Soldato
Saxo VTR I spent £3.5k on finance on the day I passed my test 
Yes, I'm one of those!
Yes, I'm one of those!
New drivers and their first car
- Thread starter gort
- Start date
£30 Mk1 Escort 1300GT for me.
A mate of my then Grandfather was giving up driving because of disability and I got first refusal..
I took his hand off
No agonising over what make or model to get to "look cool" back then (1990) and the next however many months/years were spent in it hooning round town..
FREEDOM!!
until I also got banned.
A mate of my then Grandfather was giving up driving because of disability and I got first refusal..
I took his hand off
No agonising over what make or model to get to "look cool" back then (1990) and the next however many months/years were spent in it hooning round town..
FREEDOM!!
until I also got banned.
Permabanned
I got to choose between a nackered renault megane, or a not so nackered rover metro. I chose the megane because it had power steering. Job done.
Man of Honour
They're from the generation where mummy and daddy drove a Freelander and draped themselves with Ralph Lauren's largest horses. The 105% mortgage isn't a factor.
My first car (2007) was an N reg Ford Escort. It was brown and the paint was flaking off all over. None of the electrics worked properly and it quite often used to cut out going round a roundabout. I didn't care, I loved it! Its still my favourite car I have owned!
Who are 'they'?
Man of Honour
A portion of the people referred to in the opening post, of course.
Associate
My first car was an 1977 Escort RS 2000, wish I still had it 
Jumping back a few years people had to make-do with cars that they could buy with cash only. Finance was a thing reserved for very few rich people, and often the thought of car finance was beyond many people's ability of comprehension.
People were forced to buy cars that required weekly maintenance, and were generally, not that safe at all.
Nowadays, salaried pay and wages are delivered monthly into the bank, very few people get ultra-short-term cash in hand pay and we mostly have some semblance of job security. This allows us to consider car finance.
People were forced to buy cars that required weekly maintenance, and were generally, not that safe at all.
Nowadays, salaried pay and wages are delivered monthly into the bank, very few people get ultra-short-term cash in hand pay and we mostly have some semblance of job security. This allows us to consider car finance.
Caporegime
See Fox's post above. Pretty much sums it up.
It's not that the posts are being more critical, the examples of "I bought mine for £50 and called it day" don't warrant a 'first car, which car?' thread. Hence, a lot of the first car threads you see are with people like myself who are analysing all our choices and making sure we get the best thing to suit our needs.
I'm 23, full time job, worked for my savings, not considered a loan and my parents don't drive so I don't have the typical dad to fall back on who would pick a car for me. Nor am I filled with entitlement as they're far from rich and won't be contributing to my first car
I'm 23, full time job, worked for my savings, not considered a loan and my parents don't drive so I don't have the typical dad to fall back on who would pick a car for me. Nor am I filled with entitlement as they're far from rich and won't be contributing to my first car
A £2000 MK3 Clio. Worked my arse off for a year in retail to be able to afford it, followed by another skint year of paying a £1800 insurance premium.
Styling and trim was typically french but it was solidly put together. Ran it for nearly 4 years, took us everywhere, clocked up 40k+ miles and it only broke down once due to a knackered earth strap, still had the original battery in it too. Could mend it with parts from the local parts shop and a Haynes manual.
Only got £500 for it part-ex, really wish I'd kept it.
Styling and trim was typically french but it was solidly put together. Ran it for nearly 4 years, took us everywhere, clocked up 40k+ miles and it only broke down once due to a knackered earth strap, still had the original battery in it too. Could mend it with parts from the local parts shop and a Haynes manual.
Only got £500 for it part-ex, really wish I'd kept it.
Soldato
What was it? I faintly remember a Yaris T-Sport?
My first car I still have and use and will keep it forever, well unless something fatal happens to it. It's a bit sentimental and has become somewhat a part of me. I didn't get to buy my own car straight after I passed, had to wait a few years until I had a proper Job, was a poor student before. Ended buying one of my childhood heroes, could have bought something much newer that cost more, but new cars don't do anything for me and IMO it's always best to buy something old and cheap as a first car, mine's ended up being a cherished motor.
Soldato
Yup that's it. Great car, really chuckable and probably the most fun I've ever had in driving. Even the ATR I had couldn't compare to it in the fun department. ATR felt more grown up, and though it handled well, I didn't dare chuck it around like the Yaris. I wish I had kept it and S/C'd it, some decent suspension and could have made it into a fun B-Road blaster. Not the fastest thing but taking corners in that was ace.
![[TR]SweetSpotOz](/styles/overclockers/avatars/6.png){kind=avatar}
Soldato
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I'm 24 now, my first car at 17 was a Fiat Punto - bought for £2500. It was bought with my own money and I kept it for 6 years or so. Now I've got a Polo GTi and its a hell of a better car!
Glad I put up with the punto for so long as it made me appreciate what I have now.
Glad I put up with the punto for so long as it made me appreciate what I have now.
Associate
- Joined
- 23 Mar 2013
- Posts
- 180
My first car in 2008 was a 2000 Ford Fiesta 1.3, 38k miles on the clock and cost £1000. Insurance first year was £1800.
Was absolutely faultless up until January this year at 61k miles, then everything seemed to go wrong at once. Sold it eventually and bought a 58 plate Seat Ibiza S.
Must admit we all did have a chuckle at my friends Metro that when flat out (50) every light on the dash was flashing!
Was absolutely faultless up until January this year at 61k miles, then everything seemed to go wrong at once. Sold it eventually and bought a 58 plate Seat Ibiza S.
Must admit we all did have a chuckle at my friends Metro that when flat out (50) every light on the dash was flashing!
Yes, actually I would, if you prang it you can get away with not claiming unless you involve someone else. If you spend 8k on a car and scrape the side down a bollard i'd really want it fixing therefore have to fork out to fix it or claim & face more years of silly premiums whereas i'd just leave a £50 banger looking like ****.
