First Car - Budget 5k - Aged 24

hardybuck

Hi folks,

My younger brother is 24, and is hoping to buy his first car. I'm hoping to steer him in the right direction, excuse the pun!

He only started driving towards the end of the summer, and is hoping to sit his test in a couple of months.

Budget of probably €5k. I reckon a 1.2 would do him, 1.4 is probably a bit pricey to insure.

So far I'm recommending the VW Polo, Opel Corsa, Clio, Fiesta. Would anyone have any strong opinions on any of those good or bad, or possibly anything from the leftfield that I haven't considered?

johnos1984

Grande Punto, nice car to drive and al.

I know a few who have had them and none have had an issue.

Parts are cheap when needed and cheaper purchase price means his money will go further.

I have a pet hate for Clios due to a bad experience, Fiesta is also a good choice but you will not get as new a one as the Punto, Corsa I have found outdated and not terribly reliable and the Polo is over rated, expensive and will go wrong. Just ask my sister! However I like them but the handling isn't up to much.

Also to be added to the list is an Ibiza and maybe a Swift

martydunf

At 24 I wouldn't imagine a 1.4 would be that pricey to insure...

MidlandsM

yep, swift,fiesta or yaris would be choices to focus on.

jaffa20

martydunf wrote: »

At 24 I wouldn't imagine a 1.4 would be that pricey to insure...

You'd be suprised. Not much difference between 1.2 and 1.6 in terms of insurance prices when you look around . Depends on the car though of course.

Focus, fiesta or Corolla would be my suggestion for first car.

Ardennes1944

grande punto for me

bmw535d

at 24 insurance shouldn't be too bad. getting his full licence first would help though, id advise him to do that, and with the money he saves on insurance he could get a better car.

Mr Benevolent

The Grande Punto and Focus are great tbh. Don't mind the anti-Fiat crowd, Fiat is on top of its game right now.

Joe7

Would go with Fiesta (not sure what you'll get for 5K).

My first was a MkII for IR£350 & served me well for a couple of years (v.easy to work on).

. . . the later ones have most of the 'user servicable' parts within reach too (although I can see the reason for the 150k belt replacement on the diesels).

Idbatterim

how about a toyota aygo? there is a 08 on carzone from dealer for E5975, road tax E104 per year or E174 per year for 07 and older cars...

Sheeps

I'm 24, having my provisional since I was 17 and my full license since I was 18 and I got a quote on a 3.0L Porsche 911 turbo last week for just under €1800 a year. I also got a quote for a BMW 323i which has a 2.5L engine for just south of €900 a year. That's cheaper than the road tax you would pay on it. Your 24 year old brother should be fine price wise in a 1.2 and it gets cheaper again next year because 25 is when they stop putting you in the same pen as muppets who go around with big rear spoilers on their front wheel drive honda civics wrapping themselves around lamp posts and other road obstacles.

hardybuck

Yeah you'd be surprised how dear insurance on a 1.4 is for someone without much experience, probably a good reason for that though. I was changing a 1.4 Almeira car recently and was going to give it to him for a fair price, couldn't get a quote for under €2k. With the 1.2 he can get away not too badly, around €1100. Once he gets a bit more experience and a full license he'll have more options.

Thanks for the suggestions, I've been hearing more positive noises towards Fiat recently, very few Punto Grandes on the market in our region, similarly with the Swift. Aygo - probably a bit on the small side for him. He'd be looking for something slightly sturdier I reckon.