To ask you which car

[PeteWicksSexyPirate]

Hiya
What do you recommend as a good first car?
I’m currently looking at Fiestas, Clios and Polos, which do you think is the best for mileage, expense, reliability etc?
Or do you have any other recommendations?
I’m still learning btw but it’s so expensive I’m just going to bite the bullet and buy a car thanks!

My first car was a Corsa.... Was a good car, sold it to my brother for £500 and got a newer Dacia sandero. I love it, it's nippy and reliable so far, in other countries it's called Renault sandero so don't let the name Dacia put you off.

"Thanks for the advice, maybe I should cruise about in a people carrier "
Never mind a people carrier get a Skoda superb!

They are very well made and good value cars these days it's true

he says they’re basically a VW under the bonnet?

That’s the main reason not to buy one! VW made quality cars 35 years ago, now they’re just crap.

I've got a Hyundai i10. I love it. Great to drive. A decent size. Just managed to fit a large bike in
It and cheap to run. About £30 to fill up. Car tax £20 pa. it's a brilliant first car.

I’ve got no idea why he got the mickey taken so much about his Skoda, I suppose that’s young lads for you though!

My parents have a Vauxhall viva. It's much smaller than my car and my dad isn't that keen on it I think. He thinks it's under powered.

The Vauxhall is my parents first beak away from Skoda. They are absolute work horses.

Depends what size of car you need. I was 25 when I passed and bought a smart forfour. It was a brilliant wee car and I was honestly so sad to see it go. I had a baby and needed something bigger.
Your insurance will absolutely jump up when you pass, try running quotes pretending you passed yesterday to get an idea of what they might go up to when you pass. My insurance went up by about £400 a year I think when I passed which really wasn't that bad, made my first year just shy of £1000. 2 years later I'm driving a much bigger car with a bigger engine and I'm down to about £550 a year.

About £30 to fill up.

Unfortunately that’s meaningless unless you specify how many miles you get from that full tank. The cost to fill the tank of any car is totally irrelevant. You’d be better off telling us what kind of MPG you get from what is a great choice of car.

Thanks for the advice re quotes pretending I’ve just passed, good idea!
Might be getting a false idea doing learner quotes

Toyota Aygo or Yaris - loads of good deals about at the mo. Aygo come with a good warranty and you can extend it.
Skoda Citigo (same as VW Up). Fab cars to drive - really good fun.
Citroen DS3 - fun and nippy but will probs cost more.

@Toddlerteaplease is a work horse good or bad? Sorry if that’s a dopey question!

Good. Though I always thought they were a bit like driving a tank. We had skoda's from when I was 6 until only a couple of years ago. And never had a problem with them. They bought the Vauxhall because my mum thought it was cute. . Seriously, I love my Hyundai i10. It's been a perfect fist car for me.

@Elai1978 it gets about 320 miles out of a full tank.

I’ve got no idea why he got the mickey taken so much about his Skoda, I suppose that’s young lads for you though!

Because they had a deserved reputation for building terrible cars back when Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Bloc and his friends are too daft to realise that those days are long gone.

Toyota have best reliability.

Fiat 500, cheap to buy, cheap to insurance, cheap to run and repair,
Love mine really nippy and easy to park ( not my forte)

Skoda's are good cars as are VW. So are Seats. Yes all the same.

@Elai1978

he says they’re basically a VW under the bonnet?

That’s the main reason not to buy one! VW made quality cars 35 years ago, now they’re just crap.

Err hardly. They are still workhorse cars, robust and reliable. You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

We have just bought our teenager DD who is learning to drive a VW polo. Mainly as I wanted something robust with a good safety record and economical as she will have to drive to school. Also insurance was group one so with a black box fitted the cost for insurance wasn't eye wateringly expensive. Pleasantly surprised with the amount of extras/gadgets included.

You might want to check out euroncap as they list the safety record for every manufacturer/model/year.

The best car for that money is one that you buy from someone you know or know of like an elderly person who is giving up driving. Will usually be low mileage and well maintained. Honda Jazz is the most usual car in this bracket.

Skoda Fabia. They're good solid cars that are cheap to run.

[quote PeteWicksSexyPirate]@Toddlerteaplease is a work horse good or bad? Sorry if that’s a dopey question![/quote]
Good! Means it'll take everything you throw at it and keep trucking.

I have a Skoda Citigo. It's a cute little car.

Hyundai i10. Bigger inside then you think. So easy to park.

Nothing wrong with Renaults we’ve never had a problem with ours.

Have a look at reviews on sites such as Which or auto trader, look at safety. Don’t just buy a car because it looks nice, it could be shit.

Personally I would never buy a corsa.