Best first car for young driver

Shane732

Donkeygonads wrote: »

its getting the best car for his money and the fiesta will tick those boxes......we may have low standards but the Polo 1.0 is awfully low !!

Is there really that much of a difference between a Polo and Fiesta performance wise?

Personally I'd much prefer a Polo to a Fiesta.

hairyman

Shane732 wrote: »

Is there really that much of a difference between a Polo and Fiesta performance wise?

Personally I'd much prefer a Polo to a Fiesta.

There is no doubting that the Polo will feel like a premium product compared to the Fiesta but the Fiesta is the far sweeter steer, and a good deal quicker in a straight line.

In my opinion you do not need big power to enjoy yourself.

Jimbob 83

Shane732 wrote: »

Sorry it was my second car - I had a Punto for a couple of months first of all.

You had to bring a Skoda into the thread didn't you!!!

Haha

Donkeygonads

the 1.0 engine in the Polo is a 3 cylinder unit .... its too small for the size of car, plus being a VW you wont get any features on the model, no Cd, no elec win ....just a steering wheel and seats......... the fiesta is a much nicer drive, pokey, A/c , Cd, all elec and the 1.25 is bulletin proof reliable engine ....75hp ........ same horsepower as a 1.4 litre VW golf !!!

Donkeygonads

Check that out ..

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Fiesta/1.25-GHI/201052200695476/advert?channel=CARS

Jimbob 83

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Fabia/1.4-COMF/201052200720198/advert?channel=CARS

hairyman

Donkeygonads wrote: »

the 1.0 engine in the Polo is a 3 cylinder unit .... its too small for the size of car, plus being a VW you wont get any features on the model, no Cd, no elec win ....just a steering wheel and seats......... the fiesta is a much nicer drive, pokey, A/c , Cd, all elec and the 1.25 is bulletin proof reliable engine ....75hp ........ same horsepower as a 1.4 litre VW golf !!!

Is the 1.0L not a 4 cylinder?,I thought the newer 1.2's were the triple's!

Either way, I fully agree.
VW's non Turbo 3 and 4 cylinder petrol(non FSI) units in their bread and butter line up(Polo to Passat) are gutless.

J77

bmw535d wrote: »

the insurance won't be cheap and how is he supposed to tax it?

You could pick one up for around 3-3.5k so thats up to 2k left to play with. It's very manageable if the OP gets insured as a named driver.

An E200 would be good as well. A friend of mine learned in an 9 year old E200 and as I recall his insurance wasn't too bad.

I stick by my comment that it's better to learn in a big car and I'm waiting on x in the city to tell me why it was such a 'ridiculous' comment.

hairyman

J77 wrote: »

You could pick one up for around 3-3.5k so thats up to 2k left to play with. It's very manageable if the OP gets insured as a named driver.

An E200 would be good as well. A friend of mine learned in an 9 year old E200 and as I recall his insurance wasn't too bad.

I stick by my comment that it's better to learn in a big car and I'm waiting on x in the city to tell me why it was such a 'ridiculous' comment.

What about running costs, a mate of mine had a 99 520i, you had to screw it to make it move and as a result it absolutely horsed the motion lotion out of it.

Donkeygonads

Service and maintainence for those models if anything goes wrong would cost as much as the Insurance ..... even a couple of tyres ... 4/500 euro. You wont be passing many petrol stations without paying a visit .... plus I'm sure his folks would'nt want to take the rap on the insurance if he has an accident ...... they'll say, you old enough and responsible enough to go out, get your car and insurance policy. Fiesta it is !!! This advice is free !!!

Jimbob 83

Donkeygonads wrote: »

Service and maintainence for those models if anything goes wrong would cost as much as the Insurance ..... even a couple of tyres ... 4/500 euro. You wont be passing many petrol stations without paying a visit .... plus I'm sure his folks would'nt want to take the rap on the insurance if he has an accident ...... they'll say, you old enough and responsible enough to go out, get your car and insurance policy. Fiesta it is !!! This advice is free !!!

I agree completely here , you are 100% better off in a small car regardless of the make/model a 5 series as your 1st everyday car will cripple you financially on a day to day basis/will be a whore to park/tax and if anything goes wrong will cost alot to fix , keep it simple for your 1st car

+If you really wanna go fast go for a car 500 euros cheaper and buy a plane ticket for a sun holiday

tvercetti

personally i wouldnt be recommending a MG or VW, Fiesta would be a good sound car but i would recommend going Japaneese, Is you miss something in your MG or VW, it could break you but you cant go too far wrong with your Japaneese cars,

PaulKK

tvercetti wrote: »

personally i wouldnt be recommending a MG or VW, Fiesta would be a good sound car but i would recommend going Japaneese, Is you miss something in your MG or VW, it could break you but you cant go too far wrong with your Japaneese cars,

I disagree, the OP is unlikely to be paying dealer rates or buying dealer parts at this end of the car market.

Motor factors parts will be very similarly priced for most makes, especially for a small hatchback.

I would recommend a polo, I have experience of them and they are a good car, and easy to service.
Try and get a 1.4 if you can.

You might find the MG ZR a little pricey on insurance, they are putting out over 100bhp in the 1.4.
They are nice though and should serve you well if you keep an eye on the coolant.

Donkeygonads

PaulKK wrote: »

I disagree, the OP is unlikely to be paying dealer rates or buying dealer parts at this end of the car market.

Motor factors parts will be very similarly priced for most makes, especially for a small hatchback.

I would recommend a polo, I have experience of them and they are a good car, and easy to service.
Try and get a 1.4 if you can.

You might find the MG ZR a little pricey on insurance, they are putting out over 100bhp in the 1.4.
They are nice though and should serve you well if you keep an eye on the coolant.

The Older Polo models are too basic, no spec inside. The 1.0 litre models are underpowered and the 1.4 litre will be too strong on Tax and insurance for a starting driver .... plus they're not as bullet proof reliable as people think they are and if you do have an issue be prepared to pay a few $$$

murrayp4

1.4-1.6 Focus??

bmw535d

Max Power1 wrote: »

Insurance? AFAIR mine on the rover was 1200-1400 or so on a provisional with no NCB. Sometimes bigger car doesnt equal more expensive insurance.

Tax? An E39 520i would only be €600-700 odd to tax. Compared with €350 or so for say a 1.3 fiesta from the same era. 250 over 12 months isnt that big a difference imo, to drive something a little more fun than a fiesta.

ehh

theres a big difference insuring a fupping rover to a bmw 520i..

yea 700 euro isn't something a new driver can afford considering he will be gettinf 30mpg max.. a 520i is probably the worst suggestion on this thread yet considering his credentials, the polo would even be more suitable with a 0-60 time of over 15secs i think.

johnos1984

I do agree about the Polo being a good first car but the Op seems to want something sporty that looks discreet.

Granted the MG isn't a perfect choice but I would agree with others that a Fiesta Ghia is a good choice.

A 5-Series.........welcome to the real world

PaulKK

Donkeygonads wrote: »

The Older Polo models are too basic, no spec inside. The 1.0 litre models are underpowered and the 1.4 litre will be too strong on Tax and insurance for a starting driver .... plus they're not as bullet proof reliable as people think they are and if you do have an issue be prepared to pay a few $$$

Did you even read my post? I clearly said it will be basically the same cost to repair as anything else.

Too "strong" on tax for a 1.4? Its only 20 more a year than the fiesta everyone is suggesting.

I'd also suggest you look at the specs of a similar year fiesta or similar, you still aren't going to get electric windows or mirrors most of the time.

I know of two polos that are around 160k miles now(1.4 and a 1L) and they are a good car.

Shane732

bmw535d wrote: »

ehh

theres a big difference insuring a fupping rover to a bmw 520i..

yea 700 euro isn't something a new driver can afford considering he will be gettinf 30mpg max.. a 520i is probably the worst suggestion on this thread yet considering his credentials, the polo would even be more suitable with a 0-60 time of over 15secs i think.

Exactly, the cost of taxing it is almost 25% of the cost of the car assuming roughly a €3k budget.

I just looked @ chill.ie and it won't give me a quick quote for a 2000 520i. It's giving me a quote of €3k for a 2001 Polo 1.0l. Jes*s how I remember those day.

Donkeygonads

PaulKK wrote: »

Did you even read my post? I clearly said it will be basically the same cost to repair as anything else.

Too "strong" on tax for a 1.4? Its only 20 more a year than the fiesta everyone is suggesting.

I'd also suggest you look at the specs of a similar year fiesta or similar, you still aren't going to get electric windows or mirrors most of the time.

I know of two polos that are around 160k miles now(1.4 and a 1L) and they are a good car.

I did read you post .... the tax may only be 20 euro different but the insurance is the main one ..... 1.25 Fiesta compared to 1.4 Polo !!! The 2002 fiesta model LX and Ghia came standard with Air Conditioning, Elec Win and Alloys .... you have'nt a hope of finding a 2002 polo with these standard, plus the fiesta is a much sportier ride and faster. Realistically he will keep the car for 2 years ....put on 25k / 30k miles and sell to another first time driver ..... he's not looking to waiting until theirs 200k on the clock .... plus for under $3k you've gotten your value out of the car over 2 years.

freighter

bmw535d wrote: »

ehh

theres a big difference insuring a fupping rover to a bmw 520i..

yea 700 euro isn't something a new driver can afford considering he will be gettinf 30mpg max.. a 520i is probably the worst suggestion on this thread yet considering his credentials, the polo would even be more suitable with a 0-60 time of over 15secs i think.

I thought you were only 15. What do you know about cars????

sean1141

http://vagdrivers.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=55690

Alanstrainor

freighter wrote: »

I thought you were only 15. What do you know about cars????

Infraction given. Absolutely no need for that crap.

PaulKK

Donkeygonads wrote: »

I did read you post .... the tax may only be 20 euro different but the insurance is the main one ..... 1.25 Fiesta compared to 1.4 Polo !!! The 2002 fiesta model LX and Ghia came standard with Air Conditioning, Elec Win and Alloys .... you have'nt a hope of finding a 2002 polo with these standard, plus the fiesta is a much sportier ride and faster. Realistically he will keep the car for 2 years ....put on 25k / 30k miles and sell to another first time driver ..... he's not looking to waiting until theirs 200k on the clock .... plus for under $3k you've gotten your value out of the car over 2 years.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1786273

You are forgetting VW hold their value better.

I would imagine the difference between insurance on a 1.25 and 1.4 is not very much, we are talking 150cc.

I'm not saying the Fiesta is a bad car, but your jumping on the anti VW boards bandwagon a bit.

Anyway, I grow weary of this thread.

pete4130

I learnt to drive in a 1.4 Focus estate. Bigger than normal but easy to drive, felt solid.

The 1.4's Focus aren't known for their speed at all, especially in the estate but it was fairly responsive in the city where you'll rarely get over 30-40mph.

When learning I got to drive smaller cars like a Sciecento which was dire. The pedals too close together and not a good experience, a Rover Metro which was and still is a really fun car to drive even though its pretty basic, fiesta's and Punto's.

Learning in a larger car made driving smaller cars easier for sure.

Suggestions at 5 Series BMW don't make financial sense really. An old medium sized executive saloon for a 1st car doesn't make sense.

I'd go for the Fiesta personally. Cheap, reliable, bigger than the polo, bit more powerful. The thoughts of driving a 1.0L polo compared to the fiesta are depressing for me.

I think if a car is considered girly or not makes little difference. Some cars appeal to different demographics, thats true.

At the end of the day you want a car that goes, you can learn in and gets you from A to B. Something bigger like a 5 series is instantly going to eat into your budget more and may end up cutting your driving experience short if something does go wrong. So you might fork out all that money, not afford the repairs and have a car that you can't drive....which defeats the purpose of getting a car to learn in.

Donkeygonads

PaulKK wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1786273

You are forgetting VW hold their value better.

I would imagine the difference between insurance on a 1.25 and 1.4 is not very much, we are talking 150cc.

I'm not saying the Fiesta is a bad car, but your jumping on the anti VW boards bandwagon a bit.

Anyway, I grow weary of this thread.

If you're budget is 3k on a used car , resale does'nt make any difference ...there will always be a market for the cheap and cheerful cars, once they pass NCT's etc ....after 2 years, you could avail of the Gov scrappage deal !!!:D ..... and when your 18 ish ...and ringing insurance companies, Size does matter of the engine !!! rite ... I'm off to bed;)

sean1141

freighter wrote: »

I thought you were only 15. What do you know about cars????

Probably more than a lot of people who drive cars everyday... my mother for instance!

Alanstrainor

sean1141 wrote: »

Probably more than a lot of people who drive cars everyday... my mother for instance!

It's been dealt with, let's leave it there shall we?

sean1141

Alanstrainor wrote: »

It's been dealt with, let's leave it there shall we?

i wrote out the post before any replies were made.. only hit the post button there now. was on the phone.. fell free to delete

MagicMarker

If a polo is a must then stay away from the 1 litre engine, because there is no way in hell it can be described as ''nippy''.

Donkeygonads

MagicMarker wrote: »

If a polo is a must then stay away from the 1 litre engine, because there is no way in hell it can be described as ''nippy''.

I totally agree .... If someone thinks the 1 litre Polo is "Nippy" then it really shows they know nothing about cars !!:D .... Is there is even a car on the market less powerful than that or with a lesser power to weight ratio than a 1 lite Polo ?!?!?
I think it specifically caters for thin lipped women, who wear flat shoes and who go to cake sales on Sunday mornings and Lourdes on holidays !:p:D:D

d.lally2

can't believe it has not been said, but what about a 1.3 or 1.4 corolla? the vvti 1.4 is pretty quick but check out the insurance. if it's too expensive look into getting 1.3 g6 corolla, 6 speed box and very economical! a corolla was my first car, very easy to drive, poky and as reliable as ya can get besides a honda.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1760960

-Corkie-

Donkeygonads wrote: »

I totally agree .... If someone thinks the 1 litre Polo is "Nippy" then it really shows they know nothing about cars !!:D .... Is there is even a car on the market less powerful than that or with a lesser power to weight ratio than a 1 lite Polo ?!?!?
I think it specifically caters for thin lipped women, who wear flat shoes and who go to cake sales on Sunday mornings and Lourdes on holidays !:p:D:D

Look I explained myself OK. Now get over yourself. I was selling cars before you were born.

Henry Ford III

Yaris is generally a good first choice.

woodyg

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Fiesta/LX-5DR-O/201043200053611/advert?channel=CARS

i'm tempted by this my self

bmw535d

freighter wrote: »

I thought you were only 15. What do you know about cars????

lol, im 12 and i know everything about nothing.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Alanstrainor

bmw535d wrote: »

lol, im 12 and i know everything about nothing.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Here! What part of "it's been dealt with don't you understand!

Actually, i'm just going to close this. It's a complete disaster.

OP drop me a PM if you want me to reopen it.