My son will be turning 17 in a few months time and the question of driving keeps croping up in his conversations with us (in between the usual grunts!)

He's not going to learn in or be insured on either of our cars, so we are starting to look at what we can get him as a first car.

The budget will probably stretch to no more than £2000 for the car and I guess insurance is going to be £1000 to £1500 or more. Condition is more important than make & model, etc. but my initial thoughts point towards a Fiesta or Corsa as they are plentiful and generally cheaper to service and repair (or at least they were when I was his age).

So is there anything else we should be looking at and where might we get the best insurance deal from?

My first car was an N reg Astra 1.4 which my Dad first bought in 2001 for 3k but we got £1k for it in 2005 when it got written off. Very reliable car if you get a good one.

But I can recommend the Felicia as a good first car too as you can buy them cheap, not too expensive to run and fix back up when things break.

Insurance wise? for a first car insurance is always going to be up on anal rape levels until you have a good few years no claims.

The Micra is also good, very reliable and cheap to maintain but tends to have a girly image.

Would also say a Felicia would be a good start, cheap to work on and insure.

Quite a few on Autotrader, have a look around the free adds in the local rag, most seem to be well cared for with low milage.

Felicia, or despite what lots of people on here might think, a Citroen ZX or Peugeot 306 (slight leaning to the Pug as lower IG).

Ford Ka, cheaper to buy and run than a Fiesta, millions around & v reliable! Also as they're based on old tech very easy to repair.

Second on the Micra, girlie but rock solid reliability!

Toyota Yaris (in budget??) or the Starlet (precurser to the Yaris).

well with the ammount of 17 y/olds binning thier cars off the road (through fields and walls ect, especially on the A66, one of my pupils had 2 weeks off driving lessons when one of his friends, took him for a drive in his mums car, (toyota yaris) just passed his test that day, 4-up, too fast round a wet bend, tail slide into a wall, all injured...because he was going too fast) I'd suggest something with ESP..... mercedes A-class perhaps?

circa Auto Trader UK - MERCEDES-BENZ A140 Classic

at least my pupil (who was a passenger in the back) has a healthy respect for speed now.......

Felicia, 106, corsa, maybe a 306 1.9d not dt as they are cheap to insure and not too rapid.

Aim for a group 1 or 2 insurance car with a small engine (1.0).

Pretty much everyone bumps their first car so make it something cheap that you won't claim on if you damage it and he can repair himself. Then insure with a large excess (more than car is worth) and fully comp and you can save money over 3rd party F&T and build up no claims.

The money you save over your car/insurance can then be put in a savings bond and given to him once he has a years no claims to get a newer car should you wish.

Just my thoughts.

My first was a 16v 1.2 clio. It was great little runner and cheap to insure. Used bugger all fule too

Small-engined low spec early fabia with highish mileage would be within your price bracket (it was for my first car anyway!)

At least then you're getting a decent wee car which should last if it has to, and, importantly (nobody likes to, but everybody should consider safety when buying a car), will withstand accidents a heck of a lot better than a Ka or 306.

my first car was a honda civic 1.3.

ive also had 6 saxo's over the years.

cheap to run and insure.

would defo say a saxo (there cool and easy to mod for first timers), and anything but a ford.

My first car was a Golf MkII, lovingly and amatuerishly de-rusted.

Bell.com will be brilliantl for him as a young driver, been with them for 3 years now, doubt youll find anyone cheaper for people with no NCB, although they remained cheap for me.

I'd recommend a Fiat GPS.. 5 star NCAP nice and safe haha... ignore me

I'd recommend a Fiat GPS.. 5 star NCAP nice and safe haha... ignore me

lol..... bit out of his price range , but he may look in the for sale section!

interesting piont actually, OP: go on youtube, type in saxo crash test (NCAP2) and watch it be destroyed, here

then type in grande punto (NCAP5) and watch the impact not even make it anywhere near the cabin space.... here

and then think about your kid in the car! :eek: snowrock's GPS also has ESP too

*sharky wants commision if it sells!

edit: the merc I put in the link above is also NCAP5, has ESP, and is only group 5 insurance for the 1.4 (low power) also has all the electrical goodies, all for £1,600

Edited 1 October, 200817 yr by sharkrider

pug 306 or citroen xsara. The xsara is a bit cheaper than the 306 but it's near enough the same underneath. The do a 1.4 westcoast which for a 17 year old could be ideal, nice looking yet cheap to run and insure.

Have you asked your son what he would like? what did he say?

I know, safety is a big consideration for me, i had the Golf and a N reg Fiesta while i was renovating the golf and i couldnt not imagine driving one of those sardine tins anymore. Id like to think at the end of the day that i was in a car that would protect me in the event of an accident, as well as any passengers i maybe responsible for. I see old corsas, fiestas and saxos etc today and cringe.

Have you asked your son what he would like? what did he say?

Koenigsegg, Zonda, RS4 etc lol

I know, safety is a big consideration for me, i had the Golf and a N reg Fiesta while i was renovating the golf and i couldnt not imagine driving one of those sardine tins anymore. Id like to think at the end of the day that i was in a car that would protect me in the event of an accident, as well as any passengers i maybe responsible for. I see old corsas, fiestas and saxos etc today and cringe.

but for the money they are looking to spend their not going to get anything that is that new and that high up within the NCAP safety ratings.

maybe find the previous model clio within budget, they were 5 stars.

but for the money they are looking to spend their not going to get anything that is that new and that high up within the NCAP safety ratings.

again... mercedes A-class......

Small-engined low spec early fabia with highish mileage would be within your price bracket (it was for my first car anyway!)

At least then you're getting a decent wee car which should last if it has to, and, importantly (nobody likes to, but everybody should consider safety when buying a car), will withstand accidents a heck of a lot better than a Ka or 306.

A 306 is a lot lot more sollid than a felicia and probably as solid as a fabia and i've had a big shunt (not my fault) in one.

It's actually a very very solid car.

Problem is if you bump an A class repairs are not cheap and as i'm sure you know most learners have some small bump once they are out alone.

That plus even with it's revised suspension the A class ahs lots of suspension problems.

I had a 1.2 Corsa C for my first car, it was a 52 reg in the SXI spec.

Similar to this but the sxi comes with a few extra's such as smoked rear lights and sideskirts

It was a great car - looked good, cheap to tax and insure (group 3 I think).

It was also very easy to drive - the pedals were nicely spaced for a lad with size 10-11 feet, the clutch was light as was the steering, and the gearchange sure footed.

You wont go far wrong with one of those.

I have driven numerous small french cars and find them difficult to drive due to the small, closely situated pedals, especially in Clios and Saxo's.

If buying a 2001-2007 Corsa check that the steering rack isnt gone (£800 job) by moving the steering wheel side to side when stationary - if it clunks then its gone. If its difficult to put into 1st or 2nd its the gearlinkage (£100 job).

Other than that theyre solid. Just try to get one with ABS as it was optional until 2004 IIRC

As for engines they came in a 1.0 12v, 1.2 16v, 1.4 16v, and 1.3 CDTI, 1.7 DTI/ CDTI and 1.8 16v.

Obviously the 1.8 and 1.7 CDTI are out of the question due to insurance ratings, as would the 1.4 possibly.

Avoid the 1.0 12v like the plague - dont let the group 1 insurance attract you, theyre dangerously gutless, expensive to repair, unrefined and thirsty.

The 1.3 CDTI is an excellent engine but they command a much higher price 2nd hand than the 1.2, which in my opinion is the best choice all round.

I went from a Corsa B 1.2 SXi to a Cavalier 2.0 CDX and the Cavalier was slightly cheaper insurance IIRC. I think this may be true of a lot of cars, the typical starter car being more expensive to insure than the mum type car. Astra rather than corsa, focus rather than fiesta and so on.

This was certainly true from when I had to insure my own cars which was, er, about six years ago now!

A 306 is a lot lot more sollid than a felicia and probably as solid as a fabia and i've had a big shunt (not my fault) in one.

It's actually a very very solid car.

Similar personal testimony ref the ZX. (well unless you blame the driver for tree sap on an apparently dry road)

lol..... bit out of his price range , but he may look in the for sale section!

interesting piont actually, OP: go on youtube, type in saxo crash test (NCAP2) and watch it be destroyed, here

then type in grande punto (NCAP5) and watch the impact not even make it anywhere near the cabin space.... here

and then think about your kid in the car! :eek: snowrock's GPS also has ESP too

*sharky wants commision if it sells!

edit: the merc I put in the link above is also NCAP5, has ESP, and is only group 5 insurance for the 1.4 (low power) also has all the electrical goodies, all for £1,600

That's a good point.

I once saw a Saxo that had been rear ended by a Sierra on the M62 and at a fairly low speed (outside of Leeds, nothing travels very fast on the M62 in either direction). I don't even think the Sierra had suffered any damage at all, but the Saxo looked as though it had been hit with a wrecking ball!! Intrusion into the rear passenger cabin looked as though it would have caused injury to any rear seat passengers.

It's enough for me to discount Saxos and 106's.