First car for son

[Remmy123]

We are looking at second hand cars for my son (also a second car for me the rare occasions I need it)

Willing to spend 2-2.5k as it's his first car

we are looking at a Polo today for £2.200

what cars did you all get.as first cars for your kids?

any advice or recommendations welcome - thanks

Yes heard this and also wet belts!

Driving instructor here.

Most of my students have Fiestas and love them. My son was bought a Seat Leon. Insurance is pricey but I want him in something safe, some of the tiny super mini type cars I certainly wouldn’t want to have an accident in.

Start with NCAP safety rating and go from there.

@bozzabollix I agree but also think the type of driving needs to be taken into account. We are in London and nothing goes very fast. Had the DC been using motorways or 60mph country lanes, no way would I have wanted them in tiny, tinny cars

I’ve got a polo and had since new, 2014 model
its got 55k on and the only repairs have been a new window regulator, a new battery and it’s just needed a suspension arm (£145)

My sons first car was a polo

id previously owned VW’s. Very solid and reliable cars. I drive a Tiguan now and he bought another polo

Yeah, my best mate has a Hyundai i10 - a 59 plate!! She's had it since new, and it's got a really low mileage (about 60k). She was saying it's still getting through its MOTs without much needing done, so she's hanging onto it. She'd get another one when the time comes. It's rare in its size, as it has 5 doors - the likes of the standard Fiat 500 doesn't.

Thanks / yep some of the smaller cars I didn't feel safe in - we also drove the Peugeot 208 which felt sturdy then I heard about the wet belts that need replacing!

the point of a timing chain is that it’s supposed to last and NOT need changing. that’s why it’s dear when it goes. it’s not supposed to go. it’s a lack of servicing or somethimg if it dies (hence a service history is helpful, especially if receipted not just stamped in a book).

i’ve had my timing done once. horrendously dear. hope i never have to again!

Had this over the summer as DS2 school placement was somewhere in Devon with no decent transport links ! So we frantically had to find him a car.

after a initial dud, reality of the car did not match the photos, DS2 found a Citroen C1 low mileage, excellent condition (the timing chain was discussed) but for £2300 it was a no brainer. He’s happy with it and it makes his life easier while he’s at uni and for his placements. Insurance wasn’t too bad either.

Agreed! DS2 loves his

Ours had a full service history and only 38,000 miles on the clock when it went 🤦🏼‍♀️

Our dc had a fiesta, they were mostly city driving.
Be very cautious around a car with super low mileage, sitting around is really bad for cars and they can struggle when you start to drive them regularly.

We have seen one today 2007 / 56,000 be polo - £2,000

It's a minefield but we are tempted by this one

As did we. It’s a great little car.

I think a polo is a sensible choice, they’re good cars and usually are in the lower insurance groups.
I drive a golf at the moment but considering swapping it for a polo when my teen DD is old enough to drive, then we can share it.
They’re small but not too small to be able to have the dog in the boot!

A friend was telling me recently that her 19 (I think) year old son drives their new Range Rover but not their smaller older car (either a Fiesta or a Corsa, I can’t remember which) because that would have been much more expensive to insure!

I’d avoid VW. They’re poor on reliability, scoring 24th out of 30.

I’ve owned 4 VW and 2 Audis, DS has owned w VW. Never had any issues with any of them.

I had an awful BMW and an awful Ford focus

DD has a Skoda Fabia which is basically a polo.

Got my son a 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa. Reasonably good on insurance. He learned in a Corsa so was comfortable driving it.

Take into consideration how many doors, 2 door cars are cheaper to insure apparently as they're just that little bit harder to steal. Also, depending on where you live would it be liable for any ULEZ charges or similar.

A Polo could be a sensible first car, but at this price I’d be more interested in the condition of the particular car and the insurance cost than the badge. A well-maintained Fiesta, Fabia, Corsa, Yaris or Jazz could also be worth considering.

Before buying, run the registration through a comparison site with your son as the main driver. Do two quotes: one as a learner and one as though he has just passed. It’s often much cheaper while learning because he has to be supervised; the jump after passing can be surprisingly large.

A few other things worth trying:
• Get quotes around 21–26 days before the policy starts; 25 days is often suggested as the sweet spot.
• Compare standard comprehensive cover with telematics/black-box or app-based insurance.
• Add an experienced parent as a named driver if they will use the car. Don’t put them down as the main driver if your son will use it most as that’s fronting and can invalidate the policy.
• Check annual payment against monthly instalments, as monthly payment can include interest.
• Give accurate mileage, occupation and parking details.

For the Polo, check the service and MOT history, tyres, brakes, clutch, warning lights and any recurring advisories. If possible, see it start from cold and consider paying a local garage for an inspection.

I’d keep some of the £2,000–£2,500 aside for insurance, tax, servicing and immediate repairs. The cheapest car to buy isn’t always the cheapest first car to run.

We had a 2009 plate VW Polo, from 18mths old until about 3 years ago, which had well over 100k on the clock when we sold it. It never skipped a beat. We did have the timing belt changed, twice I think, because you have to unless you want a whopping great bill if it snaps.

DS2 had one when he went to uni, and again ran it into the ground. It barely cost him a penny in maintenance.

I had Polos way back in the 80s/early 90s, too. They’re great cars.

Thanks everyone great advice

the polo was a no today (various reasons)

will keep looking - not many second hand cars around that are local to us!

I think you need to look at how cars behave in a crash. I know cars have improved since I was a new driver but new drivers do still have more accidents, that is what I would look at.

I work on cars for a living and at that sort of budget I’d be more concerned about condition and maintenance history than the badge.
With those older Polos, even the engine makes a difference. The 1.2 petrol uses a timing chain whereas the 1.4 petrol uses a belt, so there are different things to check before buying.
What made you decide against the Polo you viewed? Might be able to point you in the right direction.