First car/Decisions decisions

gary the great

Ok im looking at getting my first car. Im 23, live in Dublin and am a male. I want something between a 1.2 and 1.4 (so i wont be fecked on insurance), thats cheap, looks good and isnt to feminine. my budget is about 3k.

Ive narrowed it down to a 01 Punto at (bout 3k), i like the look of them and the interior is nice

A 00 Seat Ibiza (newer shape) again about 3k. I know there more realible but not as nice looking.

A 00 Astra, maybe a bit more expensive and would be a bit more expensive on insurance as id go for the 1.4, but are a nice car if not a bit boring

Pug 306 - Would of never really been into them but after having a look at a few of the hatchbacks on carzone i now like them, whata re they like?

I wouldnt mind buying something cheap for under a grand if its a nice looking decent and a realible yoke (no puntos i hate the old ones), any suggestions?

Other options include a Pug 206 which id like,but there to expensive. A civic which again id like but there would be scum tryin to rob it every night (it will be parked on the road)

What do yous think?

junkyard

Buy something like a Toyota Corolla, Nissan Almera or something Japanese that won't break you financially like the Punto will. Japanese stuff goes nearly for ever if you look after it. Another car worth considering is a Suzuki Baleno, its nothing special and a bit light but they run on fumes and go forever. I have one as a loner car and in three years never gave me a days trouble.

Santa Claus

junkyard wrote:

Buy something like a Toyota Corolla, Nissan Almera or something Japanese that won't break you financially like the Punto will.

Anything japanese apart from a Honda civic....Insurance companies see young male and Honda civic and think boy racer and so charge $$$$$$ !

bo-bo

ditto anything japanese - have you thought about a ford fiesta, it might fit your critera and is very reliable

gary the great

But i think the likes of a fiesta, baleno or corrolla are incredibly middle aged/OAP cars. I think id look a bit of a sap drivin around in a baleno tbh.Less so with a corrolla, maybe il have a look into them on carzone.

Id love a Jap car but the Jap ones I like would kill me on insurance (Colt, Lancer, Civic, (skyline:p ) is there any suggestions for a jap that isnt gona go mad with the insurance? The likes of a yaris would be grand if they werent so feminine. What about the Honda Jazz are they being imported as second hands?

Thanks for the advice so far lads its a big decision and will all be taken into consideration.

mikedragon32

Junkyard's advice is sound and I'd go with it if I were you.

Remember it's your FIRST car, not the car you'll be driving for the rest of your life, hopefully.

Gurgle

01 Punto at (bout 3k), i like the look of them and the interior is nice
Oh God NO NO NO!

A 00 Seat Ibiza (newer shape) again about 3k. I know there more realible but not as nice looking.
Thats a VW Golf in Dunnes clothes. Good car but as you said not very pretty.

A 00 Astra, maybe a bit more expensive and would be a bit more expensive on insurance as id go for the 1.4, but are a nice car if not a bit boring
tbh the 1.2 is a much better engine, very nippy too. Harder to get though

Pug 306 - Would of never really been into them but after having a look at a few of the hatchbacks on carzone i now like them, whata re they like?
dunno

Almera - The wife had a '00 1.5: Comfortable, nice handling but the gearing is arseways. Constant gear changes unless you're on a motorway, no power in 5th, often have to go down to 3rd or even 2nd to overtake.

Corolla - Strongly recommended, great car and will go round the world several times without an oil change.

JHMEG

96+ Civic has a factory immoboliser and can't be stolen without the key (or a flat bed truck). An alarm is recommended on any car and most older cars will have had one fitted by a previous owner, especially in urban areas.

Without assuming there's an insurance penalty for driving a Civic, find out for yourself. I know several people with Civics and none have been "loaded" in the last 5 years. My wife's '03 Civic was cheaper to insure than her old '01 Almera.

gary the great

I would of never considered an almera, but theres some lovely ones on carzone

eg

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=530967

much prefer the newer shape, although id try find something with less mileage so the budget will have to be streched a little

bazz26

Gurgle wrote:

A 00 Astra, maybe a bit more expensive and would be a bit more expensive on insurance as id go for the 1.4, but are a nice car if not a bit boring
tbh the 1.2 is a much better engine, very nippy too. Harder to get though

The reason they are hard to find is that nobody bought them. The 1.2 litre Ecotec engine is too small for the Astra.

gary the great

bazz26 wrote:

The reason they are hard to find is that nobody bought them. The 1.2 litre Ecotec engine is too small for the Astra.

Ive heard that from a few people.

I found something im really liking, its well within my budget, its japensese and it looks good. What do you think of the mazda 323F? Heres a link to a few that took my fancy, although they all seem to be high on mileage:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=524108

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=490740

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=488439

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=526821

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=531576

peasant

My advice for the very first car is to buy as cheap as possible while still trying to get something not too buggered ...never mind what it is exactly.

You will make mistakes, you will dent and scrape the yoke. It'll be so much less painful on an old banger.

franksm

The perfect first car. And you'll probably want to keep it for the rest of your life.



There is nothing cooler in that price range, size, and look.

gary the great

Ah id love a mini, although im 6'3 and id look like your man from the simpsons driving the VW beetle that nelson laughs at

So whats your opinions on the mazda 323f, its only about 2300 so its cheap and therefore i wouldnt mind if i put the odd scratch and dent into it

Wossack

gary the great wrote:

Ah id love a mini, although im 6'3 and id look like your man from the simpsons driving the VW beetle that nelson laughs at

So whats your opinions on the mazda 323f, its only about 2300 so its cheap and therefore i wouldnt mind if i put the odd scratch and dent into it

Before getting your hopes up on a specific car too much, try and find a ballpark figure for what your insurance will be on it

furtzy

gary the great wrote:

Ive heard that from a few people.

I found something im really liking, its well within my budget, its japensese and it looks good. What do you think of the mazda 323F?

They're all 1.5. You're probably not going to keep your first car very long so employ the old saying "The day you buy is the day you sell"...in other words get something that'll be easy to sell on i.e small engined Micra, Starlet, Fiesta etc

Wouldn't be too worried about it being feminine looking as no-one is bothered and couldn't care less. First car I had was a poverty spec 1.0 Corsa City....kept it for 8 months and sold it on for the same price I paid for it

gary the great

Id rather get a nice car that i could keep for a year or 2. I just recieved my ssia and started a decent job, i also love cars there my passion and thus id like something with a bit of class and style. I think its gonna be the mazda 323f, i got an insurance quote for 1500 and its a 1.5, so i dont mind paying the extra 250euro that i would be paying if i got a punto

Supercell

Nice car the 323F, the http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=526821 one has been to the moon and back but looks to be the pick of the bunch.

If you know anyone thats into their car's i'd get them to check out something like this before buying as a car with that milage could turn into a moneypit.

Tbh get a micra/fiesta/corsa/fabia etc that won't let you down. Get a full license and then get something with more poke.

I started driving one year ago - went corsa - fabia and now am in the market for a 1.8L mondeo, but by now have a full license.

Play it safe starting out and just get experience and a full license and then move up the road a bit

franksm

You won't go wrong with any Mazda, just make sure you get an alarm for it - they have always been easy to steal unfortunately.

Good engines, reasonable size, comfortable, reliable.

bazz26

The Mazda 323F is fine car and an excellent joice as a first car. They are well capable of high mileage like most cars as long as they are looked after properly.

Here is a nice one, it is a 1998 one of the last of that kind:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=529842

Captain Slow IRL

peasant wrote:

My advice for the very first car is to buy as cheap as possible while still trying to get something not too buggered ...never mind what it is exactly.

You will make mistakes, you will dent and scrape the yoke. It'll be so much less painful on an old banger.

the man has a point - don't spend over a grand on your first car, if you end up writing it off, you're left without a car and no dosh to replace it (put the other 2k away for your next car!)
take a trip around to your local garages, they might have gotten in an older "less desirable" car as part exchange and wanna offload it quickly.
jap cars are the best to go for; although any car with a long nct on it shouldn't be turned down
my personal recommendation would be a diesel diahatsu charade - reliable, cheap to run and insure and a nippy little car!
good luck

gary the great

Ye Bazz that was a nice mazda but unfortunatly its sold. im definetly going to go for one of them, there exactly what I want, im only going to spend 2k on one so im hardly breaking the bank. I dont paying that bit extra for a car i know il love and can be proud, as opposed to something id be embaressed to show my mates and work collegues.

theres a few knocking about at the 2k price. There realible,look good, comfortable and cheap. My mates a mechanic and he said i should go for one and he'll come with me to have a look over it

Its also good to hear nobody has said anything bad about them. So if anyone knows anyone selling one (preferbly with alloys) let me know!

gary the great

Lads my mechanic mate just had a look at this one as it was the one i was most intrested in. (I rang the bloke and all and was gonna meet him at the weekend). and straight away he spotted that one of the doors and side front panels is slightly a different colour to the rest of the car, meaning that its more than likely been crashed. He spotted it straight away and I can see it to now but maybe its just the sun, what do yous think?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=524108


Dam it was a good price too, but im sure thats probly why.

Edit: link fixed

cantdecide

link doesn't work for me.

323f is a good choice, especially when you're a tall guy. if you can't find one, don't restrict yourself to hatches. saloons are vastly better value.
think about a 626 or find a 1.6 carina and you won't be going wrong. safer, more comfortable and probably half the price of equivalent corrolla and arguably a better all round proposition. i'd bet the insurance will be downright reasonable. you'll never know til you check. fuel and tax differences are negligable in reality.
there's no point in buying a learner's car when you can just buy a car. either of the cars below will be still be running strong and respectable long after you've learned to drive, thus taking away the pressure to change if you don't want to.

ps i wouldn't be too put off by mismatched paint. most cars get painted at some stage. most of the time, damage is only cosmetic. my dad's '06 bimmer has been to the panel beaters twice.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=389986

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=395035

gary the great

So what do yous think? Am i asking for trouble if it got a smack? Looks like a good repair job was done on it if it was crashed though...

bazz26

gary the great wrote:

So what do yous think? Am i asking for trouble if it got a smack? Looks like a good repair job was done on it if it was crashed though...

It really depends what kind of smack it got. A small accident may only have damaged the door and wing ie a scrape or couple of dents. A serious impact could have resulted in the chassis being bent out of line or a damaged front wheel axel. What does the car drive like? Is it pulling to one side? Is the steering wobbly, etc. Check the wear on the tyre threads, is the thread wear evenly spread across the tyre or partially worn? Note that this is harder to tell if the tyres are pretty new. It might be a good idea if you know a good panel beater for him to give it a look over especially around the painted panels and underneath the car for signs of structural damage. Also check for uneven welding joints too.

As with any car if in doubt about anything then just walk away, you will always find another one.

alastair

That 323F is in Donegal, and clearly owned by a modification fan, given the after-market body kit. Donegal is pretty much the home of boy racers, so it could be a long journey for a tired dog. Just sayin'.

Nice looking car though, and pretty restrained for a yoke with added plastic bits.

colm_mcm

Gurgle wrote:

A 00 Astra, maybe a bit more expensive and would be a bit more expensive on insurance as id go for the 1.4, but are a nice car if not a bit boring
tbh the 1.2 is a much better engine, very nippy too. Harder to get though

.

Are you on drugs?

gary the great

Every time i look at that mazda, (the first one in white in the links) i think ive never seen a more perfect car that would suit me. But then i look at the possible crash damage, the donegal location (as was said home of boy racers and country roads where the ****e would be driven out of it), the quite high mileage and i think i must refrain from buying it as its asking for trouble.

But i absoulutly love it.

Gurgle

colm_mcm wrote:

Are you on drugs?

Not at the moment.
Have you a point to make?

gary the great

Im off to look at a 323F 2mrw, anything i should keep an eye out for/known issues with them? Its got 100k on the clock too, is that to much do you think?

gary the great

Went to have a look at one yesterday and it was in ****e despite the owner saying on the phone it was in great condition. Finding it tough to find a nice one at about 2k

zilog_jones

Have you looked into getting one imported? You'll probably find better examples in the UK.

And there's Japan too - the ones you're looking at were sold as the Mazda Lantis there - however at that price range it may not be feasible (VRT and shipping could be at least a grand alone). Actually, I think they only sold them with the 1.8 and 2 litre V6 over there.

Also there's the 323C, or Familia Neo (Jpn spec). It's pretty similar, and was allegedly sold in Europe with 1.3, 1.5 and 1.8 engines (1.5 and 1.8 in Japan). However, it's only a 3-door, and it's pretty rare - I think I've seen more imports than 323 versions.

gary the great

I wouldnt import one, maybe when im upgrading to something more expensive i would but not for something this cheap.

Just rang this guy and it has loads of extras (s/r, a/c, alloys.good sound system etc) although its a bit over my budget and the mileage is high. What do yous think?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=526821


Maybe thinkin of turning my attentions to something like a colt or megane, cos i cant find a 323f for a good price and good condition.

PS anyone know the tax for a 1.5?

colm_mcm

Gurgle wrote:

QUOTE]
A 00 Astra.........tbh the 1.2 is a much better engine, very nippy too. Harder to get though

colm_mcm wrote:

Are you on drugs?

Gurgle wrote:

Not at the moment.
Have you a point to make?

I figured someone not under the influence of mind altering substances would notice that the 1.2 Ecotec can barely pull a Corsa along, never mind an Astra which is already too heavy for a 1.4 engine. To suggest that the 64bhp (4bhp less than a Yaris 1.0) 1.2 is "a much better engine" and to then call a car that takes 17 seconds to get to 60mph "nippy" would suggest that either you were out of your mind on drugs, or didn't know what you were talking about. Which was it?

Gurgle

colm_mcm wrote:

I figured someone not under the influence of mind altering substances would notice that the 1.2 Ecotec can barely pull a Corsa along, never mind an Astra which is already too heavy for a 1.4 engine. To suggest that the 64bhp (4bhp less than a Yaris 1.0) 1.2 is "a much better engine" and to then call a car that takes 17 seconds to get to 60mph "nippy" would suggest that either you were out of your mind on drugs, or didn't know what you were talking about. Which was it?

Its not the same engine as the Corsa, I wouldn't take a Corsa if it came free with a bottle of coke.
Wife's '00 Astra 1.2 does not take 17 seconds to get to 60mph. It certainly beats the crap out of her previous car, a 1.5 Almera which needed planning permission to overtake a Honda 50.
The 1.4 Astras apparently have timing belts that can snap at any given moment once they reach 50k miles, the 1.2 has a timing chain that will do well over 100k miles. Having driven a '02 1.4 and a '00 1.2 the performance difference is barely noticable, and the handling on the 1.2 is far better.

gary the great wrote:

Just rang this guy and it has loads of extras (s/r, a/c, alloys.good sound system etc) although its a bit over my budget and the mileage is high. What do yous think?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index...r&carID=526821


Maybe thinkin of turning my attentions to something like a colt or megane, cos i cant find a 323f for a good price and good condition.

If you want to buy a sound system with 17" alloys, that car will suit you nicely. If you want to spend your money on a car 3.5k for a '98 with 125k miles on the clock is insane.
I personally hate meganes, no power and they handle like a pig. Haven't been in a Colt made after 1990, but that was pretty reasonable.
Here is a '97 Corolla with half the mileage for 3k.

gary the great

Ye your right about paying that money for the mazda, i have to use my head over my heart. But i have to get something that looks nice, thats my priority, and although the corrola is ok, (might even pop out and have a look at it) it just doesnt look great, but it ticks all the other boxes

3ps

i've looked at a few 323Fs and they all had oil leaks in the engine.

You are in a dangerous territory. You seem to "like" cars but your budget is quite low. You are being drawn to "interesting" cars.... but at your current budget you could quite easily buy a dog.

Captain Slow IRL

3ps wrote:

i've looked at a few 323Fs and they all had oil leaks in the engine.

You are in a dangerous territory. You seem to "like" cars but your budget is quite low. You are being drawn to "interesting" cars.... but at your current budget you could quite easily buy a dog.

I agree - you should just look at the cars under €1k in the buyandsell, get a starlet, micra or civic with a long nct and put your remaining funds towards your next car. You are gonna have a few dings with your first car and it won't feel as bad when you do cause you know you won't have blown all your money on it. It's also good to have some money set aside for any work that'll need to be done to your car.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for - and 2k isn't a lot nowadays for a good car. Have a little patience, (it'll be worth it in the end) drive around in an old ladies car for a bit, save and buy a decent car (speaking from experience)

Gurgle

land9 wrote:

you should just look at the cars under €1k in the buyandsell

I dunno about that, you would be doing very well to get something for <€1k that will last you through more than 6 months. €2k can get you several years of motoring.

Captain Slow IRL

you'd be surprised - the old jap cars are capable of colossal mileage; I've seen starlets and civics with mileage in excess of 200k on the clock - they start and drive without fault and can sail through any nct. They are also very light on the wallet when servicing comes around.

Gurgle

land9 wrote:

you'd be surprised - the old jap cars are capable of colossal mileage; I've seen starlets and civics with mileage in excess of 200k on the clock - they start and drive without fault and can sail through any nct. They are also very light on the wallet when servicing comes around.

I know that, you know that, the people selling the old jap cars know that. Check the price on a micra/starlet/civic from '95 or so and you'll see what I mean.

Captain Slow IRL

i was on about the older cars - around 90/91

gary the great

Im still looking lads, havent found anything yet and im not gonna rush it.

Its gonna be the mazda 323F, a civic or colt.

Thing is would a 323F which has a 1.5 engine, use much more petrol than a 1.3 colt or 1.4 civic? And is tasx much dearer (how much is tax on a 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5)

What im trying to get at is am i going to spend a fortune running the mazda, compared to a 1.3 colt?

As a new driver, i dont know how much its gonna cost me. Il be doing all city driving with probly about 80kms a week

Gurgle

gary the great wrote:

Thing is would a 323F which has a 1.5 engine, use much more petrol than a 1.3 colt or 1.4 civic? And is tasx much dearer (how much is tax on a 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5)

The donkey-track tax (often cynically referred to as road tax :rolleyes: ) is €272 per year for a 1.3, 292 for a 1.4 and €313 for a 1.5
(Here)
Generally a bigger car will use more petrol, but not always. Depends on the car and the type of driving. You won't see much difference between those 3.

zilog_jones

land9 wrote:

i was on about the older cars - around 90/91

Unfortunately, Japanese cars do rust. My grandad has a '91 Corolla and that started rusting about 4/5 years ago, most notably around the rear windscreen (dunno how bad it is now).

Also, if you're planning on going with Quinn Direct for insurance, be warned that they'll significantly increase the premium if the car is worth €2,000 or less, regardless of the age of the car.

Have you been looking around for insurance quotes with different cars you're interested in? If it's the first car you'll be insured on and you're on a provisional, then a year's insurance will probably cost nearly as much or more than the car. Quinn and Hibernian were the only people who gave me reasonable quotes for my '98 Fiesta (I'm 21 though) - everyone else I tried were looking for over €2,500!

3ps

I spent €700 on a 1992 323F once and three years later (i don't own it anymore) it is still going strong and could be sold for the same amount.

With a sub €1000 car you can either have astory like the above or your can get a wreck.... in which case you dump it ane cut your small losses.

With a 2-3k car you can STILL get something that will cost a fortune to maintain and you won't feel like cutting your losses as that would be 2-3k.

So until you are in a position to spend 5-6k on a decent car and have 1-2k left over for major servicing I think you should go the sub 1k route.

gary the great

Add a hyudai accent and Fiat Bravo (I know its a fiat but my mam had one with no trouble and its a whole lot of car for the money id be paying, they seem to be going for about 1500 or so)to that list of possible cars, they seem decent enough and have a decent price tag. this one is nice although the nct is out in a couple of months. Any experiences with them?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=531760

bazz26

gary the great wrote:

Add a hyudai accent to that list of possible cars, they seem decent enough and have a decent price tag. this one is nice although the nct is out in a couple of months. Any experiences with them?

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=531760

Gary if your still looking for a Mazda 323f then drop a guy on here called Junkyard a pm. I saw on his sig that he has a 1996 323F going for around the €2k mark. It might be worth a look. He is based in Cork afaik.

PS. I have no connection with Junkyard.

3ps

I heard those Hyundai's are heavy on the juice!

Fiat Bravo's are hard to shift but you could take a chance on one. It'll be cheap and more than likely won't cost any more to maintain than any other car in that price bracket. The 1.2 is nippy too.

orbital83

heard those Hyundai's are heavy on the juice!

Have a Hyundai Accent 3-door as my first car (the 1.3 litre) and I love it...
Not that pricey, hasn't let me down yet and looks OK too!
The fuel point is unfortunately true though, 35mpg is the best you could hope for