What Car For Learner

Bettyboop

Can anyone advise on what car would be suitable for my 17yr old who is learning to drive;)I have been looking at polos and peugeots 106 so far,it has to be a 1 litre any help appreciated.Something that will be easy drive.
Thank You

af_thefragile

Yaris.

Reliable, cheap to insure and have excellent resale.
Fairly easy to drive as well...

kilburn

I learned in a micra but a yaris would be good too

Bettyboop

thanks for the replies;)never thought of a Yaris

djimi

A lot of people recommend the 1.25l Fiesta.

Personally I dont like the Yaris to drive; horrible little boxy interiors. Micras would be a decent shout; the older model (late 90s) anyway.

It doesnt have to necessarily be a 1L btw, not for insurance purposes anyway. Theres more to insurance than engine size and sometimes a slightly bigger engine can actually work out cheaper.

af_thefragile

You could even look at a Toyota Starlet.
They're well recommend around here. Very basic but cheap as well.

Bettyboop

oh lots off ideas now cheers;)Stuck with a 1 litre didn't realise I could go a bit higher,he will be on my insurance so just thought smaller engine less insurance.
I appreciate all the replies.

RossDonegan

Ford Fiesta 1.1.
Simple, Reliable and Cheap.

af_thefragile

If you can afford the insurance a 1.4l Ford Puma is excellent.
Make sure you get one in good nick but if you do its one of the best cars to drive. There's incredible amounts of feel and it handles excellent. Really fun driving on twisty country roads.

**Timbuk2**

I learned to drive, and am still driving in, a 1.3L Toyota Starlet (98) - an excellent car. Very fuel effecient as well (not so much on motorways though!).

I'm 18 but started learning to drive when I was 17. Just to give you an idea, my insurance cost €1150 for a year as a named driver on my mother's insurance, and that's with a full licence - it's slightly more with a Learner Permit, but not too much different. I'm male, by the way.

You are correct - the smaller the engine the cheaper the insurance.

djimi

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I learned to drive, and am still driving in, a 1.3L Toyota Starlet (98) - an excellent car. Very fuel effecient as well (not so much on motorways though!).

I'm 18 but started learning to drive when I was 17. Just to give you an idea, my insurance cost €1150 for a year as a named driver on my mother's insurance, and that's with a full licence - it's slightly more with a Learner Permit, but not too much different. I'm male, by the way.

You are correct - the smaller the engine the cheaper the insurance.

Like I said above, this is not a hard and fast rule; there are more factors that just engine size. There are plenty of cars in higher insurance classes which have smaller engine sizes than cars in classes below them.

dr.fuzzenstein

djimi wrote: »

Personally I dont like the Yaris to drive; horrible little boxy interiors. Micras would be a decent shout; the older model (late 90s) anyway.

Just how catastrophically bad would the Yaris have to be in order to rank worse than the Micra?
Also, Micras suffer from poor image, nothing to do with bragging rights, but simply that other road users treat them appallingly because most of them are driven by grannies in their 90's at 25 km/h.
Not the fault of the car, but they do suffer a bit of an image problem.
Corsas are desperate yokes, the steering seems to come straight from a 15th century ox-cart.
The Fiesta MK5 (2002 onwards) is actually a great little car, the diesel (which will be slightly larger volume, 1.4 or 1.6) is cracking.
Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot, dunno, methinks not as reliable as Ford, anything Japanese or German.
Renaults are terrible, suspension made from marzipan but great in a crash.

djimi

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Just how catastrophically bad would the Yaris have to be in order to rank worse than the Micra?

I have driven both a Micra (late 90s model) and a Yaris (early 00s model I think) and the Micra was in a different league to the Yaris in terms of driving experience. Every about the Yaris felt cheap, the drive was abysmal beyond belief (taking corners at more than 25mph was a terrifying experience) and they just felt really cramped inside with a horribly driving position. The Micra was by no means perfect, but felt better than the Yaris in almost every way.

cooltown

Avoid saxo's and 106's.

_Conrad_

Bettyboop wrote: »

oh lots off ideas now cheers;)Stuck with a 1 litre didn't realise I could go a bit higher,he will be on my insurance so just thought smaller engine less insurance.
I appreciate all the replies.

depending on the insurance company he could possibly get some kind of little van (peugeot 205, 206, fiesta van, courier, corsa van/combo or similar) not exactly flashy but economical and tough diesel engines in all them, and will be good on fuel (and for your pocket), I've got a young cousin who's 18 and just got a quote on a 1.8 diesel peugeot 205 car-van which was cheaper than the 1.1 petrol 5 door passsenger version, and the 1.1 95 fiesta he'd been considering.

Less chance of him driving around with 4 other young lads piled into the car loading it down too. When i was that age myself i had a 91 fiesta van, again 1.8 diesel and it was cheaper than many things to insure, and pretty useful too.

jock101

The Toyota Yaris was what I learned in, found it fine to drive! Drove a 206, terrible small foot peddles and mirrors!

_Conrad_

please bettyboop if your son is to have any dignity do not make him drive a yaris, it's not that they're bad, they're just horribly boring, and are granny cars, along with micras. Some of the other small cars at least can be driven by anyone without people assuming you're either an OAP or one of those people who are dangerous on the road not due to speed or aggression, but due to being slow (as in always going waybelow what ,most sane people would consider a nice respectable safe speed, 20k in a wide open well surfaces 60k zone for example ), nervous and fearful drivers

Conor_M1990

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1487241

That there would be the job for a 17 year old AFAIK when I was looking for Insurance at 17 the likes or that wherent much dearer or the same then the likes of colts Corollas. Tax is a bit but its a safer car then a micra and Yaris and lets face it at 17 your more likely to crash it would be better on fuel and better on Main Roads for the likes of overtaking.

johndaman66

_Conrad_ wrote: »

depending on the insurance company he could possibly get some kind of little van (peugeot 205, 206, fiesta van, courier, corsa van/combo or similar) not exactly flashy but economical and tough diesel engines in all them, and will be good on fuel (and for your pocket), I've got a young cousin who's 18 and just got a quote on a 1.8 diesel peugeot 205 car-van which was cheaper than the 1.1 petrol 5 door passsenger version, and the 1.1 95 fiesta he'd been considering.

I started driving in a Renault Megane Van. It was 1.9 flat diesel but the insurance was less than a 1.0 five door passenger polo due to it having only two seats. Do bear in mind though that not all insurance companies would quote you in a commercial vehicle for social, domestic and pleasure use or otherwise but some such as Quinn Direct will (which I'm not a big fan of but they may be the only option for you to get on the road) and for less than a much smaller engined petrol car. The bigger diesel engined van would be better for motorway driving also than a 1.0 micra or yaris....trust me your not saving fuel shooting along long streches of motorway in a 1.0 litre Yaris at 75mph. Don't worry about tax either as most would be taxed comercially as opossed to based on engine cc. If you are required to carry more than one passenger on a regular basis or the lack of rear side windows is seriously putting you off perhaps the Yaris or Micra would be the best bet.

Although I started driving in the Megane Van I would not recommend them due to poor reliability. Corolla van/ Fiesta van/ polo/ Golf van would be high on my list with a preference towars Corolla van...You may pay a wee bit more for one but you will get better reliability and can be fairly sure you will sell it on easy enough as they are pretty sought after.

A few people mentioned that insurance will be higher the higher the engine cc but this is simply not always the case. After a few years of driving I was being quoted the same premium by Quinn Direct on 1.3 corolla/ 1.6 vectra/s40 and 1.8 vectra/s40....the same premium on all five models. The insurance premium would have being a fair whack higher on a 1.5/ 1.6 civic or corolla. I believe statistics play a big part in determining premium and whichever models seem to be more accident prone premiums are loaded....Its not simply down to engine capacity.

Bettyboop

_Conrad_ wrote: »

please bettyboop if your son is to have any dignity do not make him drive a yaris, it's not that they're bad, they're just horribly boring, and are granny cars, along with micras. Some of the other small cars at least can be driven by anyone without people assuming you're either an OAP or one of those people who are dangerous on the road not due to speed or aggression, but due to being slow (as in always going waybelow what ,most sane people would consider a nice respectable safe speed, 20k in a wide open well surfaces 60k zone for example ), nervous and fearful drivers

:D;)

Bettyboop

Conor_M1990 wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1487241

That there would be the job for a 17 year old AFAIK when I was looking for Insurance at 17 the likes or that wherent much dearer or the same then the likes of colts Corollas. Tax is a bit but its a safer car then a micra and Yaris and lets face it at 17 your more likely to crash it would be better on fuel and better on Main Roads for the likes of overtaking.

another I never thought about;) And his name is Leon too:D
Thanks for the link.By the way he doesn't (well I don't) want any souped up cars like saxos etc:D

jock101

Bettyboop wrote: »

:D;)

And the VW Polo isnt a OAP mobile? 206 is a girlie car! Ooh LA LA! lol

Bettyboop

jock101 wrote: »

And the VW Polo isnt a OAP mobile? 206 is a girlie car! Ooh LA LA! lol

;)I have lots off ideas to go on now thank you all for the replies
appreciated;)

Bettyboop

Conor_M1990 wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1487241

That there would be the job for a 17 year old AFAIK when I was looking for Insurance at 17 the likes or that wherent much dearer or the same then the likes of colts Corollas. Tax is a bit but its a safer car then a micra and Yaris and lets face it at 17 your more likely to crash it would be better on fuel and better on Main Roads for the likes of overtaking.

Thanks for the Link considering his name is Leon it could be the one:D

PaulKK

Bettyboop wrote: »

Thanks for the link.By the way he doesn't (well I don't) want any souped up cars like saxos etc:D

Saxos?

Lol, been a while since I heard that phrase "souped up".


Suggest Golf, Leon, pug 306, corolla.

Don't limit by engine size as mentioned, get a quote before you discount any car.

ccyy123

In the same situation here, Bettyboop. Am only looking at small engine size car for my first car, then find out that there aren't many Yaris, Micra on the market, well not cheap ones anyway. So expand my search to Corolla, Focus, Civic etc, these cars are even cheaper than the smaller engine ones (obviously slightly higher mileage).

Conor_M1990

Bettyboop wrote: »

another I never thought about;) And his name is Leon too:D
Thanks for the link.By the way he doesn't (well I don't) want any souped up cars like saxos etc:D

Yeap there a great yoke stay away from the 1.4 though there underpowered (not a bad thing at 17) but they drink petrol because of it and there known to be unreliable and burn oil. and that would go for all the cars on that patform Golfs,Boras,Octivias etc. and dont pay over the odds for one alot of them are overpriced imo. Have a shop around lots of cars out there for good money

As a learner would you not be better off waiting for him to pass his test before getting him a car?

af_thefragile

Here's a good one:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1497374

Full service history and not much milage. Its a cracker of a car. Your son will fall in love with it the moment he drives it. And the 1.4l has enough power for a beginner.

RossDonegan

Hahahaha 3.5k for that ?

Jesus I bought a 98 1.7 for €200 and a 00 1.4 for €420.
Both driving in excellent condition.

johndaman66

af_thefragile wrote: »

Here's a good one:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1497374

Full service history and not much milage. Its a cracker of a car.

Nice car and seems to be well minded on paper at least but €3,500 seems to be way over the top for a 2000 reg what is essentially a Fiesta with a more fancy body and some extras (not that I've anything against Fiestas either, they're a good car).

johndaman66

RossDonegan wrote: »

Jesus I bought a 98 1.7 for €200

RossDonegan wrote: »

Both driving in excellent condition.

I'd sincerely like to know more about the 98 Puma 1.7 you picked up for that money. Not saying your lying but it seems very very small money for the car if its in excellent condition. Was it of a dealer and was it crash repaired if ou don't mind me asking?

_Conrad_

johndaman66 wrote: »

I'd sincerely like to know more about the 98 Puma 1.7 you picked up for that money. Not saying your lying but it seems very very small money for the car if its in excellent condition. Was it of a dealer and was it crash repaired if ou don't mind me asking?

I don't know about that particular case but when i used to work in the motor trade i picked up plenty of cars for stupidly low prices, both from other trade guys who just couldnt be bothered lookin a them anymore and from auctions, best ever was a 98 mercedes c200, with 2 months test left (and in nice shape apart from the bonnet being vandalised with blue paint and a broken windscreen) for 145 euro just because only one other guy bid on it and ther was no reserve, it was part of a liquidation sale, made 800 euro on that car in the end, after spending the purchase price, and an extra 400-ish tidying it up as i was going to use it myself. A lot of that stuff is gone now, but we used to pick up all sorts of cars for ridiculous sums

johndaman66

_Conrad_ wrote: »

I don't know about that particular case but when i used to work in the motor trade i picked up plenty of cars for stupidly low prices, both from other trade guys who just couldnt be bothered lookin a them anymore and from auctions, best ever was a 98 mercedes c200, with 2 months test left (and in nice shape apart from the bonnet being vandalised with blue paint and a broken windscreen) for 145 euro just because only one other guy bid on it and ther was no reserve, it was part of a liquidation sale, made 800 euro on that car in the end, after spending the purchase price, and an extra 400-ish tidying it up as i was going to use it myself. A lot of that stuff is gone now, but we used to pick up all sorts of cars for ridiculous sums

Fair enough Conrad and you done well with the Merc. I'm pretty much guessing RossDonegan works in the trade too as its pretty much never that baragin deals such as these present themselves to the general public. For the sake of the thread though and if such is the case RossDonegan is it a bit irrelevenat to say you got a 98 Puma in perfect condition for 200 quid when chances are that the OP or at least somebody with no ties to the trade is unlikely to pull of such a deal. Thats not to say that the 2000 Puma at 3,500 is not overpriced on the face of it at least.

af_thefragile

johndaman66 wrote: »

Nice car and seems to be well minded on paper at least but €3,500 seems to be way over the top for a 2000 reg what is essentially a Fiesta with a more fancy body and some extras (not that I've anything against Fiestas either, they're a good car).

I bought my Puma for 1900eur. And this one seems in a much better condition than mine. €3500 does seem steep but if its got a full service history (which is essential for a good Puma as I found out) and if its in perfect condition then if the OP can get it under 3k, it should be a good car.

And I wouldn't say the Puma is just a glorified Fiesta, its a good bit more than a Fiesta. Its got a stiffer suspension and a slightly more powerful engine as well which makes it a much more exciting car to drive. And the looks are a bit unique as well and it's got a massive boot for a car of its size.

Anyway, I doubt any normal person can get a decent Ford Puma for under a grand. We've all herd stories of people buying good cars for a few hundred quid but unless you have contacts in dealerships and such it doesn't happen. You could maybe be able to knock a grand of the asking price or maybe more depending on how good you're at haggling.

johndaman66

af_thefragile wrote: »

And I wouldn't say the Puma is just a glorified Fiesta, its a good bit more than a Fiesta. Its got a stiffer suspension and a slightly more powerful engine as well which makes it a much more exciting car to drive. And the looks are a bit unique as well and it's got a massive boot for a car of its size.

Perhaps your right on the above points af_thefragile. I'm not a Puma owner either so won't argue with you. I was fairly sure and certain that the 1.4 engine was the same as in the Fiesta though and straight out of the Fiesta but stand to be corrected on that point. I do agree that it looks pretty unique but don't think it aged too well but suppose thats a matter of personal opinion and taste.

af_thefragile wrote: »

We've all herd stories of people buying good cars for a few hundred quid but unless you have contacts in dealerships and such it doesn't happen.

I think we've all heard a fair share of what I'd call pub talk too though. Not for one minute suggesting the other subscribers to the thread are lying but I think sometimes you need to separate in your own head whats quite obviously fact and fiction

af_thefragile

^Actually yeah, it was the Ford engine and the later Fiesta MK6 Duratec engine which was less powerful than the 90PS 1.4 Zetec-SE fitted in the Puma and the MK4 Fiesta.
But I think its the stiffened suspension which gives the Puma a lot more feel than the Fiesta. It does feel like driving a large gokart. Really easy to drive as there is just so much feedback you get from the steering wheel while driving it.

The Puma in the add I think is one of those special edition Pumas, as normal pumas had fabric seats, different alloys and the AC was an option, which is why I think the seller is asking that much for a 1.4l. That is even high price for a 1.7l Puma.

But a 1.7l Puma in good condition for 200eur is hard to believe. You've gotta be extremely lucky to come upon something as such.

RossDonegan

Not in the trade. Mechanicaly wise its mint, the rear arches are just starting to let go. But it drove home perfectly.
Twas advertised on Dondeal for 800, i went to see it and your man was desperate to sell so i said 200cash and ill drive it away now.
Jesus I was surprised he took it.