Buying My First Car

cheekay

Ok so basically i hav 1200 cash saved up.Was planning on waiting until i had about 4,000 and getsomethingdecent but i've seen a few cars 99 peugot 206 and 01 punto that seem appealing to me. Anyone have any suggestions for half decent cars i could get for about 1000??

Mr Benevolent

Are you restricted to below a certain litre due to insurance or tax?

I'd seriously suggest waiting. Even another €800 saved will give you a much better choice.

Also, how are you paying for tax and insurance?

cheekay

Im looking for about a 1.2 litre engine. Basically just need it to get into colege etc. Have another 1500 set aside for insurance and tax. The 1,200 is just for the car

mumblin deaf ro

My first car was an eight year old punto and i never had problems with it. Plenty of ten year old ones still on the roads, many with L plates, so it's not a bad choice. Other people will have different experiences, but I reckon that for a €1K learner car it's not bad.

cheekay

i learnt on a 1.8 litre 04 ford mondeo. Now im looking to buy something a lot smaller. I can afford to wait a while if that is the best option. is 77,000 miles a lot on a punto?

bladespin

1.2 punto, brilliant little car, cheap to run and never had a problem with it despite what others (most of whom never owned a Fiat) say, I'd recommend it.

Mr Benevolent

Punto should be fine, you'll be looking at a '99 to '00 for that money. Search a bit higher than €1,200 and haggle 'em down. Main thing on Puntos is head gaskets going - notorious for it, but if there's no white 'smoke' in the exhaust, mayonnaise under the rad cap or bubbles in the coolant when running, it should be ok. They got a worse rep then they deserved.

Mycroft H

My mam owned an early punto. It was an ok car, though it went through several expensive shocks on the poor back roads. Its was no where near quality wise to japenese or german cars.

Worked in the local garage during last two summers, saw an early and a newer model in with a blown head gasket. The older one needed a head-skimming but newer one didnt.

I'd personally avoid the puntos. I would get a nice starlet or a mitsubisi colt or a mk2/mk3 golf. Solid and reliable and pretty cheap.

GERMAN ROCKS

id say the 206. these cars still look good today and are very popular.

Mycroft H

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

id say the 206. these cars still look good today and are very popular.

Crock of shyte imo

cheekay

thanks for the advice...didnt realise the bad rep puntos had.I might hold off for a while. What are your thoughts on renault clio?

david

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/Civic/1.4-i--h/200911192113677/advert

Great cars. They'll do 200k+ miles no bother if you treat it kindly. There is a good reason they're priced higher than the equivalent punto/206. That one looks clean enough minus the stupid halfords exhaust tip. You might just get one for your budget.

bazz26

The Civic is a nice car but mention that + young inexperienced drive to insurance companies and watch them load your premium.

OP I would recommend the Ford Fiesta 1.25 litre, great little car and since you learnt to drive in a Mondeo you will be used to driving a car that handles well. The Fiesta is generally a reliable car and parts are cheap, widely available and they are straight forward to work on.

Here is a nice example that is within your budget:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1348527

Mycroft H

cheekay wrote: »

thanks for the advice...didnt realise the bad rep puntos had.I might hold off for a while. What are your thoughts on renault clio?

Just stay away from anything french/italian for your first motor. Get a german/jap car and there as solid as a rock.

*ducks to avoid spanners thrown by french car owners

cheekay

The fiesta seems quite nice actually. So basicalyl the parents have decided insurance is a good idea for a birthday present which leaves me with another bit for the car.

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=360748&r=s.php%3Fm%3D25%26amp%3Bo%3D229%26amp%3Bi%3D50000%26amp%3Bot%3Dm%26amp%3Bnx%3D4%26amp%3Bnn%3D4%26amp%3Byn%3D2000%26amp%3Byx%3D2000%26amp%3Bg%3D0

This is the one i was looking at?

david

landyman wrote: »

Just stay away from anything french/italian for your first motor. Get a german/jap car and there as solid as a rock.

*ducks to avoid spanners thrown by french car owners

I'd agree for the most part but Renault Clios are fantastic little cars, the pre-00 ones at least. Comfy refined and nice to drive compared to similar cars in it's class.

You shouldn't get loaded on a 1.4 Civic OP. I have the newer one and my insurance was a tad over 1k last May (no NCB, drivers license 0yrs, 1yr named driving, 19 at the time).

I'll give the Fiesta a +1 too though. Even the 1.3 is a decent car albeit a bit agricultural (!)

david

cheekay wrote: »

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=360748&r=s.php%3Fm%3D25%26amp%3Bo%3D229%26amp%3Bi%3D50000%26amp%3Bot%3Dm%26amp%3Bnx%3D4%26amp%3Bnn%3D4%26amp%3Byn%3D2000%26amp%3Byx%3D2000%26amp%3Bg%3D0

This is the one i was looking at?

Just got a bit sick in my mouth there . Seriously don't buy a car because it's shiny! You could do so much better with approx 2k

bazz26

cheekay wrote: »

The fiesta seems quite nice actually. So basicalyl the parents have decided insurance is a good idea for a birthday present which leaves me with another bit for the car.

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=360748&r=s.php%3Fm%3D25%26amp%3Bo%3D229%26amp%3Bi%3D50000%26amp%3Bot%3Dm%26amp%3Bnx%3D4%26amp%3Bnn%3D4%26amp%3Byn%3D2000%26amp%3Byx%3D2000%26amp%3Bg%3D0

This is the one i was looking at?

Seems overpriced compared to the Fiesta.

mumblin deaf ro

It has low mileage and a recent NCT, but is overpriced.

jaffa20

VW polo? My first car and it's still going great.

david

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

It has low mileage and a recent NCT, but is overpriced.

To be honest mileage and service history is of little importance on a car within the OP's budget. Condition is much more important. Be sure to get it checked out by a mechanic.

EPM

bazz26 wrote: »

Seems overpriced compared to the Fiesta.

+1 on that.

Fiesta is probably the best car mentioned here so far. I had one as my first car. The 1.25 zetec really is a great engine, light on fuel and plenty of go. Good steering and gear change. Thoroughly reliable too. My sister had a 00 Clio when she was learning, had a few problems and felt more tired than my old fiesta despite having around the same mileage. Still it served her well (and trust me it took some abuse at her hands)

Mycroft H

http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=355808&r=s.php%3Fm%3D88%26amp%3Bo%3D730%26amp%3Byn%3D1994%26amp%3Byx%3D1998%26amp%3Bg%3D0%26z%3D-8

Cant beat the corrolla, (the car i learnt to drive in!) Bulletproof reliability. And the cos the car is quite light >1000kg the 1.3 vvti has plenty of poke. Even with the extra bit of cash, i'd save it for petrol or going off for the summer or college (and with the way fees are looking atm, that may not be a bad idea)


Edit: you should be able to get the linked car for less then 1,550.

madbadger

OP with that kind of money for a first car i'd recommend getting something japanese, Nissan, Toyota, Honda etc. Cars that are reliable with high milage on them.. Steer well clear or french cars like the peugeot or renault, trust me, they'll spend more time in the garage than on your driveway & cost you a fortune in parts. A cousin of mine once had a toyota corolla that her and her sisters learned to drive in, the odometer went around the clock and it never gave trouble & from my own experience japs are the way to go.
Best of luck.

Paige Turner

Fiat Panda (new model) - Great little car. I got an 04 for €3500 last year. It is really good on petrol, €30 fills it and lasts nearly two weeks and I do a fair bit of going in it.
It was also really good for insurance - a little under €800. (Was nearly 21 and was on a learner permit at the time).
I know Fiats have a name for being unreliable but I haven't had a bit of bother with it and there is nearly 90,000 on the clock.

The Pontiac

madbadger wrote: »

OP with that kind of money for a first car i'd recommend getting something japanese, Nissan, Toyota, Honda etc. Cars that are reliable with high milage on them.. Steer well clear or french cars like the peugeot or renault, trust me, they'll spend more time in the garage than on your driveway & cost you a fortune in parts. A cousin of mine once had a toyota corolla that her and her sisters learned to drive in, the odometer went around the clock and it never gave trouble & from my own experience japs are the way to go.
Best of luck.

Guy that works with me has a 1991 corolla petrol that has 245000 miles on the clock, he has it for around 10 years and had no trouble only a few tiny things. No one memtioned the Seat Ibiza http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/seat/ibiza-1999.aspx. Good little car and looks nice too.

Mycroft H

zudo wrote: »

Guy that works with me has a 1991 corolla petrol that has 245000 miles on the clock, he has it for around 10 years and had no trouble only a few tiny things. No one memtioned the Seat Ibiza http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/seat/ibiza-1999.aspx. Good little car and looks nice too.

Ye dad had a corola for about ten years or so. He bought it with 38k on it in 1996 and sold it 2 years ago with 162k on the clock. Only time it failed the nct when da put the headlamp bulb in upside down somehow lol. Fecking brilliant car..... They really were the best built cars in the world.

pipsqueak

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/865220

seems grand for a grand!!:D

cheekay

ok ya i guess the shinyness of it did grab my attention.probably not a good idea. I might go for a nice little fiesta so

goingpostal

Toyota Corolla 1992- 1997 are the best built cars in the world. They will go for ever.