Buying my first car soon enough, few questions

TheStook

Im a 19 year old male and dont know too much about cars other than the fact that I need one!

So Im just wondering what the most economical 1.0 car would be, as in which car/model has the highest mpg and is safe etc.
My price range would be €1000.

I understand I might be limiting myself somewhat by only going for a 1.0 so if there's really decent 1.1/1.2 dont hesitate to suggest em.

Also cars that are cheap for first time insurance.

Thanks in advance

colm_mcm

At 1k you can't be too fussy. You won't get anything that's exceptional in lots of areas.

For a bloke, I'd suggest a mk2 punto.
They're 1.25 tax and insurance wise, but they're good on petrol, even at 120kmph (which 1.0s generally aren't) it has a 4 star safety rating which is decent enough for 1999 and it feels substantial

Moneymaker

Driving a 00 Punto myself atm, it's a grand little car. It's perfectly fine around the city and does 120(ish :pac: ) on the motorway with no issues. It's the ELX 16v with a whopping 80bhp but its a light car and it feels nippy and lively, it's a surprisingly fun drive imo. I just NCTd it last week and all it needed was a CV joint to pass.

You should get a 98-99 Corolla for under 1k no bother. Those are 1.3 and are pretty much bulletproof.

Kaiser D

As above - MK2 Punto. AFAIK the ELX spec gives electric windows and I think one or two other options so I'd look out for one of those. Obviously for €1k spec level isn't the first thing on your mind though.
They are good cars and pretty reliable despite what a lot of people have to say about Fiat. Anything that does go wrong can be sorted pretty cheaply too.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/02-fiat-punto-nct-done-recently-and-tax/6951638


Just to throw something else into the mix - the Renault Clio. They're comfortable little cars and the 1.1 16v has around the same power as the MK2 Punto so they're decent to drive. Quite a good looking car too, especially in two door.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-clio-2001/7020543


^This one looks a nice example, and its actually a 1.1 despite the ad claiming to be a 1.4

colm_mcm

The ELX has coloured bumpers, nicer seats with rear headrests and front fogs over the base model

Moneymaker

Indeed it does. It's comfy enough actually, for what it is.

TheStook

Thanks everyone, I will certainly be looking into a Punto Mk2.

TheStook

Any opinions on a Polo? I hear their really great on petrol

Moneymaker

TheStook wrote: »

Any opinions on a Polo? I hear their really great on petrol

****e to drive, very gutless engine.

Any 1.0/1.2 car is good on fuel.

TheStook

Moneymaker wrote: »

****e to drive, very gutless engine.

Any 1.0/1.2 car is good on fuel.

Ah okay, whaddya mean by gutless?

My uncle runs a garage and I ran the Fiat idea by him and he laughed it off, said Punto's are in the garage every single week. So now Im very confused and I dont have too much of a choice with a ~1k budget.

The bright side is that whatever car I do get will be throughly inspected and maintained by my uncle for free (I hope lol)

padma

If youre uncle owns a garage youve half the battle won in terms of having good solid reliable cars for the rest of your life...i'd up the amount by 2/300 and get a Yaris...although you could ask your uncle to keep an eye out for one for you..

The punto can be troublesome at times and you need to keep an eye on things with them..as for a yaris..there is nothing that will go wrong with them unless your flying over ramps and stuff all the time.

Moneymaker

TheStook wrote: »

Ah okay, whaddya mean by gutless?

My uncle runs a garage and I ran the Fiat idea by him and he laughed it off, said Punto's are in the garage every single week. So now Im very confused and I dont have too much of a choice with a ~1k budget.

The bright side is that whatever car I do get will be throughly inspected and maintained by my uncle for free (I hope lol)

I think the best way to explain gutless is that it's very slow and you have to work the car hard to go anywhere at any sort of decent speed.

I believe the 1.0 Polo is around 50bhp which is hopelessly inadequate.

Whereas a 1.2 Punto ELX is around 80bhp and only 1000kg so it is perfectly adequate.

Punto's can go wrong but in general they are very cheap to fix.

If you really want trouble free motoring, buy a Yaris, but you'll pay twice as much(or even more).

TheStook

Okay sounds like a Yaris is the way to go, never liked them aesthetically though but that's not too important.

Thanks for the advice and ad links, one of the most helpful forums Ive ever been in.

One more question, opinions on a Seat Ibiza?

Moneymaker

TheStook wrote: »

Okay sounds like a Yaris is the way to go, never liked them aesthetically though but that's not too important.

Thanks for the advice and ad links, one of the most helpful forums Ive ever been in.

One more question, opinions on a Seat Ibiza?

Same mechanically as a Polo.

Idbatterim

id go for the 1.3 yaris if it wont effect insurance too much...

just compared the 1 and 1.3L

1L claimed stats from autotrader.co.uk
50.4 mpg combined
13.6 0-62
64 bhp

1.3
48.7 mpg combined
12.1 0-62
86 bhp

JohnBoy26

Idbatterim wrote: »

id go for the 1.3 yaris if it wont effect insurance too much...

just compared the 1 and 1.3L

1L claimed stats from autotrader.co.uk
50.4 mpg combined
13.6 0-62
64 bhp

1.3
48.7 mpg combined
12.1 0-62
86 bhp

The 1 liter in the yaris is perfectly fine and will do the job perfectly. Just like the 1.3 it's a 4 cylinder unit so it's just as refined and doesn't feel underpowered in everyday driving.

The 1.3 does no doubt offer better performance but it's €186 more to tax per annum + most are UK imports.

If this was the mk2 we were talking about I'd probably agree you as the 1 liter unit in that is a 3 cylinder, which is no where near as nice as the 4 cylinder 1.3.