Best Car To Buy To Learn Driving

20784

Hi,

I'm currently doing my driving lesson, i've done 5 lessons so far. Which car is best to buy to learn driving/practising?? Any suggestion?

seanaway

Don't base your decision on buying a car around this.

If you can drive you should be abel to drive just about any car out there. Look at things like safety rating, fuel consumption, what you will use the car for, petrol or diesel, manual or automatic etc....

At the end of the day it's about what you need to use it for and the running cost.

20784

seanaway wrote: »

Don't base your decision on buying a car around this.

If you can drive you should be abel to drive just about any car out there. Look at things like safety rating, fuel consumption, what you will use the car for, petrol or diesel, manual or automatic etc....

At the end of the day it's about what you need to use it for and the running cost.

Just that i keep hearing ''you need to practice, you need to practice'' But the problem is i don't have a car, i never drive before, no friends own a car cos i just move to a new location. Heard that if i don't practice its like i'm wasting my money on driving lessons??

bisounours

I got my first licence in the U.S. at 16 and drove an automatic for years. When I moved back to France they wouldn't swap my license and I had to take the test again (and learn how to properly drive stick shift) I noticed I stalled much less with a diesel than petrol, and the car felt less "jumpy" - might have been psychological, might be the car just had a lower biting point so I felt more confident driving the diesel. Drove diesels for a few years, didn't have a car for 8 years after that, recently purchased a petrol and am happy with it. Perhaps it was all in my mind!

cantdecide

I will always advise to buy a car based on your needs first and foremost. I don't believe in the idea of buying a 'learner car'- it's a tool to perform a job and that should be your priority. IMO unless a car has something wrong with it that needs attention, you should just hop in and learn around its quirks and characteristics, they're all different and they will all have advantages and disadvantages.

Potsy84

I learned in a Peugeot 206. 2001. 1.1 l. I bought it for just over a grand and had it 2 years. It was a great little car and served its purpose very well. Though, I was thrilled when I was finally in a position to upgrade. For me, it was great to have a 'learning' car, at least until I knew a little bit more about driving and cars in general. Good luck with the lessons!

Pugzilla

A small car makes everything easier when starting out. No point in handicapping yourself.

It's your first car, not your last.

I learned in a 206 as well and would recommend it or similar.

Squidgy Black

The usual suspects would be a Micra, Yaris, Clio, 206, Punto.

All easy enough on insurance and tax, not too powerful either.

It's all about trying to find something that's not been abused to badly and doesn't need much work done to it.

Into The Blue

Toyota Yaris.

Captain Chaos

I started learning in a 07 Corola 1.4, it was awful imo. No feed back from the steering, very heavy clutch with a tiny biting point and alot of blind spot areas with the massive front pillars. Gave up after 4 hours in that and went into a 2010 1.3 Corsa for my second lesson a week later and felt right at home, felt good in the corners and I could feel what the car was doing on the road, far lighter and very forgiving clutch and a better driving position.

I had a pain in my left leg for two days after driving the Corola for just a few hours.

Craftylee

Can't go wrong with a little 1.25 Fiesta, pretty much does everything needed for a new driver

rainbow kirby

Craftylee wrote: »

Can't go wrong with a little 1.25 Fiesta, pretty much does everything needed for a new driver

I'm doing my lessons in a diesel 2012 Fiesta and it's not too bad at all

prettyrestless

I'm learning at the moment and I just bought a 2004 1.2 VW Polo. Insurance is cheap enough (compared to quotes I got for fiestas and 206s), it's easy enough on petrol, will be easy to sell on in a year or two and will have a fairly decent resale value.

I would recommend aiming for a 2003 or newer car as its harder to get insurance for older cars when you're inexperienced (or so I found).

20784

prettyrestless wrote: »

I'm learning at the moment and I just bought a 2004 1.2 VW Polo. Insurance is cheap enough (compared to quotes I got for fiestas and 206s), it's easy enough on petrol, will be easy to sell on in a year or two and will have a fairly decent resale value.

I would recommend aiming for a 2003 or newer car as its harder to get insurance for older cars when you're inexperienced (or so I found).

still can't find any car to buy :mad:

20784

Really still can't find car to buy, cheap insurance for first timer like me.

Captain Chaos

Cheapest quotes I got starting off at 29 were between €2,800-€3,000, it made little difference if it was a 1.0 Micra or a 1.6 Focus cost wise so I went for the latter.

Just have to bite a bullet starting off.

20784

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Cheapest quotes I got starting off at 29 were between €2,800-€3,000, it made little difference if it was a 1.0 Micra or a 1.6 Focus cost wise so I went for the latter.

Just have to bite a bullet starting off.

Confused which Litre & year to buy as first timer

seanaway

20784 wrote: »

Confused which Litre & year to buy as first timer

1. How much have you got to spend
2. How much can you afford in terms of running a car - service/parts/labout/reliability/tax/insurance etc... all need to be looked at otherwise you'll have a nice ornament in the driveway
3. Do not get a car with a powerful engine. It takes time to build your driving skills. Passing a test does not make you a good driver - experience should -if you keep learning and remember you will never know it all.

20784

seanaway wrote: »

1. How much have you got to spend
2. How much can you afford in terms of running a car - service/parts/labout/reliability/tax/insurance etc... all need to be looked at otherwise you'll have a nice ornament in the driveway
3. Do not get a car with a powerful engine. It takes time to build your driving skills. Passing a test does not make you a good driver - experience should -if you keep learning and remember you will never know it all.

Between 700e to 800e

Is this car good enough to buy just to use within the town & learn more driving? also whats the likely price for insurance?

Daewoo Matiz

Year- 2002
Fule type- Petrol
Engine size- 0-6L
Mileage- 115,872 KM / 72,000 M
NCT- April 2016
Hatchback

seanaway

20784 wrote: »

Between 700e to 800e

Is this car good enough to buy just to use within the town & learn more driving? also whats the likely price for insurance?

Daewoo Matiz

Year- 2002
Fule type- Petrol
Engine size- 0-6L
Mileage- 115,872 KM / 72,000 M
NCT- April 2016
Hatchback

If the car is in good nick then yeah. I always get a good mechanic to check any car I think of buying 2nd hand though. this is especially important if you you don't know much about them. Are you getting it from a garage or private owner?
If a garage they might have a 3 or 6 month warranty on it. If private deffo get it checked.

As for insurance you have to check the comanies. Call lots of insurance companies - the difference in quotes can be staggering.

Good luck with your first car.