Buying your first car

After some positive feedback from my first blog, I have written this one, it’s a little longer, but hopefully you will not get too bored when reading it.

So the "L" plates have been ripped up, and the pink full UK licence has arrived in the post, its now time to buy your first car. Now I know this topic has probably been covered countless times, but hopefully I will provide you with a useful and entertaining insight in what is arguably the most exciting yet somewhat daunting task many young people face. I am going to explore the complete "ins- and outs" of motoring and the types of cars that are available to younger drivers, some of which you may be surprised at.

In my own experience there is one golden rule to buying your first car. PLEASE check the cost of insurance before purchasing any vehicle; avoid my mistake of rushing out and buying a sports car for a thousand pounds (MGF 1.8 VVC) at 17, only to find out the cheapest insurance quote I could get was 7 THOUSAND POUNDS. Needless to say the car had to go and I learned a painful lesson. Remember that it isn’t buying the car these days that’s the financial headache, there’s plenty of lovely big German executive saloons and 4x4's to be had for a little over a grand, but when it comes to running it every day and insuring it, your wallet will be very heavily hit. But that’s not to say a 1 litre Corsa or Peugeot is always your cheapest way to get on the road.

So let's take a budget of £2500 to £3000, to buy and insure a car and see what you can get. I shall break it up into categories to make it as simple as possible. For each category there will be a small number of cars and a few need to know details about them, just to keep things simple.

The small hatchbacks. Usually between insurance groups 1-5.

 i.e. The Cars everybody else has and usually the ones your parents approve of.

Vauxhall corsa. (Model B and C)

Well I have one myself so I know a fair bit about these cars. The corsa is cheap to buy and run, (anything from 40 to 60 mpg), and generally pretty cheap to insure, the engines are strong and provide ample power , my own 1.2 16 v has taken me all over Europe, including a 750 mile non stop stint from Birmingham to Hamburg with four people and luggage. However the handling is not by any means "razor sharp" but overall I would describe the corsa as adequate in every department. Avoid the 1.0 3 cylinder as there is a general consensus that it’s pretty dreadful. An insurance quote for an 18 year old male, living in a low risk area, will vary from £1400 - £2000. (Courtesy of confused.com). This may sound a fair bit, however what ever way you look at it insurance for young drivers will never be cheap.

Peugeot 206.

The Peugeot is one of Britain’s best selling cars and has long been a favourite of first time drivers, there cheap to buy and run and they have the major benefit of those sleek French curves, thus meaning your mates aren’t going to laugh when you turn up at their house with it. A good 206 can be picked up for a thousand pounds, although it sits in a slightly higher insurance group than the corsa, a mid-range 1.4 Verve sits in group 5. If you go for a diesel the mpg is a very impressive 65.7. Now the words French car and reliability aren’t generally put together, and the 206 has suffered its fair share of niggles along its lifetime. Despite being an immensely popular car in the Auto Express Driver Power 2005 satisfaction and reliability survey, the car came 98th out of 100,

The electrics have been known to fail, causing warning lights to be displayed on the dash and the central locking has been known to fail, and sticking clutches have also been reported. (Check all of this before handing over your hard earned money). The little Pug is let down also by one major factor, its driving position is truly awful, on a trip from London to Birmingham the 206 gave me chronic back ache and the steering wheel sits too low, also it is worth noting the interior space is somewhat limited. Other than the issues mentioned above, a properly looked after 206 should give you many miles of trouble free motoring, just don’t rush into buying one, over half a million were sold in the UK so there’s plenty on the used market.. A typical insurance quote for a 206 will vary from £1600 to £2100 for a 1.4, (using the same details as aforementioned).

The Renault Clio ( 1998- 2005)

The Clio has a lot going for it, its cheap to buy and a really good looking little car. It’s a popular with boy racers so avoid ones with after market alloy wheels or lowered suspension as there likely to have been driven within an inch of their lives. The 1.2 8v is a little slow of the line but once it picks up speed its just fine. The 1.5 dci diesel is a gem and again will return 65 mpg. Just the same as the Peugeot, when buying a Clio check the electrics, the front windows have been known to fail and a good service history is a must when buying one of these. Special editions of the Clio come with sport trim and desirable features such as I pod connectivity on later models. Insurance is mid way between the 206 and the corsa, with an average quote of 1900 pounds from confused.com.

List of possible other alternatives-

Fiat punto, Ford fiesta, VW polo, Skoda Fabia (don’t be put off by the Skoda name, they really are good cars), Citroen saxo, VW lupo.

Now I could drone on all day about small hatchbacks you could buy, there are literally hundreds out there, but my aim of this blog was to also give you an insight into cars, you might not first think of, when considering your first car. So where shall we start?

Land Rover Series/ Defender.

No I haven’t gone mad; I really am suggesting that an 18/ 19 year old get behind the wheel of one of these utilitarian beasts. In cities yes a hatchback is perhaps the better option, but when it comes to country folk they have this ace up there sleeve. Insurance company and parents alike know that these old land rovers are slow, so therefore they tend to take this into account when giving you an insurance quote and because of its modest performance parents, despite initial shock often approve. An 18 year old male on a series 3 land rover fully comprehensive was just 1200 pounds for the year, this is far cheaper than anything else mentioned above. Also the major advantage of buying a series Land Rover is, if you keep the car until you are 21 the insurance drops to under 300 pounds and any pre 1972 will be road fun licence (tax) exempt. Something you can use to offset the high running costs of 25 mpg. They do however in general cost more to buy than your standard hatchback, but on the plus side depreciation is very low, and in some cases it might even appreciate. There also about the toughest thing out there, so if you are unfortunate enough to have a “bump”, you’re very likely to be in a much safer place sitting behind the wheel of a Defender. Land Rovers come in either short wheel base (swb) or long wheel base (lwb), the latter is more practical for carting mates and big objects around and the former is more practical for parking and is ever so slightly more economical. It’s also worth noting that Land Rover spares are plentiful as at some point you will need to purchase them. When purchasing an old Land rover, always have a good look round with your eyes “wide open”. Rust is the biggest killer on any land rover chassis and bulkhead so check these very carefully. It’s also not really a candidate for anyone that does long distances, there not exactly comfortable, and they are noisy and many leak water in when they rain. Despite these flaws many old Land Rovers hold a special place in their owner’s hearts.

The VW beetle (Original)

The VW beetle really is a “marmite” car; you either love it or hate it. If you’re one of the former then this section is for you. Insurers regard them highly and as a result insurance is just about as cheap as it will get, around £1100. There are hundreds of them for sale, but prices vary massively, from £750 for a tatty early 1970’s that needs work to 6k plus for a real show winner. A solid one can be had for around £1800- £2000. Reliability isn’t exactly that of a modern car, but on the other hand parts are cheap and it is very easy to work on. The Beetle has a very vibrant scene so when it does inevitably break down there is help and advice on any number of online forums and specialist magazines. Check for worn engines and more importantly rust; the 1970’s cars in particular are renowned for corrosion. Owning and running a classic beetle is completely different to having a modern car, sure it may be slow and noisy, but you will gain admiring glances and waves wherever you go.

The MINI (Original)

I really could not complete this list without mentioning the original mini. There’s a lot to say about it but I will keep it short.

Perhaps most importantly at the age of 18, the original mini is a very cool car and it will gain you respect from your mates and passers by. It is very cheap to insure and to run. You sit so low to the ground that even a trip to the shops feels like you’re in a grand prix. There are literally thousands of small modifications that can be bought to improve the “usability” of one day to day (many will not affect your insurance premium). However like all the classics I have mentioned they suffer from rust, so please check the bodywork and underside for serious corrosion.

Other classics to consider.

Morris minor, Mgb gt (surprisingly cheap to insure),

Also remember if you buy a modern hatchback for £1200 and run it for 2 years, you might be lucky to get £750 back, on a classic car if you look after you might even see your car appreciate, and also remember all of the classic I have mentioned are available as “Tax exempt”, thus meaning you will save minimum of £120 a year.

So there you have it, a list of “run of the mill” first time drivers cars compared with the less ordinary, whatever car you choose, remember to look it over thoroughly and if you have no mechanical experience take someone with you who does, or pay out a little bit and get a proper AA or RAC inspection, it could save you a fortune in the long run.

Any comments or criticism welcome.

Matthew Brown