# Cheap first car.



## joey54 (17 Mar 2007)

I'm looking at buying a cheap first car. Anybody any ideas on what to go for or what to avoid? Max I could spent would be around 3,000euro. Also no more than a 1.2litre for insurance reasons. Thanks!!


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## Billo (18 Mar 2007)

Go for a Nissan Micra. Cheap and usually reliable.


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## joey54 (18 Mar 2007)

Thanks for that Billo.


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## Superman (18 Mar 2007)

I second the Micra.
The other three options are generally slightly more expensive:
VW Polo, Toyota Yaris, 
or old:
Toyota Starlet.


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## 892896 (19 Mar 2007)

Micra or starlet seems the best bet


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## DOBBER22 (19 Mar 2007)

Skoda Fabia 1.2


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## joey54 (19 Aug 2007)

Hi all. 

I foolishly didn't take the advice from the above posters and I'm paying for it now. Bought a cheap punto, when I say cheap I mean cheap (€1,500!!). 

It was grand for what I wanted then but it is giving me serious problems now so I'm just getting rid of it. I'm going to go to a dealer as I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately. 

I've got €4500 to spend, €5000 at a push. It's hard to find a dealer that sells older cars so I was hoping somebody could recommend one for me! Also what kind of questions should I be asking the dealer???

(Another thing, if I can I want to avoid the Nissan Micra-It just doesn't do anything for me!)

Thanks for your help and time.

_*Jo *_


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## Pseudonym (19 Aug 2007)

Have a look at carzone.ie or cbg.ie, put in your budget constraints and what size engine you would like and it should throw up a few ideas.

Also you could take a look at the likes of www.channel4.com/cars www.honestjohn.co.uk or which car? and you will able to get good reviews on cars that you may be interested in.


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## RS2K (19 Aug 2007)

Fiesta 1.25 16v is a good little car. Zetec is the best trim level.


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## sharonp (19 Aug 2007)

Hi,
My first car was an Opel Corsa & i'd definitely recommend one. I never had any problems with it and they are relatively cheap


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## Bank Manager (19 Aug 2007)

Toyota Yaris - trouble free and reliable.


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## Ancutza (19 Aug 2007)

I'd second the Ford Fiesta.  Brother has a '00 and it's a great little car.  I've borrowed it a couple of times when home and it's a pleasure.

He has it for 4 years now (doing about 30,000 miles per year) and hasn't had a moments bother with it. The 1.25 Zetec engine is a pokey little number for it's capacity too.


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## Gabriel (19 Aug 2007)

Wrong decision. Sell the punto privately. Then buy privately. You'll get more car for your money at the kind of price you're looking for than from a dealer.


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## Killter (19 Aug 2007)

fiesta or yaris....hard to beat a toyota on reliability


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## joey54 (19 Aug 2007)

Thanks for all the replies. 

I actually really like the look of the fiesta and prices seem to be decent enough too.

Gabriel-
The reason I want to go to a dealer is because I want the peace of mind of a warranty,  won't get this in a private sale. I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately.


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## ang1170 (19 Aug 2007)

joey54 said:


> Thanks for all the replies.
> Gabriel-
> The reason I want to go to a dealer is because I want the peace of mind of a warranty, won't get this in a private sale. I just don't know enough about cars to do it privately.


 
That's a sound reason OK - the world of private sales is a minefield.

Don't forget to haggle hard with dealers though: there's plenty of cars out there.


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## Gabriel (20 Aug 2007)

ang1170 said:


> That's a sound reason OK - the world of private sales is a minefield.



I'm not being mean  I just don't think it's worth it. I think I'm right in saying that most dealers won't give more than 3 months (6 if you pay extra) on most older cars (the type you'd be looking for). So I just don't see a warranty as being all that worth it!

Get a mechanic (AA) to look over anything you're considering. If you're looking at a Jap then the likelihood is it'll be fine as long as it's okay the day you're buying it...in other words, there's very little problems with them.

Oh...and some food for thought. Ireland is choc-a-bloc with unscrupulous dealers who just love people like you...who profess to know very little. They'll gladly sell you that lemon that's been sitting on their forecourt for months...and you'll feel like you got a real bargain. Trust stealers as far as you can throw them...unless it's a main dealer...and even then don't trust them.

If you have a short list of cars you'll get lots of reliable enough feedback here from people with no vested interest. And if you bring a mechanic along to any potential sale you can't go far wrong.


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## Goggin (20 Aug 2007)

I can definitely second the Fiesta. I got a 99 D with 44000 miles from a dealer for c€4k last year. We had a few small problems - thermostat being one - but other than that its been trouble free. Apparently the Zetecs are great little engines.


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## REMFAN (21 Aug 2007)

The Ford is a great little car. The mother has a 1999 for the past five years and it has yet to give any hassle.


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## Thrifty1 (21 Aug 2007)

I bought my first car from my mother in law - a 98 Starlet, minter of a car, she learned to drive in it as did it, i then sold it to my sister in law who is now learning to drive in it. It has never given us any trouble, very reliable car and cheap to run and service.


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## Caveat (21 Aug 2007)

I think all things considered - price, looks, reliability, room, comfort etc - the Fiesta will be hard to beat. Not extremely reliable or anything but no real problems.

Both comfort and room can be difficult to find in a smaller car and the Fiesta isn't bad on both counts. IMO, better looking too than most in it's class.

For a slightly more down market option - Hyundai Getz maybe? Does the job.


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## swordshead (21 Aug 2007)

I have a 1994 starlet for 2 years and not a bother out of it. Only paid 2000 for it...


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## foxylady (22 Aug 2007)

swordshead said:


> I have a 1994 starlet for 2 years and not a bother out of it. Only paid 2000 for it...


 
Do you not think that is a lot of money for how old the car or are the starlets really that good???


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## Caveat (22 Aug 2007)

foxylady said:


> Do you not think that is a lot of money for how old the car or are the starlets really that good???


 

Could depend a lot on model.  E.g. Depending on mileage, €2000 would be about normal for a 1.3xli.  Most Toyotas hold their prices very well anyway - even at this age.


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## blueshoes (22 Aug 2007)

Or even a ford ka. lots of them around with low milage you could run into the ground. easy to park, cheap on tax, insurance,cute,nice to look at. I presume your a fella from your post so you might think its girly.

Where I live I see lots of fella's driving them.


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## foxylady (22 Aug 2007)

blueshoes said:


> Or even a ford ka. lots of them around with low milage you could run into the ground. easy to park, cheap on tax, insurance,*cute,nice to look at*. I presume your a fella from your post so you might think its girly.
> 
> Where I live I see lots of fella's driving them.


 

I personally think these cars are awful to look at


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## blueshoes (22 Aug 2007)

but they go so fast no one would notice you driving it foxylady!! I think there alright ahem to look at.


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## Green (22 Aug 2007)

I would support the posts on Ford Fiesta, cheap to run and reliable and easy to get part and services if needed


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## DrMoriarty (22 Aug 2007)

foxylady said:


> I personally think these cars are awful to look at





blueshoes said:


> I think there alright ahem to look at.


You could always slap a pair of jazzy number plates on them, I suppose?


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## blueshoes (22 Aug 2007)

na na na na na I hope you get in trouble for going of the thread.  

I had the loan of a fiesta for a week a 00 and thought it was a great wee car also, enough room in the boot for shopping. Although I did think there was something wrong with it when I got it, but there wasnt I had just run out of petrol!


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## foxylady (22 Aug 2007)

blueshoes said:


> na na na na na I hope you get in trouble for going of the thread.
> 
> I had the loan of a fiesta for a week a 00 and thought it was a great wee car also, enough room in the boot for shopping. Although I did think there was something wrong with it when I got it, but there wasnt I had just run out of petrol!


 
Are u still driving the Ka or is the fiesta your new car of choice??


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## blueshoes (22 Aug 2007)

hi foxylady,

no i have neither now thank god!!. but would recommend either to the op shir the ka is the fiesta underneath.


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## DrMoriarty (22 Aug 2007)

Yaris only a Ka at the end of the day..? 

I know an 'old school' mechanic who would certainly recommend a Micra or a Starlet over either Ford, on the grounds that the engines go a bit 'soft' after a few years. But I reckon the variation between individual cars (in terms of how well they've been looked after) would be more significant.

Whatever you buy, you should certainly get a trusted mechanic to give it the once-over, just to make sure you're not buying a money pit.


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## foxylady (22 Aug 2007)

DrMoriarty said:


> Yaris only a Ka at the end of the day..?
> 
> I know an 'old school' mechanic who would certainly recommend a Micra or a Starlet over either Ford, on the grounds that the engines go a bit 'soft' after a few years. But I reckon the variation between individual cars (in terms of how well they've been looked after) would be more significant.
> 
> Whatever you buy, you should certainly get a trusted mechanic to give it the once-over, just to make sure you're not buying a money pit.


 

 A mechanic just said to me recently all cars are money pits at the end of the day.


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## DrMoriarty (22 Aug 2007)

The same [broken link removed] mechanic ventures that that's why men tend to refer to them in the feminine. 

Of course, I myself could never go along with such a ridiculously outdated and chauvinistic view...


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## aircobra19 (23 Aug 2007)

DrMoriarty said:


> ... engines go a bit 'soft' after a few years...



Engines may do a lot of things but soft?


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## DrMoriarty (23 Aug 2007)

I presume he doesn't mean it literally, just that they start performing less well. In the same way that an athlete/fighter goes 'soft' if they stop training?


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## Caveat (23 Aug 2007)

aircobra19 said:


> Engines may do a lot of things but soft?


 
I quite like the turn of phrase actually. 'Soft' as opposed to robust, hard, efficient, powerful etc?

I'm going to start using it - better than the usual crap mechanics come out with anyway 

Great link BTW Doc!


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## mondeoman (23 Aug 2007)

RS2K said:


> Fiesta 1.25 16v is a good little car. Zetec is the best trim level.


 
what about GHIA spec -heated front windscreen,A/C,CD player alloys etc 
and are around the same price as Lx spec.


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## REMFAN (23 Aug 2007)

foxylady said:


> A mechanic just said to me recently all cars are money pits at the end of the day.


 
No douth about it


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## thesqueb (23 Aug 2007)

other good buy be a peugeot 206 1.1 had one for 2 yrs no trouble nippy reliable a good looker too like any used car be careful ask plenty of Qs rem no such thing as a stupid question


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## joey54 (24 Aug 2007)

I'm due to look at a fiesta tomo and I've arranged for a mechanic to come along too. I have all my Q's prepared so hopefully it all goes ok tomo and I'll be the proud owner of a Ford Fiesta!!


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## ACA (24 Aug 2007)

Opel are doing a trade-in deal at the moment - any vehicle, €2000! Not 100% sure whether thats trading in for a new vehicle tho - might be worth a look.


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