FabSwingers.com forum: First car for my son

By *bhs72 OP Man
4 weeks ago

witham

Looking for a reliable car for son at uni. So many options on Auto trader but welcome views on if I go for really old, higher mileage vs spending more for for something that should be more reliable.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *lynJMan
4 weeks ago

Morden

I'd go for an older Japanese car like a Toyota, for example. Well built and very reliable

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *aveman 77Man
4 weeks ago

Rotherham

Couple of things his he coming home regularly would it be used much while at uni my daughter had a car at uni just to come home never really used it much while there but cost £60 a week to park.if using regular for long distance and little diesel Audi VW would be good or little Ibiza petrol if running around but also look at the tax and running costs most don't use them anyway.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *alandNitaCouple
4 weeks ago

Scunthorpe

Generally high millage is not a problem if the vehicle has been regularly serviced... it's also worth baring in mind that average mileage in the UK is about 8000 miles per year, so a 10 year old car with 80k mileage is only average.

Cal

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hatKlungeEnigmaMan
4 weeks ago

St Leonards

Citroën C3 diesel?

You can get a lot of them in the £30 RFL bracket, French diesels go on forever (they all leak a bit, but that's from Day One

), they are a lot more spacious than you expect because of the "big bubble" shape, so moving stuff/driving friends is easy, they have nice handling with a soft ride, and they're inexpensive to keep going.

If he wants something with a bit more street cred, Audi A3s are worth looking at.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *alandNitaCouple
4 weeks ago

Scunthorpe

Also, if your son is mainly just pottering about on 30mph roads, then petrol is better than diesel... Diesel cars often have "technologies" designed for reducing emissions, but these require a regular long/fast drive to keep them working properly.

Cal

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ai Hard 2 - Dai HarderMan
4 weeks ago

Manchester / Cardiff

it WILL get scratched, banged, dented, scraped and bumped, whatever you choose; so definitely something you're not going to worry about re-sale value once he's done with it!!

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hatKlungeEnigmaMan
4 weeks ago

St Leonards

"Also, if your son is mainly just pottering about on 30mph roads, then petrol is better than diesel... Diesel cars often have "technologies" designed for reducing emissions, but these require a regular long/fast drive to keep them working properly.

Cal"

Dodgy DPFs and soot dumping 🤮.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *leaningdutiesMan
4 weeks ago

South London

Can't beat a Ford Focus, my 2005 is still going strong. That said it only has 65,000 miles on the clock

Parts relatively cheap and easy to source.

A caveat to the above advice is I know nothing about cars

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *heel markMan
4 weeks ago

beside the sea

If you want reliability don't buy anything French, it will go on strike and stop working for no apparent reason.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ChubsMan
4 weeks ago

West Midlands

Been looking for a first car for my daughter that will be affordable to buy & insure. Was surprised at the affordability of an Alfa Romeo Mito, a 1.4 petrol is about the same to insure as a 1.0 Citroen C1 🤯

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ete.RachaelTV/TS
4 weeks ago

Chesterfield

Skoda citigos are Brill, economical and bomb proof xx

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ffervescentMan
4 weeks ago

winfrith

Ferrari Dino obviously Red .

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *reggSausageMan
4 weeks ago

derby

Either Japanese or German and if it’s round town then get petrol if it’s further distance then get diesel, older cars are way easier to work on, also look online for specific model forums as there’s always plenty of help out there

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ary69321Man
4 weeks ago

Newcastle upon tyne

Toyota Yaris, the only one that's better is the honda jazz, but the catalytic converters are being knicked all the time, I'm on my third Yaris, I absolutely love them.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
4 weeks ago

Guide him but let him choose if it a car he likes it get looked after much better. A friend's son got his grandads old Honda well spec car tidy low milage but looked like old man car trached it in months. Hated been seen in it .

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ustus5555Woman
4 weeks ago

Mansfield

Pug 107 or the equivalent c1. Same thing. Had one with 30k when I bought it. Reluctantly part exchanged at 115 k. Never missed a beat. Lived that car.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *NormalMan01Man
4 weeks ago

Harrogate

"Looking for a reliable car for son at uni. So many options on Auto trader but welcome views on if I go for really old, higher mileage vs spending more for for something that should be more reliable."

VW Up! They’re great.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *uriousonthecoastMan
4 weeks ago

Amble

I found older cheaper cars had bigger engines and as a result I was getting way higher insurance quotes.

Ended up paying more for a newer lower mileage smaller engine car but with the lower insurance ended up paying the same overall.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ChubsMan
4 weeks ago

West Midlands

We've been doing insurance quotes for my daughter and pretty much all the usual 1st cars are expensive to insure. I suppose being food delivery drivers choice of transport doesn't help either. That's why we started looking at cars not usually regarded as 1st cars

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *a LunaWoman
4 weeks ago

South Wales

What about a Dacia or a Skoda?

Although Dacias are very uncomfortable.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *abio83Man
4 weeks ago

chester

Daughter has a Corsa, been great. Mileage is high, but I service it regularly..extremely good headlights on it, which is great this time of year. And she's had no problems starting or in these icy conditions.

Had a blackbox fitted for a year, brought the insurance less than half. Although now it's disengaged, not told her!! Shhhhh

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *he Silver FuxMan
4 weeks ago

Uttoxeter

My favourite vehicle I had as a student was a Van. Move all my shit with it, sleep in it, shag in it, surfboards, my mates, camping gear…

Street cred? I had more fun in crappy vans than any of the fancy expensive cars I’ve ever owned.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *eesside AnubisMan
4 weeks ago

North East

Just get him a cheep one as can guarantee it will get scratched and dirty inside

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *viatrixWoman
4 weeks ago

Redhill

We gave our son the Audi A1 we had … 2010 model. Lovely little runner. He likes it and he is very popular at uni for having a car haha

it’s going through some age related niggles now but his dad sorted it out and it’s good as new again.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *elix SightedMan
4 weeks ago

Cloud 8

What’s wrong with a Vauxhall Nova SRI?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *0rngMan
4 weeks ago

Birmingham

What are you looking to spend? Mondeo for Ferrari money etc

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *pankingNorfolkCouple
4 weeks ago

Norwichish

Fave tip someone gave me about insurance for youngsters on cars.

The insurance companies have lots of data on Saxo’s, Fiesta’s, Ka’s, Golfs and Polos being crashed by 17/18 year olds.

Not so much crash data for Skoda Octavia’s and 17/18 year olds.

They reckon can be cheaper to insure kids in safer family wagons than small hot hatches because of that.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *sWyldWoman
4 weeks ago

Edinburgh

I bought my son a lovely low mileage 2010 corsa for his 18th birthday in July. Sadly he failed his test and gave up on turning it over every day. It's now sat for months and needs a new battery and work done on it

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *B69Woman
4 weeks ago

Wiltshire

I got my daughter a Fiat500 was great while at Uni, cheap to run and easy to park, she’s since upgraded and wishes she had kept it.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *cflirtyMan
4 weeks ago

Hampshire

Got my lad a Citroen C1, cheap to run, economical and insurance not bad, was 12 years old at the time with 70k on the clock, still going strong

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *cflirtyMan
4 weeks ago

Hampshire

"My favourite vehicle I had as a student was a Van. Move all my shit with it, sleep in it, shag in it, surfboards, my mates, camping gear…

Street cred? I had more fun in crappy vans than any of the fancy expensive cars I’ve ever owned.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *bhs72 OP Man
4 weeks ago

witham

Wow, thanks for all the responses. He has his heart set on a ford focus. Trouble is I hear the wet-belt (no not that type you filthy animals) are unreliable and dealing with garages that ,shall we say make Del-boy look like John Lewis is it is really hard to know what to do. It will be a petrol car as he won’t do the miles. It is really so he has more freedom for jobs and social plus it means I don’t have to spend half of the day on the M25 picking and dropping him off. Lots to ponder but please keep your thoughts and ideas coming through. Many thanks. 🤩

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *uri00620Woman
3 weeks ago

Croydon

[Removed by poster at 12/01/25 02:29:34]

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *uri00620Woman
3 weeks ago

Croydon

I have a 2006 Micra for 14 years. I've never spent anything on it really. Just sailed through an mot again last month. It's been amazing. I've never particularly treated it well either. I drive it daily and has high mileage (135k). My last car was Japanese too. For years I've been thinking I should replace it but at this point I'm keen to see how long it'll actually last!

My mechanic said it'll outlive me. Not sure whether that's really disconcerting or not

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *cotlad178Man
3 weeks ago

falkirk

Can't go wrong with Korean hyundai and kia are both fairly reliable

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ristol100Man
3 weeks ago

Bristol

I was looking at insurance for my daughter. VW polo was crazy money. We eventually settled on a Hyundai i10 about 2009, then I got offered a deal on a 2021 i10 with high miles. As the insurance worked out so much cheaper due to ADAS on the newer one, it was only a few hundred more in the end combined. So spent more on car than insurance rather than the other way around !

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *atindollTV/TS
3 weeks ago

edinburgh

I have a seat mii 75 horses,1 litre,20 pound a year tax,5 doors decent boot heated mirrors air con too,can go for skoda citigo or vw up.

All vw parts and mechanicals across the range with different exteriors.

Not likely to wrap it round a tree but with its stiffened suspension it's a hoot in the low gears in the twisties.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *orthern StarsCouple
3 weeks ago

Durham

Our daughter bought herself an old fiesta, 1.25 engine. The insurance was double what the car cost so be aware of that. Hoping it will dramatically reduce this year when it's up for renewal.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hesubtlegentMan
3 weeks ago

surrey

Before you buy anything, get an insurance quote first. Smaller engine cars cheaper to insure but usually more expensive to buy because of their popularity. I got my daughter a Toyota aygo. Over 12 years old but still cost £4000. Almost cried having to shell out so much for a basic car. The insurance was £1700. Even with a black box.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *teveanddebsCouple
3 weeks ago

Norwich

"Wow, thanks for all the responses. He has his heart set on a ford focus. Trouble is I hear the wet-belt (no not that type you filthy animals) are unreliable "

That is the 1.0l Ecoboost (aka Ecoboom). You get the same engines in Fiestas and they are a diabolical idea. A Focus or Fiesta with any other engine is generally reliable.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *orthern StarsCouple
3 weeks ago

Durham

"Before you buy anything, get an insurance quote first. Smaller engine cars cheaper to insure but usually more expensive to buy because of their popularity. I got my daughter a Toyota aygo. Over 12 years old but still cost £4000. Almost cried having to shell out so much for a basic car. The insurance was £1700. Even with a black box. "

Our daughters was £2500 with a black box. Horrendous isn't it. Her ex boyfriend wrote his car off only a week after he got it. Dread to think what his insurance will be at renewal time but thankfully not our problem.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ristol100Man
3 weeks ago

Bristol

With the Hyundai i10. The insurance was just over £1200 with a black box with ticker.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hesubtlegentMan
3 weeks ago

surrey

Insurance costs are a joke. No wonder so many young and new drivers don’t bother getting any. Just make insurance cheaper and have higher excess.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *bhs72 OP Man
3 weeks ago

witham

Insurance costs are a joke. No wonder so many young and new drivers don’t bother getting any. Just make insurance cheaper and have higher excess. "

With me and the wife on they aren’t actually as high as I anticipated as for fully comp on a £6000 car with zero no claims and a new car is circa £800. Acknowledge the eco boom issue with the fords so I am making sure the wet belt is changed before I purchase. Thanks again everyone and it just highlights so many issues we all face financially nowadays. Also whilst I am at it there are some really hot profiles on here. The search continues……

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ermite12ukMan
3 weeks ago

Solihull and Brentwood

"If you want reliability don't buy anything French, it will go on strike and stop working for no apparent reason. "

Totally agree with that and trying to get it fixed at a (Leicester) Citroen main dealership, for me at least, was worse than pulling teeth.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hesubtlegentMan
3 weeks ago

surrey

One last thing. The difference of insurance cost of a learner and new driver is massive. Before my daughter passed her test, insurance was £450. After, it was £1700 with both me and her mum on her policy. So get a quote for new driver if he hasn’t passed his test yet. A friend of mine learnt this the hard way. Bought her daughter a car for £3000, insurance while she was learning was £500. After, it was £6000. She couldn’t afford it and had to sell the car.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *endalshaggersCouple
3 weeks ago

Lake District

Avoid anything French, they are guaranteed to spend most time in the garage. I'd also try avoid anything German purely because parts are £££.

I have a Ford. Parts are much cheaper and plentiful.

I don't think you can go wrong with anything from Kia/Honda for a first car. I've had one from each in my younger days and were probably the most reliable cars I've had. For a first car mileage isn't overly concerning so long as it's been serviced regularly and even better if it is of a bit of age/higher side on miles if it's recently had any "big jobs" done to it that would probably be about due eg a timing chain.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ice and PeasCouple
3 weeks ago

West Midlands

Earlier vw polo or Honda I got my son a mk4 golf tdi with 200k + miles and it's been a dream

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *inderellamanMan
3 weeks ago

London

Avoid ford esp fiestas insurance is usually higher due to them being the most st0len car in the UK.

I would say get something cheap like a Yaris or even a grande Punto as if it gets banged up then there are plenty of parts on eBay. There are others like corsas and polos but they all have a bad reputation for young drivers in them

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ust RachelTV/TS
3 weeks ago

Horsham

Go for the best car you can afford.

Obviously avoid the boy racer types, as they have usually been thrashed. Look for the newest and lowest mileage car in your budget, then look at the insurance costs. Depending on his age, the insurance might be the deciding factor here.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
3 weeks ago

He could get a job and pay for it himself.

That way he might appreciate it more.

Buying him a car won't teach him anything about having to provide for himself and the value of work.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *teveanddebsCouple
3 weeks ago

Norwich

Insurance costs are a joke. No wonder so many young and new drivers don’t bother getting any. Just make insurance cheaper and have higher excess.

Be aware it's not just the belt that needs changing, bits of the belt clog oil ways and the oil pump. They are just a very bad idea and I wouldn't touch even a brand new one.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *dgy77Man
3 weeks ago

manchester

My first car was a polo which I loved

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *underlandfellaMan
3 weeks ago

sunderland

"What’s wrong with a Vauxhall Nova SRI?"

👏 👏 👏

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

Post new Message to Thread