19 and buying my first car

thewheel2.0

Right I'm on a learners permit and hope to soon be on a full licence in the next three months. I'm looking to buy my first car.

Ive a list here of cars I like:
VW Polo
Toyota Corolla
Renault Clio
Peugeot 206
Ford Focus MK1
VW Golf MK4

Favorites would be the Golf and Focus. Id like something thats safe enough, reliable, good handling, and cheap to insure. Budget would be up to €2500.

Any past owners of cars on the list have anything good or bad to say about the cars?

Is there anything obvious I should know - "never touch a corolla" or something like that.

Or any other recommendations?

godtabh

i dont think anything would be cheap to insure for you!

Get a few quotes from the insurance companies about the cars you want to buy to get a ball park figure on insurance costs

Wats_in_a_name

I've had a 1.1 206 & currently have 1.4 Focus.

Focus is bigger than the 206 and the 1.4 is a bit underpowered. I found the 206 to be suprising nippy and was a better drive than the focus. Nothing went wrong with either of them.

thewheel2.0

OSI wrote: »

Is the budget including insurance?
Because you can expect to pay almost all of that budget on insurance.

No its not. I got a quote for €600 (for 9 months) on my Ma's 307 (plus the 300 she pays so its €900).

Ive been getting quotes around €1400 on a golf and focus if you put it under my parents name (Otherwise its around €2500).

Wats_in_a_name

If its your car & its insured under your parents name & you crash insurance company can come after you for the costs wouldn't recommend it. Plus you don't get your own NCB.

thewheel2.0

Wats_in_a_name wrote: »

If its your car & its insured under your parents name & you crash insurance company can come after you for the costs wouldn't recommend it. Plus you don't get your own NCB.

What would people recommend then for getting cheap insurance? Cause insuring it in my own name is crazy expensive!

keithclancy

thewheel2.0 wrote: »

What would people recommend then for getting cheap insurance? Cause insuring it in my own name is crazy expensive!

Thats how much getting insured costs.

If you crash you'll wreck your Parents NCB.

Plus the sooner you take the plunge the faster you'll build up your own NCB

PARKHEAD67

thewheel2.0 wrote: »

Right I'm on a learners permit and hope to soon be on a full licence in the next three months. I'm looking to buy my first car.

Ive a list here of cars I like:
VW Polo
Toyota Corolla
Renault Clio
Peugeot 206
Ford Focus MK1
VW Golf MK4

Favorites would be the Golf and Focus. Id like something thats safe enough, reliable, good handling, and cheap to insure. Budget would be up to €2500.

Any past owners of cars on the list have anything good or bad to say about the cars?

Is there anything obvious I should know - "never touch a corolla" or something like that.

Or any other recommendations?

I started on a 2nd hand Clio. Drove it for 4 years and never had an ounce of trouble.It was a little dinger. Great car.;)

amandaf675

a 1.4 golf isnt great! there very heavy car with an underpowered engine. same as a focus. clios are a good car but i i know its not what u would like but a micra is a good reliable car and cheap to insure compare to other cars

PARKHEAD67

amandaf675 wrote: »

a 1.4 golf isnt great! there very heavy car with an underpowered engine. same as a focus. clios are a good car but i i know its not what u would like but a micra is a good reliable car and cheap to insure compare to other cars

Dont go micra. For your own sake. The clio has a bit of zing to it but the micra is for old ladies.I dont work for Renault btw:D

amandaf675

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Dont go micra. For your own sake. The clio has a bit of zing to it but the micra is for old ladies.I dont work for Renault btw:D

Ahem, im no old lady!! Im only a few weeks off 20 Haha
Ive Had 2 micras, both were reliable and cheap to run
And ive had alot of cars to compare them too

Caliden

thewheel2.0 wrote: »

What would people recommend then for getting cheap insurance? Cause insuring it in my own name is crazy expensive!

When you start driving, insurance is going to cost more than the car is worth and alot of people don't factor that in when they go to get a car.
Getting a car is the cheap part, getting it on the road and running it are the expensive parts.

With regards the car, I've owned a 1.4 mk4 golf and it's a great car.
Amazingly visibility, which is ideal for a new driver.
It's a little underpowered when you have more than 2 people in the car but they're a good first car, albeit a little expensive so make sure you get one that doesn't need anything and has had a major service recently

thewheel2.0

Clio is looking good, but the insurance quote is €3117 from Axa with it in my own name! Compared to €1336 under my parents name.

This stuff is for rich kids. I need to be able to drive myself to college!

PARKHEAD67

amandaf675 wrote: »

Ahem, im no old lady!! Im only a few weeks off 20 Haha
Ive Had 2 micras, both were reliable and cheap to run
And ive had alot of cars to compare them too

I thought it was your 1st car you were looking at! Didnt read the entire thread.Still, micras are baaaad. I wont retract my comment on micras:D

PARKHEAD67

thewheel2.0 wrote: »

Clio is looking good, but the insurance quote is €3117 from Axa with it in my own name! Compared to €1336 under my parents name.

This stuff is for rich kids. I need to be able to drive myself to college!

Thats an absolutely disgraceful quote. But typical of Irish insurers. Go under the parents I'd say.

amandaf675

they are awful quotes. i pity young male drivers in this country! when i started driving 3 years ago in january, i payed 900 on my own policy for tpft on a 1.3 micra

Laurendonegal

I would definitly go for a micra, ive got a 98 micra its a good as new very cheap to run tax is cheap, me and my boyfriend are both on provisionals and its 950 for us to insure for the year and im 21. Axa is the best insurance for lads and some insurance companys wont touch a young fella on a provisonal driving something like a golf, my brother in law is 18 and the only qoute he could get on a toyota starlet was over 3grand, stick to something small untill you ave a years no claims

Last year i was 21 and started driving a 1.0 99 micra, Full licence. Was €950 with me as a named driver on my dads policy. Just got a renewal and now its down to €577 On quinn.

so id recommend going on parents policy untill about 23 or so, when you get out of the crazy insurance wise age bracket.

BronsonTB

Buy an old mini...Cheap & alot more street cred than a micra!!

PARKHEAD67

Laurendonegal wrote: »

I would definitly go for a micra, ive got a 98 micra its a good as new very cheap to run tax is cheap, me and my boyfriend are both on provisionals and its 950 for us to insure for the year and im 21. Axa is the best insurance for lads and some insurance companys wont touch a young fella on a provisonal driving something like a golf, my brother in law is 18 and the only qoute he could get on a toyota starlet was over 3grand, stick to something small untill you ave a years no claims

clio is only a 1.2 engine. Shouldnt be any dearer than a micra.Micras should never have been designed.Theyre a joke.Just my opinion;).

mink_man

Bought a golf mk4 1.4 petrol myself laste year at 19, my auld fella had only a 3 years NCB and was getting quotes of 2500 for insurance under his name. Went under my own name with a provisional licence, and got insured with insure.ie for €1800. Was pretty good i thought as I was never insured and I was getting insured on my own.

Got unsured in August, passed my test in january and got 80€ back in february. I've done online quotes and I'm getting around €1400, but I think I'll get it less by ringing them up.

PARKHEAD67

BronsonTB wrote: »

Buy an old mini...Cheap & alot more street cred than a micra!!

Wot u mean??:D

Johnaldinioh

Renault=unreliable heap dont get one
Go for the focus cant go wrong with a ford

Alanstrainor

Johnaldinioh wrote: »

Renault=unreliable heap dont get one
Go for the focus cant go wrong with a ford

Which pub did you hear that one in?

mink_man

bought my golf from a garage man who did the engine on it, 01 for 2500, haven't spent a penney on it only petrol and tax have it 10 months

Midnight_EG

BronsonTB wrote: »

Buy an old mini...Cheap & alot more street cred than a micra!!

Really?

Johnaldinioh

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Which pub did you hear that one in?

My dad no pub involved
Hes been with the aa 15 years and the car make he comes across alot is renault

Graham_B18C

That quote seems a little high alright. I was paying 2200 my first year on a 1.0 litre Seat Ibiza, I was 19 at the time too. Have you tried quinn? And AFAIK axa do some sort of student policy (well they did a few years ago) and students got a great discount

thewheel2.0

Graham_B18C wrote: »

That quote seems a little high alright. I was paying 2200 my first year on a 1.0 litre Seat Ibiza, I was 19 at the time too. Have you tried quinn? And AFAIK axa do some sort of student policy (well they did a few years ago) and students got a great discount

€3606 from quinn in my own name, 1800 from Llyods in my own name. This is madness.

Graham_B18C

I reckon you should ring axa and ask about the student policy. A friend of mine had it and gotba discount after 6 months too!

mink_man

try insure.ie, they're a broker. I got the best deal there with the exact same age and licence as you op.

Eric Cartman

Your going to have to suck it up and pay high insurance for a while, Im not sure if this is the case anymore but commercial insurance was cheap when I was starting out (insured on a 2.5 turbo 4x4 for 1799 fully comp at 18 with 0 ncb) , might be worth looking up a car-van , youll have to privatly tax it but commercially insure it.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Try these guys for insurance.

Killinator

What type of Polo had you in mind,
Ive had 2,
1.0L '99 and a 1.0L '00,

I owned the '99 for a year(1st car):
Was cheap to run,plenty of room for a hatchback, easily maneuverable(parking is a breeze), insurance is cheap (or at least it was, 900ish with AXA) , never had a mechanical problem.

Owned the '00 (and still do) for 5 years now and would be loathe to part with her (that said temptation is rearing its head:)),
Is the face lift model so has a nice interior and remodeled exterior compared to the '99,
Is cheap to run with tax at 48 hard earned every 3 months, is cheap to insure, has given no trouble other than that expected from an 11 year old car,

Although its a 1.0L its still seems pretty spritely and is a decent car to learn in,
They also hold fairly decent value from what I've seen as people are always looking for small hatches to learn in(or in recession times moving down from the gas guzzlers):D

Floodric

Drive a 99 Corolla myself. Nice cars to drive, nothing ever went wrong with mine (Or my brothers 98 one, he's had the last 6 years). Flew through the NCT last month with nothing wrong with it. Every Gear head I know commend them on their reliabilty.

I'm Just gone 20. Paying less than a grand on AXA student policy. I have my full license albeit but even when I was on my Provisional, I was paying 1400 which is still cheap. Pretend youre a student and give AXA a call.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

micky93

stay away from 206's. think it was a 99. it had 2 new axles put in. in the space of 6 months