Buying first car. Tell me the best and worst cars you've owned

[MyRabbit79]

As the title says, I need to buy my first ever car. But I'm clueless.

So to give me a start, please share what the best car you've ever owned is and also if there's been a car you've hated.

Particularly if they've been good or bad in terms of reliability and ease of use.

Thank you!

My first car was a VW Polo. Enjoyed it so much that I got another VW in a newer shape straight afterwards.

I now drive an Audi.
I think German and Japanese cars are the best for how they're run, not cheap parts though.

I used to drive a Fiat that was really cheap to run and lasted years. But now I have a Kia and it's very reliable and feels much sturdier than the old Fiat. The main thing I love with my current car is the heated seats and steering wheel - never had those before. The Kia seats heat up so much quicker than DH's Lexus, although his car has air-conditioned seats.

My best has been a Vauxhall Astra. They get spayed on car threads normally, so I’m not sure if I happened to get the only reliable one in the world. We’ve just got rid of our 2013 Astra, it had done 100k miles and had cost us nothing other than tyres and brakes.

I now have a Hyundai Tuscon which I love but not driven long enough to make a proper recommendation.

My Worst was a VW Fox. Awful car.

That's really useful to know, thank you.

@IggOrEgg not a problem, it's still useful to know what brands have worked or not worked for you.

My first car was a saxo,then a panda (found going to the petrol station a lot could have changed with new models), then an ago which I loved had it for 5 years but bills were creeping up and now a clio which I love ( I find i forget when I last filled it up)

Don’t buy a Hyundai Kona. We bought a nearly new one in September but it developed a major fault within days, which Hyundai cannot fix so are now fighting with the garage we bought it from to have it back under the Consumer Rights Act. It’s parked on our drive, costing us money while they argue the toss, atm.

For a first car, I’d get a VW Polo. We’ve had a few and never a problem with any of them. A Honda Jazz is good shout, too. MIL always had them, she loved them and they never caused her a problem.

People will laugh I bought a 3 year old Alfa Romeo Guilietta when I need to upgrade from my unreliable Clio. It was my first “grown up” car. I put 100k miles on the clock over the next 10 years and the only thing that ever needed an actual repair beyond normal maintainence and servicing was the headlamp unit where a dodgy connection meant the whole unit needed replacing.

I traded it in 4 years ago for one of the end of the line Guiliettas before they were discontinued. Top spec, I’ve put 40k miles on her and again, no concerns at all. I think they are great value for money for the type of car you get for the very reasonable price.

I don't drive but DH does. He had a Corsa when we met and it cost us a small fortune with repairs. We then got a Mazda 3 Sport which is now 11 years old and still going strong. We've only had some smaller things to pay for with it (battery/tyres). We know the brakes will need done soonish but it's been brilliant and so much more reliable than the Corsa was.

Every Ford I’ve had has been very reliable, Fusion, Focus and Mondeo.
dd has a Skoda fabia which is fine.
i now have a Vauxhall Astra which touch wood has been fine for the last 5 years.

Nissan micra, went for years and i had it second hand! I loved that car.

I had a Hyundai amica for my first car, only lasted 6 months as the head gasket blew, very light and felt.like.id tip in the wind

My fiat 500 was lovely but small

Had a series of Yaris as well as hybrid ones and really liked them

Renault captur has been reliable, handles well and get decent milage (diesel)

Loved both Honda Jazz I’ve owned. Best car ever was a Toyota Rav 4, turned on a sixpence, so easy to park, great fun to drive. Worst was a Peugeot but can’t remember the model. Might have been a 206.

I love my Suzuki SX4 s-cross. You got a lot of nice features for your money (electric wing mirrors and reversing camera etc on the mid range model) but it is very reasonably priced. The boot space is big without the car being too long, it's a nice first car to drive for that reason. It's basically a beefed up hatchback, slightly taller and slightly longer, but not into the SUV territory. I have nothing bad to say about it. I recommend 2017 or newer, as that's the new body shape and better engines (turbo charged not available pre 2017 models)

I've had Renault clios and Meganes in the past, would never buy another Renault due to the issues I had with both.

DH has a Citroen c3, again would never buy another Citroen now.

My first car was a corsa, loved it but not big enough for a family car.

Honda Jazz - so reliable and roomy / flexible.

I will always avoid Vauxhall, absolutely shit and always had problems! I had a Kia and a Hyundai and they were by far the best ones I've had. I now have a Dacia. Its OK but not as good as those 2 i don't think.

Most fun - Audi TT
Most fun runabout - Fiat 500
Absolute shed - Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon. Beautiful car but it fell apart.

I’m currently on my second Volvo XC60. Well built, super comfortable for 8+ hour drives and the safety features are a bonus.

Two best cars (one is still with me, 15 years later):

VW Polo
BMW 1-series

Worst was a VW Passat which was DHs company car. Absolutely everything went wrong with it, we drove a courtesy car from the garage more often than we drove that heap of sh** and he only had it for 3 years!

I rate from my experience Honda Jazz and VW polo, absolutely fab to drive.

worst cars were Vauxhall corsa and Renault Clio

Fiesta, I've owned 4 absolutely loved them.

Our Fords have all been great so dd is getting my old Ford Ka as her first car.

avoid French cars. Every mechanic I know says this and we had a nightmare with a Renault Clio (very cute and comfortable but always had a warning light on).

Loved my seat Ibiza, fab car. Very reliable

Ford Fiesta - loved it but just found it too small and not practical
Nissan Juke - absolutely hated it, it felt so cheap and plastic inside and wasn't very nice to drive
BMW X3 - loved it so much. It was so comfy to drive and surprisingly cheap to run
Now got a Ford Kuga and I absolutely love it

Recently had a Mazda CX-3 as a courtesy car and hated that too

All this Fiat hate shocks me!
I've had 2 x Fiat 500s since 2009 with zero problems and they have been so cheap to buy and run & I love them.

OP - what do you want the car for? Short or long drives? High speed roads or pottering around town? Any parking challenges? Who will you be driving - mostly just you or DC in the car? If DC, how big are they?

We've had loads of Fiats, Pandas, a shit hit 16v thing, the early ones were shit quality, but great drives. Girls now have Fiat 500's, 12 years old, and no issues at all. Drive beautifully.

My Golf was good, but compared to my Mini Cooper, was tinny and badly built. The Mini is sturdy, pokey, and no issues.

Sorry, but Japanese cars are boring and ugly. European cars have more style.