Rear wheel drive or Front wheel drive

Collinsfella

Buying my first car looking for advice on fwd or rwd , i know front wheel cars are usually smaller engines so its cheaper on fuel and supposedly better handling, but im wondering about overall costs like repairs and which has less problems

pablo128

I'd be more concerned with insurance costs as a new driver. Having said that, I've seen a few young lads get cheap enough insurance on Mercedes cars for some reason.

Collinsfella

pablo128 wrote: »

I'd be more concerned with insurance costs as a new driver. Having said that, I've seen a few young lads get cheap enough insurance on Mercedes cars for some reason.

Ye ive seen that myself and having looked up a few insurance quotes it seems the newer the car the cheaper the insurance ? Any car you would recommend for a first car i was looking into a toyota corolla or maybe a ford , not a fan of micras or puntos etc

polan

rwd best

good fun with welding differentiel

Foxhole Norman

I wouldn't buy your first car on if it's RWD or FWD, buy what you can get insured on. Most RWD's are typically reasonably powerful and you won't have too much fun trying to insure one for the first time.

All of your questions do not relate to the wheel layout but what car it is.

Supergurrier

You should buy a nice silver Yaris for yourself.

*nudges foxhole*

5W30

Supergurrier wrote: »

You should buy a nice silver Yaris for yourself.

*nudges foxhole*

Third party extension hai

5W30

polan wrote: »

rwd best

good fun with welding differentiel

Did you ever hit a KFC bench before?

biko

Tbh, it's really down to driving style than anything else.but if you must have a suggestion - FWD.
FWD is more forgiving on wet and slippery roads (less likely for the rear to swing out), which can be good when you're a new driver.

Carawaystick

awd - get a scooby.

Henry Ford III

Go fwd I reckon.

166man

I'd go fwd tbh, likely to be looking at lower insurance premiums etc.

However on the topic of rwd vs fwd, having wined examples of both, I personally prefer fwd to rwd. Never got the whole obsession with rwd. A well sorted and properly set up fwd car is more than capable in the twisties.

Foxhole Norman

166man wrote: »

I'd go fwd tbh, likely to be looking at lower insurance premiums etc.

However on the topic of rwd vs fwd, having wined examples of both, I personally prefer fwd to rwd. Never got the whole obsession with rwd. A well sorted and properly set up fwd car is more than capable in the twisties.

Can confirm, almost died in a GTV, 10/10 would do it again.

166man

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Can confirm, almost died in a GTV, 10/10 would do it again.

Remind me again...?

Foxhole Norman

166man wrote: »

Remind me again...?

Well, you see, you almost killed me in a GTV, so I can most definitely say that a well setup FWD is quite the machine!

Eric Cartman

very few cheap to insure rwd cars so you'll probably be stuck with fwd boxes for a bit.

when you have 3 years NCB it'll be time to start looking at joining the RWD / AWD (with a rear bias only) Master race.

ianobrien

OP, as others have said, get what you can afford to insure. As you are starting off driving, the premiums will be high. Also, as you are starting to learn how to control a car, FWD is more "natural" and you are less likely to get it wrong. Also, for most legal(ish) speeds it makes no difference really as grip levels are so good now in cars.

If you really want to learn how to drive a car, join your local motor club and start doing some autotesting and the like. You really learn what to do and not to do in a car when the grip disappears

H3llR4iser

Collinsfella wrote: »

Buying my first car looking for advice on fwd or rwd , i know front wheel cars are usually smaller engines so its cheaper on fuel and supposedly better handling, but im wondering about overall costs like repairs and which has less problems

Sorry, but from your post it seems quite obvious to me you have quite a bit of learning to do about the subject of cars and their workings.

The only thing I can suggest is alongside what many did - check insurance quotes and chose accordingly, unfortunately it is gonna be the main decision factor when it concerns your very first car.

In normal driving, there will be no difference between an RWD and FWD car; Point in case, the many old ladies you see going around in Mercs and BMWs most likely have zero idea that their car is in fact a RWD.

In terms of handling, both options can be very competent if well set up, or very bad if set up improperly. I don't think either to be "easier" to drive, but that's just me, having learnt to drive on "old school", no-locking-diff FWD and RWD cars. As a general rule, people tend to screw up a bit on poor surfaces (e.g. snow) driving RWDs - part of the problem might be that, as said above, they have no idea they are driving a rear wheel drive car!

Lastly, the vast majority of cars on the EU market are FWD; RWDs are few and far in between, and normally fall into the sports or premium category: BMWs, most Mercedes, Ferrari, Alfa 4C, Toyota GT86, Lexus, Porsche...good luck getting insurance on one of these