1st time car for motorway / engine size

Solomon Pleasant

Hi,

I'm looking to buy my first car and I'm definitely not the most clued in when it comes to cars.

I will mainly be using it for driving from Donegal - Dublin at weekends.

I want to buy a car with a smaller engine as insurance will be cheaper, but a larger engine would probably be more suitable for motorway driving. Are 1st time drivers even able to get insurance with a 1.5/1.6 litre engine? Would it make more sense to buy a car with a larger engine for fuel economy? Or try save on insurance with a smaller engine?

My budget is around 5k - 6K excluding insurance.

I'm not too fussed about make/model of the car, I just want something reliable and somewhat comfortable to travel in.

Really appreciate any help or advice ye can give!

bazz26

Slightly off topic but you say your a first time driver, do you have a full license already as you cannot drive on motorways with a learner permit.

Have you gotten any insurance quotes for specific type cars yet?

Solomon Pleasant

bazz26 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but you say your a first time driver, do you have a full license already as you cannot drive on motorways with a learner permit.

Have you gotten any insurance quotes for specific type cars yet?

Sorry, should have made that clear - I have a full license

biko

For a full licence the world is your oyster

Maybe a Hyundai i10? Small and reliable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bviDIiGeKfc

colm_mcm

biko wrote: »

For a full licence the world is your oyster

Maybe a Hyundai i10? Small and reliable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bviDIiGeKfc

For Donegal to Dublin, a regular 500km round trip?

biko

Do you have another recommendation the fits OP's requirements?
He doesn't seem to be wanting a proper motorway muncher.

bazz26

Hyundai i30/Kia Ceed 1.4 litre petrol would be well capable of that journey in relative comfort. They are both essentially the same cars underneath and the 1.4 litre engine has 115bhp so will have decent overtaking ability. I cannot imagine either being expensive to insure either in their own right.

colm_mcm

biko wrote: »

Do you have another recommendation the fits OP's requirements?
He doesn't seem to be wanting a proper motorway muncher.

There’s a lot of middle ground between the likes of an i10/Picanto and a motorway muncher (Volvo S80, Mercedes E Class etc)

Anything from the Focus/Corolla class would be far superior for motorway and should still be reasonable (relative) enough for insurance.

bazz26

I'd throw a 2010 onwards Renault Megane into the mix too if you want a good diesel option.

James Bond Junior

Be wary of Golf's. They are expensive and a lot of people find them cripplingly uncomfortable, myself included. My back used to be in bits driving a similar distance.

A Renault Megane 1.5dci could be a good shout. Fairly reliable and I'm guessing you are one of the yoof, so something a little down with the kids would be nice!

colm_mcm

Kia Pro Ceed would be worth a look. A lot of them have cruise control

kaahooters

I drive that road regularly, you'll be infuriated by the Strabane <> omaha Road with any car.
Find a car you like that big enough to be comfterable on that drive, nothing smaller than a focus civic golf size.

Shefwedfan

Get a car off donedeal and ring around insurance to get ballpark on cost.

Might be worth looking at Ford, great for high mileage and cheap enough to repair as lots of parts

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus/22217274

Could use that as a base

CJhaughey

I would try sitting in a few seats in the cars that have been listed, you may find some seating positions don't suit you.
Comfort will be a key part of that journey.

Idbatterim

Other than the return trip to donegal at weekends , will it do any mileage midweek ? Dublin to Donegal is a fair trek , I’d probably go diesel ...

I’d definitely be looking at diesel op, it’s perfect driving for a diesel and will be very economical on a trip like that.

Alanstrainor

Gabriella Yummy Socket wrote: »

I’d definitely be looking at diesel op, it’s perfect driving for a diesel and will be very economical on a trip like that.

And with that in mind. Don't be afraid of higher engine sizes, lets say up to 2.0 litres for arguments sake. Insurance companies may not penalise you much at all, it just depends a lot on the particular car in question.

H3llR4iser

Alanstrainor wrote: »

And with that in mind. Don't be afraid of higher engine sizes, lets say up to 2.0 litres for arguments sake. Insurance companies may not penalise you much at all, it just depends a lot on the particular car in question.

When I was looking for a car in 2012, not having any NCD as I didn't have a car for over three years and my previous one had lapsed, not one single company even quoted me on anything bigger than an 1.4L - and I was 32 holding a license for 14 years already.

OP - your biggest issue will be insurance. Get a few examples of different engine sizes off Donedeal (e.g. 1.4, 1.6, 2.0); Avoid anything that's a Japanese import or looks/has a name that's "boy racer-y" (e.g. "GT", "Super", "Sport") and run them through the quote websites and see what you get back. Then take it from there.

The reality is that almost anything will suit your specific use case as long as you don't find it uncomfortable; It's a 500 km / week round-trip. As a reference, I used to do the same many years ago between Rome and Naples in Italy (~450km roundtrip including some detours) using a 2.0L Petrol Alfa Romeo 155...with a 1250 euro/month salary and petrol costing nearly 2 Euro / liter. Now, I don't recommend you do the same, but just saying - it's not like you've got a 400km daily commute.