Advice - Ideal first car?

You can hardly notice you've just bought a RWD Sierra. You have handled it so well and been very low profile about the whole thing.

Honestly, there is no better way to learn the basics of car control than with a rear wheel drive car and a gravel road. That's just my opinion.

Oh yeah, and I've been trying to keep low profile, glad you noticed :)
 
Honestly, there is no better way to learn the basics of car control than with a rear wheel drive car and a gravel road. That's just my opinion.

Oh yeah, and I've been trying to keep low profile, glad you noticed :)

I am sure driving a RWD car on a loose service will make you a better driver. Unfortunately insurance companies don't want such a car to be in my reach :(
 
Ive looked at a Puma, way to much insurance. Its 125bhp coupe, insurance hell for a 17 year old. As, unfortunately is any Alfa :( this makes me very sad because my first choice would be a 156/147 1.6 TS but i cant afford the insurance. :( Anyway heres quotes i have:

Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec - ?1,126.65 - monthly cost around ?100
Audi A3 1.6 - ?1,513.82 Monthly cost around ?140
Fiesta Zetec S - ?1,380.75 - Monthly cost around ?125
Alfa Romeo 147 - ?1,419.30 - Monthly cost around ?130
Ford Puma - ?3,126.20
Mazda MX5 1.6i - ?2,738.93

See what i mean about sports cars and being raped for insurance?

Yeah, pushes you down to the bottom end of the market, something like http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...35-4294967144/advert.action?R=200919333886676

Damn those practical insurance companies!
 
I am sure driving a RWD car on a loose service will make you a better driver. Unfortunately insurance companies don't want such a car to be in my reach :(

I think the insurance companies have caught on to the fact that rwd improves car control.

-Until you crash :p

No, it won't.

I'm sorry, but driving a rear wheel drive car (or an oversteering fwd/4wd car) on a loose surface (not service.) will make you a more competent driver at the limit & in sudden manouvers..
 
It amazes me how much you guys get stiffed for insurance. I have a good driving record, but I've never payed more than $1,100 a year and that's for a Porsche 944 for an 18 year old. And If I'd gotten full coverage it wouldn't have gone over $2,000/year. Right now I pay about $700 a year for base coverage on a Miata and a Jetta. $4,800 a year for a Ford Puma, it's pushing it to call the Puma a sports car!

Seriously you should go dump some tea in a harbor or something.
 
It amazes me how much you guys get stiffed for insurance. I have a good driving record, but I've never payed more than $1,100 a year and that's for a Porsche 944 for an 18 year old. And If I'd gotten full coverage it wouldn't have gone over $2,000/year. Right now I pay about $700 a year for base coverage on a Miata and a Jetta. $4,800 a year for a Ford Puma, it's pushing it to call the Puma a sports car!

Seriously you should go dump some tea in a harbor or something.

2 questions
Were do you live, and can i live in your house when i get there?

I like the classic car insurance, but Mk1 Escorts are expensive :( Even though i REALLY want one. There's a guy in my town with a Escort Mexico, it's a show car and everything is in perfect condition.
 
I like the Volvo 240 suggestion (since I own a 244 GLT myself). However, I suspect outside the rustfree areas of California (where I literally see at least 8 or 9 a day), it might be a tough find.

I think a 1.6 Focus is an outstanding car. Great driving dynamics.

And don't fall for that rubbish about learning car control. Do NOT learn car control on the road. Unless you like a lot of stories that end with "after AA pulled it out of the ditch, it was okay except for..." Trust me; I have several of those stories from my youth (not all of which my parents are aware of :) ). And you don't really learn anything anyway...other than how to replace bent suspension pieces and save money for wheel alignments.

That's money and time best spent going to a real high performance driving school and actually learning car control. They will teach you both the theory, as well as the practice in an environment that you can learn in without endangering yourself and others.

Steve
 
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Audi 80 Quattro...?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekwyJa9xpRI[/YOUTUBE]

Sounds like a turbocharged, air powered, weed eater to me :lol:
 
My recommendation for a first car:
1. Insurance...insurance will cost you a fortune, more than the car's worth in the long run. Even without kasko (if you hit someone, they fix your car).
2. Safety. Make sure a car is safe for you to drive. Avoid rustbuckets, also cars which have technical issues. Unless they are really easy to mend, avoid cars which are already broken. Go for one that works.
3. Make sure the car doesn't eat much. For your first car, don't go for a 200hp beast. Go for something small engined and reliable. This will also affect your insurance.
4. Buy Front Wheel Drive. RWD is great, however it is less stable. For your first car, with a fresh license, you need to get accustomed to the road, prefferably go for a manual car. You shouldn't do powerslides on the road anyway...and you can have plenty of offroad fun in a FWD car.

An ideal first car is hence, something cheap, small engined, FWD, prefferably safe and costs less than 1 year's insurance (not in that order). After the first year, I would ditch the car...or maybe after 2 years.
 
Go classic. Tax exemption, classic insurance and cheap parts are the new driver's best friend. :)

For a cool ?1850 (or a bit less) you could get this little gem:

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Linky

It was just pulled from eBay but it looks well kept and is a tax exempt, RWD GT. Just think of the driving experience you'll have in this!

It's not dangerously fast like most modern cars so insurance should be pretty decent, and you won't get laughed at for having a chav-mobile. :)

Edit: I just read the thread after I posted, nice to see classics are already being mentioned, I'm a MkII Escort fan myself. ^_^
 
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