First car for DS

[teenagersandalittleone]

I am looking to buy DS 18 a car but do not know where to start. I know it needs to be small and under 1.1 litres. I don’t know if I should get automatic or manual, what brand of car - does anyone have any pointers

We got an i10. Has been useful in many ways.

Yes, you can filter on insurance group rather than engine size on websites like autotrader. Quite helpful.

Do some research online. Check out parkers website and pay for access to help with valuation. Look up insurance premium before you buy. Auto v. Manual - stick with manual if he's learnt in that as more options available and cheaper.
Mistakes I made that you can avoid -

1. Not checking if it had been an insurance write off
2. Not checking the boot holds itself open
3. Not asking for 2nd key before agreeing on price

The cars listed above are basically the same with different badges on. We found a vw UP that had been part exed at a local garage. They are much cheaper to insure than the only slightly bigger corsa/polo cars.

i had a VW fox before my polo which was nice, felt solid

I got DD a mini. Was very unreliable. Sold that and got a Kia Venga. Despite being a 1.4 it was very reasonable to insure as it’s not seen as a status car. Was very very reliable and we now own 3 in immediate family

I would definitely go for a manual. I think it's important to know how to drive a manual properly when you are ypung. Soon we will be as fucked Cuba and will only able to drive 60 years old cars.

Kia picanto or Hyundai i10 if you want the most for your money and great safety and reliability.

Manual every time & get the cheapest you can, chances are, he'll hit things, burn out the clutch, etc etc
Use the remainder for insurance and tyres etc.

My DD had a Citroen C1, 54k miles later and 8 years, all its cost her, servicing/tyres aside, is a new clutch - she soon learned to use it properly once she got the bill!!

Some older pre 2017 cars have £20 VED tax too.

If you think he is going to hit things or burn out the clutch he shouldn’t be getting a bloody car. These are not new driver standard. They are bad driver standard

We got DD an 8 year old Hyundai i10 for £6k. It's been a great little car so far. Insurance is about £2k per year.

Go onto AutoTrader and buy from a retailer than no concerns with checks or reputation.

Autos are easier and frankly the majority of cats are auto now so no need for a manual other than to say you have a manual license. A lot of manufacturers don’t make manual cars anymore for example.

I agree with @Hiptothisjive about going automatic, as they are so much easier for new drivers to gain confidence on. I started on a manual and was always so nervous as a new driver because there is so much more to think about and I was always afraid of stalling and of rolling backwards on a hill. Once I got my own car (a little automatic Suzuki Swift) I gained so much confidence and was then able to go back to manual when needed (even driving huge horse lorries across Europe).

We looked for VW's, Mini's and Fiats for DD, all about 10 years old. She got a Fiat 500 1.2. It's been great. Not a boys car though!

Second key is a good one. We got a good reduction, and then just got a spare, albeit, a manual spare, from Timpsons.

Definitely go for a manual...not doing so is assuming your DS will never wish to travel the world - there are loads of countries I've been to (outside of Europe) where it's almost impossible to hire an automatic. Also, it expands his options if he's working somewhere where they want him to drive a van or something that happens to be manual.