Car for learner?

andrew_ireland

My gf is going to start driving this summer (hopefully!) and we were just talking about what car might be the best regarding price, reliablility, safety etc. She's not interested in a Micra and kind of has her heart set on something like a Polo. I suggested a Ka (please don't shoot me for saying that!). I drive an auto so there's no real point in her learning in my own car.

Any suggestions on what make and model? The budget is about €1.5K but more may still be feasible.

mloc123

The Ka is cheap, loads of them about and well speced for the price (electric windows, power steering, sun roof etc..)

Bamboozled

I've a ka for a long time and learned to drive in it.
I've had no real problems with it, once its looked after.
Its light and a fine city car (makes an ok long drive car too)
Its fine for handling as its like a go-kart with a wheel at each corner, though i have changed a few things.

If she gets a ka remember that there are only 2 belts in the back. She will not be able to carry 3 passengers in the back seat if she keeps the car for a while, and insurance-wise it is only insured to carry 4 people on all the insurance companies i've come across except Hibernian (they also called it a saloon :rolleyes: ) so make sure that the detail is correct for the insurance and if its not, get it corrected.

Insurance is not the cheapest as its a 1.3 but if she chucks you on the policy she might drop the cost down a little.

Reliablity.. its like a fiesta and run forever nearly.

Safety .... havent had to test it out thankfully

The bumpers on front and back come in 3 parts also which is handy for a learner. If the sides get cracked, you can replace just that bit. Moggies also tend to crack them but since you're not replacing the whole bumper, finding a bit of one in a scrappy should be no problem.

andrew_ireland

Thanks for the info guys! I'd heard plenty of good things about the Ka especially for learning in due to the positioning of the wheels. Just been looking on the Carzone website at a '95 Cinquecento for €650 with 55k on the clock

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=418161

Bearing in mind this car is for a first time learner, what think ye?

Bamboozled

My mother had one and everything went wrong with it. Including the doors falling off - the bolt holding the brackets of the door and the car broke clean in half :rolleyes: She had nothing but trouble with it. It was much more cramped than the KA

She also didnt have power steering and I didnt see that mentioned in the link. Your girlfriend would need that as learning without powersteering might annoy her and its certainly easier.

andrew_ireland

Forgot about the power-steering, that would certainly come in handy alright! Thanks for pointing that out coz I'd be shot otherwise!:o

Bamboozled

WEll ya cant think of everything can ya.

alias no.9

I pushed the girlfriend towards a ka last year when she was getting a car and she loves it. Just remember that you need to get a ka2 to get power steering because it's not standard. Mechanically, its as tough as old boots, the kind of thing that you'll fix with a few taps of a hammer if something goes wrong. It's actually not that bad to drive once you get over the fact that it looks like a tellytubby. The only criticism is I'd have is that the seats are quite small, though there's no problem with legroom when driving, and I'm 6ft.

Bamboozled

Oh yes. the seats aren't roomy at all. Saying that, if the OP's g/f decides to get one, i would advise you to stay away from the leather interior. With the lack of room in the seats and the leather, it makes for quite easy sliding :rolleyes:

pontovic

She could get a decent 1995 3 door polo for about €1500. Theyre frugal, reliable enough once looked after, and they have good road visibility. They don't have powersteerring however and they are harder than most to handle, but they make for a good learning experience.

My second choice is a Fiesta. Go for the 1.25l engine models. Stay away from the cinquento. Fiats are crap so I hear and that car would offer no protection at all in the event of an accident.

cantdecide

pontovic wrote:

She could get a decent 1995 3 door polo for about €1500. Stay away from the cinquento. Fiats are crap .

would she not consider a 1.4 astra. same price-ish, same year-ish, easier to drive, not considerably bigger, more comfortable on those long i've just started driving drives. difference in running costs are negligable.....(really!)

colm_mcm

Small car cheaper etc. etc. yawn!

natnif

colm_mcm wrote:

Small car cheaper etc. etc. yawn!

I feel this conversation has been had before so lets not get into the big car small car thing again!!!!
I know your g/f may not want a micra, but as far a small car to learn in goes you cant really beat them...they are also about as nippy as a ka and cheaper to tax/insure/run etc
If she is totally against a micra my next choice would be a starlet. I know it would be a few years older than a ka, but remember that toyota's build quality would have been above fords at this time by a fair bit.
DON'T TOUCH THE FIAT!!!!!

Villaricos

whatever ya get dont get a fiat! awful cars!
I know your gf doesnt want a micra but ya cant get much better to learn in tbh!
I drive a Daihatsu Cuore and before anyone slaggs Diahatsu they are made by Toyota and are such reliable little cars. My mums driven a terios for years and we've never had any problems with them. Basically a toyota for cheaper. Not the most exciting of cars but perfect for learning in.
another idea why not a fiesta? my cousin drove the older model and never had a problem with it
personally I dont like driving European cars I find they have a much heavier clutch not too fond of em tbh

andrew_ireland

Whoa! Thanks for all the suggestions guys - the Fiat has been completely forgotten about you'll be glad to hear! I think the problem with the Micra was my fault for forever bitching about the stereotypical old lady dawdling down the motorway at 40mph in one. I would agree that they would be perfectly suitable and quite like the idea of one for learning purposes after all, they are what they are - an inexpensive, economical and light car.

I know this conversation has been had millions of times but it has really been a great help as I had never even thought about the likes of Astras and Starlets. I quite like the new Astra myself as I drove one for a few days while the gearbox in my own car was being sorted. At the moment a Ka is coming up along the top of the list but will look into a mid '90s Starlet and Astra and see how they might work out.

Thanks again!

dceire

I've had 2 polo's in the last year & I can’t recommend them highly enough there a great little car never gave me any problems whatsoever starting on the coldest of mornings without fuss. Mines a 1l so cant really get any better car insurance wise & its not a bad little engine either I travelled on the motorway to college every morning & its grand.

I bought a second one because I crashed my first one into a guy who ran a stop sign and it came off very well leaving his micra a write off and i drove home unscaved but it was later classed as an insurance write off because the cost of repair was the same as the car's value. I bought the same car again because i rated it so highly but i paid €3400 for mine & I’m not sure what you'd get for €1,500. Hope this has been of some use to you

andrew_ireland

@ Villaricos, my dad had a 1983 Fiesta and only updated 2 years ago. It never failed it's NCT and gave very little trouble. Really all I can remeber that went wrong with it was a bad earth and I think the HT leads had to be replaced. He replaced it with a '00 Fiesta Ghia. I think a Fiesta could also be in the running if we could find one for the right price.

andrew_ireland

@ Dceire, any input is a great help thanks! €1.5k is only a rough figure for the moment. Just looking around to get the best of both worlds in relation to price and car quality. Thanks again!

bazz26

I would also recommend the Fiesta. The 1.25 litre engine is a great little unit and alot more modern than the 1.3 litre found in both the Fiesta and Ka. The Fiesta also has the benefit of having the option of 2 extra doors if needed.

Saying that girls usually just like the look of the Ka over the Fiesta.

alias no.9

dceire wrote:

never gave me any problems whatsoever starting on the coldest of mornings without fuss

There was a time when people went out in the morning and crossed their fingers when starting their car, in the hope it would help with starting. That was in the days of carburetters and manual chokes. Since the late 80's and early '90s all that has changed. If you consider starting first time every morning as being reliable these days then virtually all cars are 100% reliable.
In essance, if that's your criteria, there's no such thing as a bad car anymore.

judesherry

it might be a bit out of you price range but I’m selling a 2001 ford ka. Its got power steering and airbags. And in absolutely perfect condition never had a problem with it. And as said is perfect for learning in and cheap to drive. If interested please let me. I am looking for €4,500.

andrew_ireland

Thanks for the offer Judesherry but unfortunately it is a bit out of range for the moment.

Wing Walker

Ka, had one, loved it! Road legal go-cart. Ab fab imo, expecially for a learner driver. Never had a problem with my old one.

Seicento, not with a barge pole. They're an absolute heap. Whatever about surviving a prang in a Ka, you have no chance in the Seicento.

Fiesta, not bad but 1.25 zetec is only on the newer models (I think from around 2000 on) and you probably won't get one for around 1.5K.

andrew_ireland

Just looking at Carzone - think I might just buy these 2 today:D

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=447384

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413809

Unbeatable value!

alias no.9

Wing Walker wrote:

Ka, had one, loved it! Road legal go-cart. Ab fab imo, expecially for a learner driver. Never had a problem with my old one.

Seicento, not with a barge pole. They're an absolute heap. Whatever about surviving a prang in a Ka, you have no chance in the Seicento.

Fiesta, not bad but 1.25 zetec is only on the newer models (I think from around 2000 on) and you probably won't get one for around 1.5K.

The 1.25 zetec was released in in the 1995 fiesta.

Bamboozled

Gosh they're bargains andrew
I'd say snap them up quick!!!!

colf

andrew_ireland wrote:

Thanks for the info guys! I'd heard plenty of good things about the Ka especially for learning in due to the positioning of the wheels. Just been looking on the Carzone website at a '95 Cinquecento for €650 with 55k on the clock

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=418161

Bearing in mind this car is for a first time learner, what think ye?

I did have a Fiat Cinquecento before this car and it was the car i learned to drive in. There are plus points and minus to the cinquecento, Ill list them and let you make up your own mind

Plus Points
Only an 899cc which I felt very comfortable with as i was a tad nervous going behind the wheel. Low Tax I think 2 years ago €152 for the year. Low insurance. Low petrol costs (the thing runs practically on air). In my experience the lack of power steering didnt matter as the car was so light anyhow. Coming to the end of having the car my boyfriend started pizza deliveries and it was so handy getting in and out of the traffic cause its so small and it wasnt real heavy steering. The milage on the car youve shown up there is very good in my opinion as comparing to my one which was a 98 reg I sold it with 68 on the clock (I think). Ive never had any experience with interior thingys coming off. everything was in mint condition when I sold it.

Minus points
I went through 3 clutch cables in about 18 months. Aparently its common with that model of car. After getting confident in driving I wasnt satisfied with the 899 cc and wanted something a tad bigger so she will defo want to sell and get a bigger car within a year to 18 months. It doesnt feel very safe if your doing 60 mph down the road and you have a big artic up your ass. I had images of it folding like an accordion. People on the main road see you doing the speed limit and tend to pass you just cause they dont want to be stuck behind one lol. Also I couldnt pronounce its name I just called it bessy so i didnt have to try pronounce Cinquecento. My main reason for selling was due to the fact I didnt feel it was a safe car in an impact. It did feel very tin can-ish. Although in saying that I passed my test in that car so it holds great sentimental value and i do see it on the roads every once in a while. I bawled my heart out the day i sold her and still get a flutter when i see it. So now the next owner is wondering whos this mad woman flashing at me and waving. If i won the lotto I would buy her back in an instant just to put on a pedestal and preserve it as my first car

This is my experience with the Fiat Cinquecento I hope you can take some valuable info from this.

mloc123

andrew_ireland wrote:

Just looking at Carzone - think I might just buy these 2 today:D

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=447384

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413809

Unbeatable value!

He has a nice looking 206 Gti that I want to have a look at next week, a lad I know from out that way says he mainly deals in crashed cars so check for that if you are having a look at them.

cantdecide

colf wrote:

I wasnt satisfied with the 899 cc and wanted something a tad bigger so she will defo want to sell and get a bigger car within a year to 18 months. It doesnt feel very saf

a mate of mine who couldn't care less about cars picked a 75k '96 astra for €1,500 to learn to drive in. pas, s/r, e/w velour etc., he has had it for 18 months and has no mind to change it. the reason being, he hasn't outgrown it. he lives in cork city btw

for €1,500, best place to look is in your local free ads/ buy and sell. your jaw will hit the floor.......

andrew_ireland

andrew_ireland wrote:

Just looking at Carzone - think I might just buy these 2 today:D

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=447384

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=413809

Unbeatable value!

Feckit! They must've been on a one day special, they were originally €1 and €100. The first one only had 1 mile on the clock:mad:

mloc123

hahaha, eh I'd say that guy is new to carzone.