First Car

[stephenperry]

i had a mk1 1.8 mondeo (insurance group 10) and it was a great little car, don't go for a mk5 escort because they are truly terrible, were universally slagged off at launch, one of the few cars that managed to be worse than its predecesor (before anyone mentions the escort cosworth, thats not really an escort - its a shortened sierra 4x4 floorpan with a karmann escort looky likey body on top!)

alternatively a vectra isnt as bad as clarkson makes out, although i've never owned one

if you want a bit of space and comfort then the vauxhall omega 2.0 is a very underrated car and you'll pick them up for peanuts, insurance group 12 on that one iirc

back to your original question, ford ka is very cheap to run but definately has the wrong image for a man about town, but have you considered a fiesta? i'd stay away from french built cars (citreon, renault, peugeot) as they can be troublesome

[PeteG]

(before anyone mentions the escort cosworth, thats not really an escort - its a shortened sierra 4x4 floorpan with a karmann escort looky likey body on top!)

I thought I was the only person in the world to remember that. Big ups.

alternatively a vectra isnt as bad as clarkson makes out, although i've never owned one

My uncle had a SRi estate IIRC as a hire car before the new one came out - comfy, boot big enough to film Big Brother in, and went OK too. Never driven one more than a couple of hundred yards myself.

back to your original question, ford ka is very cheap to run but definately has the wrong image for a man about town, but have you considered a fiesta? i'd stay away from french built cars (citreon, renault, peugeot) as they can be troublesome

Fiesta 1.25s are the pick, I doubt insurance would be anywhere close to reasonable on the 1.6 Zetec S, nice as they are. Cheap to run, cheap to insure too.

I second avoiding the French cars, I'd personally try something Jap - avoiding my Almera bias, the K11 Micras are great little cars (though the facelift from 99-on takes the already less-than-lumberjack styling and adds a Gucci handbag and six inch stilettos... then a blue rinse for good measure). Toyota Starlets are terrific vehicles, but a bit hard to find.
Corollas on about a T-plate (a few years each way) are dull as dishwater, but will run for years. Almeras again, very bland, but insurance is reasonable (the 1.5 costs me about £1500 for a year (ouch), but I'm only 19 with one years NCB), and mine's got 117666 on the clock and is smooth as the proverbial infant's posterior.
Civics of a similar era, and even the early-90s EG model, are great cars. Mate's got a 96-97P EH 1.6 Vti, and it costs him the same to insure as my X-plate Almera. Again, being Japanese, give it a major service when you get it, and it'l run for years.

*takes off his Clarkson bubble-perm-mullet and stops speaking like Tiff Needell*

[Gromit37]

ford ka is very cheap to run but definately has the wrong image for a man about town

Grrrrrrrrrrr.... you sayin' I have an image problem? Grrrrrrrrr... where did I put my axe?

I love my Ka. Much better to drive than the Vauxhall Corsa. Loads of fun. Wish I had bought a Sportka because they're even more fun on the twisty stuff.

IMHO

[stephenperry]

if you can live with people thinking you're either a girl or gay

great fun car though, handles like a go kart and that "throbbing ford pushrod" first saw the light of day in the mk1 fiesta!

[TripleS]

....my other car is an MX-5

Oh yes, the funicular one - at least it should be good at going up steep hills.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[PeteG]

....my other car is an MX-5

Oh yes, the funicular one - at least it should be good at going up steep hills.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I won't forget one of the routes on the day out near you... in my Corsa... the one and only time I've had to double de-clutch into 1st gear so as not to end up rolling backwards...

[stephenperry]

my other car is an MX-5

errr.... the mx-5 is commonly regarded as a hairdressers car too

[jont]

my other car is an MX-5

errr.... the mx-5 is commonly regarded as a hairdressers car too

I think that's why Dave used that smiley

Jon
(who drives another "hairdressers" car)

[jont]

errr.... the mx-5 is commonly regarded as a hairdressers car too

Does someone not understand the meaning of the word 'irony' (and I don't mean made out of steel ) Be assured that I've driven plenty of penis extensions in my life and have never knowingly consumed alcopops.

PMSL

[TripleS]

....my other car is an MX-5

Oh yes, the funicular one - at least it should be good at going up steep hills.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I won't forget one of the routes on the day out near you... in my Corsa... the one and only time I've had to double de-clutch into 1st gear so as not to end up rolling backwards...

Oh hello Pete - that sounds as if you visited Littlebeck.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[MGF]

PMSL

Metaphorically?

[SammyTheSnake]

I just got a few online insurance quotes and had to go for a lie down.

Nowhere seems to want to give me fully comp on any car for less than about the value of the car, which is clearly unworkable. Given those odds I'd go for 3pf&t and just try not to crash the silly thing.

Frustratingly, I have 3 years' NCB on the motorbike but swinton (who phoned me 6 times today after I did a bunch of speculative checks on confused.com) won't give me any recognition for that.

Can anyone recommend any clever plans for reducing my premium? Swinton got me about £200 off for adding my dad as a named driver (millions of years NCB and he's a vicar :p) Are there any insurance companies out there that'll count motorcycle NCB towards car insurance? (even one year would be very handy)

On the good news front, I've got my retest on monday, Woo Hoo!

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[Angus]

I don't know if they'll take the bike NCB into account, but when we got a 3rd vehicle last year NFU Mutual were the only insurers to give us full no claims - and they were happy to protect it too

[MGF]

Good luck with your test tomorrow. Directline and Tesco consider bike NCB for your car insurance so i'm sure others do.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Pass the test first Sammy mate, pass the test ....


GOOD LUCK!