What would be a good starter car?

Remmy

Hi all

Im 17 male and about to get my provisional soon.Im wondering whats the best car to start off on and get good at driving on.Anything over 1.4 litre would be out for obvious reasons.

Im just looking for a nimble little car around 1.3 litre thats easy to maintain and cheap enough to buy.Im looking for something that doesn't have the boy racer image so insurance wont fleece me as much .Im thinkin ford fiesta,toyota yaris,golf mk2 or mk3.What would be the cheapest to insure out of these?Which would be the cheapest to pick up out of these, and also which would be the most reliable?

Also if any has any other choices that would seem relevent i would love to hear them.

Thanks in advance

Remmy

sicruise

Well it obviously is down to what you can afford... you mentioned a golf... have you thought about a polo? Sometimes it is easier to learn in a smaller car, easier to get your bearings... and cheaper on the wallet for petrol

Remmy

thanks for the reply sig!

Oh ye wouldn't mind the polo either.I heard somewhere that they cant touch the golf reliability wise.know if this is true?

Remmy

astrofool

My sisters just got a polo 1.2, very nice car. Also, Seat Ibiza could be a good choice, as would the fiesta. If you're learning to drive, get something with an easy clutch

Remmy

thanks astafool!

yeah a friend of mine has a seat ibiza.He swears by it.He never had an ounce of bother with it.

I'd really love a golf mk2!What would we be talkin price wise and also for insurance?Am I right in saying that 1.6 is the lowest engine size they do?Actually i rarely see mk2's on the road if ever.I'd say one would be hard to source would it?Would there be any chance i could get classic insurance on it?

Remmy

sabrina99

would you consider a mitsubishi colt?
1.3 very nippy and good starter car
They are supposed to be very reliable ( ive heard)

Blue850

MK 2 Golfs had a 1.3 petrol engine. You won't get classic insurance until you're 25 I'm afraid. How about a Corolla 1.3 from the mid 90's?

Henry Ford III

Fiesta 1.25 16v. Zetec. Daycent.

For a 17 y/o on a 1st provisional maybe a 1 litre engine would be a better call?

Remmy

Yeah I like the mitsubishi colt .would insurance be much for that.I know it is for the mivec version.

Ah thats a shame on the classic insurance.that rules out any ideas on a fiat 124 special too!:( If i could find one!:D

Yeah the corolla looks alright too.They look like a big barge though,are they much heavier than say a fiesta?

Alternatively i was thinkin of a toyota hilux because their dead cheap up north to buy.I know its a 2.5TD but would he insurance crowd understand its a brick with wheels and not likely too be driven fast?

Torq

Your first car doesn't need to be big or clever, buy a heap of junk with an nct and learn to drive, you'll have plenty of years to get the car you really want. But in the mean time It has to be the 1.1 fiesta, pick up a cheap one in buy and sell for around €600, drive it till it falls apart and then repeat. It will also lessen the sting of your first insurance policy. I got one for €450, drove it for a year (13K miles) passed my test in it and then sold it for €575.
keep well,
Torq

kmick

At 17 you will be lucky to get a quote on anything above 1l. You should look at the Toyota Yaris. It is peppy, fuel efficent, low tax, low maintenance. There are hundreds of them for sale on cbg.ie so you can be gauranteed a bargain if you look hard enough. What is your budget?

Anan1

Remmy wrote:

I'd really love a golf mk2!What would we be talkin price wise and also for insurance?Am I right in saying that 1.6 is the lowest engine size they do?Actually i rarely see mk2's on the road if ever.I'd say one would be hard to source would it?Would there be any chance i could get classic insurance on it?

Remmy

As someone said, most Mk2 Golfs here were 1.3. One problem you may have with insurance is that many ins cos load cars that are more than 10 years old. On the other hand they are reliable, and a good one shouldn't cost you too much to buy. Personally I think it's a great idea if you can find a good one. Maybe get a few quotes for starters, then start looking.

rowanh

Google quinn direct and get some qoutes. The first car i got was a polo, i wanted a mazda 323 or a honda civic but even hte 1.3 models were very expensive. If you want something fun to drive an old civic like 90 or 91 model is very light and easy to drive. If youwant somehting very cheap and reliable a starlet or micra would be good. A peugot 106 or a citron saxo could be good too.

Marcus.Aurelius

Remmy wrote:

thanks for the reply sig!

Oh ye wouldn't mind the polo either.I heard somewhere that they cant touch the golf reliability wise.know if this is true?

Remmy

Golf.....reliability.....stop, you're killing me

toyota corolla for reliability, golf for practicing your electrical skills!!

Stephen

My first car was a Fiesta Zetec 1.25, very nippy for such a small engine, basic as feck (didn't even have electric windows as standard) and reliable to boot.
Old Honda Civics will be loaded by many insurers because they're so popular with boy racers and are very very easy to break into and/or steal.

barryfitz

Id have to recommend the corolla meself, I have a 95, it was my first car although I had been a named driver (on parents car) for about 4 years before I got my own car&policy. I would have been 20ish and the insurance was about 900 quid. If your lookin for reliability its a no brainer. 174K miles on the clock and not a bother, wasnt touched before it went for its last nct, and passed with flying colours.

NiSmO

This post has been deleted.

Vegeta

97 corolla xli 1.3

my first and current car. cheap as chips to run and you wont care if you give it a few tips.

if you are looking for kudos etc for your first car forget it or else get a suzuki cappuccino

Anan1

NiSmO wrote:

This post has been deleted.

In fairness, that's still a helluva lot to be paying for insurance. The OP might be better off getting a 1l car to learn in. After a year they'll have a full license and a years NCB, which should bring premiums down somewhat. They can then put the money saved on insurance towards a nicer car.

Jrad

OK here goes,

Toyota Starlet 94,95 Reg. + Quinn Direct = Job done

Fact is Japanese cars are reliable, light and responsive. You will have no probs. Also you are only starting driving, no point on getting anything too expensive as you will have it ruined in no time.

Jap cars = Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan


French + Italian car = Crap

Take my advise and you wont go far wrong,

Anan1

Jrad wrote:

French + Italian car = Crap

You were making pretty good sense, until it came to this bit. Or maybe you just don't like driving?;)

nastysimon

The problem with Japanese cars is that they are highly overrated in Ireland, so you will save money by going for something else. A Fiesta is one of the more underrated cars around and will be fairly cheap to insure (not too many boy-racers/chavs drive them). They're fairly reliable too.
If you want something with a good image, you are either going to pay well in price or insurance or both, so going for something with a poor image (preferably a granny driver, not Japanese, ugly and slow car), but which is actually a good car is your best bet.
BTW, while I'm not recommending it, one of the cheaper cars for what you get is the Rover 214Si. They have a poor image, don't have great chassis (the Fiesta is much better), but the engine is the sweetest 1.4 out there (and one of the sweetest 4-cylinder engines around), cheap on the juice, good power (105bhp) and when well treated and maintained, it is reliable (the bigger Rover 200 engines were a lot more troublesome).

gyppo

nastysimon wrote:

BTW, while I'm not recommending it, one of the cheaper cars for what you get is the Rover 214Si. They have a poor image, don't have great chassis (the Fiesta is much better), but the engine is the sweetest 1.4 out there (and one of the sweetest 4-cylinder engines around), cheap on the juice, good power (105bhp) and when well treated and maintained, it is reliable (the bigger Rover 200 engines were a lot more troublesome).

The engine in these is indeed sweet, but it needs to be carefully minded with regards to checking levels. They have an appetite for head gaskets if you dont watch the coolant levels meticulously.

PaulKK

1 vote for an old golf anyway. I had a 92 Mk3 1.4 for 2 years and never gave any bother. Should be able to pick up a nice 95ish one for under a grand, and theres plenty around to choose from. If one was to buy an old corolla i would suggest the h/b as the saloon of that vintage is possibly one of the ugliest cars ever made, albiet ultra reliable.

bazz26

Remmy wrote:

thanks astafool!

yeah a friend of mine has a seat ibiza.He swears by it.He never had an ounce of bother with it.

I'd really love a golf mk2!What would we be talkin price wise and also for insurance?Am I right in saying that 1.6 is the lowest engine size they do?Actually i rarely see mk2's on the road if ever.I'd say one would be hard to source would it?Would there be any chance i could get classic insurance on it?

Remmy

Smallest engine in the MKII Golf was 1.3 litre and to be honest the MKII ended production in 1992 so most examples will be in terrible condition, probably banger territory. Also check insurance and most insurance companies will add extra on to premiums for cars that are older than 10 years.

My choice (surprise, surprise) would be a late 1990s Fiesta 1.25 Zetec or Ghia. Nippy little engine and the Fiesta is pretty reliable, spare parts and servicing are relatively cheap too. The Fiesta is also better equipped and cheaper to buy than a similar year VW Polo.

gyppo

bazz26 wrote:

My choice (surprise, surprise) would be a late 1990s Fiesta 1.25 Zetec or Ghia. Nippy little engine and the Fiesta is pretty reliable, spare parts and servicing are relatively cheap too. The Fiesta is also better equipped and cheaper to buy than a similar year VW Polo.

Same here. I bought a 99 fiesta zetec for 'er indoors a few months back - its a little cracker of a car to drive.

fasty

I started in a 1L 99 Polo in November 2005 and still have it. It's been a great car apart from some wear and tear and the fact that it's previous owner rode the life out of the clutch which was thankfully replaced under warranty.

I'm getting a new motor soon and I'll be sorry to see it go. Tempted to try and keep it in the family to be honest.

I think VW's rep for bulletproof cars is a bit overstated but they're hardly pieces of crap. That said, any of the cars suggested here are worth a shot. Fiestas, Colts, Polos, Golfs, Yaris etc are all great starter cars.

I dunno what the craic is with a provisional driver test driving cars, but if you can get some lessons first, then drive some of these cars you'll be in a better position to decide.

layke

Henry Ford III wrote:

Fiesta 1.25 16v. Zetec. Daycent.

For a 17 y/o on a 1st provisional maybe a 1 litre engine would be a better call?

Listen to Henno! Don't make the mistake I did by saying screw it I want a 1.4 so I went ahead got one and was rightly buggered by Quinn for a year.

Get a peice of ****e and continue saving for your decent car. Once you have a 1yr no claims you can get quotes from other companies forcing Quinn to lower their costs. In that year get your license and buy a decent 1.4 that will do you for a few years.

RobAMerc

Jrad wrote:

French + Italian car = Crap

Take my advise and you wont go far wrong,

Take this lads advice and you'll have lost interest in driving and take the bus !

Fiesta all the way - its not made from old bean cans like a 95 starlet, its actually a car, it rides well and handles superbly.
Try get a Ghia and make sure its the 1.25 NOT the 1.3 they are worlds apart.

biko

Jap cars like Toyota Corolla or Mazda are cheap second hand and very/fairly reliable. Fiesta used to be Britain's best selling car.

rowanh

RobAMerc wrote:

Take this lads advice and you'll have lost interest in driving and take the bus !

If your getting a banger then a japanese car is going to be more reliable than a french or italian car, i would say this is pretty much a fact. Can you find any fiat punto, renault or peugoet with 200k miles on it for sale anywhere in ireland?

The most inportant thing for a cheap car is for it to be reliable, id prefer to driving in a uncomfortable plasticky slow peice of s### than sitting broken down on the side of hte road.

If you are buying a more expensive car then Italy has produced some of hte best cars ever. Cant wait to have 400k euro to inmport a ferarri f40 :rolleyes:

bazz26

The Starlet is anything but a bean can, it is a grand car and ticks all the right boxes as a good starter car. One of the main things with a starter car is to buy a relatively low cost of ownership car on a tight budget. The Starlet is very reliable, durable and the mechanics are simple enough so if something does go wrong your mechanic will not be charging you an arm and a leg to scratch his head at what's wrong with it. Just look at the amount of late 80s or early 90s Starlets still on the roads today, that says alot in my books.

Buying an unreliable starter car and yes indeed you may well indeed spend alot of time on the bus.

nastysimon

bazz26 wrote:

The Starlet is anything but a bean can, it is a grand car and ticks all the right boxes as a good starter car. One of the main things with a starter car is to buy a relatively low cost of ownership car on a tight budget. The Starlet is very reliable, durable and the mechanics are simple enough so if something does go wrong your mechanic will not be charging you an arm and a leg to scratch his head at what's wrong with it. Just look at the amount of late 80s or early 90s Starlets still on the roads today, that says alot in my books.

Buying an unreliable starter car and yes indeed you may well indeed spend alot of time on the bus.

You see the problem with these cars is that they are too reliable. These are cars that should be put out of our misery. They may not break down all that often, but you'll find yourself wanting to take the bus just for a bit of excitement, involvement and because you don't fancy falling asleep behind the wheel again. These cars are great for one thing, they should be prescribed to the worst insomniacs as the best cure available.

bazz26

nastysimon wrote:

You see the problem with these cars is that they are too reliable. These are cars that should be put out of our misery. They may not break down all that often, but you'll find yourself wanting to take the bus just for a bit of excitement, involvement and because you don't fancy falling asleep behind the wheel again. These cars are great for one thing, they should be prescribed to the worst insomniacs as the best cure available.

Echoes of Clarkson.

I think your missing the point of this thread, it's a starter car, some people need them as basic transport from a to b with minimum cost and hassel. Not everyone needs a car to be entertained, put a smile on their face, give you a warm fuzzy feeling or whatever. To some people a car is not the centre of their world whose soul purpose is to amuse them. There is plenty of time for that down the road when you move on to better things if it floats your boat.

writetojd

best advice is the cheapest roadworthy car, as mentioned b4 99 fiesta, I got a saxo and never had a days problem with it.
either way insurance is gonna crucify you the first yr. quinn will be your best bet (not necessarily the best company but it will get you the slip of paper you need to get on the road). insurance will be €2000+ (mine was 2200 first policy at 23),if you go on your own which at your age mighnt be the best option. become a named driver to begin with.
hope this helps

Henry Ford III

bazz26 wrote:

The Starlet is anything but a bean can, it is a grand car and ticks all the right boxes as a good starter car. One of the main things with a starter car is to buy a relatively low cost of ownership car on a tight budget. The Starlet is very reliable, durable and the mechanics are simple enough so if something does go wrong your mechanic will not be charging you an arm and a leg to scratch his head at what's wrong with it. Just look at the amount of late 80s or early 90s Starlets still on the roads today, that says alot in my books.

Buying an unreliable starter car and yes indeed you may well indeed spend alot of time on the bus.

Reliable without a doubt. 1.3 though (later models 1996 onwards). No go for op who is 17 with 1st provisional?

Earlier versions were very flimsy and tinny.

zilog_jones

I'd recommend the Mk. IV ('95-'02) Fiesta as well. I've had one since last year and the only real expenses were things that were (i) broken when I got it or (ii) things I broke myself (NB driving into kerb at speed = new steering rack :mad: ). And €50 for a new heater control valve which seems to break a lot in these.

Just watch out if you're looking in the Buy & Sell or classifieds, in that the old Fiesta was still sold (as the "Fiesta Classic") until '97. These were significantly gammier cars, though if you don't care they can be dirt cheap.

bazz26 wrote:

a late 1990s Fiesta 1.25 Zetec or Ghia.

"Zetec" wasn't a trim level on these Fiestas - it refered to the 1.25 litre Zetec SE engine. Most common ones seem to be the Encore (poverty spec, black bumpers, etc.), LX (half-decent stereo, split-fold rear seats, usually sunroof and power steering), and Ghia (front fogs, CD player, maybe aircon).

There's also the crappy 1.3 Endura-E engine. It's nowhere near as good as the 1.25, but as it's less powerful (60 vs. 75bhp) in theory it should cost less to insure (dunno if that actually happens though), there's less to go wrong with it (no timing belt to change for starters!), and it should be cheaper to buy. If you get the valve clearances adjusted properly (simple enough thing to do) it doesn't sound like a lawn-mower either. I have a 1.3 and it's more than capable around town. Overtaking is a challenge though!

From my experimenting with quotes last year, the Micra seemed to be the cheapest to insure, and a 1.3 Starlet ('96-'98) cost just as much to insure as a Corolla (i.e. more than anything else in its class that I tried). Fiesta was inbetween the two.

Marcus.Aurelius

Toyota corolla 1.3 XLi. A 1995 one with under 100k miles will cost around 1500, excellent reliability and good oomph in the lower gears, fantastic for learners car. You've plenty to worry about learning to drive than worrying when your Ford/Citroen/Other european car will break down again. At least with Toyotas or other jap cars, you know where you stand.

We had 8 Ford Mondeos in work for the fleet runs. All 8 had huge problems, suspensions, gearboxes, engines, electrics and other irritating failures. The interior trim was tacky and fell apart easily. If you buy Ford, remember that they're cheap for a reason!! And Fords have always been the bloody same!

Marcus.Aurelius

nastysimon wrote:

BTW, while I'm not recommending it, one of the cheaper cars for what you get is the Rover 214Si. They have a poor image, don't have great chassis (the Fiesta is much better), but the engine is the sweetest 1.4 out there (and one of the sweetest 4-cylinder engines around), cheap on the juice, good power (105bhp) and when well treated and maintained, it is reliable (the bigger Rover 200 engines were a lot more troublesome).

I recall that those engines were actually quite good, it was around the time of the Honda/Rover co-operation thing wasn't it?

Henry Ford III

K series engines were ok, but blew head gaskets for fun.

zilog_jones

maoleary wrote:

If you buy Ford, remember that they're cheap for a reason!! And Fords have always been the bloody same!

They're not that cheap - certainly not Fiat territory anyway
I've never heard of anyone having any serious trouble with Fiestas. The only engine trouble I've had was it cutting out, but that was solved by cleaning out the idle control valve. Sure it's burning a bit of oil too, but that's not unreasonable for a 9 year old car - any old Corolla will burn oil too.

nastysimon

maoleary wrote:

I recall that those engines were actually quite good, it was around the time of the Honda/Rover co-operation thing wasn't it?

Yes, it was a Rover only engine though (design and use).

Henry Ford III wrote:

K series engines were ok, but blew head gaskets for fun.

The 1.8 and 1.6 were particularly bad for this, particularly when driven hard from cold and not maintained properly (which few Irish cars are). A well maintained 1.4 will be not particularly any more likely to blow one than most other similar engines.
They were a great engine, very light, efficient, powerful, loved to rev but still produced lots of torque low down, did I mention how very light they were, cheap, quick to get to operating temp, and seriously light. Shame about the reliability of the bigger ones.

Anyway, we're getting off track. I had great fun driving a Fiesta 1.6 Zetec SE, the chassis was great and the engine was fairly good too. I can't comment on the smaller engined ones, but everything I've heard suggests that they are the best cars in that size for people who enjoy driving. The 106 is also a good idea, just make sure to get a clean, unmolested, low spec one.

GTC

zilog_jones wrote:

They're not that cheap - certainly not Fiat territory anyway
I've never heard of anyone having any serious trouble with Fiestas. The only engine trouble I've had was it cutting out, but that was solved by cleaning out the idle control valve. Sure it's burning a bit of oil too, but that's not unreasonable for a 9 year old car - any old Corolla will burn oil too.

A jap-built corolla burning oil is unheard of in my experience, unless its really dying! The newer ones are british built and are piles of sh*te1

Henry Ford III

GTC wrote:

A jap-built corolla burning oil is unheard of in my experience, unless its really dying! The newer ones are british built and are piles of sh*te1

The newer ones are not too bad.

colm_mcm

GTC wrote:

A jap-built corolla burning oil is unheard of in my experience, unless its really dying! The newer ones are british built and are piles of sh*te1

which ones are these? [the ones the Gardai used to use (97-02) were all Japanese built BTW]

GTC

colm_mcm wrote:

which ones are these? [the ones the Gardai used to use (97-02) were all Japanese built BTW]

Yeah, we had them. A few were british built. (different locks for boot and door, no central locking gah!!! :rolleyes:)

92-97 models were very good on oil. I was never in charge of a corolla, it was always mondeos and avensises (avensisiisisises???). The british built avensis I was supposed to take care of cost the state a small fortune in new locks and keys. Electric windows used to shatter in the door frame. Sometimes it was hilarious, sometimes it was feckin dangerous!! :rolleyes:

bazz26

Guys I think the Corolla will be a non runner for the OP due to higher insurance costs, it is a class above the likes of the Fiesta, etc.

In fairness Ford used to turn out some very poor quality cars like the Escort and Orion from the 1980s and early 1990s. But since the Mk I Mondeo in 1993 they have made leaps and bounds, the Fiesta from 1995 being one of them. I definately would not class them as crap and every car no matter what make has had issues at one time or another. Just some tend to have more than others.

zilog_jones

GTC wrote:

A jap-built corolla burning oil is unheard of in my experience, unless its really dying!

My grandad's one does... though it is a '91 with over 150k miles on it...

colm_mcm wrote:

which ones are these?

IIRC with the E110 series ('97-'02), the 5 door hatchbacks (the fugly ones) were made in the UK. I don't know where the 3 door ones were made. The saloons were made in Japan. I dunno what happened with the last generation - I think the hatchbacks were both made in the UK. I think I heard the latest saloons are built in Turkey.

And yeah, as per what bazz26 said. Insurance ruled out the Corolla and Starlet for me. And I was 21!

colm_mcm

when was the last time you saw a Garda driving a Corolla Liftback?

fitz265

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