Hey everyone, my brother is learning to drive at the moment. And in preparation had a wander round Carcraft to look for ideas as to which car to buy.
We are looking for a smallish car with about £5k to spend.
After the said wander he is keen on a newish Punto, or a Saxo [what he is learning to drive in]. He is equally unimpressed with Fiestas, Polos, 206s and Corsas.
So can anyone give any problems with the Punto or Saxo, and any reasons for not buying them or buying something different?
Thanks in advance
Kev
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Buy a New shape Punto for 5 grand brand new from Motorpoint or any car supermarket. They are a very good car.
under NO circumstances buy anything from Carcraft and certainly don't be tempted by their finance deals - they are a big rip off.
If he is not paying cash for the car, his best bet is to get a bank loan - but not neccesarily from his bank, EGG.com or similar internet banks do some good deals.
The Saxo is a bit old now - Punto is the one to go for.
Good luck
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Puntos are a obselete model production ended last year
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We had a similar thread a few weeks ago, and I seem to remember the general consensus as buying a cheapy as a first car, as it is almost inevitable an accident will occur in the first flush of exuberance. Unless, of course, your brother is in his 40's........
Mike
ps It's traditional for your first car to be an old nail anyway, or where will your amusing motoring dinner table anecdotes come from?
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My 21 YO son has just bought an R-reg Civic for about that money, but the insurance (zero NCB) is £900+. He thinks his friend's X-reg Saxo is a rattletrap by comparison.
Unless your bro is either mature or more careful than the average teenager, I'd go with a cheaper secondhand option. It'll give him something to get his hands dirty on, too.
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My brother getting his hands dirty, I would like to see that. I can see him never washing the car, never mind fiddling about with expensive bits under the bonnet. Hes very into computers, and very non into cars.
I agree with Marcus, we do not intend to buy a car from Carcraft, its just a very handy place where all the cars we are looking at are together and open. So we can get in, see what they are like, etc...
Yes they are expensive, and yes 19.9% apr is 1/5th of the cost of the vehicle again. Their drinks are good value for money though, 60p for a cuppa damm good, I think.
Has anyone ever had/known any one whos had prblems with Puntos then? IM somewhat worried that they are Italian cars....
Also, whats the best engine size to get?
Kev
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If the choice was between Punto and Saxo, my money would go on the Fiat. They're both a similar size, but you'll find the Fiat a bit more substantial and up to date. If you're going to have a whack in a supermini sized car, you don't want it in a Saxo and you DEFINITELY don't want it in a Metro. I wasn't aware that the Punto is no longer made - but IF that's right, then so much the better - even cheaper second hand!!
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Thats what I felt, it felt more substantial. The doors shut without a clank, and the interior feels of a better material. I personnally found the Saxo flimsy and too shiney.
I just wanted to know about the mechanicals of it.
Yeah, im rather hopeful about the end of line promotions, whats replacing it? Andy?
Kev
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Puntos are still in production and will be for many years to come AFAIK. Current model was launched at end of 1999.
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Kev
Re the posts above - make sure your brother checks the insurance BEFORE he buys - and check it with a broker or the insurance companies - don't believe the salesman; he wants to sell the car!
Regards
John
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KB - Punto and Saxo similar size? Come on! Puntos are much roomier (or at least feel that way) because of a higher roofline. Brother will need to be fairly compact to fit comfortably in a Saxo (which is equiv. to a 106). though Citroen do good tempting deals on insurance .. ..
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Why not go for a Seat Ibiza. A facelifted model should be available for around the £5k mark. The quality of the interior is superior to either the Saxo (which is a horrible thing to drive in) or the Punto (which is lightyears behind the feeling of quality in VW group cars). 1.4, 1.6, and 1.9TDI are available in addition to the 1.8T.
Also consider a Ford Ka. Simple, cheap, great driving position, cheap insurance.
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from. I've posted a picture of the problem
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> target="_blank">click here.
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I'll agree on what seems to be the majority opinion on the Saxo; we have had three and they are indeed a bit on the tacky side and not cheap to repair either. In you brothers shoes I would be tempted to look for a late model Toyota Starlet. There are tales of them clocking enormous mileages on driving schools with minimal breakdowns and high milages on consumables.
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I'm getting anecdotal reports from journos that the new power-steered PerOdua Kalisa (car by car and news item) is a hoot to drive, especially for £5,300.
HJ
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We need to do something about that. Tell him to buy a Mk2 Golf GTi (£2K) and spend the other £3K on a year's insurance. You know it makes sense.
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Richard,
I reckon you're close.
How about £1K on a Golf Driver, £1k on the insurance and £3K on a new computer?
David
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New model Puntos are indeed tasty - very well built, high spec and look good. Can you say the same about a Saxo?
However. at risk of repeating oneself, as a first car you can't get better than a Golf Mk2 - why spend 5 grand when he'll probably crash it anyway? A Golf has everything you could want in a first motah - 1.6 Driver might be reasonable to insure and will look and go well.
Seat Ibiza is a nice idea but I hear insurance is a problem due to the Max Power crowd.
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Phil said
> However. at risk of repeating oneself, as a first car you
> can't get better than a Golf Mk2 - why spend 5 grand when
> he'll probably crash it anyway? A Golf has everything you
> could want in a first motah - 1.6 Driver might be reasonable
> to insure and will look and go well.
Mk II golf is a very popular recomendation for a 1st car for a reason, listen to this man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1.6 driver great choice, looks like a Gti, without the insurance woes! So cheap & easy to fix, and so many cheap mods you can't help but tinker with them, best way to learn!
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....only thing with buying an 'old nail' is that you get the safety features of an old nail. Surely if you reckon the car may get crashed the newer (and safer) the better!
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Golfs were one of the safest cars about at the time. I think I would rather crash in a Golf than a Perodua Nippa :)
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Hmm. Thanks for all recommendations, Im glad you agree on the Saxo I found them very tacky and rather small. The Punto feel and looked much better.
Ill look into Starlets and Ibizas, can anyone else recommend them?
I somewhat wondered how long it would take to get onto the Golf, again ill look into them. Can anyone suggest best age, best trim level and best engine?
Thanks again
Kev
P.S, surely we could solve all finance problems by getting VW to sponsor this site? Anyone wanting to sell a Golf mk II should post it on here.........
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