Good Beginners Car

steviec

I was wondering what cars people would recommend to a learner, I'm actually on my second provisional so can legally drive on my own while I wait for my test(due around August), and have started doing so in the last few months, I've covered about 1000 miles+ and feel fairly comfortable. Right now I'm driving a Peugeot 106 which I got very very cheap, and I like it a lot, but I've been told by people who've looked at it, that the engine is showing it's age(1995, ~75,000 miles, and its already had a couple of problems that I've had to have looked at) and it would probably serve me better to sell it soon, when it's got a fresh NCT and buy something a bit newer.

So what would people recommend? I've driven my Peugeot, which I like, my Mam's (2003) Opel Corsa, which is really nice to drive thanks to power steering but it really hates bumps and speed ramps, even if you crawl over them in first gear(I go to DCU, if anyone is familiar with that campus, there's some evil ramps that you have to go across repeatedly every day), I've also driven a 1996 Punto which I hated, it just didn't feel nice to drive at all. So right now I'm really looking at just getting a newer 106. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything physically bigger, and my insurance costs mean I don't want anything with a bigger engine either. I'm not too hung up about being stylish or whatever, I just want something that's easy and comfortable to drive and is nice and small for tight city driving. Power steering is definitely a plus but I don't know if that's only on models out of my range. So aside from the 106 I've considered looking at Micras and Fiestas. Is there anything else? My budget is flexible, depends how much I sell the 106 for but I can probably get 2-3 grand together.

Big Nelly

Micra.....nice nippy car!! Fiesta I wouldnt go near because I hate them to be honest...haha.....micra also has a good resale value on them....usually can sell on fairly quickly!! GF had one for over 2 years and I would drive an odd time and was ok to drive once you got used to driving a 1lt....also Nissans have power sterring alot earlier than VW Polo's and so on so most will have it.....cheap insurance is also a plus....

Wouldnt buy opel because no resale value......2-3 grand you will get a nice Micra....she sold her which was 4 door, cd player, alloys, sun roof, 38k on clock(which was tiny) but was 98 so just got 3,800 for it......

prospect

A newer 106 !!!

Go with what you are comfortable with, esp if you are going to do your test in it...

Ernie Ball

Yaris.

steviec

Hmmm on autotrader.ie the cheapest 106 with mileage less than mine is over 3 grand... Maybe I'm underestimating how much my car is worth? I'd have said about 1000 for my car, plus then save up some more money towards something newer, but then I see 106s with more mileage than mine(albeit 1996, there's no 95s I can see here) for 2-3 grand!

I was hoping to get something around 1998, but that's way out of my range, maybe I'm just completely underestimating prices... I'll have a look at Yaris and Micras

alias no.9

What's actually gone wrong with the car you have? From what you're saying you don't do a whole lot of driving (1000 miles in a few months) and the car deosn't have high mileage by any stretch of the imagination. If it's a case of spending €200 - €300 euro on the car you have and it getting a new NCT at that, I'd be inclined to hang onto that until you pass your test, by which time you'll be a much more confident driver and insurance will be less of an issue. Also, learner cars can sometimes be more expensive to buy because they're cheap to insure, after passing your test, you might go for something bigger. You can plan to reward yourself for passing the test by getting the new car then.

cormie

I've a 96 micra, good lil car. I want to upgrade to a Polo soon though, for company reasons. I wont be upgrading for a few months though.

I hate them DCU ramps, especially the new ones near the student bar going around to the campus. I find its not so bad if you go over them a bit quicker.

steviec

alias no.9 wrote:

What's actually gone wrong with the car you have? From what you're saying you don't do a whole lot of driving (1000 miles in a few months) and the car deosn't have high mileage by any stretch of the imagination. If it's a case of spending €200 - €300 euro on the car you have and it getting a new NCT at that, I'd be inclined to hang onto that until you pass your test, by which time you'll be a much more confident driver and insurance will be less of an issue. Also, learner cars can sometimes be more expensive to buy because they're cheap to insure, after passing your test, you might go for something bigger. You can plan to reward yourself for passing the test by getting the new car then.

Hmm thats a fair point. I don't know though, a friend of mine who's a mechanic was looking at it after the temperature light started coming on the other day, something about oil making its way into the coolant where it shouldnt be, I have no idea but he says he reckons it's on its last legs, clutch and timing belt need to be replaced too and that was without being very thorough... I don't fancy having a lot of expenses aswell as hassle relating to it over the next couple of months if it is serious, and I'd assume even getting a full, expensive, service wouldn't leave the car as good as new afterwards.

unkel

Agree with alias - wait till you pass the test and re-think about it then

Ernie Ball wrote:

Yaris.

Not for 2-3 grand!

Tobias Greeshman

As a first car I'd say a Micra, 106 or a Polo, Id say a Yaris too, but there wayyy too expensive. You definately wont find one for anything close to €3,000.

Personally id go for the micra, they've a nice light clutch and good gear box and are fairly trouble-free.

Big Nelly

Ernie Ball wrote:

Yaris.

also go with Top Gear on this!!! Best little car on the market but they cost a fortune....

alias no.9

steviec wrote:

Hmm thats a fair point. I don't know though, a friend of mine who's a mechanic was looking at it after the temperature light started coming on the other day, something about oil making its way into the coolant where it shouldnt be, I have no idea but he says he reckons it's on its last legs, clutch and timing belt need to be replaced too and that was without being very thorough... I don't fancy having a lot of expenses aswell as hassle relating to it over the next couple of months if it is serious, and I'd assume even getting a full, expensive, service wouldn't leave the car as good as new afterwards.

If there's oil getting into the coolant then the head gasket could be on the way out but if you haven't got it that long and you dont know how long it's been like that, it could be a very minor leak over a long time. If it looks like coolant in the oil, this might just be condensation if the car is only used for short runs. The timing belt on a 1.0 106 shouldn't be too pricey at an independant garage, the belt itself will be about €20 plus about 2 hours labour. As for the clutch, can you feel it slipping or can you feel/hear the release bearing creak?

steviec

alias no.9 wrote:

If there's oil getting into the coolant then the head gasket could be on the way out but if you haven't got it that long and you dont know how long it's been like that, it could be a very minor leak over a long time. If it looks like coolant in the oil, this might just be condensation if the car is only used for short runs. The timing belt on a 1.0 106 shouldn't be too pricey at an independant garage, the belt itself will be about €20 plus about 2 hours labour. As for the clutch, can you feel it slipping or can you feel/hear the release bearing creak?

It was oil getting in the coolant, I don't know anything more than that about it myself. And as for the clutch, I don't notice anything but my uncle who's an experienced driver says he can notice it. You do have to lift your foot pretty far before the car starts to pull away at all.

alias no.9

steviec wrote:

It was oil getting in the coolant, I don't know anything more than that about it myself. And as for the clutch, I don't notice anything but my uncle who's an experienced driver says he can notice it. You do have to lift your foot pretty far before the car starts to pull away at all.

I'd empty the coolant, flush the system and refill it. Check the new coolant after a few days to see how contaminated it is. It would cost you about €30 for new coolant, the alternative would be to fill it with water which costs nothing and again check how contaminated it gets after few days (if you do this, remember to add anti-freeze before winter). As for the clutch, if it doesn't slip or there's no apparent signs of the release bearing being on the way out, the cable might just need adjusting or indeed it could just be normal for 106's. Either way, I wouldn't go replacing the clutch just because there's a lot of travel in the pedal when you're doing that little mileage.