First Car - Help!

Orlee

Hi all,

Just started learning how to drive and thinking about getting my first car but I'm not too sure as to what car I should go for. I've been thinking about a VW Polo but I've heard the gearbox is a bit dodgy or a Fiat Punto but heard the head gaskets are likely to go & are expensive to replace.Seat Ibizas seem to be getting good reviews! I'm looking for a typical first car - something that wont mind a few scrapes! My budget is about €2000 so any recommendations? I guess I'll be going for about a '96 or '97 so what knda of mileage should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance

road_high

Orlee wrote:

Hi all,

Just started learning how to drive and thinking about getting my first car but I'm not too sure as to what car I should go for. I've been thinking about a VW Polo but I've heard the gearbox is a bit dodgy or a Fiat Punto but heard the head gaskets are likely to go & are expensive to replace. I'm looking for a typical first car - something that wont mind a few scrapes! My budget is about €2000 so any recommendations?

Thanks in advance

Think Japanese and you won't go too far wrong
Plenty of choice or 1-1.3 litre like toyota starlet (96-99 model), daihatsu sirion,suzuki swift- all reliable and easy to drive first cars.
Ford fiesta or seat ibiza mightnt be bad choices either- try websites like www.cbg.ie, carzone.ie, carsireland.ie to see whats available for your budget
Good luck!!

CountryWise

I got a Seat Ibiza 2 months ago as my first car and i love it, its cheaper than a volkswagen car but its got many of the same parts as they are the same company, its also got laods of room in it.Happy hunting

Orlee

Does the Seat Ibiza have ps? Or does it matter?

pontovic

I would advise against going for a Polo. Theyre quite reliable so long as they have been looked after but they're not the most fun to drive as they lack power steering and they are underpowered.

I would recommend a Ford Fiesta 1.25l model. These cars are nippy, frugal and reliable and if you have the extra cash you can go for the Ghia model which includes some nice creature comforts.

My second choice would be a Nissan Micra. They arte built like tanks and are way ahead of their time. They might not look nice compared to other cars but they are cheap to run and they just keep going and going.

I'd say with your budget you could get a decent 1996 or 1997 Micra.

coolmoose

i had a seat ibiza and it was a great little car. mine had p/s but it was a 00, so i'm not sure about older ones - check out the websites above, in particular carzone.ie. They're a big car for a 1 litre which I liked,and it was great on juice.

This 96 has p/s: http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=432565

Have you looked at Opel Corsas? Couple of friends started with them and they were well pleased with them. Good luck anyway!

Interceptor

96 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec has ps and is a very economical choice. Pleasant to drive and easy to run. The Polo got ps from 98 on and they are ok if you just want a-b transport but they aren't as reliable as VW fans would have you believe. The Seat is also an easy car to own, get a low mileage one and you will be fine - the interiors don't stand up to wear and tear as well as some of the others. The japanese choices are fairly vast but you would be as well off to sit in several and see what you think - the Micra is fine, the Yaris is godawful and the offerings from Kia, Hyundai, Daewoo, Opel, Renault, Peugeot and Fiat shouldn't be ruled out...

I doubt if that was any help at all really.

'cptr

unkel

I'd go with pontovic and Interceptor. If you like driving, get the nippy Fiesta 1.25 which is a great little drivers' car. If budget is the main consideration, get a Micra 1.0. It will cost you a bit less to maintain, tax, insure, fill up and repair. Dead easy to sell on later too