Yes, another one of these threads lol. Even though it is February until I am 17 I am already planning on my first car as I need to know the amount of money I need to save up.

What cars would you guys recommend? I don't really want a Corsa/Saxo/Punto/Clio. I was thinking about getting a Astra Van 1.7 CDTI (£120 for 12 months tax )
What I want is a car that is pretty nippy for a first car, no more than £1,750 a year to insure TPFT, easy to modify (engine, suspension, exterior, interior) and also pretty new and not a shopping cart lol. Yes, I no longer what something like a Corsa lol.

If it was me, i would go for something like a peugeot 205. Fair enough, they are quite old these days but look fairly good in a retro kind of way with a few subtle mods and go fairly well depending what engine size you go for.

If you can afford a 1.6 gti then there isnt any modding needed really, as they look the nuts just as they are IMO.

Quote from danthebangerboy :

If it was me, i would go for something like a peugeot 205. Fair enough, they are quite old these days but look fairly good in a retro kind of way with a few subtle mods and go fairly well depending what engine size you go for.

If you can afford a 1.6 gti then there isnt any modding needed really, as they look the nuts just as they are IMO.

A shopping trolley looks nice if done in the style of Euro. I want something that is different to the usual first car, can't be a granny car either lol (Kia, Micra, Daewoo)

I doubt you would be able to get insurance cheaper than £1750 when you put modifications into account. To get that kinda price, you would wanna keep the car cheap and cheerful, and no modifications.

Try looking at prices for some of these.

Any older fiesta 1.1

Although you said you dont want these, i would still look at 1.1 or 1.0 corsa's, saxos, clios etc. etc.

Peugeot 306 1.4. I had one for a while and for a 1.4, it moved quite well. Handling was quite good, but they do tend to oversteer if you lift off abruptly. There cheap to run, and the insurance is cheap, but if you want the insurance even cheaper, go for a 1.9 Turbo diesel version. These really do shift, and the insurance is dirt cheap.

Might be a little over on your insurance, but maybe Ford Focus 1.4? These go up for sale really cheap, just insurance may be a killer.

Rover 214's are decent motors. They are known to have headgasket issues (as with most k-series) but if you look after it, it should be a nice reliable motor. They have nice interiors too.

Rover metro. There cheap and cheerful, but rust very bad. Tidy runners can be picked up for less than £500.

This might sound silly, but how about a Alfa Romeo 145 cloverleaf. I know they have quite big engines for a young driver, but one of my mates had one and the insurance was pretty cheap. Obviously, it may be different for your area, but it may be worth a shot.

another idea, goto www.pistonheads.com and into the classified, and put in your maximum budget and it will come up with a bunch of cars. That might give you some ideas.

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

I doubt you would be able to get insurance cheaper than £1750 when you put modifications into account. To get that kinda price, you would wanna keep the car cheap and cheerful, and no modifications.

Try looking at prices for some of these.

Any older fiesta 1.1

Although you said you dont want these, i would still look at 1.1 or 1.0 corsa's, saxos, clios etc. etc.

Peugeot 306 1.4. I had one for a while and for a 1.4, it moved quite well. Handling was quite good, but they do tend to oversteer if you lift off abruptly. There cheap to run, and the insurance is cheap, but if you want the insurance even cheaper, go for a 1.9 Turbo diesel version. These really do shift, and the insurance is dirt cheap.

Might be a little over on your insurance, but maybe Ford Focus 1.4? These go up for sale really cheap, just insurance may be a killer.

Rover 214's are decent motors. They are known to have headgasket issues (as with most k-series) but if you look after it, it should be a nice reliable motor. They have nice interiors too.

Rover metro. There cheap and cheerful, but rust very bad. Tidy runners can be picked up for less than £500.

This might sound silly, but how about a Alfa Romeo 145 cloverleaf. I know they have quite big engines for a young driver, but one of my mates had one and the insurance was pretty cheap. Obviously, it may be different for your area, but it may be worth a shot.

another idea, goto www.pistonheads.com and into the classified, and put in your maximum budget and it will come up with a bunch of cars. That might give you some ideas.

Rovers, okay next joke lol.

I have been looking on Pistonheads for ages. Don't really want a shopping trolley, rover or any other granny car lol.

A 2001 Astra Van 1.7 DTI is £1,800 a year to insure, would get one of them but want to get other ideas first.

I noticed when shopping around (I was just getting quotes of vehicles I was interested in), Land Rover Defenders are stupidly cheap for first time cars, I got a quote of ~£1,600 comprehensive for a 1987 LRD110HT 2.5D N/A, parked on the street in a dodgy area doing 10k miles a year as a student, 12 months later I got a letter through the post saying it'd be ~£800 with 1 year worth of NCB.

Something completely different to your normal first car.

I think your hoping too much sam. For that kind of insurance price, your not gonna get much else.

edit: why do you want a van? For work? Please dont says its to put huge subs in like that fool you were talking about did.

Corsa 1.2sxi, Fiesta 1.1/1.25.. Land Rover a good suggestion, something generally forgotten about from the mid 90's and you'll be fine...

And you're doing a Jakg all over again.. your set of requirements are not possible to have.. You have either cheap, generally slow and nasty, or expensive, nippy and tuneable. Pick.

My golf MK4 1.4 is only group 4 insurance, which is facking cheap, this year is my first year under my own insurance and it was only £750 with elephant who seem to be the best insurers for young drivers.

The only thing is the 1.4 only has 75bhp, 0-60 in 13.6 seconds which is dog slow compared to 1.2 clios etc, but above 70 it seems to fly along rather easily.

I would recommend the older MK3s but we have a 1.4SE one of those in at our garage and it's group 8 insurance and only 60bhp...

I started out with a 1.2 corsa with nly 40bhp and to be honest, you don't really need a "fast" car and the chances are your gunna give it a few scrapes.

The only thing I would say about the golf is that modifying them can be quite pricey, though what can you expect from such a german pimp mobile?

Just my 2c, I know there's most definetely better first cars out their, but when I thought about golfs I allways figured the insurance and maintenance would be quite high, but I guess with it not being such a young persons car it's alot cheaper than you expect.

Btw, with a 1.2 punto I was quoted £850 a year (Well it's a 10 month policy, but you still get the 1 years no claims) and I can get about 36-40mpg out of a tank of fuel and i'm not the most conservative driver out there...

I would have a Golf or Corsa. Astra Van are easily tuneable if you can afford it, the 3 litre Omega engine will go on, obviously just have to change the gearbox, wiring loom. You would have to be in your 20s to afford the insurance though. Nothing wrong with filling the rear of the van with subs - Iceman has done it very successfully, but thats his job lol.

I know I can't have anything quick, just pretty nippy for a first car. I'm going to get it remapped anyway lol.

Bawbag, how much was your insurance on your golf at the age of 17, wouldn't have thought I will be able to get a Golf cheap lol. With it being VAG aswell, nice tuning potential later on but it's FWD lol.

Pitty you can't have RWD as a first car, but when being a young driver, it's a disaster waiting to happen as your immature and will try to get the back end out and rap it around a tree.

I will look into a 3 door Golf, wouldn't mind one lol. Although I would have thought at 17 they would be in the £2,000. I know I done a quote for an A3 1.6 before and that came just short of £3k.

Quote from Bawbag :

My golf MK4 1.4

Speaking of Golfs, Fifth Gear did a feature on first cars as apparently parents spend 2.5k on a first car and they chose a Mk1 Golf GTi, a 90's Astra and a Ford Capri 1.6 Laser (5spd box so lighter on fuel) for great first cars as they were inside the budget and were low insurance.

Here's an A3 we also have at the garage, fricking beautiful, 1.6 though they are still group 9 insurance, we had a 1.8 turbo in once, no one would ever give me a quote.

I've only had the golf 6 months (first tax is up at the end of the month ) I was 18 when I got the golf, I had the corsa for about 16 months, that was 600 through my mums insurance then 220 for the next year with direct line, but haha, for some reason they put my insurance through as a husband and wife policy, so it came through much cheaper because they thought my mum was my partner......hahahahah.

Once we all realised the mistake when I was canceling the policy they tried to charge me £250, yea right.

You can get a mk4 golf quite cheap nowadays, mine cost me no more than £1300 so far and that includes some problems i've had with it, thougth I baught it when it had a few scrapes and scratches on it from an auction and got the paintjob etc done rather cheaply on it.

I'd seirously price a 1.4 E golf though, stay clear of the 1.6's though, they might have 25bhp more, but the 1.4's sell for more because the 1.6 just plain sucks...

£2,055 a yr TPFT on a Golf lol. Think thats out of the picture. 1.4 106 Quicksilver is only £30 cheaper then the Golf, it's either these 2 or a 1.2 Corsa lol.

Who are you getting quotes from? When I went TPFT with elephant it actually went up, same with alot of other insurers.

Quote from Bawbag :

Who are you getting quotes from? When I went TPFT with elephant it actually went up, same with alot of other insurers.

Gocompare.com

A 1.4 Astra 3 Door is just short of £2,000 Got some decisions to make. Never know, could be a lot cheaper when I come to get a car - HOPEFULLY lol.

Don't forget the trick of adding as many females you can find who have a clean licence (doesn't have to be full either as my sisters provisional saved my brother in-law £20 on his BMW 3series) and your dad if he has a clean licence. It will save you a few notes.

Wait, if you add a female driver you get cheaper insurance?

Yep, the insurance company assumes because you have a female as a named driver that you're going to drive safer or the female will do most driving, so they cut your rates.

Makes no sense but insurance rarely does.

I was thinking of putting both parents on my insurance to see how much it brings it down by.

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

Please dont says its to put huge subs in like that fool you were talking about did.

Says the one with a modified Mondeo. All Mondeos that have been attempted to be modified always look horrible.

Double posts kill 48 badgers a week..

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Double posts kill 48 badgers a week..

I'm not losing any sleep over it lol.

I am very tempted with the 106 Quicksilver, even though it's French. They also like nice with some Euro styling.

I have my mum as a named driver on my policy, but try elephant directly for a quote, they were by far the cheapest for my own policy.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Corsa 1.2sxi, Fiesta 1.1/1.25..

Those two are popular cars for young drivers, as such they are statistically worse for a young driver to insure and have higher premiums than something a bit unusual or quirky that isn't a common car for young drivers, especially chavs who crash Corsas lots killing everything in their path in the process.

Quote from sam93 :

Pitty you can't have RWD as a first car, but when being a young driver, it's a disaster waiting to happen as your immature and will try to get the back end out and rap it around a tree.

It's perfectly possible to insure a rear wheel drive car as your first car, my first years insurance has cost me £450 on my RWD car.

But your RWD car is a Lada so it doesn't count.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

But your RWD car is a Lada so it doesn't count.

Lol. Where as an E30 Beemer is just short of £3k TPFT lol.