First car recommendations?

[gremlin_95]

Hi all,

I will soon be needing to buy my first car. I was wondering what recommendations and advice people on here would give? It will be used for a lot motorway driving (commuting) due to the nature of the apprenticeship I should soon be getting :)

I was looking at the Polo and Lupo from VW, the diesel versions as these seem to give better economy for longer journeys?

I am not looking to buy new simply because I couldn't afford it.

Reliability and fuel efficiency are the most important things for me. Not worried about 'street cred' as such. I know insurance is going to be quite expensive though :(

[ARWadsworth]

I am so glad I am not in your position:-(

What sort of mileage are you looking at per year?

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you're under 25, I would start by looking for insurance you can afford. That might be as far as you get.

If you can negotiate a company car (even in exchange for a large reduction in wages), that might also work out much cheaper.

[Doctor Drivel]

Buy a Toyota or Honda. The rest can't touch them.

[Davey]

On an apprenticeship? That would be, um, unlikely.

[gremlin_95]

4 days a week to work - 32.1 miles each way if I take the A6 and A508, 41.4 if I use the M1 and 43.1 if I use the M1 and A14, no clue which one I would use?! All similar timings.

College, 1 day a week - 31.6 miles each way using the A46, 39.2 miles using the M1 and 33.7 miles using the A6 and M1.

What do you think would be better?

Given this, the mileage would probably be around 10608 a year?

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[fred]

In article , gremlin_95 writes

It's been a while since I've been in that place but I would avoid the brands (like VW) that have inflated 'value added' or popularity based price differentials. If you want VeeDub type quality differentials, look at alternate brands based on the same chassis and parts that have lower brand image such as Seat or lower, search for VAG group common chassis or similar terms.

Similarly avoid brands with inflated servicing costs, particularly those that require specialist tools for servicing (notably Citroen), and self service or get it serviced in the back streets from a carefully chosen garage.

While I would normally put Toyotas in the high service cost band I have one rellie who bought a 6-12mth old ex driving school Yaris a few years back and is very happy with it, no probs on longish trips. Another has had no probs with a similar Corsa (although watch out for inflated purchase price due to laddish popularity).

As another has said, get a list of cars in the lowest insurance groups and make your first choice from them, if you're young then the ongoing savings there will likely outweigh most savings in initial purchase price.

[fred]

In article , Andrew Gabriel writes

Top, car insurance group listings are available.

I think the tax on benefits in kind associated with company car provision far outweigh any saving achieved, that was certainly the case when I made choices on such matters.

[Newshound]

VWs should be reliable but not so cheap to fix if they go wrong. Most things Japanese are likely to be as reliable and cheaper; no problem with Toyota or Honda, but I've also had good Nissans and Daihatsus, and Which talk highly of low end Mazdas. But TBH the large volume stuff is mostly pretty good: Focus, Astra, etc. Avoid higher spec stuff, particularly French. One of my kids is having endless trouble with a Pug

307 fancy diesel.

My mechanic says steer clear of common rail, go for slightly older stuff. I'm currently running a 1.4 diesel Astra estate which I bought with about 80k on an 03 plate (Isuzu engine) for less than £3k, gives almost 60 mpg on urban or motorway, and looks like running forever.

Either go for something very cheap, so that you can throw it away if it gets silly (don't forget that it's likely to be worth £150 just for scrap), or something respectable and boring.

If insurance is a big issue, look at low rating things like Micras, Pandas, etc.

[Dave Liquorice]

WHS. Putting two and two togther (gremlin_95 & apprenticeship) we might be looking at a 17 year old. Half saw on the telly the other night possibly Superscrimpers that if a youngster adds an older person as a named driver to their insurance the premium drops.

Maybe worth looking at the policies that fit a box to the car and monitor how well (or not), when and where you drive and adjust the premium accordingly.

[tony sayer]

In article , Doctor Drivel scribeth thus

Electric ones of course;)...

[NT]

NT

[Fredxx]

Is it worth going to your local broker to find out what car you can have for the insurance you can afford?

[Fredxx]

Taxable benefits don't take into account the insurance premium for a teenager, so might be a cost effective solution.

[Rick]

My Triumph Herald was a good choice.

[gremlin_95]

Thanks, I am 17 so insurance is very expensive, I am looking for part time work at the moment to save as much as I can so I don't have to make my parents pay every penny etc ...

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[gremlin_95]

They do have company cars at the place and any employees with a license can drive them if required at work but IIRC you aren't given one till you have been working there for a long time.

[Newshound]

IMHO most things with 80k miles on them, if they look reasonably tidy and havn't been mucked around with by boy racers, will probably be OK for the next 40k with no more than petrol, tyres, and the occasional battery or exhaust. You might have to replace the cam belt and one set of brakes.

As for routing, I would go by time, but for you cost might be the driver. There's probably not much in it, all depends on the average speed and amount of stop-start on the different routes.

[gremlin_95]

Ah, like Seat, Skoda etc? My Dad has been driving VW's for a long time now and has not really had any problems, hence me wanting to get one too but I am happy to look at others based on the same chasis like you said.

I believe it's not really the best practice to get it serviced at a main dealer?

The only thing I don't like about Japanese cars and some others (French I think?) is that they don't seem to have a very heavy solid feel to it, almost like they feel very err tinny? Like when you shut the door on my Dads Passat, it feels heavy and makes a thud, compare this to a Toyota I have worked on, all you get is a tiny clunk. Just a personal thing I guess.

[gremlin_95]

Thank you, whilst on Pug, I am learning to drive in a 308 HDI...it broke down on my first lesson, though this was just after it was serviced by the main dealer and they apparently drained the battery,