Ideal first car - lady driver - early 20's

everlast75

Hey folks,

My niece is looking for her first car.

She spotted this and wanted to know what I thought.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-polo-nct-10-21/27314364?campaign=6

The "new engine" bit caused me to worry somewhat. Minimal interior photos too.

2k is her budget - she likes Polos. She knows a small engine is best.

Seller seems to be a garage of sorts? Although the last line doesn't give me an impression of professionalism.

Any thoughts?

bazz26

I never understood the love with that model Polo especially among young women. They were not a great car and the engines were very soft in them.

I'd rather have something like this:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-renault-clio-1-2-monaco-new-nct/27343569

selectamatic

Suzuki swift, clio or Fiat panda. If you want to be up in the years while staying in the 2k budget.

colm_mcm

Forget the Polo/Fabia/Ibiza. That 1.2 engine is a minefield.

everlast75

bazz26 wrote: »

I never understood the love with that model Polo especially among young women. They were not a great car and the engines were very soft in them.

I'd rather have something like this:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-renault-clio-1-2-monaco-new-nct/27343569

Power of marketing I'd say - VW = reliable (or so they say in their adverts).

It looks like the Polo isn't an Irish car, another thing against it.

everlast75

selectamatic wrote: »

Suzuki swift, clio or Fiat panda. If you want to be up in the years while staying in the 2k budget.

what about this one she spotted?

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-swift-1-3-new-nct-absolute-stunning-car/27476974

frozenfrozen

dog sticker and ripped seats in the back. imagine the smell in there one the fabreze wears off

everlast75

frozenfrozen wrote: »

dog sticker and ripped seats in the back. imagine the smell in there one the fabreze wears off

Haha - well spotted!

(As a dog lover, I feel offended lol)

Buddy Bubs

That swift is a disgrace. Passenger seat and footwells are full of muck. Drivers seat too actually. And the rip too.

Not looked after at all. I have my dogs in the car sometimes but protect everything from them.


Have a look at the bangernomics thread here. Haven't looked in there in years but there might be a few decent machines in it.
Is 2k bargain basement stuff now or is there still nice cars going for 2k? Used prices have certainly strengthened

bazz26

Fiat Punto:



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-punto-with-nct/27487867

Ubbquittious

Fabia estate

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote: »

Fiat Punto:



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-punto-with-nct/27487867

And it’s the 1.4 and all.

colm_mcm

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Fabia estate

Unless she paints houses for cash, what would she want with one of those

ek motor

Yaris . Hassle free !

nsnoefc1878

Fiat 500.

theteal

That age of car?

Yaris or Jazz. That is all.

nsnoefc1878

frozenfrozen wrote: »

dog sticker and ripped seats in the back. imagine the smell in there one the fabreze wears off

Would probably be a palace compared to our Corolla!
Theres cures for cancer growing in the back of it thanks to the dogs.

nsnoefc1878

Buddy Bubs wrote: »

That swift is a disgrace. Passenger seat and footwells are full of muck. Drivers seat too actually. And the rip too.

Not looked after at all. I have my dogs in the car sometimes but protect everything from them.


Have a look at the bangernomics thread here. Haven't looked in there in years but there might be a few decent machines in it.
Is 2k bargain basement stuff now or is there still nice cars going for 2k? Used prices have certainly strengthened

You're right, they have strengthened but 2k can still get you something nice.

everlast75

nsnoefc1878 wrote: »

Would probably be a palace compared to our Corolla!
Theres cures for cancer growing in the back of it thanks to the dogs.

:D:D:D

nsnoefc1878 wrote: »

You're right, they have strengthened but 2k can still get you something nice.

I spotted a car in there - I've sent her the link and strongly advised to pick it up. Let's see if she takes the advice! :pac:

nsnoefc1878

everlast75 wrote: »

:D:D:D



I spotted a car in there - I've sent her the link and strongly advised to pick it up. Let's see if she takes the advice! :pac:

Good luck, theres always some great stuff there. Its one of the best threads on boards really.

everlast75

nsnoefc1878 wrote: »

Good luck, theres always some great stuff there. Its one of the best threads on boards really.

Surprise surprise, because she didn't like the look of it, it was a "no".

Henry Ford III

Fiesta is hard to beat.

everlast75

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Fiesta is hard to beat.

I agree - found a great one, but she was in a collision with one before and so understandably has a thing about them.

She has mentioned that Yaris, Swift or Clio may be good

colm_mcm

If you can get a nice Swift or Clio then that’s the way to go IMO.

You get less for your money with a Yaris and the 3 cylinder engine in them sounds pretty horrid.

everlast75

colm_mcm wrote: »

If you can get a nice Swift or Clio then that’s the way to go IMO.

You get less for your money with a Yaris and the 3 cylinder engine in them sounds pretty horrid.

Very strong money for them too!

nsnoefc1878

everlast75 wrote: »

Surprise surprise, because she didn't like the look of it, it was a "no".

Ah in fairness a car is an emotional purchase for many no matter how much we try to avoid that, so looks are important!

everlast75

nsnoefc1878 wrote: »

Ah in fairness a car is an emotional purchase for many no matter how much we try to avoid that, so looks are important!

Agreed, but I've tried to explain that the more you pump into a car because of looks, the less you get in other areas such as age or mileage.

What i don't want is a car which looks "great" but becomes a money pit which she then can't shift when she wants something new

Mickeroo

Be cool uncle everlast and make up the difference for her on an mx-5.

everlast75

Mickeroo wrote: »

Be cool uncle everlast and make up the difference for her on an mx-5.

I'd get myself an MX5 if I could

bazz26

Whatever you recommend you will be in the dog house for if/when it breaks anyway.

decosr1

You could get a nice clean 2007 or 2008 Toyota Auris for that money. Solid, cheap to run and reliable. Go private sale at that kind of money.

AMKC

Peugeot 207.

nsnoefc1878

everlast75 wrote: »

Agreed, but I've tried to explain that the more you pump into a car because of looks, the less you get in other areas such as age or mileage.

What i don't want is a car which looks "great" but becomes a money pit which she then can't shift when she wants something new

Swift and clio mentioned are good looking cars, my opinion of course but I think both would be classed that way by the majority.

fryup

mitsubishi colt -easy to drive & bulletproof

hawkeyethenoo

Yaris all day.

FirstIn

Get her up the years if you can. It's a simple fact. Newer cars are safer cars (that's why insurance costs are less for them) It would be top of my list of considerations , then making sure the thing is reliable. If you make the recommendation you might well hear of any issues that crop up.

everlast75

http://www.adverts.ie/23158678

I thought it might be a cheaper vw option

colm_mcm

Same crappy engine as the Polo

everlast75

colm_mcm wrote: »

Same crappy engine as the Polo

Agreed!

But if she wants a polo and can't afford a half decent one, she can buy a more recent ibiza with less miles :-/

colm_mcm

Well yeah, there is the option to buy something better of course!

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/27341675

Excellent car. 5 star NCAP (at the time right enough)
If you go Clio stay away from the diesels.

colm_mcm

Just posted this earlier in bangernomics
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/renault-clio-only-63k-miles/27501335

lisabiscuit

Honda Jazz all the way. Love mine!

Padre_Pio

FirstIn wrote: »

Get her up the years if you can. It's a simple fact. Newer cars are safer cars (that's why insurance costs are less for them) It would be top of my list of considerations , then making sure the thing is reliable. If you make the recommendation you might well hear of any issues that crop up.

Not true at all.

New cars can be run ragged. Safety depends on the manufacturer and the make, not the year it was built.

FirstIn

Not sure what you mean by run raggged but newer cars are built with improved safety features , just look at YouTube to see old cars crashed in to newer ones.

Occupant walks away from many big crashes in a new car. The same can’t be said for older cars. Manufacturers make safer cars as the years go by. I reckon not one newer model has ever been made that wasn’t safer than its predecessor.

Now of course , 2021 Yaris V 2020 5 series bmw. The Bmw would be safer. But within the same model run newer is safer.

A good friend moved from his 00s Saab recently to a 25k euro 2017 Subaru. He couldn’t believe his insurance dropped , nearly halved. This new car is worth 25k. The old one 2k. Why? Because replacing cars is cheap for insurance companies. Replacing broken humans isn’t. Less chance of a broken human in a 2017 Subaru.

AMKC

Deleted User wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/27341675

Excellent car. 5 star NCAP (at the time right enough)
If you go Clio stay away from the diesels.

Why? Renault make great diesels.

A car is only really as safe as the person driving it. It can have all the safety features in the world but if that person decides to drink take drugs and then use it the car as a weapon and then crash into a building it's not good.

Padre_Pio

FirstIn wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by run raggged but newer cars are built with improved safety features , just look at YouTube to see old cars crashed in to newer ones.

Occupant walks away from many big crashes in a new car. The same can’t be said for older cars. Manufacturers make safer cars as the years go by. I reckon not one newer model has ever been made that wasn’t safer than its predecessor.

Now of course , 2021 Yaris V 2020 5 series bmw. The Bmw would be safer. But within the same model run newer is safer.

A good friend moved from his 00s Saab recently to a 25k euro 2017 Subaru. He couldn’t believe his insurance dropped , nearly halved. This new car is worth 25k. The old one 2k. Why? Because replacing cars is cheap for insurance companies. Replacing broken humans isn’t. Less chance of a broken human in a 2017 Subaru.

OP asked for a car for 2k. So we're not talking about new car with adaptive cruise and electronic safety features. We're talking about older cars.
In that respect you're better to buy a make rather than a year. That said, I'd prefer to be in a 15 year old BMW 5 series than a brand new Dacia Sandero. The 5 series is probably 1/3 the price too (although maintenance and tax is the reason its that price)

You're right saying newer Yaris is safer than older, but again an old Yaris is 2k. A new one is 20k.

Finally, saying a new Subaru is cheaper to insure than a old Saab is a fairly pointless comparison without knowing the specifics.

FirstIn

I'll end my point here - for the OP what i am saying is, consider car safety. As a rule of thumb , newer is safer. Just watch this (there are many more on youtube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePYO0-Ig0VU

And I note the first line below the video "New cars are safer than old cars, that's undeniable."

Best of luck with your search.

AMKC

AMKC wrote: »

Why? Renault make great diesels.

A car is only really as safe as the person driving it. It can have all the safety features in the world but if that person decides to drink take drugs and then use it the car as a weapon and then crash into a building it's not good.

Horrid reliability issues. The diesel pumps in particular. Filings of metal flake off the pump and eventually destroy the engine. Newer models with more complicated DPFs also tend to go belly up unless they’re doing SERIOUS miles.

mfceiling

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Horrid reliability issues. The diesel pumps in particular. Filings of metal flake off the pump and eventually destroy the engine. Newer models with more complicated DPFs also tend to go belly up unless they’re doing SERIOUS miles.

That 1.5 DCI unit has been around years and is fairly reliable.

I've had 2 vans with that engine. One of them had over 200k miles and I didn't mind it at all.

The other had over 240k kilometres and it was as sweet as a nut. I sold it on 4 years ago and occasionally I still see it knocking around!!

Henry Ford III

mfceiling wrote: »

That 1.5 DCI unit has been around years and is fairly reliable...........

Don't awaken Frank!