I don't know how things work there in UK, but here in Serbia i pay about 200 euros a year for car registration and that's it. Car is 1.8 Golf MKII, so it's a lot cheaper for smaller engines..
Let me get this straight, you buy a 97 Fiesta for example, and you pay couple of grands a year for that insurance?
Third party damage and personal injury claims are the real reason for having insurance, and the reason why third party insurance is nominally cheaper nowadays. I find it sad that so many people claim such massive amounts for nothing but that's the way of the world. If you have an accident and don't have insurance or your policy is invalidated (undeclared mods, primarily driven by named driver or other tricks to lower the price) you're stuck with a massive bill that will ruin your life. Unfortunately most uninsured drivers are spotty little chavs who have no money to pay up and don't end up paying for it.
Here in the US if you have 2 of the same exact cars no crashes or anything if one car is black and the other is red..the red car's insurance is going to be higher because it stands out more if a cop see's you..kinda dumb but I guess its a good thing because it will make you be more cautious.
Yea, but I didn't necessarily mean an Impreza or STI. What about just a Legacy? Great cars, and surely not as expensive to insure, and shouldn't need too many costly repairs. I'm not certain what it is for me, because my dad is (luckily) still paying the insurance, but I know it's a fair bit cheaper than a lot of cars (partly because of the 5-star all-around crash test ratings.)
I've heard about this rumor also, but is it really true? Stang70Fastback should know where I heard this from, as it was a major discussion on another forum also.
I think it is true...same way with a car or a truck since a truck is bigger it stands out more causing the insurance to be much higher than a car because its bigger than a car which makes it stand out.
look at getting the most unpopular car there is, cheap insurance then and its cheap to buy and wont get stolen then just save up till you can get the car you want.
i had a nova as my first car a 1.0 (998cc) and it was expensive to insure as every chav under the sun steals the poor car other then that you can rev the bolox off them the gearbox is as hardy as ever. just remember to do ur tappets every known and then lol they get noisy if u drive them hard i don't recommend a reno they don't take punishment well and if ur a new driver well its the same as thrashing a car, improper gear changes and so on. but if u are getting a car instead of waiting till u get ur license to save money get an old car and learn how it is to drive cars without the computers in them. that way u will appreciate all the new shit u get in a car, and don't go mad on mods i did when i first drove and all it did was empty my pocket lol
i recommend a Astra mk3 1.6 cheap insurance on these dunno why
fiestas are ok but really don't take the punishment they are noisy as hell and the tappets need doing every month think the setting for it is 8 and 16 but i could be wrong its being 2 years since i done that.
reliability ford no good fiestas are built crap the 1.1 model if ur engine mounts are old will move then engine up towards the radiator and the alternator fan eats the hoses. renos crap electrics just forget them vauxhalls are ok but prob ur best bet and then forget the rest and also forget anything over a 1.2 the insurance is tooo much. this is how much it costs me in the uk to insure a 1.0 nova that i had just before i left the uk
with my mum on both of them £1537.96 we dint have any NCB as we were on international licenses and we just had them replaced no claims bonus
No NCB engine size cc
993 cover required
3rd Party,Fire&Theft number of drivers
2 voluntary excess
None use required
Social & Commuting
and my Astra a while ago £1756.05 no claims bonus
No NCB engine size cc
1598 cover required
3rd Party,Fire&Theft number of drivers
2 voluntary excess
None use required
Social & Commuting so in this argument the Astra wins by far its the biggest car it has PAS ABS ELW Airbags i know what id go for
meh cars crap untill u know how to drive anyway and insurence makes an over 60 think twice about it
thats because the speeds on the small roads are too much speeding is huge and most people in england cant drive and also rhe paki cabs so yep u need good insurance as they come over on there international license's out of a rice crispys box
My suggestion: keep the 1000 pounds, and save some more. Then, instead of buying some subcompact rubbish like all teens do, maybe you can get something more upscale.
personal experience: I wanted something simple and mod it. I was fixed on a Civic hatchback 1992 with rust and rough body. since I knew I can get bodywork done for free, I was almost sold. good thing I waited 3 more months and for a mere 400 more, I found a very good condition BMW 525i 5 speed. And on the meantime, I can still save up for an ultimate track car
If you want a bit more powerful car than fiesta/corsa/swift etc... Some have suggested a 200sx. I have zero knowledge of british insurance policies (here in Finland it it's calculated of accident and robbery stats, displacement and the model year), but reliability, running costs, repair costs and beginner friendliness (who cares) aren't probably the best features of this car.
However, 1996-1999 Almera GTi has the same SR20DE engine with 140-150 bhp. Japanese reliability, cheap parts and drinks 9,5 l/100km in city and 7,4 l/100km on highway. It has nice sporty handling, it's small (3-door, 1200 kg) and could fit in your price range too!
Here in the UK you will be VERY unlikely to insure anything other than a <1.4 Fiesta/Corsa(*sick*)/Polo/Clio/106/slow Golf maybe/any other small car I can't think of atm, for a reasonable amount.
After a few years of building no claims though you can get something quicker if you like.
There's a lot of bs about how a young driver can't control anything over a 1.2 etc, which tbh is rubbish. As long as you drive remotely sensibly, an extra 20bhp or so isn't going to throw you. Sadly the insurance companies (presumably based on statistics tbf) don't see it that way.
Finally unless you can fix cars or are willing to learn or know someone who can, don't get an old car that'll fail on you, it's just not worth the trouble, you will regret it.
Auto Trader is the first place i'd look to see what i could get for a grand.
To be honest it's your first car, so you're gonna remember it for the rest of your life. So, whatever you get, you'll love it, no matter how slow it is, or how ugly, or how often it breaks down. The main thing is IT'S YOUR CAR
I'd say go for the cheapest to run, fix and insure. So i'd look at Fiesta's, Corsa's and Micra's at first (and in that order too, honestly the Fiesta is a cracking little motor)
If you wanted to save a bit more cash and get something with a bit more character and are really fun to drive, then i'd suggest a Clio or a Punto.
Or if you fancy something a bit left field and can find a decent one, an older Mini would be a great first car. Seriously, Mini's are really cheap to run and insure, and are so simple you can fix them with a hammer and a roll of cellotape.
Edit: One thing i'd recommend is to to a bit of insurance quote hunting, i.e have a few cars in mind, get some of the basic details, make/model/engine size/age etc, and try a few online insurance companies, see what kind of quotes they give you. For young drivers with no claims bonus, the insurance is usually the biggest payout you'll have to make (unless you can get your folks to pay for it )
The insurance on a S1 Rallye is higher than you think, although I do know of a few people who have had them as their first cars at 17. That one in the ebay ad has an XSI engine by the looks of it, the S1 Rallye has a 1294cc 100bhp lump and a short ratio gearbox, the 0-60 time is 9.3 secs or so, but the gearbox is such that you need 3rd to get to 60, so an extra gearchange compared to most hot hatches.
They are great little cars, featured recently in Evo in an article about their favorite cars they have tested.
I had one before the GTi and would certainly have another, preferably with the GTi engine in it though
so in this argument the Astra wins by far its the biggest car it has PAS ABS ELW Airbags i know what id go for 
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