the cars get up to scratch {imo except Peugeot and Citroen}

Decent 1.1 Litre Car

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