Best beginner car

Superhero1993

I'm looking for a relatively small 1 litre car to start out with but not sure on which make. I was thinking of the Toyota Aygo?

Any advice?
Thanks

punisher5112

Superhero1993 wrote: »

I'm looking for a relatively small 1 litre car to start out with but not sure on which make. I was thinking of the Toyota Aygo?

Any advice?
Thanks

Yaris,

Nuw

The Aygo is really small, really really small... but at the end of the day, it's gonna cost peanuts to run (apart from the insurance which will be excruciating no matter what you buy).

Maybe we can help you more if you give us an idea of the budget you'd be ready to part with and if that budget includes insurance.

horse7

Whatever your budget there's a yaris for you. I prefer the older ones to drive (2001) as they have 4 cylinders and have more head room with a sliding rear seat. The 2006 ones have 3 cylinders and look nicer.The 2016 ones are expensive.

Superhero1993

Planning on getting a loan so price range wouldn't be a massive problem. I am looking for a relatively young car as I am currently driving my Dad's 2004 Vauxhall Astra and it is giving a lot of problems and I find it awkward enough as regards visibility.

Nuw

hyundai i10, vw up!, or the previously mentioned yaris would probably be my best recommendations.

Have a go at them and see for yourself which one you like best, at the end of the day, it's you who'll be driving it

bazz26

Fiat Panda Twinair is worth a look at too:
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Fiat/Panda/FINANCE-THIS/201814569964203100/

VW Up!/Seat Mii/Skoda Citigo are all the same car with different badges:
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Up!/MOVE-UP/201914600468379550/
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/SEAT/Mii/1.0-SE/200814412977026840/
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Skoda/Citigo/***SALE***-CITIGO/201114539943194090/

Hyundai i10/Kia Picanto are the same car underneath too:
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Hyundai/i10/car/201114617599653290/
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/KIA/Picanto/LX-5DR/200814595925148390/

Superhero1993

The Aygo looks to be probably too small as some have said. The Yaris look good but are a bit expensive. The VW Up seem to be a decent price. Some 141's even going for around €7000.
Would the VW Up be a good option?

Nuw

the up! is a decent enough drive, as long as you keep to town, a trip on the motorway is of course do-able but will be tiring...

overall it is a good enough little car (way better than aygo imo)

colm_mcm

it's similarly sized to the aygo though.

bazz26

The Up! is similar in size to the Aygo, the Polo would be similar in size and price to the Yaris. Aygo/Up! are city cars whereas the Polo/Yaris are slightly bigger supermini class cars so there is a price difference between city cars and supermins.

If you are looking at a cheap Up!/Citigo or Mii just be aware that there are some ragged and jaded ex hire car examples for sale.

Superhero1993

Thanks for the replies. I would be doing a bit more than city driving so would people advise a Yaris?
I heard somewhere that the Yaris is quite a light car and if so, is that a negative? Also, I heard some of the insurance companies won't go near a beginner with Japanese made cars or something.
Thanks

bazz26

The Yaris has been on sale since 1999 and there have been 3 versions since then. Mk1 - 1999 to 2005, Mk2 - 2006 to 2011 and Mk3 - 2012 to present. What year are you talking about? Small cars generally are light on the road as they are designed to be frugal and practicality in urban areas.

Also insurance companies have issues with Japanese imports but by that they mean second hand cars originally sold in Japan that have now been imported into Ireland It does not mean they have a problem with Japanese made cars made for Europe. The Yaris was called the Vitz in Japan so anything sold here called the Vitz would be a Japanese import.

ironclaw

What type of driving are you doing OP? If it involves a lot of motorway or distance, the 1.0 Yaris is not for you. I've owned or driven all of them, and the best one out of the bunch is the Mk2 Diesel version. Great drive, super economy and actually a surprising amount of go. The 1.0 is great around town, super cheap to run and maintain but north of 100km/h and you'll be drinking juice like a V8 (Seriously)

Also, I'd caution taking out a loan on a first car. You're going to get crucified on insurance so your financial loss, coupled with loan repayments and interest, doesn't make sense. You'd be better off buying an older Yaris for cash, you'll easily get one in the 2006/2007 range for sub €5k and insure it for less than another €2k. Coming up by 5+ years for multiple of €1000's is not worth it for these types of cars as they haven't changed much and the spec is spartan anyway. I'm presuming by your username you are about 23 years old?

kirving

A loan for a first car isn't necessarily a bad idea. Sure there is a bit of interest, but you may make savings on a newer car when it comes to insuring and taxing it.

Depreciation is generally less on smaller cars too, as they tend to hold their value better.

Superhero1993

ironclaw wrote: »

What type of driving are you doing OP? If it involves a lot of motorway or distance, the 1.0 Yaris is not for you. I've owned or driven all of them, and the best one out of the bunch is the Mk2 Diesel version. Great drive, super economy and actually a surprising amount of go. The 1.0 is great around town, super cheap to run and maintain but north of 100km/h and you'll be drinking juice like a V8 (Seriously)

Also, I'd caution taking out a loan on a first car. You're going to get crucified on insurance so your financial loss, coupled with loan repayments and interest, doesn't make sense. You'd be better off buying an older Yaris for cash, you'll easily get one in the 2006/2007 range for sub €5k and insure it for less than another €2k. Coming up by 5+ years for multiple of €1000's is not worth it for these types of cars as they haven't changed much and the spec is spartan anyway. I'm presuming by your username you are about 23 years old?

It wouldn't be for motorway driving. The furthest I would be driving would be towns 30 minutes away and that would be rare enough. I live about 10 mins outside my local town which is what it would be mostly used for. Therefore the 1.0 Yaris would be alright?

colm_mcm

The 1.0 Toyota engine is a noisy rattley thing though, that'd be the main thing putting me off them.

ironclaw

colm_mcm wrote: »

The 1.0 Toyota engine is a noisy rattley thing though, that'd be the main thing putting me off them.

Very true, didn't improve in the Mk2 either. That said, any 1.0 I've driven hasn't exactly been like a cloud in terms of noise. Wonder what the quietest in class is?

bazz26

1.0 litre in the Mk1 Yaris was a 4 cylinder engine.
1.0 litre in the Mk2 Yaris was a 3 cylinder engine (same as the Aygo).

Jimmy Garlic

The Yaris is a really really dull car with a musty OAP vibe about it. If you can get your hands on a Fiesta with the Ecoboost 1.0 you would be doing well, there is a fair bit of life in them, you won't be praying every time you try to overtake something.

bazz26

Most of the 1.0 litre Fiestas sold here were the non turbo 65bhp versions of the Ecoboost engine though which is no better than a 1.0 litre Yaris power wise.

Jimmy Garlic

bazz26 wrote: »

Most of the 1.0 litre Fiestas sold here were the non turbo 65bhp versions of the Ecoboost engine though which is no better than a 1.0 litre Yaris power wise.

Typical Irish spec bog standard so. Nephew has the 99bhp 1.0, must have been an import. Mighty yolk, plenty of power, lovely to drive.

Superhero1993

The 1.0 litre Fiesta's seem to be difficult to find.

Superhero1993

The 1.0 litre Fiesta's are quite new and probably out of my price range.

JohnBoy26

Does it have to be a 1 liter? The yaris is decent with the 1.33 engine.

kirving

Yeah, a 1.0 Yards won't necessarily be any cheaper to insure than a 1.25 Fiesta for example since the insurance companies assess each car on more than just it's engine size.

alan partridge aha

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Does it have to be a 1 liter? The yaris is decent with the 1.33 engine.

Rare as hens teeth, traded 2012 1.0 for 141 1.33 in January. There was only 3 manuals for sale on Carzone 2*141s and 1*151.

Very happy with it 99bhp and 6 speed and there was only 7k km on it when bought.

I did a huge amount of research in last 2 months, and have just bought a brand new Aygo, I have 2 sons aged 18 and 17 starting to drive.

I test drove the polo, up, citigo and fabia. All fine, though fabia was my least favorite. What swung it for me buying the aygo were the curtain airbags and the Toyota safety sense. I was going from a left hand drive back to a right hand drive so the lane warning in the safety sense is fantastic for me as well.

Yes its a small car, but usually there's only 2 of us in it ( or one if just me) Its very easy to drive, smooth and I am very pleased with it so far.

Had lots of people tell me I'm mad to buy a new car for a learner. But this way I know its safe , very roadworthy and in a couple of years time or whenever they are both qualified drivers, we will sell and get something else.


...Or maybe not...I'm getting very attached to my little 'bug'

Good luck with your search!

philstar

mitsubishi colt (04 onwards) piece of p!ss to drive and super reliable

mad m

From advice on here from the lads , I ended up getting a 2006 Yaris 1litre for daughter. Its a great learner first car, wife loves it finds it easy to drive plus for parking also. I've had to give it to my brother in law when he comes over from US as a loan and he raved about it. I was always a named driver on wifes policy but I'm main driver now on Yaris, Myself,wife and daughter fully comp with step back bonus was 1100 euro which I thought was great.

Daughter did the Aviva 6 months free insurance lessons on our main car, she did so well the driving instructor put her down as grade 3, Aviva said once he put her as grade 3 they will recognise her as having a full drivers license even though she is still provisional.

Yes it can be a little bit noisy with 3 cylinders but you will soon zone out of it.