Recommendations on a car for a youngish person

deadybai

Im starting to save for a new car and I am looking to save up to €10000 for one. At the moment I am 22 and have an owld banger which I'm looking to get rid off.

I want to buy a car that has low tax and low insurance for my age. I was thinking anything 08+ to avoid getting crippled by tax. I was thinking maybe an Audi A3, VW Golf etc.

Can anyone recommend what I should be looking for? The car I currently have has given me nothing but trouble and has poor power which I think is dangerous so I'm looking for something perhaps 1.6 litre engine.

My current one is 1.2 but 04 so my tax is rediculous for what I have

deadybai

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/audi/a3/used-2009-audi-a3-sportback-1-6-a-wexford-fpa-139214231350203770

Is this any good for example?

Atlantic Dawn

deadybai wrote: »

My current one is 1.2 but 04 so my tax is rediculous for what I have

A 1.2 tax is €330 a year, spending €10k to save at most €140 a year is a touch mad.

The savings you will make buying a pre 2008 car will more than make up for buying one 2008 for the "cheap" tax.

Lellostag

I take it is a small diesel car you are looking for then in order to qualify for minimum tax, right?

colm_mcm

deadybai wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/audi/a3/used-2009-audi-a3-sportback-1-6-a-wexford-fpa-139214231350203770

Is this any good for example?

Tax on that is €750 a year

Lellostag

deadybai wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/audi/a3/used-2009-audi-a3-sportback-1-6-a-wexford-fpa-139214231350203770

Is this any good for example?

You do know the tax is €750 a year for that one? Why not look for a 2 litre car from '07 or early '08 instead, €710 in tax and much more oomph instead of a weezy 1.6..?

colm_mcm

07 will be on cc based tax.

bazz26

Some people focus entirely on motor tax when it isn't the most expensive part of car ownership.

What about a Honda Civic Type S:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-grand-vitara-2004-2-0-diesel-nct-8-16/10172956?offset=30

Motor tax is still reasonable at €570.

Lellostag

colm_mcm wrote: »

07 will be on cc based tax.

Exactly, and that's why it'd be cheaper taxing an '07 2-litre car than that '09 A3 the OP was looking at...

colm_mcm

I think the OP assumed it had de chape tax

Lellostag

colm_mcm wrote: »

I think the OP assumed it had de chape tax

Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's surprising how few people check the motortax website for each car's tax rate, even though that seems to be such a deciding factor in what car they want...

deadybai

Is that car not based on C02 tax? I thought all cars after June 08 were based on C02 emissions?

Lellostag

deadybai wrote: »

Is that car not based on C02 tax? I thought all cars after June 08 were based on C02 emissions?

Yes, that's right, but that doesn't mean its any cheaper unless the CO2 emissions are very low, which rarely is the case for petrol cars. It also gives you the option (I think) with '08 cars to choose the rate that is lower, ie. either tax it based on cc or emissions...

Diesel engines can also vary wildly, so you really need to check each car for that particular model's emissions, easiest done on motortax.ie using the car's registration number.

deadybai

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-1-9-bluemotion-match-tdi/9415511?offset=4

Would something like this then be ideal?

Lellostag

deadybai wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-1-9-bluemotion-match-tdi/9415511?offset=4

Would something like this then be ideal?

Very possibly, the tax based on cc would be €673 (I think), pity though that you can't see to reg number to know for sure what the actual tax is. I don't know what the emissions are for that model, so you would probably need to first enquire about the reg number to check it.

Otherwise a lot of people talk very positively about the 1.9 TDi engine, so by all accounts it looks like a great car.

If you get the reg number from the seller you'd also be able to get an accurate insurance quote for yourself, so definitely call first before you go and look at it.

deadybai

Lellostag wrote: »

Very possibly, the tax based on cc would be €673 (I think), pity though that you can't see to reg number to know for sure what the actual tax is. I don't know what the emissions are for that model, so you would probably need to first enquire about the reg number to check it.

Otherwise a lot of people talk very positively about the 1.9 TDi engine, so by all accounts it looks like a great car.

If you get the reg number from the seller you'd also be able to get an accurate insurance quote for yourself, so definitely call first before you go and look at it.

Oh right I would have thought that was C02 based.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-2009-se-bluemotion-tdi-/10101772?offset=1

Is the one above C02 based because its an 09? And how do you know how much the tax is? From what I understand the tax on that one is 180€ yearly. That correct?

Lellostag

deadybai wrote: »

Oh right I would have thought that was C02 based.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-2009-se-bluemotion-tdi-/10101772?offset=1

Is the one above C02 based because its an 09? And how do you know how much the tax is? From what I understand the tax on that one is 180€ yearly. That correct?

'08 was a transition year, so I believe you get to choose either or depending on which rate is lower (that might possibly only apply to pre-June '08 models, someone else on here will surely clarify). I think I've seen other 1.9 TDi Golfs from 2008 which claim to have €390 tax rate, but you really need to get the reg number to know for sure.

This '09 Golf you've found is definitely based on emissions, as that was by then the only alternative. It also has the smaller, and newer, commonrail 1.6 litre TDi engine, as opposed to the older (and some claim more reliable) 1.9 TDi engine. That is of course an entirely different discussion, which you will find numerous threads about on here...

In the end only you will know what is most important to you considering buying a car, so definitely have a look on motortax.ie to find out each car's real tax rate (in other words, don't take only the seller's word for it).

Bandito909

bazz26 wrote: »

Some people focus entirely on motor tax when it isn't the most expensive part of car ownership.

What about a Honda Civic Type S:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-grand-vitara-2004-2-0-diesel-nct-8-16/10172956?offset=30

Motor tax is still reasonable at €570.

That's a grand vitara!:D

bazz26

Bandito909 wrote: »

That's a grand vitara!:D

Whoops, this is what I meant to post:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Civic/1.8-TYPE/201314380938303420/

A little more adventurous than a default Golf or A3.