Mature 24yr old male seeks new car!

Cyrus

Hi ya lads and lasses

Ive been working a yr now and im starting to think buying my own car would be a good idea!

Im 24, full licence for 5 yrs or so, ive been insured as a named driver on my mums cars for that time, incl ford puma 1.4 and 1.6 and a peugeot 206cc 1.6, altho i doubt that makes any odds?

What im looking for is something stylish, sporty and insurable!

Ive been looking for the past few months and heres my choices so far:

1) 98-00 Peugeot 406 coupe €10,500 - 12,500 2ltr
2) Alfa GTV 2ltr 98-99 circa €14k
3) Alfa 156 1.8 - 2ltr Pre leather and nice alloys 98-01 €8k - €12k
4) Smart roadster, dunno what would u get one s/h for, only a 800cc engine but i hear ins is still high?
5) Mitsu fto 2 ltr new as i can get <10k?

Anyone got anything to add? Also which of the above would be the most insurable and any idea what kinda money im looking? south county dublin address secure parking etc?

Which would u choose?

Seth Brundle

What about an E30 BMW?
Actually now that I think of it, I have an E30 320i up for grabs - definitley stands out! My insurance was €600 last time.
PM if interested.

jayo99

kbannon. I think you mis-understood Cyrus.. he said he was looking for "something stylish, sporty and insurable!"

Cyrus

e30 bimmer not really my thang

Sleipnir

A 2 litre at 24 would cost you an absolute fortune in insurance despite your 5 years as a named driver.
How much can you afford for insurance?

Cyrus

no more than 2gs realistically, and thats only for a yr or two dont want it to be more than that tho

Sleipnir

I would be VERY surprised if you were quoted anything near 2 grand for a 2 litre anything!
Especially as the 1st driver.

Head on over to http://www.123.ie for some quotes.

Seth Brundle

[not trying to flog the bmw anymore] but my insurance on the one above was significantly cheaper than on the car I had before it - a Mk III Fiesta (also 1989). This was the case with most insurance companys at that time.

Sleipnir

just did a quick quote on insure.ie. Only 3rd Party F&T.

Hibernian Broker Motorchoice €3,008.44

which was the only quote returned! That was on a 2 litre GTV for a 24 year old, full license for 5 years, 5 years NCB.

Comp is 3,530.72

Cyrus

this country sucks, seems my best option is either the 406 coupe or a 1.8 156, anyone own one? yay or nay?

Sleipnir

Sucks?!?! How dare you suggest that the Emerald Isle......oh.....wait a second........it really does!


Taxes push car prices through EU roof


HEAVY taxes are pushing Irish family car prices to as much as 50pc above the EU baseline.

While we are not the most expensive country in the EU, our double tax take of VAT and VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) means we end up paying significantly more than most.

VRT remains the major burden here, with tax of just under €8,000 inflating the price of a family saloon to €21,000.

The figures were compiled by the EU Commission, which is trying to harmonise prices across Europe.

Competition Commissioner Mario Monti claims marginal progress in doing so by showing that the average difference fell to 4.4pc this year from 4.9pc in 2003. This follows new EU rules introduced in 2002 to liberalise what has been a widely protected car market.

But the Commission conceded that car prices have not converged enough.

Out of the 90 models surveyed, 25 had pre-tax price differences of more than 20pc from the EU average.

And the inclusion of the new eastern European countries in its latest figures exposes huge gaps in prices.

They will have Irish buyers enviously pondering how little it costs to buy in some of the new entrants to the 25-nation bloc.

For example, the pre-tax price of a Toyota Corolla, at €13,642, is highest here. Yet we have to pay €20,697 after tax and margins to own one. In stark contrast, a buyer in Poland needs little more than half that - just €10,974.

Poland comes out as easily the least expensive place in which to buy cars.

The survey found Austria and Germany to be the most expensive.

Our pre-tax prices range from average to more than 20pc above. But when tax is added, this soars to as high as 51pc above the so-called EU Index.

Bizarrely, the opposite happens in some other countries. In France, taxation increases the price but lowers the percentage of that price against the post-tax EU average.

For example, a Nissan Micra here goes from 21pc above the average before tax to 148.3pc after tax. The same car in France dips from 105pc before tax to 101pc after tax.

This latest survey is bound to re-ignite the controversy over our car taxation regime. Many consumer and industry chiefs have relentlessly demanded a reduction in the level of VRT. They also claim that the drive to harmonise prices will effectively increase pre-tax prices here as manufacturers have traditionally supplied cars at below the EU average to compensate for our high taxes.

So far they have been met with stern resistance from the Government, which needs the hundreds of millions that VRT and VAT generate each year.

The report also found the bargain basement price for a new car. "The cheapest car in the entire EU is a Fiat Panda in Poland," Commission spokesman Tilman Lueder said yesterday.

While the EU is supposed to be a frontier-free zone, anyone harbouring hopes of buying in Poland will have to pay VRT not on the Polish price but on the market price in Ireland.

But the Commission says the possibility of profitable cross-border shopping still exists. And there is some other good news. With inflation at 2.1pc, new car prices here rose by just 1.5pc in the year to May.

The survey is based on prices as of May 1 last. Among the 12 euro zone members, car prices rose by just 0.8pc between May 2003 and May 2004, compared with inflation of 2.4pc in the same period.

Underlining its determination to remove barriers to cross-border sales, the Commission announced its displeasure with three manufacturers. Audi, Peugeot and BMW are in trouble with the Commission for breaking the rules in the former 15-nation bloc.

Seth Brundle

I agree with sleipnir but you also have to remember that most people are happy with the situation as they continue to buy new cars!

impr0v

I'd shy away from the Alfa. Nice looking motor, but common as muck and will retain very little value. They have a very bad reputation as a marque for build quality and a tendancy to develop a lot of problems.

Though you might be looking for something a little more sporty, In your situation I'd go for a 01-02 1.6l or 1.8l 3 door focus. Great reliability, handling, and has a repectable bit of punch too (keeping the engine size in mind). The 3 door zetec models hold their value fairly well too.

jayo99

agreed.. Alfas are not only common as muck.. they ARE muck..

I've lost count of the number of Alfa's I've heard breaking timing belts way before their time, general engine problems, gearbox problems and especially electrical problems !

Avoid at all costs . They are basically an overpriced Fiat. Resale value is crap !

HashSlinging

I'm selling my Leon at the moment. I'll put some pics up next week if your interested.

Cucullan

I was in a similar position to you last year,5 years driving under my dad's insurance. First on my own for a 1.4l Octavia cost me €1900 (24 also) so I think you can forget about your 2 litre, I'd say a 1.6l at the most depending on your cash flow

jayok

Stay away from Alfa's, girlfriend had one and to summarise a long story.

Bought new, dispose of with 27k miles on a 147.

1. Less that 10 months old (16k miles)
- Coolant leak
- Fixed under Alfa warranty

2. Less that 14 months old (22k miles)
- Gearbox failure
- Alfa wouldn't cover under warranty
- Reported to director of consumer affairs
- Alfa replaced under warranty

3. Less that 18 months old (27k miles)
- Oil leak
- Alfa wouldn't cover under warranty
- Reported to director of consumer affairs
- Threatened court case
-Return car got refund (because of legal stance)

REPEAT: STAY AWAY FROM ALFA ROMEOS!! The biggest heap of sh**te to pollute a road. Buy German or Jap.

PowerHouseDan

I wouldnt go very much by the online quote i got quoted 2800 on the net on a e36 1.6i Bmw Rang up and it is 1750 this is with hibernian,I'm 19,2 Years named Driver and full Lis for year and half.So your better off ringing first

John R

kbannon wrote:

I agree with sleipnir but you also have to remember that most people are happy with the situation as they continue to buy new cars!

Rubbish. People are not happy with the insane prices, they are just lazy, stupid and ignorant. The same mix that ensures just about everything in this country is incredibly bad value and of poor quality.

x in the city

alfa's are a bit dodgey alright

and parts for them are a killer......

mitsi fto is a super car, but abit old, and you wont get a cheap quote for one of them ,or a quote at all.........

bmw's will cost a lot to run/maintain and insure.........! unless your making a
killing at work


what about a accord type r..........Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

will kick the arse off most other cars on the road. i think it maybe too expensive thou.

if you cant get an accord type r, get an integra type r......<grins>

(also will kick ass)...........
:rolleyes:

pablo21

x in the city wrote:

alfa's are a bit dodgey alright

and parts for them are a killer......

mitsi fto is a super car, but abit old, and you wont get a cheap quote for one of them ,or a quote at all.........

bmw's will cost a lot to run/maintain and insure.........! unless your making a
killing at work


what about a accord type r..........Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

will kick the arse off most other cars on the road. i think it maybe too expensive thou.

if you cant get an accord type r, get an integra type r......<grins>

(also will kick ass)...........
:rolleyes:

The mitsi (fto)is a car for life, cos you will be stuck with it for life! Woeful resale, ask someone who bought one.

The BMW is expensive to buy but on the long term, resale values are excellent regardless of year, Parts are expensive but they are super reliable and build quality is light years ahead of other marquee's. Thats been my experience anyway.

And, if you really want to be tagged as a boy racer and dont mind being shafted with the insurance bracket, go and get the type R. they do shift allright, but they are common as muck in the UK and as grey imports so expect to see alot more over here!

How about a 316 coupe? One with a nice M spec package could be yours for around the 10g mark. Cheap enough insurance, great resale prices, great reliability and you wont be labled a boy racer!

Cyrus

yeahmight look for a clean e36

pablo21

Just regarding Parts, there's a motorfactor called "Swedish and German" that do parts for (wait for it) Swedish and German cars and are very reasonable on price. Tip: I've a 320 coupe and the first set of brake pads I put into it I told the mechanic to get genuine stuff! What an idiot! pads just for the front cost €90. Only €36 in the local motorfactors!!!!!

unkel

x in the city wrote:

bmw's will cost a lot to run/maintain and insure.........!

Not my experience. It's expensive to have them stealer serviced alright...

E36 316 coupe is not a bad suggestion from an insurance point of view. Check out the 318is though. You might well be able to afford insurance on this 1.9 liter car and remember it will come down the next year

The 318is coupe is a helluva lot more of a BMW than the 316

Also plenty of good ones around...

cdebru

listen you probably wont want to hear this bu t why dont yo go for a small car
i presume ur single no kids what do u need a 2 litre car for really are you going to be doing a lot of mileage
if ur mostly going to be driving around the city you could do a lot worse than say a nissan micra
cheaper insurance tax petrol easy parking cheap parts very reliable and no i dont have one for sale
but if you have 3500e to waste on 1 yrs insurance go for it get the 2 litre
me i'd rather the micra and a nice holiday
ok probably isn't going to impress the women that much
but is that what you want it for

btw dont go near an alfa or a mitsi
and personally i wouldn't be that crazy about a bmw but of the ones mentioned its about the best

besides you know what they say about men who have to buy bigs cars
compensating

unkel

cdebru wrote:

besides you know what they say about men who have to buy bigs cars compensating

LOL

I thought that's what they said about 4x4 cars...

cdebru

especially 4x4

Tommy Vercetti

You would be better off waiting for another year to be honest. Once you hit 25, your insurance will go way down. So my advice would be to get something small and cheap and keep it for a year.

byte

If going for 1.6L car or less, you could possibly consider Hibernian Ignition thingy and get 20%+ off your premium.

Cyrus

to be honest lads im a car fanatic and if i wanted a micra or something like that id have bought one years ago, id rather not have a car than have a car i hate!

as regards turning 25, it seems most places have moved that up to 27 now so muggins to that, gonna look at 318/316 see if theres anything nice

unkel

Best of luck with your search - let us know how you're getting on