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Buying a car...


Rummy

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So, there's been talk of cars and insurance on the forum lately, so I thought I'd make this thread. It also made me think someone should make a cars thread, but not me, as I know jackall about cars, and that's the problem. Seriously, I have no idea, and people I've asked weren't too helpful so I gave up and am now turning to internets!

 

Basically, I'm learning to drive at the moment, and hopefully should have a license in a few months. When I do get my license, I want to get a car asap, so I'm starting to kind of look now, but...I don't really know what to look for!

So, what are some good, older/cheap, cars? Ideally I'd like a car with a small engine, so it's cheaper to run, if possible both a small engine and a 4/5 door car, because 3 door cars really annoy me! So yeah, anyone got any suggestions of old small engine cars?

Also, what should I look for when buying a car? Obviously it's gonna be second hand, so there's probably things I should be wary of. What about insurance, what's the deal with all of that? Where should I start looking, is it gonna be cheaper if I put my parents on the same car/policy? If it is, does it mean I won't get a no claims bonus(someone was saying they didn't get one when they started driving as they were on their parent's insurance)?

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i'm looking at getting my first car soon. I'm probably going to get a classic, as they are tax exempt, very cheap to insure and have alot more character than modern cars. Plus, depending on what model you go for, you don't have to pay too much to get one that will run without any problems at all.

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get a toyota aygo, citreon C1 or peugeot 107. all are nice city cars and can get them for like 3000 pounds second hand (05 model), 6000 brand new. or you could go with the rest and get a old polo/Gulf for cheap or micra/metro. all are good and last you a couple of years.

 

dont get a good car untill like your 24/26 as youll get cheaper insurance, your a better driver, your matured.

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A fiesta is good starting car and also cheap to fix and most problems can be fixed your self and saves on paying a garage. Good car to get basic mechanics knowledge from. They are cheap to run and insure, you maybe luck and find one just used by someone for trips to shops and would have been well looked after.

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Woah, three grand?! I was looking more in the range of less than £1000, something around £500 or so if possible! Like an old letter reg or something!

 

Again, purely FYI (As like you I know nothing about cars)

 

My Polo ;

 

N Reg, 1.4 Litre, 3 door, CD player was £950

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For your first car I would recommend an older one.

 

Old cars are cheap, easy to fix and doesnt matter if you smash it up. Old cars also teach you how to drive, well I think they do anyway.

 

My first car was an F reg astra. Was like driving a tank! Loved it tho and it sure as hell taught me how to drive, no power steering or any luxuries!!

 

My second car which I still have is a Fiesta. It's a 1994 L reg and cost me £800 off an old lady who only used it for her shopping. It had only done 14,000 miles so it was like a brand new car.

 

It's a good little runner and I've never really had much trouble with it even when I hit the back of Ollie :heh:

 

It's very easy to service yourself as the engine is very accessible unlike all these new cars that are crammed in. So changing the leads, plugs, air filter, oil filter etc is a very simple easy task.

 

After 6 years of driving im now thinking about getting a new car but not sure I want to pay out for something that for most of the week will sit in my garage as I get the train to work.

 

Hmmm we'll see but yeah go for something old, cheap and chearful for your first car. I've never been one for looks and have never been into cars so as long as it goes from A to B it's fine with me :)

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486980967_l.jpg

 

i drive a 1.4 polo "open-air" lovely in the summer as the sunroof is MASSIVE :D

 

been driving for just over 4 years now but got 0 no claims so its still around £600 a year gah

 

my first car was a toyota starlet 1.0 was a great start car to get things rolling. After 6 months got a corsa :)...now the polo.

 

around xmas time (if my job becomes permenent) im gunna get the car ive been after for years at last a Smart Roadster

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For your first car I would recommend an older one.

 

Old cars are cheap, easy to fix and doesnt matter if you smash it up. Old cars also teach you how to drive, well I think they do anyway.

 

My first car was an F reg astra. Was like driving a tank! Loved it tho and it sure as hell taught me how to drive, no power steering or any luxuries!!

 

My second car which I still have is a Fiesta. It's a 1994 L reg and cost me £800 off an old lady who only used it for her shopping. It had only done 14,000 miles so it was like a brand new car.

 

It's a good little runner and I've never really had much trouble with it even when I hit the back of Ollie :heh:

 

It's very easy to service yourself as the engine is very accessible unlike all these new cars that are crammed in. So changing the leads, plugs, air filter, oil filter etc is a very simple easy task.

 

After 6 years of driving im now thinking about getting a new car but not sure I want to pay out for something that for most of the week will sit in my garage as I get the train to work.

 

Hmmm we'll see but yeah go for something old, cheap and chearful for your first car. I've never been one for looks and have never been into cars so as long as it goes from A to B it's fine with me :)

 

That's exactly what I was thinking along the lines of, a nice cheap car that's cheap to run, and cheap to maintain and replace. I think there's a pattern there!

 

Hmm, having a look on autotrader actually, and an L reg 1.1 fiesta came up 19 miles away, £250, 5 door and apparently only 8000miles! Seems a bit too good to be true!

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Pretty bad thieves if it is, they left the license number in all their photos, I might see what my parents think about checking it out, could get my dad to keep it until I pass. I think the mileage thing is probably a typo missing a digit.

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Fiestas are the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

 

My first car was a D reg Fiesta that had done something like 30,000 miles, lasted a couple of years before it eventually packed in but when they're as cheap to buy and maintain as old Fiestas then its totally worth it.

 

No harm in checking that car out, its not like you have to buy it!

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I have a bad car history, iv fucked so many up,

 

At first had a vauxhall nova, was a complete shit hole , but it was free, so who can complain xD. Then i had a Fiesta 1.2, i broke this one, i dunno how lol, then a fiesta 1.8D(i think?) that broke, then a vauxhall astra, that broke. I dont know what i did, so now i have a brand new Mitsubishi Colt and i love it.

 

88_24.JPG

 

and if i had the money id make it look like this :D

 

mitsubishi_colt_lsd.jpg

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This is very simillar to what I learned to drive in :shakehead: was very difficult and shameful lol.

800px-Mazda_323_Turbo.jpg

 

For a first car tho, go for a Corsa. All my best friends have one, and two of them have theirs in the same colour as mine! We haven't parked side by side somewhere yet, or driven 3 in a row on the road yet :heh:

 

Below is my purchased car. I call her Rita. Got it off ebay for £550. My mum has a friend who is a mechanic so he had a look before I brought it of course. 1.2 engine methinks, and I have had no problems with it, apart from being annoyed when the steering wheel locks. Cheap insurance too!

 

i768413_car.jpg

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This was my first car: (pic is not my car)

 

81patrol.jpg

 

A Datsun Patrol 3.5 diesel, could seat 7 people and nothing could kill it. great fun driving this right after passing my test. No one would cut me up and last I heard it was used in some kinda criminal activity.

 

2nd car was: (pic is not my car)

 

Fz6oQT1sHd.jpg

 

Great car mine was a cream colour, it had a few problems with the points and the carb, bought it from a mate for £400, run great and loved it as it was like driving a go kart, but sadly I hit the back of some one in it and then sold it on ebay to some one.

 

3rd Car: (pic is not my car)

 

93-renault-espace.jpg

 

An Espace, dad bought it was he needed a big car if his work van was broken down that he could still get to work, was an alright car had may problems and I had to drive it as I had no money to buy my own car at the time. This was also sold on ebay.

 

4th car:

 

fista.jpg

 

This car I bought from my granddad after he stopped driving he has it from new and covered around 30,000 miles when I got it, great little car. Drove this for around a year and then sold it to my uncle.

 

5th car: (pic is not my car)

 

escortDSCF0022.jpg

 

Bought it from a work mate was a good car hardly anything wrong with it, was a white 1.6 XR3i Efi 90 spec, I put a competition exhaust system on the car, as standard it had 3 silencer box's on it but the competition system only had one and would set car alarms off, would sound great going into tunnels. sadly I hit some railings with this one, but I stripped it and saved parts.

 

6th car:

 

XR3i1.jpg

 

This is the car I am driving now, has covered 103,000 miles. When I bought it 2 years ago it had covered 85,000. I bought it for £500. Not as clean as the first 90 spec XR3i I owed but still nice. It has some extras on it such as heated front screen, heated rear screen, heat and electric mirrors, electric windows and ABS. I have installed quite a loud stereo in the car, also a DVD player with 7" in dash screen, will be putting 2 screens in the rear of the car later this year and also putting on a custom made stainless steel exhaust system on the car. I fix many of the problems that come up on my own car, all the garage does for me is sort out the ABS, change the clutch when is needs doing and MOT it.

 

Next car is either going to a nissain 200 SX or something else but will be looking to go with a turbo charged car and RWD.

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