What car to buy [Advice needed]

Elfman

HI all,

Ok story is this :

Age : 21
Money to spend : 3500 - 4000
Previos driving exp : 0 (i.e. need low insurence car)

so what i'm asking is what car to buy . I was thinking maybe 00 polo ??


anywho i'm opne to option but please explain why u think whatever car would be a good idea

thanks alll

-Elfman

connundrum

I'll always recommend a Honda Civic and for that money you'll get a 98/99 1.4 beast I bought one this time last year and absolutely nowt has gone wrong with it. The insurance on it was 1400, I was 22, prov licence and had 0 years ncb with Quinn direct - one year one the insurance is down to €980.

Other than that, you might look at a 97/98 Golf or a small Mitsubishi (Colt/Lancer).

I've never heard of anyone say great things about a Polo... but I might just have a very small group of associates

Keith K

get a micra, better and nicer than a polo, and all have a bullet proof twin cam engine.
nicer spec than most that fit your needs and even have power steering and a chain driven cam so loads of piece of mind there.
if you insist on a polo then make sure you have the power steering ones, polos are overpriced so the cheap looking ones normally dont have the power steering

to be honest anybody that is non biased will recommend a micra, perfect to learn in, cheap to fix and go forever!!!


any contradictions welcome, this is just what i think

Keith K

Keith K wrote:

get a micra, better and nicer than a polo, and all have a bullet proof twin cam engine.
nicer spec than most that fit your needs and even have power steering and a chain driven cam so loads of piece of mind there.
if you insist on a polo then make sure you have the power steering ones, polos are overpriced so the cheap looking ones normally dont have the power steering

to be honest anybody that is non biased will recommend a micra, perfect to learn in, cheap to fix and go forever!!!


any contradictions welcome, this is just what i think

i mainly say micra as it fits low insurance bracket, if you can afford the civic etc my bro had one and they are pretty good too, he had the 1.5 tho but similar to 1.4

bazz26

Fiesta, Micra or Corsa are your best bet for low insurance costs.

colm_mcm

99 Yaris could be had for that money, as reliable as the Micra, but (slightly) less naff. very easy car to drive.

Henry Ford III

colm_mcm wrote:

99 Yaris could be had for that money, as reliable as the Micra, but (slightly) less naff. very easy car to drive.

Do you ever give up bigging Toyota?

People might think you make a living out of flogging them.

snickerpuss

I'm exactly the same, 21, have about 4000-5000 to spend, only been a named driver before, I was looking at puntos.
Am I mad?
I don't even know where to begin.

colm_mcm

Henry Ford III wrote:

Do you ever give up bigging Toyota?

People might think you make a living out of flogging them.

Surely a post about first cars can't be complete without someone mentioning the Yaris, it was the most awarded supermini ever when it came out.
Anyway I don't have any for sale.

Darragh29

snickerpuss wrote:

I'm exactly the same, 21, have about 4000-5000 to spend, only been a named driver before, I was looking at puntos.
Am I mad?
I don't even know where to begin.

Yes you are! Take out another 1k loan from the Credit Union on top of your purchase fund just for your first two clutch replacements!

IncredibleHulk

Is the Punto really that bad? I am in similar position but am trading a 95 Fiesta

littlejukka

puntos are rubbish.

1st car - Micra 1.0l. kept blowing up

2nd car - corolla 1.3. never any hassle.

IncredibleHulk

littlejukka wrote:

puntos are rubbish.

1st car - Micra 1.0l. kept blowing up

2nd car - corolla 1.3. never any hassle.

Know a girl bought a Punto new in 1999 no problems

Alnitak

Hey there, I dunno if I'm the right one to be giving advice as I know v. little about cars. However that said, I bought my first car 3 months ago. Bit of a late starter as I'm 26. Anyway was well advised to stay away from the 'ol Punto's too, although they are in my opinion a dream to drive! Anyway I got a Ford Fiesta in the end. No regrets its a sturdy little car and will do for now. Since I'm also a provisional licence holder, I got an old model 2000. Only qualms I would have is banging my head whne I get into the damn thing, and I'm not tall!!!!:eek: Must say though, great car to learn to drive in.

aonoco

Bit of a car junkie, change them every 10 months, so have come across a couple of bad ones in my time

Civic one of the best but as you are young and starteing off likely to get crippled with insurance...and civics are not cheap to buy second hand

DO NOT in my opinion in case Fiat or Renault are watching ever ever ever touch one of their cars

1. Fix It Again Tomorrow- had two of them punto and a bravo, cost me approx € 750 a year in repairs, clutch will go and with their faulty termostats likely to blow a hand gasket and you will feel the pinch when this happens. In their defence, great cars to drive, fun, cheap to buy but also means you will not get much back when you sell

2. Renault...probably the worst car I ever had (once again mr renault). Had a coupe with 50000 miles on the clock and everything broke, i mean everything. I made an official complaint and in their own words the head of customer services for renault france basically told me to F off to when I called her about this. Also note their parts are so expensive, a new languna back door costs € 1700 and as the car is French the electrics will go especially key fob, this costs € 200 and you cannot use your car until 2 weeks later when you get a new key. One of the nicer guys in Renault told me on the phone when this happened to me, not to use my key to open the door too often as the locks are not designed to be opened with a key.....says it all really

One car ...i do not have one but will be buying as i need a 5 door is the Skoda Fabia and before i get slatted look at the JD power survey past 3 years, this car is always in the top 3...nothing beats it 9well not at your budget). Skoda Fabia has same engine and everythiing as the Polo, they are cheap as chips, you will get one with 5 doors and less than 50K for about €4000 even cheaper, cheap to repair, engine has chains instead of belts and all round great cars. Insurance is cheap even though will be 1.4 car

best of look buying....remember is buying private and you know nothing about cars get a mechanic to come along, could save you loads and also never pay the asking price, always knock at least 10% off...it is a buyers market at the moment

colm_mcm

Alnitak wrote:

Anyway was well advised to stay away from the 'ol Punto's too, although they are in my opinion a dream to drive!

if you dream of over assisted steering and understeer

snickerpuss

Okay, okay, I had heard that kind of thing about puntos. I was just hoping it wasn't really true.
I'd love a golf but couldn't afford one, would a 00 polo be a good sub?

(I'm a girl who knows nothing at all about cars)

colm_mcm

snickerpuss wrote:

(I'm a girl who knows nothing at all about cars)

You're in the target market for a Polo then!

bazz26

snickerpuss wrote:

Okay, okay, I had heard that kind of thing about puntos. I was just hoping it wasn't really true.
I'd love a golf but couldn't afford one, would a 00 polo be a good sub?

(I'm a girl who knows nothing at all about cars)

Most Polos up to 1999/2000 didn't have power steering as standard. This can make parking a bit more difficult.

cavanmaniac

Steer clear of the Pug 206, anything by Citroen or Renault or Fiat.

Would a 99 golf not fall into that price range no? I wouldn't be too gone on the Golf anyway, not as reliable as made out although VW are bucking their act up now after years of letting things slide.

Ford Focus wouldn't be a bad choice if you can stretch to it, otherwise the Civic, followed by some form of Toyota be it Yaris or Corolla.

colm_mcm

I'm aware that any time I suggest a Toyota, i get flamed, but try a Yaris.

Henry Ford III

colm_mcm wrote:

I'm aware that any time I suggest a Toyota, i get flamed, but try a Yaris.

Proper order

p.s. Yaris is a good little car! :eek:

jjbrien

aonoco wrote:

1. Fix It Again Tomorrow- had two of them punto and a bravo, cost me approx € 750 a year in repairs, clutch will go and with their faulty termostats likely to blow a hand gasket and you will feel the pinch when this happens. In their defence, great cars to drive, fun, cheap to buy but also means you will not get much back when you sell

Just because you have had a bad expeience with one or 2 cars doe not make all fiats bad. The clutch problem was more than likly down to you clutching too much on the car. I have worked with fiats cars in the past and since 1994 they have impvied greatly they stoped buying russian steel and changed their design and engineering makeing their cars much more reliable. I own and drive a fiat I have never had one bit of trouble with it. The only thing I had to do was repace an indicator the some gobsh*t broke but it only cost me €10 to fix. I would have no hesitation in recommending anybody to buy a fiat the only draw back is as a previous poster said they loose their value quickly.
Read this tread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055126016

Mr. Incognito

I was in the same boat in March and I shopped around for a 00 Polo. There are two models, one has power steering and electric windows and the other doesn't. I have the electric model and I've clocked up about 5,000 mile in it with no problems whatsoever. Be advised when you're looking for a second hand car that acceptable milage is about 12,000 per year so for a 00 polo anything over 85,000 mile is iffy. That's just a rule of thumb. Try and get a service history, the timing belts in Polo's tend to go about 50,000 miles and need to be replaced and the electrics can sometimes go.
For prices you're looking about 5,000-6,000 at a dealer but you will get a warranty with that. Carzone is brilliant also. I bought private for 5,200. Insurance for 25 no driving experience was 1,250 with Quinn Direct.

Hope that helps, Feel free to ask if you have specific questions on it.

Happy driving.

GB15

My Mum just traded in her 00 Polo Saloon 1.4. My sister has a 99 Yaris 1.0. Have driven the two quite a bit and in comparing them the Polo feels very slow for a 1.4, has very uncomfortable seats and is not particularly nice to drive. I also have to question why German manufacturers find it hard to provide cup holders a lot of the time - such a simple and cheap thing.

The Yaris on the other hand has a nice high driving position, feels quite powerful for a 1.0l and is generally a nice car to drive. Despite it looking a bit more plasticy on the inside it still has much more of a quality feel to it over the Polo and of course it has plenty of cup holders and loads of cubby holes.

Not sure if looks are an issue but IMO the Micra has to be one of the ugliest cars out there in this segment.

bazz26

SetantaL wrote:

I was in the same boat in March and I shopped around for a 00 Polo. There are two models, one has power steering and electric windows and the other doesn't. I have the electric model and I've clocked up about 5,000 mile in it with no problems whatsoever. Be advised when you're looking for a second hand car that acceptable milage is about 12,000 per year so for a 00 polo anything over 85,000 mile is iffy. That's just a rule of thumb. Try and get a service history, the timing belts in Polo's tend to go about 50,000 miles and need to be replaced and the electrics can sometimes go.
For prices you're looking about 5,000-6,000 at a dealer but you will get a warranty with that. Carzone is brilliant also. I bought private for 5,200. Insurance for 25 no driving experience was 1,250 with Quinn Direct.

Hope that helps, Feel free to ask if you have specific questions on it.

Happy driving.

No offence but paying €5,200 for a 7 year old Polo is crazy. I would expect to pay between €3,500 and €4,000 for a 00 reg Polo depending on condition.

RobAMerc

Have you looked at the Skoda Fabia at all ?

these are a much underrated car and the 00 up model was based on the next generation of Polo - before it was sold as a Polo so its a more modern car than a 00 Polo.

As for the rest I can say the 00 ish Micra is a toy and really feels it compared to the 00 Punto or Yaris.

The Yaris would be my first choice but the Fabia should be considered imo.

PS ensure its the 16v model - far better engine.

gyppo

I'd suggest a 99-01 fiesta with the zetec engine. Lovely car to drive, nippy, and reliable - just make sure that there is a service history - prompt oil changes are important on these.

RobAMerc

gyppo wrote:

I'd suggest a 99-01 fiesta with the zetec engine. Lovely car to drive, nippy, and reliable - just make sure that there is a service history - prompt oil changes are important on these.

How did I forget - best handling yoke you can buy in this class - a feckin hoot and quick from 0-45/50 too!
For that money you'd get the Ghia with the elecs and A/c.

They are a bit cramped though, boot and back seat wise but again far more modern feel than the Polo.

IncredibleHulk

jjbrien wrote:

Just because you have had a bad expeience with one or 2 cars doe not make all fiats bad.

Good point I think it is like doctors who see a bad reaction to a drug and themn do not prescribe it again. What of all the folk who took it without problem.
I know someone who swears by Ford but my Fiesta 95 will not pass NCT on emissions no matter what is done to it.
jjbrien what should be going rate for a 00 Punto 1.3 4 door Punto
Thanks
PS Any thoughs on Mazda 323 as i will be buying a Toyota/Mazda/Punto or a Hyundia Accent which another thread says is ugly and crap. I do not think they are ugly but cannot comment on the crap claim as I know very little about under the bonnet

ninty9er

Something like this. I think the range between "bite" and cutting out in the Opel clutch makes the ideal for learners. most of the other cars mentioned have a very limited range in clutch control (especially Yaris and Fiesta).

The Astra also came in a 1.2. Beware that many are 1.4 advertised incorrectly though when keeping insurance costs in mind

bazz26

ninty9er wrote:

Something like this. I think the range between "bite" and cutting out in the Opel clutch makes the ideal for learners. most of the other cars mentioned have a very limited range in clutch control (especially Yaris and Fiesta).

The Astra also came in a 1.2. Beware that many are 1.4 advertised incorrectly though when keeping insurance costs in mind

The 1.2 litre is too slugish for the heavy body of the Astra, one of the reasons they are so rare. It is no less economical than the 1.4 litre either. Best avoided, if you want the 1.2 litre then stick with the Corsa.

colm_mcm

IncredibleHulk wrote:

Good point I think it is like doctors who see a bad reaction to a drug and themn do not prescribe it again. What of all the folk who took it without problem.

It's more apt to compare FIAT to a drug that has bad side effects on a large percentage of the population, so much so that people in the medical profession wouldn't take it themselves, or give it to their family. What doesn't help is the people who haven't had side effects playing down the claims of people who have seen bad things happen ver and over!

ninty9er

bazz26 wrote:

The 1.2 litre is too slugish for the heavy body of the Astra, one of the reasons they are so rare. It is no less economical than the 1.4 litre either. Best avoided, if you want the 1.2 litre then stick with the Corsa.

Which is why it's good for a learner...sluggish isn't always bad

IncredibleHulk

colm_mcm wrote:

It's more apt to compare FIAT to a drug that has bad side effects on a large percentage of the population, so much so that people in the medical profession wouldn't take it themselves, or give it to their family. What doesn't help is the people who haven't had side effects playing down the claims of people who have seen bad things happen ver and over!

Clever Car Buying by Eddie Cunningham, the Irish Independent Motoring Correspondent, does not say Punto is rubbish. When I googled reviews on the web of Punto not all were bad