1.0l, Yay or Nay?

JackKelly

Well, i'm still trying to decide on a first car and I'm getting a bit sick of looking for the perfect deal so I was thinking of cutting my losses and going for a simple 1.0.

Seen as though It'll be my first car, I'd imagine you'll tell me it doesn't matter.

What I'm looking at is a 98 3dr Ibiza. The benefit is low insurance. A good 400E lower. Is it worth holding out for a slightly larger 1.25 fiesta or 1.4 ibiza/golf etc and paying slightly more on insurance?

smash

first car.... dunno, for only 400 extra I'd go for the 1.4 but then again.... 400 on top of what?

plonk

All the great things about 1l cars
1) Cant speed- no point as revs are too high max 75mph
you can go faster but its not too pleasant
2)Cheap tax
3) Cheap insurance
4)Economical
5)Gets you everywhere you want to go as good as every other car
6)maximum speed anywhere in the whole country is 75 so why would you need anything else
7)Thats about it
I have a 1l polo does the job everytime and there still is enough oomph to overtake when needs be

smash

now plonk, if you had a ferrari you wouldn't be saying all that...

3ps

get yourself a Fiesta 1.25 loads about and you can get a great spec...
It's a better car and you won't feel like selling it... it'll do you for years.

Once you become more proficient in driving you will realise that a 1.0 is actually too slow and you are far better off having enough power to merge properly etc etc.

plonk

Ya but i dont unfortunately If i was to buy a car now though and upgrade my polo I would probably buy a 1.4 diesel

Pigeon Reaper

I have a 1.2 which is just as fast as most on the roads. Overtaking is a pain but it does teach patience. I don't think I'd go for a bigger car. I've driven a 1Litre and it was fine apart from reving at a bit high at motorway speeds. I agree with Plonks points.

"now plonk, if you had a ferrari you wouldn't be saying all that..." I have a motorbike that rivals a Ferrari accelerating and I still agree with plonk

Stark

plonk wrote:

6)maximum speed anywhere in the whole country is 75 so why would you need anything else

Well the acceleration would be crap, making some manouvers more dangerous. Though it depends on the car. Some cars are light enough to be powered sufficiently by a 1.0L engine. Depends on how many people you expect to be carrying as well. I drove to Galway before in a 1.3L weighed down with people and luggage and was taking my life into my hands trying to overtake slow moving vehicles even in 3rd gear.

Although mostly that was due to them seeing my L-plates and suddenly deciding to speed up from 30mph to 60mph as I was trying to overtake. Overtook one Sunday driver who was doing 30mph for miles in front of me, only to notice when I eventually managed a successful overtake that we'd both made it up to 75mph! Bastard.

ninty9er

NAY NAY NAY

I have a 1.0 Corsa and find it woefully slowish. In Ireland Slow is relative and you generally won't NEED anything bigger than 1.0.

That said I travelled South Kerry to Limerick today and i made OK time and managed to cling to 62(100) most of the way where that was the limit, However getting stuck behing jimmy and mary in their 90s doing 30(50) in a 62(100) zone wasn't pleasent I'd have a 1.6 if the insurance was less than €2k. It'd make jimmy and mary a dot in my rearview a lot safer of a prospect.

A friend is 18 and just got his provisional and is on a 1.6 Vectra (with his mom-she has a company car too) for €1400 with FBD, but that is Tralee.

Mine was €1350 with my mom in Limerick on the 1.0 with 2 full licences

IT Really depends on a few factors

Area of the country????

Family discount???? (AXA,FBD)

Distances you'll be travelling???

mike65

If you are a city driver then you might as well start small, my only suggestion would be to stretch to a diesel, with a modern 1.4 you'll hardly ever fill up! Plus on those occassions you are out in the sticks the extra torque will be welcome.

Mike.

Stark

ninty69er wrote:

IT Really depends on a few factors

Area of the country????

Family discount???? (AXA,FBD)

Distances you'll be travelling???

Of course the insurance companies' risk assessment methods will be changing once again now that Pluto is no longer a planet.

TempestSabre

TimAy wrote:

Well, i'm still trying to decide on a first car and I'm getting a bit sick of looking for the perfect deal so I was thinking of cutting my losses and going for a simple 1.0.

Seen as though It'll be my first car, I'd imagine you'll tell me it doesn't matter.

What I'm looking at is a 98 3dr Ibiza. The benefit is low insurance. A good 400E lower. Is it worth holding out for a slightly larger 1.25 fiesta or 1.4 ibiza/golf etc and paying slightly more on insurance?

A 1.0 Micra or Yaris would be nippier than a 1.0 Ibiza or Polo as they are a lot heavier. I don't agree with people who can't drive quickly or overtake in a 1.0. We have one and I don't have a problem in it at all. Its much cheaper to run as a first car, insurance, tax are your main bills. The 1.25 is meant to be a honey of motor, so I'd probably go for that myself. The Ibiza while roomy are a bit staid IMO. Around a city a 1.0 is fine. If you do long journeys a bigger engine/car might be more suitable.

I like diesels but a diesel is only worth it for longer journeys. Otherwise the extra tax and insurance and extra cost of buying it in the first place, will be more than paying an extra €20 a month in petrol. Also a petrol is quieter.

ninty9er

TempestSabre wrote:

I don't agree with people who can't drive quickly or overtake in a 1.0. We have one and I don't have a problem in it at all.

It's not that I can't overtake, it's just that its not as safe for example as a 3.5l S Class!!

But to be honest I have to be in 2nd, red-line and then go up to third when overtaking from 80-100. Just not a nice experience

TempestSabre

I know what you mean, but if the situation requires a S-Class to overtake, perhaps you shouldn't be overtaking?

ninty9er

TempestSabre wrote:

I know what you mean, but if the situation requires a S-Class to overtake, perhaps you shouldn't be overtaking?

My point exactly. An S-Class laden with 5 adults and a boot brimming of luggage can overtake 5 times faster than me...at least and I've had that experience where I just about knew my friends mom had overtaken when she pulled back in. I spend at least 10 seconds on the other side of the road.....I don't overtake that often:D

TempestSabre

ninty9er wrote:

........I don't overtake that often:D

Probably justs aswell...:D

damo605

If your driving is going to be mostly town/city then a 1 litre is fine, otherwise buy a 1.3/1.4 that's e400 cheaper - you won't believe the difference those few hundred cc make

eamon234

I'd forget the Ibiza if I were you - newer models aren't too bad but the earlier models stink - bad handling and bad power even for a 1 litre. I'm not one for promoting Toyotas as I think they're overrated and dull but the Yaris is the best 1 litre around but they're pricey and a '99 is the earliest you'll get - if you want to go higher you have much more options 1.25 Fiesta isn't bad but I'd prefer a Renault Clio 1.2 they're cheap as chips and economical to run

Ber

Go for as big an engine as you can afford ...

1.) Safer merging on motorways
2.) Quicker overtaking = safer overtaking
3.) Easier to maintain cruise speeds on motorways
4.) Easier on long journeys (don't know why, just is, probably back to overtaking)
5.) If you've extras like Aircon, your 1.0L engine will be down 15%-20% on power while the aircon is on (don't even think about overtaking)
6.) Overtaking in a 1.0L car is like playing Russian Roulette
7.) Theres no replacement for displacement ... ...

I'm sure this doesn't help but anyway

Dilbert75

Would probably look at a 1.25 (not 1.3) Fiesta in that bracket myself. Tax is only a few quid extra, will sell well when you're done with it, nippy in town (would prefer it to a 1.0 L Ibiza trying to enter, for example, Walkinstown Roundabout), cheap to maintain and fun to nip around town in, yet well able for motorway speeds.

TempestSabre

I switch between a 1.0 and a 2.0 almost everyday, and I don't have a problem overtalking in the 1.0. It requires more thought, anticipation and planning, yes. Personally I think thats a good thing. Theres a world of a difference between a good 16v in a light body and a dull 1.4 in a heavy body. A test drive is the only way to see which you prefer.

Spitfire666

wouldnt buy a 1L and deffo wouldnt buy a 1L ibiza. as said already the older ones are a bit rough and the cluch in them is like trying to push a cement block evertime.

the insurance saving is a myth aswell, while looking at my first car i was quoted the same in anything from a 1L to a 1.5L as long as the value didnt change.

for some reason a 1.25 fiesta was a little dearer then my 1.4 pug 206 believe it or not but still a good car. a 1.2 clio/1.3 starlet or similir are all cheap good cars as well as the yaris. a friend of mine has a 1L yaris and says its painfully slow though.

ninty9er

By far the nicest car I've driven in the supermini size is the 1.4 206. The insurance did make a differenve for me. I didn't buy the quickest car either, which would have been the 1.25 Fiesta. I just found it a horrible experience

TempestSabre wrote:

I switch between a 1.0 and a 2.0 almost everyday, and I don't have a problem overtalking in the 1.0. It requires more thought, anticipation and planning, yes. Personally I think thats a good thing. Theres a world of a difference between a good 16v in a light body and a dull 1.4 in a heavy body. A test drive is the only way to see which you prefer.

Aaahhhhh, 16v 1.0l..... good point, mine is 12v as you probably noticed, which would be something to avoid IMO

chicken_food

i started on a 1.1 and thought it was plenty quick and at the same time allowed me to feel safe and in control. Its very easy to let the car take over in a more powerful car. Its easier to go from a 1l to a 1.4. For me it was 20e more on my policy to upgrade after 5months. Atleast the 1l allowed me to get to grips with driving on my own, safety etc etc. My 2c anyways!

Hotblack Desiato

ninty9er wrote:

Aaahhhhh, 16v 1.0l..... good point, mine is 12v as you probably noticed, which would be something to avoid IMO

The reason your Corsa is 12v is because it's a three cylinder :rolleyes: it's still four valves per cylinder.

The advantage over a four-cylinder 1.0 is better torque at lower revs.

My other half owns one, which I drive regularly, and it's certainly not slow. On faster roads it takes good observation, planning and use of the gearbox to overtake BUT those are good habits for any driver in any car.

I ride a bike (incidentally, also a one-litre three cylinder with better acceleration than almost any car on the road, but if I'm relying on that to make an overtake I'm not doing it safely.

Spitfire666

I like the 206 coz its nippy enough and ive found it easy to drive. and after doing some lessons in a 1L punto I noticed the diff.

JackKelly

Yea, I think i'll try push it up a little bit. At the mo, I have my eye on a skoda felicia (1.3). Cheap as chips, and the ~1999 models seem to be very reliable.