First car, 21 year old male, €2000-€2500 budget

johnmcdnl

Hey, just passed my driving test last week so now in the market for a first car for myself. I'm nearly 21 now and have about a €2k budget for the car itself with an upper limit of €2500 and will be paying insurance and tax on top of this afterwards.

I'm basically looking for something tidy, half way decent to look at and economical to get from A to B. I'll be doing about 300km a week (travelling up to college each week and home again with a bit of travelling around Dublin thrown in as well). I did learn to drive in a 1.9TDi Golf that my Dad owns so taking a step down to something like a Micra or Fiesta would be a real push. I took a driving lesson in a Fiesta or something similar a few months back and hated the car instantly. It was just far too compact for my liking and I just somehow felt squeezed in it and on top of that when we went out the bypass and put some speed up the car just didn't feel solid on the road so just didn't like it at all. I'm not a mad car enthusiast but just never have liked the wee tiny cars even as a passenger. Unless there's some real value to be found with one in comparison to something slightly bigger I'd really rather stay away from them (trying to make this clear as flicking through most old posts here everyone seems to just want to recommend small cars for new drivers)

I'd be thinking along the lines of a Ford Focus or a Seat Leon or even a slightly older VW Golf - something in or around this size that would be economically enough to run and won't have the insurance comapanies trying to rob me blind. For €2k am I asking too much? I'm not huge into my cars so wouldn't exactly know a whole lot about some of the models so just looking for a bit of advice so I can seen my Dad and my local garage man out looking for me. The old man is complete VW fanboy though so has it set in his head to go to look for a Polo simply because it's a VW. On that note are Polo's any good?

The resale value of the car is of little importance to me tbh as I'll probably just keep this car until it's on it's last legs.

Basically just looking for a few suggestions to models that would be within my price range so I can send Dad and the garage man out looking with a slightly wider mind set than "POLO"

Cheers for any advice in advance

goz83

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3845750

You could also consider Bora, if Polo is not for you. I really dislike the "only brand" mentality. VW is a good brand, but it's not the only reputable one. Your Dad is just afraid of change. Pre 04 Opels are also really good cars. An Astra, or something (1.4) and it's also German, or was......

Mister Jingles

If you don't like Fiesta's or supermini's for that matter then I can't really see how the Polo would be any different.

Ford Focus 1.6 or even the 1.4 sounds like your best bet. There's plenty to be had on DoneDeal, some in good nick and some in not so good nick. Here is a thread from yesterday about the Focus. Don't really know all that much about VAG's (VW/seat/ skoda ect) so somebody else can advise on that matter.

johnmcdnl

goz83 wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3845750

You could also consider Bora, if Polo is not for you. I really dislike the "only brand" mentality. VW is a good brand, but it's not the only reputable one. Your Dad is just afraid of change. Pre 04 Opels are also really good cars. An Astra, or something (1.4) and it's also German, or was......

His loyalty comes from driving 3 cars over the past 35 years or so and will probably be near on 40-45 years when he gets rid of the current car unless something unforseen happens to the current car - all of which were VWs. A MK2 golf that he had for about 20 years, a pickup golf truck (the only one I've ever seen of them but was brilliant for him as a farmer) and his current golf. None of them gave him any trouble so VW=reliable in his book which is grand by me but just don't want him going off looking at a single type of car when others could be a good option.

A Bora would be pretty hard to insure would it not for a younger driver especially who's only just gotten a license??

My mother actually had one of the older Astra's a few years back and she loved it so wouldn't mind looking at one I could find one.

Mister Jingles wrote: »

If you don't like Fiesta's or supermini's for that matter then I can't really see how the Polo would be any different.

Ford Focus 1.6 or even the 1.4 sounds like your best bet. There's plenty to be had on DoneDeal, some in good nick and some in not so good nick. Here is a thread from yesterday about the Focus. Don't really know all that much about VAG's (VW/seat/ skoda ect) so somebody else can advise on that matter.

I've never actually been in a Polo or know anyone who owns one but for some reason I've always imagined them to be somewhat bigger that the other "mini" cars and somewhat more nippy so that's the single reason why I'd consider them and not one of the other wee little cars. Just looking for a bit of outside opinion on them. What would they actually be like when driving at speed compared to a Fiesta or something similar say which is the only mini car I've had experience with. (when I say speed I mean 55-60mph on the main road or 65-70 on the motorways and even though I'm a young male driver I have no real interest in driving at 200mph as the media would like to portray us all as - I'll just be more than happy to be able to drive up to college rather than wasting 4 hours trying to get up to college compared to the 90-120 minute run in a car) Simply because my only experience was on a "slightly" windy day and I could feel the car wobbling that wee bit when we were on the bypass - I'd be driven demented if I had to do that regularly travelling up to and from college. If the Polo is literally no better then I would rather stay away from them. I have no allegiance to any brand of car so I'm far saying I want a Polo but just have somehow always assumed they were slightly sturdier cars than the other small cars and if that assumption is completely wrong I have no problem ditching the Polo idea completely.

I've always heard people talk about the Ford with good esteem (actually read that thread earlier today) so would be happy enough with one if I could find a nice one and is why I actually mentioned it in the OP.


I would be better off getting a diesel model wouldn't I for fuel consumption wouldn't I? I know their a wee bit more expensive to buy but I have the money to buy the car now whereas in a few months time or a few years from now when I'm going to fill the car up I'll be shooting myself for getting a Petrol car ahead of the Diesel if it's a good bit more expensive to run them.

Mister Jingles

Well you say that you'll do roughly 300km a week going to college and that ? Multiply that by 52 and you get 15,600km. College is only something like 30 odd weeks so it wouldn't be even 15,000km if you think about it, all this is just a rough guess. But that type of mileage wouldn't warrant a diesel tbh.

kbyte61

I think a 1.4 Honda Civic would suit you well enough but I understand if you don't want one of them since so many knackers drive them.

Tallon

goz83 wrote: »

Your Dad is just afraid of change.

Have you met his father? Do you know this?

Bit of a rude post tbh. If his dad has had nothing but positives with a certain brand, then there is no reason he wouldn't advise his son on the same.

kbyte61 wrote: »

I think a 1.4 Honda Civic would suit you well enough but I understand if you don't want one of them since so many knackers drive them.

Where to start with this post, you're mindset is completely ignorant!

And if you read the op, you would see he doesn't want a small car

PaulKK

johnmcdnl wrote: »

A Bora would be pretty hard to insure would it not for a younger driver especially who's only just gotten a license??

I don't see why, its got the same engines as a golf and is a saloon.

I had a Passat at 20 and no problem insuring it.

Larsso30

you cant beat a punto for your first car

dgt

Larsso30 wrote: »

you cant beat a punto for your first car

+1 if its a mk2 its rather roomy inside. My old one was anyway, certainly did not feel cramped

I was going to suggest an older diesel 406 though :pac:

kbyte61

Tallon wrote: »

Have you met his father? Do you know this?

Bit of a rude post tbh. If his dad has had nothing but positives with a certain brand, then there is no reason he wouldn't advise his son on the same.



Where to start with this post, you're mindset is completely ignorant!

And if you read the op, you would see he doesn't want a small car

I drive a Honda Civic saloon myself but a lot of knackers and boy racers do drive them. EDIT: not the saloon though its mostly the hatchback and coupe.

When he said he doesn't want a small car I figured that he wouldn't want something as small as a Ford Fiesta which is the example he used. I don't think Civics are as small as those and having drivin a Fiesta recently I understand what he means when he says how compact they are. I thought that a Civic might be a good choice because they feel much more spacious and less compact inside of them and give better visibility.

I wasn't trying to be rude or anything like that.

Tallon

kbyte61 wrote: »

I drive a Honda Civic saloon myself but a lot of knackers and boy racers do drive them. EDIT: not the saloon though its mostly the hatchback and coupe.

When he said he doesn't want a small car I figured that he wouldn't want something as small as a Ford Fiesta which is the example he used. I don't think Civics are as small as those and having drivin a Fiesta recently I understand what he means when he says how compact they are. I thought that a Civic might be a good choice because they feel much more spacious and less compact inside of them and give better visibility.

I wasn't trying to be rude or anything like that.

I assumed you were talking about the coupe, apologies

Thinking about it, a saloon civic wouldn't be bad at all

kbyte61

Tallon wrote: »

I assumed you were talking about the coupe, apologies

Thinking about it, a saloon civic wouldn't be bad at all

Its all good man. I should have specified in the first post.

goz83

Tallon wrote: »

Have you met his father? Do you know this?

Bit of a rude post tbh. If his dad has had nothing but positives with a certain brand, then there is no reason he wouldn't advise his son on the same.

That's just nit picking. Perhaps I shouldn't have said afraid. Maybe I should have said doesn't want/like change in the context of car brands, but I certainly wasn't aiming to be rude. The majority of my post was (i'd like to think) helpful to the OP.

You might have suggestions for the OP, other than deconstructing posts?

johnmcdnl

Right lads I'm far from offended by you saying my Dad is afraid of change so enough of that ****e

Wouldn't mind looking at a Civic as long as it's not done up to the bolix with loud exhausts to make it go faster and **** :pac: Really have no interest in going round with lowered body kits and all that ****e.

2002 Honda Civic - 1.6 petrol Something like this would be pretty alright.

Have the Focus, Leon, Civic, Golf, C4 and the Polo is still on the cards until I actually go and find one to look at - will be in town some of the days so I'll just walk about until I find one and make a decision if it's any better than the other wee cars.

and just to clarify - when I say I don't want a small car I mean please no recommendations for a Micra/Fiesta and "TINY" cars like that - anything in anyway bigger is grand.

sean1141

Diesel leon? wouldnt bother with a petrol
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3844723
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3836413