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Great advice from SLO76 as usual.
I would probably add the Skoda Citigo/Seat Mii/VW Up to that list (all the same car).
Yes, they only have a 1.0 litre engine but don't get hung up on this. They can be rowed along at a decent pace. The engine comes in two states of tune anyway, 59 and 74 BHP.
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I would never have thought of even looking at a Skoda, but I definitely check it out. Thank you.
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I would never have thought of even looking at a Skoda, but I definitely check it out. Thank you.
I would never have thought of even looking at a Skoda, but I definitely check it out. Thank you.
I’ve had a VW Up for six years, it’s done 130,000 miles, faultless. Only 1 litre engine but it’s better than the 1.3 litre one in my previous car. Surprisingly roomy inside. Don’t knock the three pots. Also consider older Polos, and the Skoda and Seat equivalents. Kia Picanto and Hyundai equivalent are good albeit not a good brand image.
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My husband had a Swift and it was a really good car. My first car was a Mazda (my Dad's old car and I LOVED it. Will def research that as I still want another Mazda myself lol. Thanks for all your help.
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Hi guys, I'm back again.
I have been taking on board your recommendations and have afound a few potential buys.
I would love your opinions as to which would be potantially the most value for money/reliable buy?
These are just three I have found:
A Skoda Citago: www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180123301...1
A mazda 2:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180131328...2
and a Suzuki Swift:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180328502...2
Edited by Jacqueline Fowler on 17/04/2018 at 20:20
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Three decent little cars from the look of them. All things equal (condition/history) I’d have the Mazda 2. It’s the best all rounder in my opinion but I’d understand why any young lad or lass would want that wee limited edition Citigo. It’s a bit of a personal love it or hate it choice however and come resale time it’ll put many off. That said, it’s the cheapest to run and the most modern.
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I don’t have the experience of SLO to advise you and the Mazda does have a solid reputation but the Suzuki seems good from reports on reliability.
Seems you are looking fairly locally and that is a good idea.
I saw a difference in VED but more importantly is there much difference in insurance?
Maybe consider features - A/C, central locking, electric mirrors etc – whatever you, or rather your son, thinks is important.
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My son doesn't know I am looking. It will be a graduation gift.
He is aiming for, and looking at his ongoing results will get an honours degree. I want to reward that. :D
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Argh, insurance!
I haven't even gone there, bit I know it will be expensive. I am hoping that him being 22 it might be TINY bit cheaper!
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Argh, insurance!
I haven't even gone there, bit I know it will be expensive. I am hoping that him being 22 it might be TINY bit cheaper!
It might be worth including in his present (if he hasn't done this himself already) a 'Pass Plus' course, which should help him reduce his insurance premium (some insurers offer specific reductions for young drivers who take [and presumably pass!] the course) and go for one of the cheaper to insure cars as well.
www.gov.uk/pass-plus
You may also find that its worth waiting for the car and insurance until your son has a job, as, depending upon what that is, it could make a large difference to the insurance premium as well - being a 'yoof' with no job (yet - e.g. summer hols/looking for work) and time on their hands is often thought of by insurers as a licence to burn rubber, rather than a responsible young person with a job. Being classed as 'unemployed' does make a difference - it bumped my premium up by 10% even when I was in my late 30s, even if the actual amount was only £30pa.
Whatever you do, make sure he is listed as the main driver of the car. Quite a few parents don't this these days to save their kids huge amounts of money on insurance premiums, but its illegal.
As regards the cars, for me, its between the Mazda2 and the Suzuki. I'd personally keep the car performance to a minimum - at that age, they need to learn (via experience) how to drive responsibly, rather than how quick can they go before losing control. They can still have fun in any small car nowadays.
Best of luck.
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I am leaning to towards the Citigo, because it looks quite sporty, and it only has a small engine lol. (Mams really want sons to drive REALLY slowly.) ;) It's also newer and the interior is pretty sleek.
Re-reading an earlier post, apparently the Citigo is quite nippy. That's OK, just don't want him in some crazy souped up thing, however sensible he might be when I'm around, it''s easy to get carried away, when you have a bunch of friends aboard.
Edited by Jacqueline Fowler on 17/04/2018 at 22:02
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Given the swift has 55% more power than the citigo, i'd be inclined to get a quote for that before going any further!. But the citigo certainly should be the cheapest to insure, probably by quite a margin. It, along with it's VW and Seat kissing cousin's (the Up and the Mii) are designed with insurance in mind, having fewer seperate body panels to make it cheaper to repair following a minor bump. The Citroen C1, Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo were designed in a similar fashion, so if insurance is going to be a major factor, might be worth looking at one of those too.
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Here is an example of the current Aygo with it's eyecatching looks,
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180313453...1
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It’s a nice idea to surprise him but would you pay for an expensive holiday for him without knowing where he really wanted to go?
Say he can pick the car with limits on sensibilities – no ancient BMWs.
Insurance is not just about performance: it’s also about repair costs. Why Vauxhall Corsas and Citroen Saxas were favoured by the young at one time.
And third party is often more than comprehsive.
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I would advise to check the cars insurance group, as close to group 1 as possible.
www.parkers.co.uk/car-insurance/group-1/
Please note, it’s only the smaller engines and lower trim models that fall within group 1.
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Thanks for ALL your advice and recommendations.
We bought him a car last week, a Hyundai i10. Insurance group 1 (yeah!) which cost us £671 at Admiral, which I was well pleased with. It's March 2016 and we paid £6320 which I reckon was fair. Only 12,064 miles on the clock. It has warranty until March 2021, which includes roadside assistance. I got them to check the brake pads, as this can be an issue and is not included on the warranty.
He put some money towards it too, but gained a First Class Honours Degree, so we were pretty proud of him! :D The most important thing for him was it had to be blue! It is Morning Blue, a very nice colour I have to say, and the interior matches. All in all, a job well done.
Thanks again everyone x
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Excellent news!.
And the i10 is a fantastic little car, it always comes out around the top of any group tests of city cars.
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An excellent little first car and well done to him for all his effort, I hope he’ll be on here soon looking for advice on his first £30,000 exec or hot hatch.
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Lucky lad, it’s a nice little car.
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We have an i10 in our small company fleet. Badly driven by someone with no mechanical knowledge or sympathy. It survives very well. I used it last year to do over 180 miles in one day and I really enjoyed it. I hope he does also.
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My sons girlfriend has an i10. and she loves it..hope it serves him well, and congrats to him for his degree..
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So far so good. He loves it and it flew through its first MOT test. (Provided free from the garage we bought it from, nice touch.) Just one question. When he is driving it (and I am a passenger eek!) the steering looks very loose to me, like he seems to be constantly over correcting. Is this the car's steering or could he just overcompensating as comparatively new driver. I don't want to mention for fear of knocking his 'new driver' confidence. Having never driven the car it's hard to tell.
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So far so good. He loves it and it flew through its first MOT test. (Provided free from the garage we bought it from, nice touch.) Just one question. When he is driving it (and I am a passenger eek!) the steering looks very loose to me, like he seems to be constantly over correcting. Is this the car's steering or could he just overcompensating as comparatively new driver. I don't want to mention for fear of knocking his 'new driver' confidence. Having never driven the car it's hard to tell.
I have had an i10 as a courtesy car, the steering seemed fine to me. I presume the tyres are good and the pressures as per handbook recommendations?
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If it got through its MoT, there shouldn't be too much wrong with the steering. He may well be over-correcting - but have a go in it yourself. It's always a good idea to be a named driver on his insurance policy.
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