First car Advice

D14

Can anybody help me out with this. I learned to drive in my parents car (1.2 Petrol VW Polo) and have saved up about €1000 for a car. It would only be used for driving in and out of college around 10-20 miles a day. I'm looking for a small car that's cheap to run and shouldn't cause any mechanical problems. I have my full license almost two years. Any advice? Should be able to insure anything up to 1.4L easy enough. Am in Dublin and have no experience with buying cars.

Frankie Lee

D14 wrote: »

Can anybody help me out with this. I learned to drive in my parents car (1.2 Petrol VW Polo) and have saved up about €1000 for a car. It would only be used for driving in and out of college around 10-20 miles a day. I'm looking for a small car that's cheap to run and shouldn't cause any mechanical problems. I have my full license almost two years. Any advice? Should be able to insure anything up to 1.4L easy enough. Am in Dublin and have no experience with buying cars.

Something along these lines if you want hassle free driving. Nippier than the Polo too.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-starlet/7584859

johnayo

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/02-mazda-121-ford-fiesta-mazda/7661504

Something like this.
Basically a fiesta.

Summer wind

If you want a good reliable car that should be hassle free for driving and looking after go for a Japanese make like Honda or Toyota. Take a Honda jazz Honda civic or Toyota yaris for a test drive and see if you prefer one of them to your polo.

Always haggle on price and try and get one with a good service history and at least three months guarantee from the garage. If possible if you have any mechanic friends get them to check the car out while it's under guarantee or go with you when you are buying.

Best of luck.

BuffyBot

Depending on the Polo version you learned on, something like a first generation Skoda Fabia (http://www.carzone.ie/reviews/used-car-buying-guides/Skoda/Fabia/1999-2007/259/) is worth considering. It's a little plainer on the outside/inside, but the controls and mechanicals etc are virtually identical.

bazz26

You will be doing well getting any sort of warranty on a €1000 car, 3 months or longer - not a chance.

JohnBoy26

Summer wind wrote: »

If you want a good reliable car that should be hassle free for driving and looking after go for a Japanese make like Honda or Toyota. Take a Honda jazz Honda civic or Toyota yaris for a test drive and see if you prefer one of them to your polo.

Always haggle on price and try and get one with a good service history and at least three months guarantee from the garage. If possible if you have any mechanic friends get them to check the car out while it's under guarantee or go with you when you are buying.

Best of luck.

A yaris, Jazz from a Garage with warranty for €1k? and then to "haggle"!!? :eek:

The cars you mention are good cars but for the op's budget there is zero chance of getting a good jazz or yaris.

Summer wind

Sorry I lost track of the op's budget but I'm a firm believer in if you don't ask you don't get. It never hurts to try for a better deal even if it's just a set of mats and a magic tree.

D14

Thanks guys! Anybody know a good garage in Dublin/Leinster with my budget?

Frankie Lee

On that budget you would normally be looking at a private sale.

bazz26

Any €1k cars in dealers/garages will be muck traded in by their previous owners who wanted rid of them and dealers will not put any money into them or stand over them as there is no profit in cars in this price range.

D14

What are the main things I should be looking for when buying? Eg mileage, repairs done etc