Get some good old fashioned american muscle.
Nah, but that looks ok i guess. Mind posting some more info on it?
Also forgot to mention, I'm in the UK (if that helps at all).
Dealers info: 24,000 miles, Electronic climate control, 17" alloy wheels, Full main dealer service history, 1 owner from new, Excellent condition, 3 door sports hatch, Petrol, Manual, Central locking with internal central locking switch, Front fog lights, Multi-function trip computer, Leather covered steering wheel with audio controls, ABS, Steering wheel reach adjustment, Drivers seat height adjuster, Electric door mirrors, Electric front windows, PAS, CD, radio and auxilary-in socket for Ipod, rubber floor mats, owner non-smoker. £6,750 ONO.
I can post more technical info if needed.
Do you want opinions on looks or price? or just everything?
[QUOTE=huyu;28652487]Do you want opinions on looks or price? or just everything?[/QUOTE]
Pretty much just everything, maybe if others have vauxhalls then they can comment on reliability etc.
I think it looks pretty.
[QUOTE=M24;28652374]Greetings automotive addicts,
So I'm going to be thinking about buying my first car when I'm 17 in 2 months time, so far I've been working for a year and luckily my parents will match what I make. Insurance isn't too much of a worry since I'll be on my dads company insurance.
To be honest, I'd really like a car that would be decent for 3-4 years.
What are your opinions on something like this?
[img_thumb]http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=1587752447[/img_thumb]
It's a 1.6L 2008 astra. I've been really liking the looks of the astras and it seems pretty affordable with my budget (around 6-7 grand).
Cheers in advance guys[/QUOTE]
You can't go wrong with Astras, they are reliable and cheap to fix when they do break down. Tax shouldn't cost you too much, about £112 every 6 months and it should be reasonable on petrol.
The only advice I would offer is that there's a good chance your first car is either going to end up crashed or with a few bumps / scrapes on it. It would be a shame for that to happen to a nice car like the Astra.
If I were in your position I'd get something for about £2-3K and get a couple of years no claims on your own policy, then with the money you've saved from the initial purchase and what you've put away over time you can afford something really nice and more fun to drive without running the risk of putting it in a ditch within the first week. You kids are too hastey to jump into a nice new car, be patient, hold on a couple of years and do it when you can really afford it and have some proper driving experience under your belts. The biggest mistake you can make now is to think you are a good driver because you've passed your test, that over-confidence will end badly. Not meaning to be too blunt, just wouldn't want you to make the same mistake I did.
I can personally recomend a vauxhall corsa me and a lot of work mates have them and nobody has any complaints about them aside from those with older batteries, depends what you're looking for and yeah pretty much what sam clarke said
[QUOTE=sam.clarke;28652539] The biggest mistake you can make now is to think you are a good driver because you've passed your test, that over-confidence will end badly. Not meaning to be too blunt, just wouldn't want you to make the same mistake I did.[/QUOTE]
supporting this especially, don't be a boy racer and you'll end up much better off for it.
[editline]17th March 2011[/editline]
oh and if you want to take freinds anywhere, spending an extra hundred or so for 4 doors is DEFINATELY worth it, if you're anything like me and can't be arsed with the hassle of putting the seat forward/back all the time
+1 for the Corsa. Had an 02 1.4 Corsa SXI for my first car. Plenty fast enough, ran on fresh air (good petrol usage), was very reliable and had plenty going for it: Elec windows, cd player, steering wheel stereo functions, sunroof, tinted window as standard etc etc. Picked it up for £2200 with 48K miles on the clock, good buy.
I know it's hard to buy a smaller car now when you have the opportunity to buy something like an 08 reg Astra but I guarantee you, it will pay off in a few years.
I will definitely not be racing, I actually went to a roadshow with the school expecting it to be crap, but when a guy in a wheelchair came out and told us his story of crashing, that was me set to be honest.
Sam.clarke and A glitch, thanks for your responses. I was actually debating getting an older style seat ibiza or as glitch said, maybe a corsa. I'm not sure if it's worth it though. Don't want to seem like im on a high horse here, but I reckon I'll be a better driver than half of the idiots who are 17 at my school even with a powerful astra but I suppose anything could happen....
I'll go check out some older corsas on auto trader.
[QUOTE=M24;28652691]I will definitely not be racing, I actually went to a roadshow with the school expecting it to be crap, but when a guy in a wheelchair came out and told us his story of crashing, that was me set to be honest.
Sam.clarke and A glitch, thanks for your responses. I was actually debating getting an older style seat ibiza or as glitch said, maybe a corsa. I'm not sure if it's worth it though. Don't want to seem like im on a high horse here, but I reckon I'll be a better driver than half of the idiots who are 17 at my school even with a powerful astra but I suppose anything could happen....
I'll go check out some older corsas on auto trader.[/QUOTE]
It takes a crash to make most people realise just how dangerous the roads can be, it worked with me. Flying over a roundabout at 80+mph is an eyeopener :v:
In all seriousness, it's worth getting something as cheap to run and insure as possible at your age. It's annoying to see your mates who buy something a bit bigger and better but you'll be laughing in a few years when you can go out and buy a really nice motor and they're stuck with the same cars because they spend all their money on running and insuring something that is average anyway and haven't been able to save up for a new car.
[QUOTE=sam.clarke;28652913]It takes a crash to make most people realise just how dangerous the roads can be, it worked with me. Flying over a roundabout at 80+mph is an eyeopener :v:
In all seriousness, it's worth getting something as cheap to run and insure as possible at your age. It's annoying to see your mates who buy something a bit bigger and better but you'll be laughing in a few years when you can go out and buy a really nice motor and they're stuck with the same cars because they spend all their money on running and insuring something that is average anyway and haven't been able to save up for a new car.[/QUOTE]
If im on my dads company insurance, that obviously means that I won't have to pay that much but then I can't rack up the no claims bonus, do you have any idea if insurance companies would recognise that i've not claimed (when it comes round to buying a new car) but baring in mind that I still won't have a no claims bonus due to it being a company policy.
[QUOTE=M24;28652971]If im on my dads company insurance, that obviously means that I won't have to pay that much but then I can't rack up the no claims bonus, do you have any idea if insurance companies would recognise that i've not claimed (when it comes round to buying a new car) but baring in mind that I still won't have a no claims bonus due to it being a company policy.[/QUOTE]
Some companies offer "no claims bonus" which is built up as a named driver on another policy. The only catch is that the bonus can only be used within the same company, if you were to get a quote elsewhere you'd still have 0 years no claims in their eyes. Like I said, it's probably best to get your own policy, drivers with 0 years no claims are stung pretty bad up until the age of 25. After your first year you should see something like a 30-40% drop compared to the first year's premium, about another 20% drop the next year and so on in the coming years.
Being 20, driving 2 years with 2 years NCB and 3 points. I'm paying £1100 a year to insure a 200bhp 2.2L Honda Prelude, to insure the same car with 0 years NCB it would be more like £6,000 on the companies that would insure it. It makes a huge difference, the insurance companies see you as a reduced risk to them with a couple of years clean driving under your belt. It's worth doing now to save yourself hassle in the future when you've got other bills to pay. If you live in a nice area and are pretty confident you'll avoid having any crashes / bumps then you could perhaps go for a 3rd party only policy which shouldn't cost too much, the minimum coverage which means IF you hit someone and it's your fault then the other driver will be covered but you'll have to foot the bill for any repairs on your own car, if your car is stolen it will also not be covered which is why you should only take out that kind of policy if you live in a pretty safe area.
At the end of the day it's down to you though. It sounds like you're in a pretty good position if your parents are willing to help you out and insurance isn't an issue. You can afford a nice car right now which is a good thing but just try to think a few years ahead on this one and weigh up the pros / cons before going ahead.
although it says non smokers car, smell the inside, if theres a strong smell of cleaner, or air freshner, OR if there is an air fresher the car may smell like ass/ they might be lying
also the ceiling would be yellow if it was hardcore smokers
/endofmyhelp.
For any car purchase, is there anything I should look out for?
[editline]17th March 2011[/editline]
and also what should i ask the dealer for that matter
[QUOTE=M24;28652691]I will definitely not be racing, I actually went to a roadshow with the school expecting it to be crap, but when a guy in a wheelchair came out and told us his story of crashing, that was me set to be honest.
Sam.clarke and A glitch, thanks for your responses. I was actually debating getting an older style seat ibiza or as glitch said, maybe a corsa. I'm not sure if it's worth it though. Don't want to seem like im on a high horse here, but I reckon I'll be a better driver than half of the idiots who are 17 at my school even with a powerful astra but I suppose anything could happen....
I'll go check out some older corsas on auto trader.[/QUOTE]
Setting yourself up for a fall. Astra looks good though
That's a really good looking car. I'd love to own something like that. The paint looks brand new in the photos
[QUOTE=M24;28655647]For any car purchase, is there anything I should look out for?
[editline]17th March 2011[/editline]
and also what should i ask the dealer for that matter[/QUOTE]
Buy from private sellers
[url]http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/[/url]
[QUOTE=apwd007;28656041]Setting yourself up for a fall. Astra looks good though[/QUOTE]
You could be right, I was reluctant to post the post that you quoted as nobody intends to crash and it kinda made me out to be cocky.
[editline]17th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;28657728]Buy from private sellers
[url]http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/[/url][/QUOTE]
A lot of mates have shown me pistonheads, I'll have a look around there, so far it looks pretty good.
Get a Subaru.
Oh wait your in the UK.
:smith:
[QUOTE=sam.clarke;28652539]You can't go wrong with Astras, they are reliable and cheap to fix when they do break down. Tax shouldn't cost you too much, about £112 every 6 months and it should be reasonable on petrol.
The only advice I would offer is that there's a good chance your first car is either going to end up crashed or with a few bumps / scrapes on it. It would be a shame for that to happen to a nice car like the Astra.
If I were in your position I'd get something for about £2-3K and get a couple of years no claims on your own policy, then with the money you've saved from the initial purchase and what you've put away over time you can afford something really nice and more fun to drive without running the risk of putting it in a ditch within the first week. You kids are too hastey to jump into a nice new car, be patient, hold on a couple of years and do it when you can really afford it and have some proper driving experience under your belts. The biggest mistake you can make now is to think you are a good driver because you've passed your test, that over-confidence will end badly. Not meaning to be too blunt, just wouldn't want you to make the same mistake I did.[/QUOTE]
This is probaly your best bet. Everyone's complimented me on my driving but even I've had a couple bumps/close calls due to lack of experience. I tried to brake too late in the rain and started skidding, etc.
It would be best not to get a really nice car at first, insurance claims will drive your insurance up through the roof but with experience, you will become a much safer driver.
You get most of your experience from actually driving so saying you've "learned" how to drive won't cut it. You just need the experience. Not a couple hours a week but just solid regular driving.
For a First car, you don't need anything fast. Get something safe, like that Astra, since you'll probably end up in a ditch or something later down the road.
Like Sam said, get something that you wouldn't mind putting a few bumps and scrapes in. I'd like to think I know what I'm doing, but it does happen. I own a pretty big car and eventually I was going to push that a bit far when navigating into a car park, and I scraped the front a bit along a pylon in an underground carpark. Then there are the times that I've run over potholes and ditches that I didn't spot, just little things that would really piss me off if my car was too precious.
Honda Civic. They are easy to work on and cheap and good on gas. Trust me I own one.
Plus one on the civic, have achieved great gas mileage in many civics myself and would recommend one to anybody.
I'm an old soul, so of course I'll suggest something before 1990.
I hate to be repetitive, but get something you'd be ok wrecking. I had an old 99 civic, and then I still sat on my hands afraid to buy something new for a 1 1/2 years even though I had the money.
[QUOTE=NecroTitan;28666955]I hate to be repetitive, but get something you'd be ok wrecking. I had an old 99 civic, and then I still sat on my hands afraid to buy something new for a 1 1/2 years even though I had the money.[/QUOTE]
My mom totaled her 99 Accord. I was in the passenger seat, this truck pulled out in front of us then slammed on their brakes because they saw a cop. It crushed a bit of the interior, but the airbags didn't deploy at all.
[QUOTE=NecroTitan;28666955]I hate to be repetitive, but get something you'd be ok wrecking. I had an old 99 civic, and then I still sat on my hands afraid to buy something new for a 1 1/2 years even though I had the money.[/QUOTE]
It had the kind of wrong effect on me. My first car was one of these
[img]http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2009/08/25/09/45/1992_opel_kadett-pic-17977.jpeg[/img]
And because me and my friends knew it was a really shitty car and since I got it from a friends mother for $200~ we drove it like shit and crashed it into everything we could find. I mean sure it was our own fault for being retarded with it but my friend actually broke his leg in it one time. But there is of course a valid point to buying something you're not afraid to total because even if you're not retarded like me crashing into everything, you might get hit by someone else and it would fucking suck to have a brand new nice car instead of a shit car.
[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;28667102]My mom totaled her 99 Accord. I was in the passenger seat, this truck pulled out in front of us then slammed on their brakes because they saw a cop. It crushed a bit of the interior, but the airbags didn't deploy at all.[/QUOTE]
My mother was in a 5 car pile up in that same model 99 civic I drove for a while. She got hit by a Mack truck, and a dump truck, and a ford F-250. And after they Lifeflighted her to the hospital they let her walk out the front door the same day with just a broken finger and a few cuts. Those are some amazingly safe little cars.
This car was a tank. R.I.P. little civic:
[img]http://images03.olx.com/ui/1/92/39/2088339_1.jpg[/img]
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