Best car to learn to drive in!

Upthedeise07

Hi all,

I wonder if you can help me.
I'm buying my first car, looking at 99 or 2000 and ideally petrol with an engine of no more than 1.2. Has to be manual...and cheap to insure and run!
What would ye recommend?

Thanks.

Nightwish

My 1st car was a Clio which sucked as it wasnt reliable and had a really stiff clutch. I bought a Yaris then which is simple to use, really reliable and really economical on petrol as well as cheap to insure and tax. My driving instructors school car is a Micra, which again is simple to drive and cheap to run but ugly as sin.

Alanstrainor

the yaris is a nice one to learn on, but they tend to be expensive, well relative to others of the year. I'd say a ford fiesta would a great car to learn in, and they're fun too, just get one with the 1.25 zetec engine. There are millions of them for sale so you should be able to pick one up relatively cheap. A budget would help, just from the years you've given i can only assume 3 or 4 grand?

daveharnett

Micra. Clutch and gearbox are dead easy, light on petrol and runs like a clock.

Danbo!

i learnt in a corolla saloon, big car but i thought it was a good idea to learn in a larger car... id recommend the micra if its just for learning (ie do you plan on selling it after and getting something bigger when you get your test?) If you plan to keep the car for a few years, yaris is the way to go. Unbelievably reliable, yes a little more pricey than other cars in its class, but it will still be more expensive than the other cars when your selling it too A good solid car that wont give you much trouble at all.

fletch...

After many years as an everyday biker I am currently learning in my discovery, t,is a BIG, long and wide suv but for me its a lot easyer then any other cars ive been out in. Even just driving it is like a body building regime, but thats d way i like it - nice heavy peddles ect..with more windows then a Dublin bus and I can actually fit my legs into the footwell confortably :eek:.


on the down side it costs an absolute fortune in tax, maintanance and juice. I definatly would not recomend one for a first car. when u ring for a qoute be ready for the whole broker's office to gather around the phone to laugh at your rediculous qoute request lol!

Upthedeise07

Looking at spending about 2-3k and then upgrading it after a few years.
Any others thoughts are more than welcome

squishywishy

Alanstrainor wrote: »

the yaris is a nice one to learn on, but they tend to be expensive, well relative to others of the year. I'd say a ford fiesta would a great car to learn in, and they're fun too, just get one with the 1.25 zetec engine. There are millions of them for sale so you should be able to pick one up relatively cheap. A budget would help, just from the years you've given i can only assume 3 or 4 grand?

Thats exactly what i got when i bought my first car! would recommend a fiesta to anyone. Great car, sturdy, easy to drive and parts are easy to get.
My 2000 cost me 4,500 but had very very low millage and is a ghia version. which had all the usual extras as standard. I love my car, wouldnt change it for the world!

Upthedeise07

Is that true?

Wishbone Ash

Upthedeise07 wrote: »

Is that true?

Traditionally, they used a little more than a comparable Japanese model as they were slightly heavier. I don't like small cars but if I had to buy one I'd go for a Ford anyday over a Japanese car but that just me.

In relation to insurance, just bear in mind that it is the criterion of the driver that mostly affects insurance costs, not the vehicle.

Splinter

Nightwish wrote: »

My 1st car was a Clio which sucked as it wasnt reliable and had a really stiff clutch. I bought a Yaris then which is simple to use, really reliable and really economical on petrol as well as cheap to insure and tax. My driving instructors school car is a Micra, which again is simple to drive and cheap to run but ugly as sin.

oi! i drive a micra

yeah they are nice cars, run well and you sit kinda high up so you can see whats goign on for your parking etc

squishywishy

Upthedeise07 wrote: »

Is that true?

I dont think so myself. I drive to college everyday, to work at weekends and then use the car socially.. meeting with friends etc. Mainly use it locally but still use it everyday and id only use €25 -€30 every 2 weeks. Dont know if thats a lot or not but my friend with a startlet uses that a week.

Fiach Dubh

I started my driving lessons in a Micra. If you don't mind the look of them they are a good starter car, very forgiving drive especially in city driving. The small engine doesn't have much trouble moving the car either since it's quite light.

Featherl

A Yaris, small car easy to drive!

The Real B-man

1litre Seat Ibiza

Sangre

another vote for the nissan micra ('O4)

Saint_Mel

I learned last year in a Starlet. 10 years old she was at the time, and still ticking over nicely into her 11th year!!!

Wertz

First instructor's car was a VW Lupo...hated it.
2nd one was a Citroen C2, better but still not my cup of tea, horrible visibility I thought.
I learned the basics in those cars over 7-8 hours...

I then went out and bought a Peugeot 106 1.1 XN...honed my skills in this, fantastic car to drive, none of your ABS or full power steering (which IMO is how it should be for a learner)...you get a good sense of the road through the car controls...a lot like driving a go-kart. Nippy wee thing, easy on juice, handy to insure/tax and hold their value well.
I moved on to a bigger car after passing test, that has all the driver's aids...but I still take the 106 out for the craic sometimes, although the first 5 minutes lack of ABS after being used to it can be a bit hairy.

Stark

The first car I learnt to drive in was my instructor's VW Polo. Very nice car, I definitely wouldn't mind driving one again. I drove in a '97 Micra for a while (my parents had it on loan from the insurance company after being rear ended) and that was horrible by comparison, the gearbox would often stick when you tried to put it into gear (yes, I had the clutch depressed fully ). I'm not sure if that's a general fault of Micras or if the insurance company simply gave us one that was in poor condition. Fiestas are really nice cars to drive, they're extremely forgiving. I bought one as my first car.

As for the larger cars, my parents buy Renaults so I did most of my learning in Meganes. The pre '02 Megane was a lovely car, very tidy and responsive. The '04 one they replaced it with was absolutely horrible for learning in by comparison. It was oversized for Cork's narrow streets, had more blind spots (especially out the rear window), was slow to get moving from traffic lights and it was very difficult to feel the clutch's biting point. Actually I wouldn't buy it full stop, my aunt and uncle have one and they refer to it as "Donkey".

Ado86

I learnt to drive in a Renault Clio with the instructor but had a punto of my own. Now I know everyone has a thing against them but personally I havent had any trouble with them. Cheap to buy, run and insure. Very economical on fuel ! Also very easy to drive- able to feel the gear changes easily etc and easy for parking too !! Spirito di punto ! :rolleyes:

madaboutcars

I will shortly be learning to drive in a Volvo S40 1.8(parent's car). I can't wait cause it will be fast for a learner's car.

What are they like to drive actually? I know they have a reputation for being a poor car to drive(it is the one derived from the Mitsubishi Carisma with the GDI engine too, not the one based on the Focus).

The Driving Instructor's car is a Skoda Fabia 1.2, and I really like the way it drives, apart from the accelerator pedal, which is too light for me, as I always rev it to over 3,000 rpm when I'm pulling off, when I only need to get it to about 1,500 rpm. I actually can't help it!

It's ridiculously slow though, even in the first lesson, where I was warned by the parents that I would find 10 mph too fast(and when I was pulling away for the very first time, I thought it wanted to shoot off on me), I thought it was slow, and we only got to 30 mph in it.

We went to Cork airport yesterday on lesson number 5, and going up to the airport from the magic roundabout I found out how laughably slow it is. We were going up the hill, and we were doing about 45 mph in 4th, and I was wondering in my mind why we were picking up speed slowly when I felt I had the pedal a good bit down, so I decided I'd push the pedal a little bit more when I realised I actually had my foot on the floor the whole time:D:eek:!

How will the Volvo compare to the Fabia to drive? I expect the Volvo will feel like it runs on rocket fuel compared to the Skoda, especially around town since it hits 60 in 10.4 seconds compared to the Fabia's 18.5, but I'm wondering about the rest of the driving experience?

GrumPy

The Real B-man wrote: »

1litre Seat Ibiza

+1 That's what I am driving. Fantastic motor. It's basically a VW Polo but without the massive overpricing.

cantdecide

Upthedeise07 wrote: »

Hi all,

I wonder if you can help me.
I'm buying my first car, looking at 99 or 2000 and ideally petrol with an engine of no more than 1.2. Has to be manual...and cheap to insure and run!
What would ye recommend?

Thanks.

Do YOURSELF a favour and do some research before buying an underpowered golf cart. All teh old cliches will tell you about how to get cheap this and cheap that but essentially, it's detailitis. Most of the old chestnuts about not getting/ not affording insurance in this or that is bull. Insurance companies make no such rules. Unlike when I started driving, your premium will be much the same for all modest hatches.

Most "superminis" are underpowered, uncomfortable and difficult to drive but Da's and boyfriends still trot out the list. If economy is that important spend less on the car.

These are so brilliant http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/car/853030/ and it's the smallest proper car you can buy. Really forgiving and they look great.

Kendra

I learnt in a Micra.Very cheap to run,tax,insure etc.
I would highly recommend one.Just make sure and get it checked out properly before if you do decide to go for one.You should get a decent one within your price range provided you have the patience to look around enough!.Good luck!

Stark

madaboutcars wrote:

The Driving Instructor's car is a Skoda Fabia 1.2, and I really like the way it drives, apart from the accelerator pedal, which is too light for me, as I always rev it to over 3,000 rpm when I'm pulling off, when I only need to get it to about 1,500 rpm. I actually can't help it!

And yet you can't wait to drive a car that's twice as powerful? You won't get to sample any of the power of a car while you're learning to drive, the focus will be on keeping the car in control and not running away from you. Most of your driving will be pottering around city streets with the emphasis on slow, steady and in control (but still doing 30mph when it's safe to do so). You won't pass your test by flooring it from 0 to 30.

madaboutcars wrote:

We went to Cork airport yesterday on lesson number 5, and going up to the airport from the magic roundabout I found out how laughably slow it is. We were going up the hill, and we were doing about 45 mph in 4th, and I was wondering in my mind why we were picking up speed slowly when I felt I had the pedal a good bit down, so I decided I'd push the pedal a little bit more when I realised I actually had my foot on the floor the whole time!

If the car is struggling going up a steep hill in 4th, change down to 3rd.

prodigal_son

I learnt in a 1.5 honda civic salon (not hatchback), I learnt in an oldish one that was hard enough to drive, but i mastered it.

Then before the test i did some lessons in a Yaris, and i was blown away by how easy it was in comparison, it gave me so much confidence just to be myself and drive, the gears and clutch are easy, the visibility is good, and its small so easy enough to handle.

I would recommend the approach i took, as i specifically made learning harder on myself, knowing that i would not be doing the test in that car. The salon civic also gave me the confidence to drive any car, as it was big enough size wise, and powerfull enough engine wise.

But make life easy for yourself on the day of the test, and do it n a yaris or micra.

darling.x

I'm a learner on my first learners permit. I've got 1800 saved for a car and I'm still saving. I would like to buy a car soon but what should I get. It has to be reliable.

I was considering a fiat punto but was told that they can be unreliable.

I'm thinking of: vw polo, nissan micra, opel corsa, or ford fiesta for a learning car. Did anyone have any one of these cars, and how was it (if you did).

I've seen vw 98 polo advertised for 1600 euro, it has nct until jan 2010. Would this be a good car to buy, or to go to view anyways. Do 98 polos usually go for this price. I think its a bit cheap for a car that is supposed to be good.

Alanstrainor

Identical thread started recently
you dont say what spec polo, how much mileage, engine etc. so it could go for anything. And 1600 is not all that good a price for a 1ltr 5 door. I'd go with a fiesta as there's loads of them around second hand and they're easy to learn + they're reliable and parts are everywhere for them.

Chakar

I'm learning to drive in a hatchback VW Golf, it's a good car and relatively big with five doors. However I can't compare it to another car.

Wishbone Ash

Threads merged.

sbhatia

My first car was 1999 Daewoo lanos, still is, only paid €1900 and never gave me any problem. lucky for me too passed my test first time. Going to upgrade now.

biko

I learnt to drive in one of these! Once you master this all other cars are easy.

jokovic

Am I right in saying that a 2007 Ford Focus TDi wouldn't be the ideal car to learn in?

Permabear

This post has been deleted.