Buying car for daughter

Gorteen

Eldest daughter about to take her driving test and I'm fairly sure she'll fly through the test. I'm looking around for a nice used car for her, somewhere between €5k - €6k. She likes Fiat 500 ("quirky" apparently) but will accept my limited and experience. I'm a fan of Japanese cars but open to suggestions.

Any advice for first purchase?
Makes? Models?
What age car is difficult to insure?

colm_mcm

Not a lot wrong with a Fiat 500. They’re more pleasant than most small cars.

bazz26

Suzuki Swift.

traco

I was that soldier 18 months ago. She had a 500 in her head. Being used to doing what I am told I went looking.

In the end I ended up going the UK route for a 1.2 lounge. The UK price for me up 2 or 3 years over what was here. They are simple and reliable and most importantly insurable.

Not a whole lot to look out for on them. I think they can develop a breather leak towards the back of the air box but it's not major. Suspension items seem to wear a bit quickly on them but aside from that they are fairly solid. Jap would be better screwed together and might be a bit more refined but the 500 has a bit of character.

They are a fun little thing and I'd love a crack in an Abarth as it must be mental. Can't really go wrong with them and they hold their value reasonably well.

Gorteen

traco wrote: »

I was that soldier 18 months ago. She had a 500 in her head. Being used to doing what I am told I went looking.

In the end I ended up going the UK route for a 1.2 lounge. The UK price for me up 2 or 3 years over what was here. They are simple and reliable and most importantly insurable.

Not a whole lot to look out for on them. I think they can develop a breather leak towards the back of the air box but it's not major. Suspension items seem to wear a bit quickly on them but aside from that they are fairly solid. Jap would be better screwed together and might be a bit more refined but the 500 has a bit of character.

They are a fun little thing and I'd love a crack in an Abarth as it must be mental. Can't really go wrong with them and they hold their value reasonably well.

It's just me, but the speedo in miles and not kms would drive me crazy!

whelan2

Have you priced insurance first?

Del2005

Gorteen wrote: »

It's just me, but the speedo in miles and not kms would drive me crazy!

UK cars have both km/h and mph on their speedo if analog, if digital you can nearly always choose which to display.

McCrack

Is she contributing financially to the purchase herself, that should be the first consideration before deciding what car to buy for her... If it 5 or 6k of your money I would think again...but that is probably a discussion for the parenting forum rather than here

McCrack

Just to add another point... If she saved the money up herself she may wish to reconsider spending 5 or 6k on a first car

Sebastian Dangerfield

I'll be buying something along these lines for my nephew in 12 months so interested in any feedback too (though I'm not sure he'd be too keen on a Fiat 500). I've been told to go for a Yaris, but that's from someone whose answer to every car-related question is "Toyota".

Sebastian Dangerfield

Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: »

I'll be buying something along these lines for my nephew in 12 months so interested in any feedback too (though I'm not sure he'd be too keen on a Fiat 500). I've been told to go for a Yaris, but that's from someone whose answer to every car-related question is "Toyota".

Yaris are a great car though- reliability, hold value, popular resale

listermint

McCrack wrote: »

Just to add another point... If she saved the money up herself she may wish to reconsider spending 5 or 6k on a first car

Why exactly.... I mean it's not ten grand nor is it twenty.

James Bond Junior

McCrack wrote: »

Is she contributing financially to the purchase herself, that should be the first consideration before deciding what car to buy for her... If it 5 or 6k of your money I would think again...but that is probably a discussion for the parenting forum rather than here

No offence intended but that's nobodies prerogative but the OP's.

My sister in law had a mini one for her first car as did my wife, a cooper, and both were unmitigated disasters so if she suggests one, just don't. Hard to see past the fiat 500 if looking for something quirky. I rented a rolltop version in the canaries years ago and it was a great little thing.

McCrack

McCrack wrote: »

Is she contributing financially to the purchase herself, that should be the first consideration before deciding what car to buy for her... If it 5 or 6k of your money I would think again...but that is probably a discussion for the parenting forum rather than here

What’s your problem with her father spending that money getting his daughter mobile in a safe reliable car?

Would you prefer he spent 2k on something that was at higher risk breaking down, leaving her stranded or that would involve on going repair costs overtime that would erode much of the short term “savings” - coupled with the fact that her insurance is likely to be cheaper with a more modern car?

I don’t see what your point is- It’s not like she’s getting a brand new car and even if she was, what business is it of yours?

Gorteen

Deleted User wrote: »

What’s your problem with her father spending that money getting his daughter mobile in a safe reliable car?

Would you prefer he spent 2k on something that was at higher risk breaking down, leaving her stranded or that would involve on going repair costs overtime that would erode much of the short term “savings” - coupled with the fact that her insurance is likely to be cheaper with a more modern car?

I don’t see what your point is- It’s not like she’s getting a brand new car and even if she was, what business is it of yours?

Ooops! I didn't want to cause an argument. I'm aiming for 5k because my theory is she's more likely to be very careful than if she's in a battered old thing. Also, reliability is very important for me from safety perspective.

She's going to pay her own insurance, again will probably help with careful driving when she has control over her no claims discount, if you know what I mean?

Thanks for all the advice thus far...

Gorteen

Gorteen wrote: »

Ooops! I didn't want to cause an argument. I'm aiming for 5k because my theory is she's more likely to be very careful than if she's in a battered old thing. Also, reliability is very important for me from safety perspective.

She's going to pay her own insurance, again will probably help with careful driving when she has control over her no claims discount, if you know what I mean?

Thanks for all the advice thus far...

Ford Fiesta is another one to consider. For this class of car, keep an eye on the private adds- I know 2 people who recently purchased for daughters- they got cracking cars (one a Yaris, one a micra) with very low mileage and full dealer service history-both were purchased from deceased (sorry to be morbid) elderly owners who used them solely for local supermarket and mass- both were Dublin cars so literally 2-3 kilometres was the daily mileage- just check what age her car needs to be for insurance purposes - for example, I know the owner of one such car- absolutely immaculate Nissan micra- he’s elderly - couldn’t be more than 35k on the clock - full dealer service history from new-but it’s 10 years old so that could easily cause problems with insurance - small cars very popular with elderly and retired who can look after them very well so try and avoid dealer prices if possible

AMCCORK

Was in that space last year. Tried every car in the insurance calculators and a Kia picanto was cheapest to insure. Not as cool as the Fiat 500 but ended up getting a six year old one for €4500 so it had 18 months left on warranty. All good so far.

Heres Johnny

Spend whatever you like, 5 to 6k is a lot for some people and a little for others. I like the fiat 500 for what it's worth.

bazz26

Gorteen wrote: »

It's just me, but the speedo in miles and not kms would drive me crazy!

How did you manage to drive a car here before 2005 then?

lotmc

Fiat had a poor reputation for build quality and reliability. I think they are much better now, but it would be worth getting the car checked out by someone who knows their stuff.
Insurance cost can vary for same car; it depends on the bhp (power) of the engine. I am familiar with vw golfs (great cars and highly recommended) and there can be three different bhp levels for the same engine size, and insurance is based on bhp not engine size. I recommend that you get insurance quotes before you buy.
Happy shopping!

McCrack

Deleted User wrote: »

What’s your problem with her father spending that money getting his daughter mobile in a safe reliable car?

Would you prefer he spent 2k on something that was at higher risk breaking down, leaving her stranded or that would involve on going repair costs overtime that would erode much of the short term “savings” - coupled with the fact that her insurance is likely to be cheaper with a more modern car?

I don’t see what your point is- It’s not like she’s getting a brand new car and even if she was, what business is it of yours?

Point is this- there are valuable lessons a parent can teach their children about money that will help them later in life and funding the purchase of a car for a son or daughter is not it..and yes there are perfectly reliable and safe cars for 2k or less which is an achievable amount for a 17/18 year old to save up for.

Sebastian Dangerfield

McCrack wrote: »

Point is this- there are valuable lessons a parent can teach their children about money that will help them later in life and funding the purchase of a car for a son or daughter is not it..and yes there are perfectly reliable and safe cars for 2k or less which is an achievable amount for a 17/18 year old to save up for.

Which is all well and good until they realise they couldnt possibly afford to insure the car they have saved so hard to buy.

You can help kids out and still educate them along the way - regardless, none of this has anything to do with the OPs question.

lalababa

Any of the 1L ish hatchbacks around 5k...corsa,Micra,fiesta,Hyundai etc are all much of a muchness.
I like the 500 retro cabin and curvy body and there's nothing much wrong with it except it's a bit lower on the ncap ratings and back seats have low headroom.

Casati

Back to cars rather than parenting....

I’d recommend a Seat Ibiza - new model came out in 2010 and they still look fresh. The 1.2 is a sweet engine and they are reliable an economical. Something like this might suit

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2011-seat-ibiza/24121462

No idea where you are based but a 3 door might suit her very well

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/seat-ibiza-1-4-sport-3dr/24513183

Fiat 500’s are meant to be fairly good too

Whatever you get try to avoid a diesel version

colm_mcm

Would have to disagree on the 1.2 VW engine. They sound like a bag of spanners with a few miles on them, and then can you have issues with timing chains, valve guides, injectors and more. There are so many less risky engines out there.

BuboBubo

Ford Ka maybe? But if her heart is set on the Fiat 500, get one.

traco

The Fiat 500 I got from the UK doesn't seem to have the digital read out for kph. Its on the dial and a bit small but you get used to it. The 500's command a price premium here that's why I went UK. I went for a 2011 given what people some garages were asking for 08/09. VRT was around 900 on it so all in in and cleared for sub 5k.

The 1.2 is a solid engine and the only items I noted when researching was that an oil breather hose I think at the back behind the air box can crack and you can smell oil in the cabin, not a big deal. Suspension components seem to wear out a bit on them. Dash cluster can also throw a fault with the oil light and that seems like a replacement.

I can't comment on the others as she wanted the 500, definitely look for the lounge which has AC, alloys and all that bluetooth stuff for phone and sounds. Its a fun little thing locally, a bit gutless though when on bigger roads however will sit at 120 on a motorway happily all day but I wouldn't recommend it as its not quiet. I'm impressed with and it has me looking at abarth versions for me. HTH

colm_mcm

The Ducatos have a similar issue with the clusters. There’s a crowd in the uk that specialises in fixing them.

Marcusm

traco wrote: »

The Fiat 500 I got from the UK doesn't seem to have the digital read out for kph. Its on the dial and a bit small but you get used to it. The 500's command a price premium here that's why I went UK. I went for a 2011 given what people some garages were asking for 08/09. VRT was around 900 on it so all in in and cleared for sub 5k.

The 1.2 is a solid engine and the only items I noted when researching was that an oil breather hose I think at the back behind the air box can crack and you can smell oil in the cabin, not a big deal. Suspension components seem to wear out a bit on them. Dash cluster can also throw a fault with the oil light and that seems like a replacement.

I can't comment on the others as she wanted the 500, definitely look for the lounge which has AC, alloys and all that bluetooth stuff for phone and sounds. Its a fun little thing locally, a bit gutless though when on bigger roads however will sit at 120 on a motorway happily all day but I wouldn't recommend it as its not quiet. I'm impressed with and it has me looking at abarth versions for me. HTH

See if the Ferrari or Maserati versions have dropped in value. The interiors are great. The Aston Martin Cygnet (ie jumped up Toyota iQ) would likely have kept too strong prices. (Recommendations for the adult looking for a small car, not the student.)

Eric Cartman

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not a lot wrong with a Fiat 500. They’re more pleasant than most small cars.

Similar issue to the mini , massive insurance loading due to the inexperienced driver bimbo types ploughing them into walls focussing on texting rather than driving.

A polo is a more sensible idea or a seat ibiza is pretty good value.

colm_mcm

Marcusm wrote: »

See if the Ferrari or Maserati versions have dropped in value. The interiors are great. The Aston Martin Cygnet (ie jumped up Toyota iQ) would likely have kept too strong prices. (Recommendations for the adult looking for a small car, not the student.)

8/9 year old Cygnets were £30k last time I checked, so basically they haven’t depreciated at all.

traco

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Similar issue to the mini , massive insurance loading due to the inexperienced driver bimbo types ploughing them into walls focussing on texting rather than driving.

A polo is a more sensible idea or a seat ibiza is pretty good value.

I tried lots of them for insurance quotes and the 500 was no different than any of the others. This was a complete beginner, provisional license with no driving history. All were around 3k for insurance.

Gorteen

traco wrote: »

The Fiat 500 I got from the UK doesn't seem to have the digital read out for kph. Its on the dial and a bit small but you get used to it. The 500's command a price premium here that's why I went UK. I went for a 2011 given what people some garages were asking for 08/09. VRT was around 900 on it so all in in and cleared for sub 5k.

The 1.2 is a solid engine and the only items I noted when researching was that an oil breather hose I think at the back behind the air box can crack and you can smell oil in the cabin, not a big deal. Suspension components seem to wear out a bit on them. Dash cluster can also throw a fault with the oil light and that seems like a replacement.

I can't comment on the others as she wanted the 500, definitely look for the lounge which has AC, alloys and all that bluetooth stuff for phone and sounds. Its a fun little thing locally, a bit gutless though when on bigger roads however will sit at 120 on a motorway happily all day but I wouldn't recommend it as its not quiet. I'm impressed with and it has me looking at abarth versions for me. HTH

Where in the UK did you go? Was it straightforward?

traco

Gorteen wrote: »

Where in the UK did you go? Was it straightforward?

I set up search alerts on the various sites, kept a good eye out. When you find one run the registration through the MOT history site in the uk (no good for NI regs). See how that history looks. If it seems legit and mileage checks out contact the garage and get the service history etc.


If they are sound they will probably make vid or give you a whatsapp walk around. Run a hpi check to validate the info. If you have someone locally that can check it all well and good or get the AA or some one.


I've brought in a few cars over the years and all have been checked that way and when I went over I paid. Probably a few extra scratches and small items I missed but at the prices I was getting I wasn't looking for perfection.


Also make sure you have run a few VRT quotes so you know what to expect when you do bring one in and don't have any surprises. For ease of viewing have a look up North. You can find UK cars up there, they will be higher priced than UK but saves flights and ferries.



I keep saying UK cars as its possible to access their MOT history which is detailed. Usually you can correlate that to the service history if things like suspension, tyres etc were failed and replaced.


Beyond that there isn't a lot more you can do.

Marcusm

colm_mcm wrote: »

8/9 year old Cygnets were £30k last time I checked, so basically they haven’t depreciated at all.

That’s exactly what I meant!

AMCCORK

traco wrote: »

I tried lots of them for insurance quotes and the 500 was no different than any of the others. This was a complete beginner, provisional license with no driving history. All were around 3k for insurance.

Kia picanto was €1660 with 2nd driver discount for beginner provisional licence €400 off that for doing the lessons with ISM I think about €350 back after passing test and around €50 refund every quarter for no claims so insurance was very affordable on that.

traco

The 3k was her own policy in her own name with me as a named driver on it.

She got 600 back after passing her test 4 months after getting the car. Then I think she got 2 x 150 back for safe driving using the app. She renewed this year with her 1 years NCD and it was around 1900 fully comp. Full policy, no restrictions, no app or black box messing.
Hopefully she stays safe and next renewal will be sub 1500, then she will be well on her way to having a full NCD when she leaves college and can trade up when she starts working relatively easily if she wants.

TheBoyConor

Stay away from that Fiat. It will break her heart with breakdowns and problems.

Get a Toyota Yaris around the €3000 mark and she will get as much cheap trouble free driving out of it as she ever wants. Keep the money for her college.

bazz26

I see the bar stool mechanics have arrived.

chicorytip

A Toyota Aygo might be more appealing to a young lady than the Yaris, which is very drab. The Renault Clio (06 -) is a very good little car.

TheBoyConor

Aygo is tiny. No room in it. Probably fold up like a paper cup in a crash too. There's nothing in them.

Yaris is a decent car and a bit more substance in them.
An auris would be a good option too. Fine car and they are cheaper than the equivalent Corolla.

FrankC21

Ford fiesta 1.2 petrol - get the zetec model with sunroof, and alloy wheels.

I have one at moment and it's 256,000km mileage and still running.

Fuel economy wise - I spent about 30euro for two days of driving to work from drogheda to dun laoghaire total of 356km.

280euro yearly road tax

You can even change air filter, light bulbs, spark plugs by yourself.

TheBoyConor

Don't get one with alloy wheels. A new driver will would butcher them. Get steel wheels. hubcabs are easily replaced if she wants to flog it on after a year or two.

FrankC21

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Don't get one with alloy wheels. A new driver will would butcher them. Get steel wheels. hubcabs are easily replaced if she wants to flog it on after a year or two.

My one got butchered already, I don't mind really paid 2k for the car.

The One Doctor

I spent €600 on my first car and worked hard not to put a scratch on it. Spending an extra €5000 on it wouldn't have made a difference.

A2LUE42

Son got a Fiesta as first car six weeks ago. Key thing in to be sure that she can insure it. He got the best price from SuperValu in the end. Cheaper than AXA direct, who the SuperValu insurance is through.

Gorteen

The delay in driving test is over and test is next week. Fingers crossed
Any thoughts on Hyundai i20 1.4 diesel?

road_high

Must admit I’m a fan of the Fiat 500. They got the styling so right with that little car. Though I’d never drove one myself the appeal must be enormous for the fairer sex.
The quality of the paint job and fit and finish must be good because even older ones I see still look fresh, unlike say a ten year old plus Micra or Polo that will be starting to look very tired. Very reliable sans easy to keep going from anything I’ve heard about them.
Always take a second look when I see them, they make me happy!!

n1ck

Gorteen wrote: »

The delay in driving test is over and test is next week. Fingers crossed
Any thoughts on Hyundai i20 1.4 diesel?

Does she need a diesel? Maintenance costs will be slightly higher on a diesel too.

road_high

road_high wrote: »

Must admit I’m a fan of the Fiat 500. They got the styling so right with that little car. Though I’d never drove one myself the appeal must be enormous for the fairer sex.
The quality of the paint job and fit and finish must be good because even older ones I see still look fresh, unlike say a ten year old plus Micra or Polo that will be starting to look very tired. Very reliable sans easy to keep going from anything I’ve heard about them.
Always take a second look when I see them, they make me happy!!

I rented one on holiday about 4 years ago- loved it- competent at keeping up on the road; I don’t recall it lacking power in terms of hills or anything - while it won’t break speed or acceleration records it’s a fun car to look at and drive - a Kia Piccanto on the other hand is a desperately underpowered car- had some scary motorway moments in Spain some years ago- you press the accelerator and wait and wait and wait for any power to appear- not fun when a BMW 7 series is fast approaching you in the overtaking lane 😂