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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

First Car

216 replies

Zippyx · 19/10/2019 20:58

Hi

As a bit of context, we live in a good area for insurance. DS has done 'young driver' 3-4 times (1 hour lesson each time) and has driven about 4 hours on private roads around our farm. DH and I have both gone through basic parking manoeuvres with him, which he has grasped with relative ease. DS is therefore pretty confident as a driver; DH and I are equally confident in him, given the rate of progress he's made in a relatively small time. Obviously as we are not professional ADIs, he will have at least 10-15 hours of lessons as a minimum.

Now it's time to buy a car, we are looking to spend around £6,500. Firstly, is this reasonable?

Secondly, the car we are looking at is a BMW 1 Series 2011 with about 60k miles on the clock. Insurance would be about £1,500 so not too bad at all. WIBU to buy it for him?

Thanks!

OP posts:
lljkk · 20/10/2019 07:03

Am another one baffled by the low insurance quote.
18yo DS was quoted up to £3.8k without black box.
Shopping around he got insurance down to £1.2k with the black box.
On a 12 yr old VW Golf.
That he paid for entirely himself so invested in looking after it.
DS lives on a military base. I submit that the theft risk is low.

helpasisterout · 20/10/2019 07:56

I love the comments from everyone saying it will only get bashed! Not necessarily true, me and most of my friends are also from farms and didn't have much experience of driving on roads but had shifting and operating large machinery since a young age so had a far greater awareness of space and proximity to cars for parking etc. My Dp also from a farm had 2 lessons and passed with no minors, bought a £5k car (long time ago) and didn't put a mark on it until the day he sold it and as he had spent a little more on it he still got a decent amount for it to use against a new car.

Therefore OP my advice would be buy a decent car with a slightly better resale value I.e low mileage golf and gift to your son as an investment that if he looks after it he is capable of reselling it reasonably after a couple of years.

BMW would be a well made car but if you are on a farm I would avoid rear wheel steering as in the snow or ice.. you will be parking and walking!

ForalltheSaints · 20/10/2019 08:09

Does he really need a car? Could he not use yours on a few occasions, walk, use public transport, the odd taxi? Take his driving test by all means.

Winteriscomingfast · 20/10/2019 08:40

The son hasn't even driven on the public road yet - it could take months till he passes the test, and why would you buy such an expensive car?

We bought our DD a car before she had ever driven as we couldn't get her added to any of our existing cars as they were 4x4.

adaline · 20/10/2019 08:41

Please don't spend a fortune on a first car - it's inevitable that it will get knocked and bumped and it'll cost a fortune to repair it.

My first car was a 1.4l Ford Fiesta that I paid just under 2k for. It did me two years, cost me £400 to insure and never once gave me any trouble. And yes, it got knocked. I bumped it several times parking in tight spots and one reversed it (slowly!) into a wall by accident.

Paying out vast sums for a first car is just a waste. If he wants a BMW he can buy one when he's older and has a few years experience under his belt.

Winteriscomingfast · 20/10/2019 08:41

To add. It was cheaper to insure BEFORE she passed her test. It went up once she had. Could this be the same OP?

Winteriscomingfast · 20/10/2019 08:42

To add. My BIL has a BMW, he has had to be towed off our land twice- rear drive in light snow!

gubbsywubbsy · 20/10/2019 08:43

My dd is 16 but we will buy her a car , my parents bought me one and I'll do the same .
However I won't buy a bmw , he only needs a safe reliable car , not a premium brand . I will get a vw polo or a fiesta etc with a small engine so they get used to driving . I wouldn't want a 17 year old with any amount of power and no experience . For 6500 you can get a near new very reliable car . Obvs up to you though

Newoneonherr · 20/10/2019 08:46

Don't know if it's been mentioned OP, but the BMW you're thinking of buying has a serious timing chain issue, they are known to fail at around 60k. It will wright off the car if it does.

I wouldn't get any BMW if I were you. We've has several, they've all been a very expensive pile of junk.

NoSquirrels · 20/10/2019 08:54

Not sure I understand why, if he’d like a Honda Jazz (so has clearly done some sensible research) and you have a large budget, you’re trying to get him a BMW! Just get him the best version of the car he wants.

Topseyt · 20/10/2019 09:05

He wants a Honda Jazz, so buy him a Honda Jazz. It is a way more sensible first car than any version of the BMW and will be cheaper to insure once he has passed his test.

username1724 · 20/10/2019 09:08

My first was a Renault megane, very safe, very reliable, and lovely to drive. Felt like a tank .i test drove a fiesta and tbh didnt feel as safe as the megane. I now have a focus which feels nice and heavy on the road like the megane. I'd go for safety above anything else with that budget, the car you drive has a huge impact on how you would fare in a crash.

gubbsywubbsy · 20/10/2019 09:15

Those saying that you can add them into their cars don't realise some people have very expensive cars with big engines . It would cost way more to insure than to buy another car . Also very dangerous for them to drive a powerful car with zero experience !

wonkylegs · 20/10/2019 09:18

Completely agree with those who say if he wants a Honda Jazz then get him one
It's a fab, reliable, practical, safe first car
He needs to be comfortable in what he's driving and maybe that's his comfort zone.
He's got plenty of time / life to trade up to something more exciting later, save the money now and perhaps you can help him later when he wants to make that move

StillMedusa · 20/10/2019 09:18

Get the Honda Jazz. Not that I'm envious of your budget or anything (I'm pretty pleased with my renault twingo little dog taxi that cost me £2,500 )

I have had lots of cars, some cheap some more, and have had a few rear wheel drive cars and you really do not want one for a new driver. I have been driving over 30 years and have had some scary experiences in snow and on black ice. And last winter when the snow suddenly hit the south and the M5 was blocked with stuck cars, it was two BMWs that were blocking the road because they just couldn't move in the snow!

My kids have both been driving a couple of years...one has an elderly KA (very elderly and cost £350 but has gone through the MOTs ok) and the other a Corsa, which cost 1k and they both commute just fine. Both have had minor bumps and scrapes just from inexperience in he first year.
A Jazz, Fiesta or similar is a far better choice!

StCharlotte · 20/10/2019 09:19

Living on a farm/in the country, surely you would know a rear wheel drive will be almost useless in the winter. If it's not the snow, it'll be the mud.

Your son sounds a lot more sensible than you Grin

PulpPixie · 20/10/2019 09:23

My first car was £7000. I wasn’t about to drive around in a rust bucket. It was a Ford KA. If she wants to get him a BMW then it’s up to her and she doesn’t need to ‘check her privelage’ people on here really hate people with money, don’t they?

lljkk · 20/10/2019 09:24

It seems like a thread those bored teenagers would have started.

holidays987 · 20/10/2019 09:37

Could I suggest a VW polo or Golf. Well made cars that seem to hold their value and run well. Pretty resilient cars for new drivers and within budget.

wonkylegs · 20/10/2019 13:42

If you get a Golf watch out which model as they can be categorised as a hot hatch and can cost a fortune in insurance
They start in group 10 but mines in group 26 and they can go up to 39!

ilikefastcars · 20/10/2019 14:08

Don't do it!
BMW 1 series are not a good car. Unreliable and expensive to repair. Google bmw 1 series timing chain failure!
Buy a decent car like a Honda or Ford (less problems and cheaper to fix)

lastqueenofscotland · 20/10/2019 14:13

My first car was a BMW...
Read wheel drive, beginner driver, rural roads and Scottish weather.
It was written off in three months when I basically lost control of it on a very wet road.

I’ve had golfs ever since and they are fantastic cars but insanely expensive to insure

Itsjustmee · 20/10/2019 14:13

I’m assuming That’s the price you have now as a non driver
I can pretty much guarantee you that if that is the case that the insurance will be double probably triple that once he has actually passed his test

lovelyupnorth · 20/10/2019 14:18

I’d be getting the Jazz

Most the farmers kids round here are lethal on the roads. Plenty of old polio’s in ditches.

Also farm and rear wheel drive doesn’t go together.

My DD bought her self a mini for £1500 quid and cost £1k to insure. It’s been bashed a few times nothing major but plenty of new scrapes. I’d not be spending £6.5k on a car for a new driver.

ghostyslovesheets · 20/10/2019 14:21

DD1 is just about to start lessons - as the family cars she can choose from are basically a 4x4 (me) a transit van or a Subaru STI (DAD) she needs a car to practice in. I'm buying my mates sons Corsa for £1000 - it's in good order but a bit old - which is fine as she will no doubt ding and bash it a bit when she first starts driving alone - I know I did - my first car was a Metro Rio special addition with bright blue metallic paint and a pineapple on the boot!