These car park dings mentioned must be driving your kids' insurance through the roof?!

+1

 

 

Agree with horkin

 

My daughter is 17 in January and will be starting driving lessons (luckily my wifes an instructor)

 

If I could afford a Citigo for her, I would.

 

let her use your superb 

I would, but you need a HGV licence to drive a Superb Combi lol

one other option is to buy one of the dash cams that tracks g-force etc

 

many options available if you look on the fabia thread, the VRS drivers use them to record track days etc, about £100 - £150 will get you a good one and less than the excess on the insurance, and if they know their driving is being monitored hopefully will behave

I was 17 when I bought my Citigo, however I bought a brand new fully loaded elegance! It cost me £12.5k and it has been worth every penny. My insurance is £700 and I've been driving just over a year now. I'd fully recommend it! I'm 18 now, pm me if you'd like any more details!

 

I'd just like to also point out to everyone on here saying it's gonna be damaged, I've been driving for 1 year 4 months and I haven't had a scratch, so it's not all bad buying a brand new car! And I wash it every other weekend and wouldn't dare have a messy car because I can't stand mess! So yeah not all 17/18 year olds are dangerous, bad drivers and messy. I'm not saying I'm an expert at all, but I'm certainly not messy.

Edited 20 May, 201412 yr by ChalmersCameron

I was 17 when I bought my Citigo, however I bought a brand new fully loaded elegance! It cost me £12.5k and it has been worth every penny. My insurance is £700 and I've been driving just over a year now. I'd fully recommend it! I'm 18 now, pm me if you'd like any more details!

I'd just like to also point out to everyone on here saying it's gonna be damaged, I've been driving for 1 year 4 months and I haven't had a scratch, so it's not all bad buying a brand new car! And I wash it every other weekend and wouldn't dare have a messy car because I can't stand mess! So yeah not all 17/18 year olds are dangerous, bad drivers and messy. I'm not saying I'm an expert at all, but I'm certainly not messy.

Too right mate I'm 17 my car is kept clean no crashes but the car isn't perfect all the time as I'm going down country lanes to get to work!

I think what people are trying to point out is people are most likely to have little issues due to inexperience and learning how to judge were all the corners are not to say accidents, but the little nudge in the garage, little scratch from reversing into or out of the drive etc in the first year after you pass your test, regardless of age

 

my daughter had a new car weeks after passing her test, we had some scratched alloys and a small dent in the first year but that was it, 18 months on she got a brand new citigo and gave here original car to other half to replace his poor old corsa, he is now swapping it for a new rapid spaceback 1.2 SE

Edited 20 May, 201412 yr by bluecar1

I was 17 when I bought my Citigo, however I bought a brand new fully loaded elegance! It cost me £12.5k and it has been worth every penny. My insurance is £700 and I've been driving just over a year now. I'd fully recommend it! I'm 18 now, pm me if you'd like any more details!

 

I'd just like to also point out to everyone on here saying it's gonna be damaged, I've been driving for 1 year 4 months and I haven't had a scratch, so it's not all bad buying a brand new car! And I wash it every other weekend and wouldn't dare have a messy car because I can't stand mess! So yeah not all 17/18 year olds are dangerous, bad drivers and messy. I'm not saying I'm an expert at all, but I'm certainly not messy.

 

Thanks for this, and I agree - young drivers get bad press (and bad insurance quotes) but it's exceedingly unfair to generalise.

 

I'll pm you, if you don't mind, for guidance on insurance - I'm getting £1.2 quoted for a hypothetical VW Up! at the moment.

 

 

For all - I've been tending towards the Up! for there's a load of nearly new or pre-reg examples out there - but the group 1 models are all basic spec. So maybe it should be a Citigo. I hear lead times are coming down. 

 

 

 

 

 

edit - she passed her test yesterday, so the pressure is on!

Edited 21 May, 201412 yr by gt40

I think now it is really down to - ' What can i afford '

 

Cost of car + Insurance + fuel  over the expected period of ownership & hope that any knocks & bangs due to inexperience is minimal

 

Every driver is different in how they drive & whether they  ' look after' the car inside & out.

Hello all you Citigo folks!!

 

Here's my conundrum: I am considering buying a car for my 17 year old daughter for when she passes her test (hopefully by the end of the month) and I really want to buy her a Citigo, however.....

 

.... I have found a VW up! Take up! on a 14 plate, pre registered, with 10 miles on the clock, 3 doors, white for £7,500.

 

I bought her elder sister a Fiat Panda, and it's turned out to be one of our favourite cars on the drive, but the Citigo/up!/Mii are a bit ahead of the Panda, I think, and I dislike our local Fiat dealer, whilst the local Skoda dealer seems like a good'un (I have a Mk3 Ocatvia).

 

Main requirements are Group 1 insurance and er.... that's it really.

 

My question to all you Citigo folks is: why should I not buy the up!?

 

I would like a Citigo but I can't find one of similar value (pre-reg) and there's an enormous wait for a new one.

 

Any opinions? 

 

 

Hi buddy,

 

I know a lot of people are saying "get something cheaper, older" etc etc.

 

I had just turned 18 when I purchased my new Citigo, so thought as a new driver myself, it's probably worth me popping my opinion here. 

 

Nobody should be able to tell you DO or DON'T get a new car, because ultimately it's down to what suits you best.

 

But if you can afford it (and of course, Skoda's fantastic finance deal made a new Citigo very affordable for me [more affordable on finance than a second hand Citigo, thanks to 0% finance), then I see no reason why not. 

I was insured on a 13 plate Hyundai i20 until I got my first car. I now have the 14 plate Citigo, and it is fantastic for a first car. I have the Green-Tech elegance model, which is the top spec available in insurance group 1 (the Sport is insurance group 2, I imagine the Monte Carlo will be much the same). And my model is perfect for what I use it for. Social use, and also travelling to and from uni. It's small, practical, not powerful, and perfect for a new driver. 

 

Of course, even the base model Citigo is a fantastic first car, and well priced too.

 

My parents are constantly reminding me how they feel much safer knowing I have a new car, under warranty. The problem with 1k cars is they tend to surprise you with expensive bills and also may not be as safe to drive. I know you're a parent, so I cannot stress to you the peace of mind you will get from knowing she's driving a new car.

 

Of course, it IS worth noting the time it took for my Citigo to be delivered. (Paperwork signed 5th October 2013, took delivery at earliest possible date 6th March 2014). If you're looking for a car sooner rather than later, it might be worth looking at other cars.

 

I also would add, no matter what car you go for in the end, I would highly recommend getting 'the black box' added. This is something which most insurance companies offer for young drivers, which is a small device installed free of charged into the vehicle which monitors driving. It lowers your insurance premium significantly, and also allows the insurance company to lower the insurance after a year if she is seen to be driving well. You can also monitor your driving online to check out how you're getting on - it's quite a nifty online application they've got, to be honest! The other good thing is that in the unlikely event that she has a bump out on the road caused by someone else, the insurance company are able to access your black box and determine that it wasn't your fault which saves you the prejudice of 'young driver, must be their fault' that we're all exposed to daily. -.-

 

Anyway, I reiterate, ultimately the decision is down to you. But, personally, if at all possible, I'd look at purchasing/financing a new car. If not financing, then even a nearly new Citigo purchase would be ideal - they're a great car. 

 

Hope this was of some help. 

I know times are different to when I started driving, but I had a 1.6 sierra as my first car, and I am so pleased I did. A nice big underpowered car meant my first crash was low speed and i had acres of space around me. EVERY person I know has 1 crash soon after passing tests, the ones in small cars ended up in hospital, the ones in big cars walked away, apart from one guy in a cavalier who rubbed his head on the ground when it turned upside down! My now wife had a 1 litre 104 which opened up like a tin can in a low speed accident put her and 3 girls in hospital for 3 months. it wasn't even head on. She will never drive a small car again. I had a similar accident (yes I have had plenty) in an Octavia and the car remained driveable! Again I put this down to a bigger (ok, and newer) car.

 

Personally I would look for an underpowered bigger car if I could. Bigger car NCAP tests are more rigorous too IIRC. So a 4 star small car is not as good as a 4 star big car.

I know times are different to when I started driving, but I had a 1.6 sierra as my first car, and I am so pleased I did. A nice big underpowered car meant my first crash was low speed and i had acres of space around me. EVERY person I know has 1 crash soon after passing tests, the ones in small cars ended up in hospital, the ones in big cars walked away, apart from one guy in a cavalier who rubbed his head on the ground when it turned upside down! My now wife had a 1 litre 104 which opened up like a tin can in a low speed accident put her and 3 girls in hospital for 3 months. it wasn't even head on. She will never drive a small car again. I had a similar accident (yes I have had plenty) in an Octavia and the car remained driveable! Again I put this down to a bigger (ok, and newer) car.

 

Personally I would look for an underpowered bigger car if I could. Bigger car NCAP tests are more rigorous too IIRC. So a 4 star small car is not as good as a 4 star big car.

 

 

Cheerful! 

 

Not all young drivers have accidents in their first year. I've been behind the wheel since September 2012, and I managed to avoid accidents. NCAP ratings are something you should look at though, but that's irrespective of age. :-P

Cheerful! 

 

Not all young drivers have accidents in their first year. I've been behind the wheel since September 2012, and I managed to avoid accidents. NCAP ratings are something you should look at though, but that's irrespective of age. :-P

 

Yes I know young drivers are more responsible nowa days, and I was a gary boy with blacked out windows etc, but its still 30 or 40 boys and girls that i knew across Colchester that all crashed. And a couple didnt survive, one in a chankychento and one in a mini, so both small cars. I do know one chap in a cavalier who didnt make it either but he wasnt wearing a seatbelt.

Yes I know young drivers are more responsible nowa days, and I was a gary boy with blacked out windows etc, but its still 30 or 40 boys and girls that i knew across Colchester that all crashed. And a couple didnt survive, one in a chankychento and one in a mini, so both small cars. I do know one chap in a cavalier who didnt make it either but he wasnt wearing a seatbelt.

Sorry to hear about your losses 

 

With regards to NCAP, I believe the Citigo got a 5 star rating when it was tested in 2011! 

Yes but thats what I am saying, small car ncap ratings arent as good. the Rover 75 didnt get 5 stars because it only lacked roof mounted airbags... a citigo doesn't have them either so how can it have 5 stars?

http://youtu.be/qBDyeWofcLY

Things have come a long way.

Its simply not fair to say that bigger cars are safer anymore

that is very interesting, I expected a lot more damage on the Renault and far less on the Volvo

 

especially the amount of money Volvo put into crash testing and safety features before many other manufacturers

We  are currently looking at various cars for my 18 year old daughter (no lessons taken yet).

My eldest daughter drives a 1.2 i10 and my wife drives the Citigo.

So we have looked prices and insurance for the older cars, Fabia mk1,KA, Micra  etc etc  and the newer models (2012) Suzuki Alto/Nissan Pixo, C1/Aygo/Pug, Mii/Up /Citigo, i10/Picanto.

 

Budget is 4-5k (at the moment) and the best option in my opinion is the i10 Comfort but she prefers the square styling of the Citigo/Up/Mii which are out of the budget unless you buy a CATD.

 

Interesting Insurance quotes too for all those listed above.  Generally 700 (C1)to 900 (Fabia 1.2) with Diamond.  Pretty good for new driver/owner.

Highest for the same cars was £17,000 or 2,100 paid monthly. !!

 

So the slow search will continue as it gives me a good excuse to be on car websites and forecourts.

I think the older version of the citigo is the vw fox, but it looks like a jelly mould at the front (very rounded / bulbous)

 

the c1/aygo/107 are about the cheapest on insurance for a new driver but noisy/underpowered and not particuly economical compared to newer cars

 

the older KA (pre 07) suffers rust issues and poor spec, i10 is not a bad little car

The older shape ka's dont seem to last too long. Not very well built. They all suffer corrision around the same areas (around the fuel filler and wheel arch are just 2 examples). 3 people i know had them, and all 3 failed their mot at around the 80,000 miles. All because of big issues, steering rack etc etc.

Wouldnt recommend an aygo either. My mates got one and he cant really understand why people would have one (his mrs parents gave then theirs). They arent good on fuel, theyre slow, noisey, motorway driving is a complete drag, and he says its cost him a lot more in parts and tyres (they wear really quick, as theyre really narrow) than a half decent more expensive car would have to start with.

Fabias on the other hand seem to be good on insurance. Im 21, first year on my own car policy, and mines £600 fully comp on a 2013 model. Which is much cheaper than a lot of cars.

Example, i did a quote on my mums 2005 polo (same engine as my fabia) and that was £1500 fully comp.