New car for a learner driver

[Ian_Mac]

After months of thinking about it my other half has decided she wants to take her driving test. She had lessons years ago but never got round to taking her test so she's not a total stranger to being behind the wheel.

As I managed to persuade her driving my car wouldn't be a good idea she's looking to buy a cheap runabout for herself.

Now she's got a budget of £1000 just to get her going and has asked me to look into it for her.

I know the obvious choices are Fiesta, Clio etc... but I'm just wondering what the general concensus of opinion would be from other people.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[gina2201]

VW Polo, great little cars, easy to drive, solid and hold their price well and easy to sell as and when you want to. Also perhaps a little more respectable/nicer inside and more modern looking than a Clio say of the same age/value. Had one for 18 months never had any issues with it! Lovely little car. Only a 1.0L but was nippy enough for it's size and arond town, 50mpg!

 

[A210AMG]

Hello although I agree with above the VW's are nice and always a little classier than the norm they do cost more / tend to be a lower spec and will be a tad more to insure / fix than a ford or vaxhaull

For that reason and depending on what she is going to have some leasons In I would chose a Corsa or fiesta.


PS, typical BM parking in your pics

 

[Barbanasos]

Hi,

do a search on autotrader for a maximum of £1000, high to low, you will be amazed with the cars you get for that money. I was looking for a friend recently and there are loads of bargains. There was a micra for example one owner 1.0 automatic 50k miles for £995 that would never break down. Stick to cars like that and you can't go wrong. Polo, Micra, Yaris will be cheap to insure.

If you re not that bothered about insurance then there are numerous options, 2 door hondas, saloons mercedes e and c, or even bmw e36 3 series. Vauxhalls and fords in the millions as well as vws.

Maybe a clean golf 3 standard spec, or even an e30 if it is well looked after either red or white. £1000 can go a long way these days.

 

[hawk20]

Could take the auto only test if plans to drive autos afterwards.

 

[vijilants]

Micra....great 16v engine, very reliable, cheap to insure, great on petrol, cheap tax, easy to work on, parts everywhere and cheap !

 

[wemorgan]

I agree with the Micra..........also the Vauxhall Corsa is very cheap to buy and maintain.

 

[flango]

I'd agree with the VW Polo pretty bullet proof and Immune to abuse of learner drivers, this is what I will be getting my daughter later this year.

Micra are very engine prone and not very forgiving, cheap parts, but you'll be needing plenty of them

Corsa a bit Barry and bit of a chavmobile, nothing wrong with the mechanics though, very reliable

Fiesta very much as Corsa, but stay away from the Clio I have seen some terrible accidents in these where the occupants have had serious injuries, which I am sure they would not have sustained in something like a Polo

Just my 2p worth

 

[w124coupe]

Worth a quick look at the NCAP site if you are buying an older car - scary how the popular previous model Ford Ka (just as one example) fares in comparison with others...

When we looked for daughter number 1 the choice was skewed by the cost to insure for a 17 year old.

Without that pressure (reading your post) then you need to work out what you need - big boot/4 doors/aircon etc and then pick from the models that don't fold up in a shunt. The larger engined and/or sportily trimmed versions tend to be cheaper as the young market just can't insure them.

Fiesta, Corsa, Polo are all in plentiful supply and everyone can fix them cheaply. Their safety varies by age as the NCAP tests show.

(While ducking for cover, I have to say that the Micra tends to be driven largely by middle aged teachers - not that I'm into stereotypes).

 

[Meldrew2]

There's some bargain used Daewoo / Chevrolet Matiz... 900cc, group 2/3 insurance.

Only snag is that the cheapest cars may now get used against the £2000 scrappage scheme (though only if their owner can afford a new car.

Me, I'd go for a Kia Piccanto..... shop around and you can get a brand new one for £5K. There's a 3 year warranty - so you're guaranteed cheap motoring. Buy a car for £1000 and you may be setting yourself up for a lot of repair bills. It's amazing just how good a car a modern "bargain basement" car is, compared to any 1980's hatchback.

 

[fumiyasu]

+1 on the polo, great little cars. looks cool, nice to drive, interior's not bad and reliable. Alternatively, the A class are only a little more than two grand..

E30s are very nice for this kind of price. Looks very classy but no modern interior might be a problem for some. although the interior certainly is better made than the E36 and even the E46 imo. And cars of this age generally need someone willing to look after them...

 

[Doodle]

FWIW, my ex wife is apparently getting rid of her Civic coupe, which would fall inside your budget and is local to you.

It's an N-reg 1.5, mileage is around 70-80k IIRC.

 

[umedc]

Micra....great 16v engine, very reliable, cheap to insure, great on petrol, cheap tax, easy to work on, parts everywhere and cheap !

yes , i was comeing from london on m1 this micra overtook me at 80 and i was drivering mine s55amg ,i stick to speed limit

 

[vijilants]

Micra are very engine prone and not very forgiving, cheap parts, but you'll be needing plenty of them

Had three Micras in my family so far and never had a single problem with the engine or in actual fact any other part of the car....and all were the Jap built versions. (Not imports...just built in Japan)

As it says on the honestjohn site, they will prematurely wear the timing chains if not serviced at the correct intervals, but thats about it really, but then again its like anything really....if you don't service it properly and at the right time, you shouldn't be surprised if you get a failure

Only comment I'd have if you are thinking of a Corsa is check carefully as many would have been used as ex Driving Instructor vehicles and if you are in London they are always being stolen as they are popular for parts for the boy racer young crowd. I am saying this from experience, as two of my friends chose Corsas for their sons first cars and both were eventually stolen. (Not by each other )

 

[Chris Akabusi]

Polo or Yaris i'd say

 

[Ian_Mac]

Thanks for the input everyone, I'm noticing there's not a lot of love for the old Fiesta here! I predict a few weekends spent looking round garages and the internet, still it makes a nice change from furniture shops.

I'll mention the Civic to her, I guess it all depends how quickly she's want to put things in motion.

A210AMG I like the comment about the parking, if I tried harder I think I could have taken up 4 spaces there not just 2. (it was just for pic taking purposes though!!)

 

[lil.smartie]

VW Lupo or Seat Arosa

Bit smaller than the others but cheap to insure & good economy too.

Kate