First car, need help

patakadarragh

Hey all, buying first car, been driving about a year a skoda fabia 1.4. Need some advice regarding engine size, would I be right in saying it would cost much more for me to be insured as a named driver under my fathers policy on a 1.6 petrol or would it be roughly the same. Also anyone got any views on a good first car? Looking at corollas (post 2002 model), boras, alfa romeo 147s and almeras. Budget is approx 2500. Would appreciate some advice with regards to selection of car and buying privately Vs througha dealership.
Would appreciate any advice ye have to offer, tis a daunting task!

A-Trak

1.4 to 1.6 won't make much difference in its self, depends on the car tbh and only the insurance companies can tell you the price.

Considering your budget, I'd rule out the Alfa 147s. You'll spend far too much time looking for a well maintained one and could end up with a pup.

bazz26

I don't think anyone can answer the insurance question asside from your father's insurance company but note that if you are insured as a named driver on your father's policy that his no claims bonus maybe lost if you have an accident and a claim is made against you.

Regarding the car itself, on a budget of €2500 I would go down the private route, anything generally at garages in this price range tend to be traded in muck with very little warranty on them. Do your homework, have the car checked out by a mechanic and ask the owner questions about it's history (something a garage most likely will not know) and you will nearly always get better value for your €2500 than from a garage.

I'd be looking at something like a Mazda 323, they tend to give very little trouble and are cheap enough to buy these days.

patakadarragh

Cheers, never considered mazdas will take a look. What money am i looking at to get a mechanic to check a car for me before i buy it?

bazz26

Not too up on the going rate but for an hour of his time I would probably think around €50, could be wrong though.