Car for learner driver - 2nd hand or contract hire

[BooToYouToo]

Buying a car for DD to learn on as mine is automatic. Also she can use it to drive to school when she passes. A friend has just signed up for contract hire for her DD. This appeals in some way as the car can pass to my DS in 2 years when he starts to learn & if we buy second hand now it could start getting problems by then.

Did anyone else do this? Which make and model did you get please? And if you bought second hand which make & model did you find reliable? Thanks

Regardless of how you finance it, a new car is expensive and you take a massive depreciation hit almost as soon as it's delivered. Your choice but for a new driver who is a high risk in terms of accidents, bumps and scratches I'd go second hand every time. You can get very good 2 or 3 year old cars that will give many years of reliable service.

No doubt buy second hand oldish banger. I had a peugeot 206 that was 1 year younger than me. Id passed my test 18 months before but couldnt afford a car until my work moved premesis and i had to. Soooo glad i bought a second hand oldie as about 4 months in my husbands boss reversed into the side of my car while i was waiting to pick DH up from work... would have been ALOT more awkward had it been newer and i needed to claim. Thankfully i could just accept the dent, be thankful i wasnt injured and move on. I would never even think of putting a learner or newly passed driver in a car of any value!

The big question as to what car is usually down to insurance - what will be least unreasonable to insure when she has passed her test. From what I've heard (my eldest is just 16 so haven't actively investigated this yet!), you may be paying more for insurance than for the car; so check this out so you don't get a nasty surprise. Learner's insurance more reasonable.

Thanks Pythonesque that’s a great tip re insurance, hadn’t thought of it.

I must admit we hadn’t thought of buying new until my friend mentioned it. I think on contract it’s about half the price of buying outright, over 3 years, but then of course you don’t get any money from resale (although that’s a PITA in my experience).

We bought (very) second hand VW Polos for our 3 DDs.
They were under 1 litre, built like brick outhouses and very reliable. Cheap to service and repair.
They were the insured drivers and we were named on their policies, that brings the premium down.
Family AA membership is also a good thing, means that help is on hand to deal with a breakdown once they have passed their tests and are ‘on their own’!

Thanks rslsys, Polos have a great repuation second hand, I'll definitely put them on my list along with Fiesta & Mazda.

Just to check, do you have a full license or only automatic?
If only automatic, are you permitted to be her supervising adult in a manual car?

I'd go for an 8-10+yo small car to learn in. DD learned in a £500 15yo Nissan Micra that we then kept for another year afterwards before we sold it on.

I would only spend a few hundred on the first car.
Definitely do your research on insurance groups - it isn't only on size of engine, things like how popular certain types of cars are with certain types of driver come in to it too. It is the insurance that is the killer, not the buying the car.
My dd and her car were both born in the same year

We got a Fiat 500 (2 years old) for my DD while she was learning. She took the test on it and passed it and now is driving it very happily to school and around the city. I am happy we did it the way we did, as the car is reliable and I do not have to worry that there might be a problem with it and a 18year old girl is left stranded on the road. We got it on contract. Hope this helps.