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Mon 4 May 2020 12:46

The best first wheels - SLO76

In my corner of suburban nirvana I’m surrounded with families with three and four cars. One for mum, one for dad and one for each driving age offspring. It’s a modern estate so the streets are somewhat narrow and choked with too many cars.

Almost all of them have new or nearly new cars on PCP or contract lease which is to me utter madness when it comes to a first motor. These cars have to be returned in a sellable condition or large fees will apply and you can guarantee that a new driver will add a few too many dings and scratches. Often it’s with a little parents help but usually the cost is met by newly employed teen, taking a big percentage of their early careers earnings and more importantly increasing the time they’ll be living under your feet.

People seem terrified of older cars, believing them to be unreliable and unsafe but I argue that they’re not and to land young drivers with a crippling monthly bill is unwise and only delays the day they can stand on their own two feet with head held high. They’ll be with you in their 40’s if they get into the PCP/Lease trap of a costly new car every few years.

My neighbour has a nearly new VW Polo GTi at age 19, which is taking most of what he earns between HP and insurance. It’s c******d him and he now can’t stand the loss of face that would come from downgrading in his mind as all his friends are doing the very same. It’s a lovely wee car but it’s taken a few knocks already and will no doubt end up going through a hedge at some point.

I argue that a cheap older car is the right way to begin your motoring life. Something that is cheap and cheerful. A car you had to lovingly search Gumtree or Autotrader for with a strict budget in mind. It’ll teach you more, it’ll be more fun and there’ll be no finance, no PCP with limited mileage, no contract lease with strict damage clauses. You buy it and run about in it care free, if done right.

What then constitutes the best first car in your opinion? I say cast the net wide and look based more on condition and providence. But a shortlist can still be made from cars that have a good reputation for longevity and ease of maintenance.

I suggest that the ideal price range be between £1,500 and £3,000 for such purchases. Any more and it’s going to be too valuable to stand all those learning curve dings and bashes but any cheaper and you’re delving into true bangernomics where only those with knowledge of the dark art should lurk with their kids first cars.

Citroen C1 1.0/Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo 1.0 - Tiny 3cyl Daihatsu engine and costs buttons to run. Resists rot well and is as cheap as it gets for insurance. Simple and reliable yet fun to drive. A good example is easy to find at this money.

Mazda 2 1.3 - A hoot to drive with the same basic suspension and floorpan as the Fiesta but uses a bombproof chain driven Mazda engine. Again £3k is plenty to get a really nice one.

Ford Fiesta 1.25 Mk V post facelift - Cheap as chips yet fun to drive and reliable. £1,500 will buy a really decent one.

Ford Fiesta 1.25 Mk VI - Nicer looking and better made than above but prices are much higher. Watch for mocking electric steering racks.

Kia Picanto 1.1 - Cheap as chips because it’s utterly unfashionable. Reliable, simple and very cheap to run.

Suzuki Swift 1.3 petrol - A joy to drive yet utterly reliable and quite cute too. Hard to fault as a first car.

Toyota Yaris 1.0/1.3 - Probably the best all-rounder. A good bit more space than the Aygo and a bit safer, more comfortable and better built yet not much dearer to run. Not particularly exciting to drive but look after it and it’ll run and run. A great cheap runabout.

Nissan Micra 1.2 K12 - One of the last reliable Nissan’s. Simple and robust yet cute and good to drive these are also cheap as chips now. The 1.0 is ok but the 1.2 is better. Unappealing to the boy racer brigade so few are abused. Watch for electrical issues on more complex versions. Stick with basic models.

There are of course other reliable options at this money such as the Honda Jazz but few teens, male or female would thank you for one. The Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 can be ok if looked after but they’re cheaply made, drab inside and usually abused by younger drivers. The 1.0 tends to eat timing chains too. I’d favour the Japanese engined cars above particularly the Swift, Mazda 2 and Yaris. I only wish I was 17 again I’d listen to the wisdom of others and I’d avoid the money pit MG Metro I had for my first car.

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Mon 4 May 2020 14:57

The best first wheels - Andrew-T

Counter to your opening paragraphs, SLO, last summer I sold my 30-year-old Pug 205 1.4 to my son-in-law's brother, who thought (and still thinks) it is great. More to the point, so does his teenage daughter, who was particularly impressed by the comfortable seats and the wide visibility. She's not quite old enough yet to drive, but I will be interested to see what happens when she is.

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Mon 4 May 2020 15:11

The best first wheels - nellyjak

I passed my driving test in 1964..there was only really one car most young guys wanted then....a Mini.!

So that was my first car...in tartan red.

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Mon 4 May 2020 16:36

The best first wheels - groaver

My son bought himself a 2006 Toyota Corolla last autumn before he passed his test. Clean thing it is too. He searched for ages before choosing a very decent cheap car. Taught him well. ;-)

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Tue 5 May 2020 11:01

The best first wheels - Engineer Andy

My son bought himself a 2006 Toyota Corolla last autumn before he passed his test. Clean thing it is too. He searched for ages before choosing a very decent cheap car. Taught him well. ;-)

You'd think that gang members and drug dealers would always go for them, given how bullet-proof they are...

:-)

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Mon 4 May 2020 16:37

The best first wheels - alan1302

Think I'd include the Hyundai i10 into these as well

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Mon 4 May 2020 17:18

The best first wheels - paul 1963

Spot on as usual SLO, my son's got a 107, not his first car, but it's perfect for him and his fiancee, I find a very comfortable little thing to be driven in and drive plus it comes with that cheeky 3 pot exhaust note, think he paid around 3 grand for it from a dealer and as you say cheap as chips to run....

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Mon 4 May 2020 17:14

The best first wheels - Metropolis.

First car of choice around where I live used to be a Defender before prices went through the roof. Slow, safe and what the local kids were used to with farming backgrounds. One mother described it as ‘a metal cage around her’ (her daughter). Before someone pipes up about the lack of airbags, the real life crash survival statistics still favour body on frame vehicles. I know what I’d choose compared to the chassis-less cars being suggested where the crumple zone is your face!

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Mon 4 May 2020 18:21

The best first wheels - John F

Almost all of them have new or nearly new cars on PCP or contract lease which is to me utter madness when it comes to a first motor........

.......I argue that a cheap older car is the right way to begin your motoring life.

Spot on. About twenty years ago I bought my first son an old white Peugeot 309 for about £400, and an almost identical one for second son a couple of years later. Astonishingly neither were seriously damaged over many years of use.

Edited by John F on 04/05/2020 at 18:21

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Mon 4 May 2020 18:56

The best first wheels - Trilogy.

I'd add a Fabia to that list. Three years ago my brother bought a 2004 1.4 Elegance for my nephew to learn to drive on. It's now used as their main car, even for long journeys in preference to their larger car. It cost about £1500 and has been very little trouble. Bizarrely my nephew prefers it to his driving instructor's Fiesta.

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Mon 4 May 2020 19:23

The best first wheels - tim10597

My first car, back in 1990 when I could finally afford to buy a car rather than rely on borrowing one, was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2. Basic, but did the job admirably. When my daughter learned to drive almost 3 years ago, we found a great condition 2005 Fiesta 1.4, which has cost nothing to run apart from routine servicing and a new battery. But she really wants an automatic having driven my last car, which was auto. So if we can find a good condition Fiesta 1.4 auto, her current car can be handed down to my son who will start to learn later this year!

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Tue 5 May 2020 00:02

The best first wheels - Avant

All the above makes good sense - especially if there is someone in the family who can easily sort things out if the ageing first car won't start or makes a funny noise. But if there isn't, then there'll be an expensive call-out followed by an even more expensive garage repair. Particularly if the garagiste thinks 'we've got a sucker here'.

So I can sympathise if parents want to buy peace of mind, especially (and I don't mean to be sexist) if they are worried about a daughter driving an old car home at night. I'm not saying they need to buy new - but if funds are available for, say, a 2- to 4-year-old Yaris with FSH then that could be the best compromise.

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Tue 5 May 2020 10:05

The best first wheels - gkb40

My son, who is a key worker, has got a 2010 Fiat Panda 1.1 for his first car.

It's been in the family from new, been regularly serviced, has a fresh set of tyres and I've replaced the suspension recently. Even better I had to replace the wings, bumper and bonnet with secondhand parts after a minor prang, so it's white with black front panels!

The Panda is basic, it's not fast, it's been reliable thus far and it wasn't horrific to insure. Fortunately he's not at all image conscious and is loving it. It effectively has little value so, if it gets a few bumps, so be it.

The money he's saving by running the cheap Panda he'll use to get something better in a few years - savings, not PCP!

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Wed 6 May 2020 03:28

The best first wheels - expat

My three sons all bought their own first cars and paid for them with their own money. Instead of giving them car money we bought a house in the city for them to live in when they were at uni. Why pay rent to strangers when it can pay off a mortgage? The boys all got big 6 cylinder cars which were cheap to buy and easy to fix. We felt better that they were in vehicles which would protect them better in the event of a crash.

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Thu 7 May 2020 09:27

The best first wheels - Andrew-T

It's not so simple these days. When our girls started driving about 30 years ago, it was easy to get a basic vehicle which was 'easy to fix' etc - Minis in their case, before they moved on to 205s. These days any car fitting that description will be getting on in years, which may not be what they want, or a good idea. There are still some around of course, and they may be worth seeking out.

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Thu 7 May 2020 09:55

The best first wheels - gordonbennet

It's not so simple these days. When our girls started driving about 30 years ago, it was easy to get a basic vehicle which was 'easy to fix' etc - Minis in their case, before they moved on to 205s. These days any car fitting that description will be getting on in years, which may not be what they want, or a good idea. There are still some around of course, and they may be worth seeking out.

I would suggest Aygo/107/C1 are easier to work on than Minis, infinitely more reliable and don't rust away before your very eyes.

Edited by gordonbennet on 07/05/2020 at 09:56

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Thu 7 May 2020 11:43

The best first wheels - Andrew-T

<< I would suggest Aygo/107/C1 are easier to work on than Minis, infinitely more reliable and don't rust away before your very eyes. >>

I was talking BL Minis, GB, not the inflated reincarnations made by a German company. Of course those certainly did rust away as you say, and I would never advise anyone to look for one today - not as a useful motor, anyway.

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Thu 7 May 2020 12:02

The best first wheels - gordonbennet

I was talking BL Minis,

So was i :-) apart from changing spark plugs or adjusting tappets BL transverse lines ups weren't great to work on.

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Thu 7 May 2020 11:47

The best first wheels - SLO76

“ I would suggest Aygo/107/C1 are easier to work on than Minis, infinitely more reliable and don't rust away before your very eyes.”

I’d agree. Yes the electrics are more complex but they’re better made and if the right help is sought when electrical issues occur then these are usually easy enough to fix. There’s loads of early model 2006/2007 versions around to testify to their robust nature while I remember flogging Minis in the 90’s that were 7-8yrs old but riddled with rot. I still love them though, the more simple the better. I’d love a 70’s Mini 1000.

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Thu 7 May 2020 08:14

The best first wheels - barney100

First car, Viva hb in c1970. £400 and really quite nice to drive, did a lot of miles in that car until the engine died. PX for a Victor but maybe 30 years later I saw the Viva in Blandford where I was stationed all those years ago.

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Fri 22 Jan 2021 09:47

The best first wheels - ManYad

I know the thread is old SLO, but just wanted to ask, what kind of age and mileage to limit to? I know its on a case-by-case basis, but need some starting point.

I am in tunbridge wells, and am looking for something within 30 annual tax, for local runs only.

Also i see one Yaris as below. Not many around at this time - Mazda2, or Picanto, or Yaris, or Swift.

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010104842374?f...s

- M

Saw this 'Toyota Yaris' on Auto Trader and thought you might be interested. Click this link to view the advert - www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010104842374?u...d

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Fri 22 Jan 2021 10:12

The best first wheels - SLO76

Looks a fresh enough wee car but there’s no mention of service history at all. I’d buy only if there’s proof of annual servicing and it’s been owned by its current/last owner for at least two years, preferably longer. The advert is badly written but that may just mean the seller doesn’t know what they’re doing. In this case being a dealer it suggests there is no history with the car otherwise it would be highlighted.

I also wouldn’t focus on the £30 road tax. You’re better spending £100 a year more on tax if it grants you a better, lower mileage and more reliable car so don’t rule out anything in the band above.

Edited by SLO76 on 22/01/2021 at 10:37

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Sat 23 Jan 2021 01:04

The best first wheels - edlithgow

The rest of it makes perfect sense, but I'm not sure about. "but any cheaper and you’re delving into true bangernomics where only those with knowledge of the dark art should lurk with their kids first cars."

I rather doubt there is a "dark art:" (though if there is I;d like to be initiated into it). I think you are just buying a used car, in either case, and if you are relying on a relatively young age/higher price to avoid gotchas, you are taking a significant risk.

My impression is that James Ruppert, who coined the term, wouldn't claim there were any dark arts required, in fact I think that;s a big part of his pitch,

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Sat 23 Jan 2021 11:06

The best first wheels - Ted66

How about a Hyundai i20? Well equipped, good amount of safety equipment, would've have had a five Year warranty under it's belt and unlikely to have been abused. Not as good to drive as a Fiesta though but a fair bit cheaper. Just make sure the clutch is good.

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