'My First Shitter' - what car?

[dollywobbler]

Insurance tip. Have an older lady driver as a named driver. They don't have to be that old. My insurance dropped when I added my girlfriend to the policy back in 1999. I was one chuffed 21 year old.

[bramz7]

^Good tip DW. I added my mum as a named driver and it dropped by about £300 for me. I asked about any mileage limitations as it has her as an occasional/infrequent driver and they said it didn't matter one bit….

[DodgeRover]

+1 for a Citreon Visa diesel for maximum mpg, about 200 miles on a watering can of cherry was the official calculation from the last ones previous owner.

 

Peugeot 305 estate, dead comfy to drive, big enough to sleep in.

 

Any commercial big enough to hold a mattress in the back, always impresses girlfriends parents.

[burraston2006]

I got my daughter a Peugeot 206, 1.1 power house no toys what so ever. Myself as a named driver and my missus as well. It was the cheapest we could get without telematics. Only £700 Mind you she is a learner so I'm expecting to be arse raped when she passes her test!

[Dave_Q]

The thing is that all the typical learner shite like yarises and 206s will be a millionty quid to insure because lots of young people crash them into things regularly.

 

If an uno is coming up cheap on insurance I seem to recall that localish shiter and all around nice man For Fiats Sake had an uno he was hawking recently, I think it was on the "Englishman's driveway" thread.

 

Also, if a Panda is coming up cheap, might be worth speaking to FFS anyway as he has 47 of them on his drive and is pretty big in the Panda game, so might be able to help you source a goodun for a reasonable price.

[Sheefag]

Avoid Vauxhalls as the are crap, get a Mercedes as they never go wrong and have a star on the bonnet !

 

A star? I always thought it was a gunsight.

 

[hpi_matrix]

My first shitter was my mum's Peugeot 106, she wrote it off and we bought it back. All it needed was a new wing! A few month after passing my test I crashed into a roundabout, this time it needed a new wheel and sump, unfortunately I also managed to bugger the new wing.

 

[Dave_Q]

Here's FFS's thread, he mentions 500 quid for the Uno, the reg for it is H484GBG for quotage.

 

http://autoshite.com/index.php?/topic/25194-An-Englishman's-home-may-be-he-castle,-but-his-driveway-can't-be-used-as-a-(alleged)-forecourt.

[Sheefag]

Here we go.... I know the camera lies but this looks mint for £395.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-Kia-Pride-1-3-SX-3-Door-Hatchback-Ideal-Economical-First-Car-2-Owners-/272297477942?hash=item3f6631c736:g:484AAOSw-KFXe97D

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cros]

You should look no further than the Armstrong Sidderly 236. Designed from the outset as an entry level model, the rather awkward styling is attributed to a last minute management decision to raise the roofline in order to allow a dignified entry for the hat-wearing gentleman.

Ugly little fucker isn't it?

 

[The Moog]

A low mileage Suzuki Swift ... 1.0. Go decent set of tyres so one less thing to pay for 

 

Buy raffle tickets and spend the rest on insurance and sherbet dibdabs. 

 

Or wave £200 in my face and come and get it. You are only up the road! 

[sierraman]

What is it you are wanting? If it's a banger, I'd say an Astra or a Focus. I'll get shot down in flames for saying that... Failing that then 306s and Xsaras seem absolutely worthless but good cars so I'd say look for the diesel if you can. 206 can be dodgy if the axle goes so be sure to check this. The 99 onwards Civics can be decent so long as it's not been used for delivering pizzas. I'd avoid VAG stuff, you'll likely pay way over the odds for the perceived 'quality'. Don't know your budget but I'd look to pay £6-800. You could find something for less but could be trouble.

[Stanky]

+1 on Moogs Swift - Mrs_Stanky had one as a first car and insurance wasn't unreasonable. they should be very low IG and are surprisingly quick for what they are. We've had two of the powerhouse 1.3's since, one with over 180k on it and it ran superbly.

[eddyramrod]

Another vote here for FFS' Uno or Moog's Swift.  Buy from Shiters, you know it makes sense!

[Dave_Q]

That pride does look pretty hot, something like that or Moogs Swift is hopefully giffery enough to be good for insurance.

[Supernaut]

Stop it.

 

This thread makes me want another 306. I can't seem to find any good'uns. At least when I was last looking. I ended up with a Xantia instead.

[Spottedlaurel]

Nissan Sunny

 

 

Without wishing to sound too much like purplebargeken trying to off-load an AX, I’m just about to bump the ad for my 1988 Sunny (with a price reduction). You could look this good in it, and it’s pretty good on fuel too so will quite literally help you spend less every day:

 

1988 Nissan Sunny 1.6LX 5dr (N13) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

(Photo of the actual car, taken when the old chap before me still had it.)

 

 

A guy at work has just picked himself a C reg Nissan Cherry for £500 as a first little cheapy to take to shows, it looks really tidy too, they are nice cars to drive to be honest.

 

Much the same as my Sunny underneath, but mine is a bit quicker and handles better.

[dugong]

M*rris M*nors can sometimes be cheap - but they're not the young insurance bargain they once were.

 

Club membership and access to a modern can also bring the premium down - could you get on as a named driver on the BINI, for example?

[warren t claim]

Small vans can be cheap to insure. Get a quote for a C15 or Bedfordshire Scallywag and see what they say.

[Justin Case]

Sometimes a more modern design can be cheaper to insure, with more NCAP stars, added safety features etc. The last generation of Kia Rio are now cheap enough, £1k upwards, that something older could be a false economy (ok I'll close the door as I leave the building) However zero image and an interior on the basic model (no air-con, windy windows, and DIY locking) which is One Shade of Grey means that it shouldn't be ruled out

[dugong]

Small vans can be cheap to insure. Get a quote for a C15 or Bedfordshire Scallywag and see what they say.

A mate of mine was refused insurance on a Suzuki Carry because of it being a van and because of his age.

Also, I doubt most parents would want their teenage son/daughter/welfare payment out and about in a forward control sooty van.

 

I do so dread the day when Claim_Jr takes to the road and someone gives him a duff insurance quote. I mean, I'll stand, laugh and hold your coat, but still.....

[ShiteRider]

+1 on moogs swift. Want some roffle tickets?

Failing that, civilian spec berlingo/kangoo ie one with windows. Must be exclusively giffer motors, but handle quite well as well as being fairly rugged and cheap to fix.

Easy to to turn into a hillbilly camper, so ideal for festivals/sex orgies/whatever youngsters get upto

[Laseraligningfoofooflanges]

[warren t claim]

A mate of mine was refused insurance on a Suzuki Carry because of it being a van and because of his age.

Also, I doubt most parents would want their teenage son/daughter/welfare payment out and about in a forward control sooty van.

 

I do so dread the day when Claim_Jr takes to the road and someone gives him a duff insurance quote. I mean, I'll stand, laugh and hold your coat, but still.....

I'll try and give him the same start I did, a rusty Alfasud and 3.4 XJ6 with an insurance covernote written in Papermate Replay courtesy of the insurance brokers my family owned.

[red5]

Ring up for insurance quotes rather then online. Can make a huuge difference.

[Cavcraft]

Another vote for a five door family car. Often it's the unusual ones that are the cheapest, like V718GGR for example.

[purplebargeken]

Oi!!!! Nowt wrong with trying very hard to flog an AX. It was a lovely thing!

 

There is a blue Mk3 Golf 10 mins away from me, seller will take 200 quid. Solid and in reasonable condition, 70K on the clock. Short MOT though but don't see any obvious reasons not for it to pass. 

 

Not mine I hasten to add

[trigger]

Spottedlaurels Sunny is all the car you'll ever need.

[Cavcraft]

...if you're not cool enough for a Rover.

[Dave_Q]

+1 on moogs swift. Want some roffle tickets?

Failing that, civilian spec berlingo/kangoo ie one with windows. Must be exclusively giffer motors, but handle quite well as well as being fairly rugged and cheap to fix.

Easy to to turn into a hillbilly camper, so ideal for festivals/sex orgies/whatever youngsters get upto

The window van could be a good shout, there are Berlingos and Partners about with 1.4 pez engines, and for the ultimate in insurance pleasing misery I think the Doblo is available with a stump-pulling 1.2 pezzler.