# Learner car for my son



## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

My son is keen to drive but 16. So I'm looking to get something with TAX/MOT and start him off (with me) on some disused (flat) land. 

Something along the lines of a Micra/Lupo/Arosa/Swift about right?

Does engine size play a part or is it "risk"? Although I'm looking (very modest budget), where's the best place to look?

Is Gumtree fraught with risk? Ebay erratic? Autotrader seems light for my budget, as I suspect at £500 (ish) it's too expensive to advertise those cars there? Heard of Retrorides but again, need something user friendly,

Our local paper is next to useless with most things online.

Advice appreciated or if you know of something, I'd appreciate a heads up.


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Renault Clio is pretty cheap these days, saxo or 106 also cheapiwh too. Possibly even a 206?? I'd say try and keep to a 1.0 or 1.1 to minimise cost of tax and insurance


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Micra 1.0. Rock solid, bullet proof....:thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

306 hdi would be a good start, just play around with cars on go compare to find out what come cheap, when looking for a car for my friend I found it was cheaper to insure a brand new fiesta than insuring a 12 year old fiesta. 

206's are ok, I had one and liked it, just make sure the clutch and gearbox are ok, the rear axel and the headgasket. Don't let that put you off though they are good little cars.

You can also take 16 year olds to mercedes Benz brooklands and they can drive cars there on the circuit.


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## woodybeefcake (Oct 12, 2008)

There's a Micra for sale on Volkszone, £375. Hang on, I'll get you the link..


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

Thanks guys. Is a budget of £500 to small?

Cosmetics not and issue but need T&T, and something that will look after him.


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## woodybeefcake (Oct 12, 2008)

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=845650


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

woodybeefcake said:


> http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=845650


Thanks. Saw that on Gumtree I think but it's too far.

Anything up to 30 miles from Bromsgrove (B61) would be ideal.

How about this?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mazda-demio-with-dual-controls/1025549921

Not sure :tumbleweed:


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Might be a little big for a first car?


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Far to big and bulky for a first

Get a polo 1l, bullet proof

Or a corsa b


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## Wingnuts (Sep 3, 2012)

Kimo73 said:


> Far to big and bulky for a first
> 
> Get a polo 1l, bullet proof
> 
> Or a corsa b


Completely agree I had 2 corsa bs and they were great really good cars to learn in safe but basic :thumb:


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

AnilS said:


> Thanks guys. Is a budget of £500 to small?
> 
> Cosmetics not and issue but need T&T, and something that will look after him.


No not at all, some good cheap cars if you look well enough.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

AnilS said:


> Thanks. Saw that on Gumtree I think but it's too far.
> 
> Anything up to 30 miles from Bromsgrove (B61) would be ideal.
> 
> ...


It has dual controls which is handy for a learner.

However I'm sure that your son won't like the car and once past his test those dual controls will be a nuisance in the car.

Buying any cheap car is a risk. Many are getting sold as they are costing so much to run. There is some good ones though.

Teaching a family member how to drive is a stressful task.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

danwel said:


> No not at all, some good cheap cars if you look well enough.


Relief


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

Kerr said:


> It has dual controls which is handy for a learner.
> 
> However I'm sure that your son won't like the car and once past his test those dual controls will be a nuisance in the car.
> 
> ...


Agreed on all counts:thumb:. Just shown him it and he's not liking that!

My wife's cousin (down the road) runs her own driving school, so they will refine him after I do some basics. My other son is only a year behind him so something cheap and cheerful, may go a long way :thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

I've had two cheap cars, a polo 1.6 gl and a 206 1.4 lx, the polo was £700 the 206 £800, the polo needed a clutch, the 206 the head gasket went for a second time.

Out of the two the 206 was the better car, more space, better to drive and better specced. Polo 6n's have a lot of issues too, what I would say is £500 with t&t is the minimum, I would spend more on a car that's got good tyres and a recent cambelt change, £1000 could save you more money in the long run, but then you can get a bend new citreon c1 for £99 per month ....


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

How much do you think insurance will be once hes passed at 17?


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## Fallguy (May 29, 2013)

I have just bought my Daughter a 1.2 Clio Dynamique (2005) in mint condition. I phone my Renault deal and ask if they had any px coming in. Full service & mot by them 1 owner, £1400.
When i was in there last month having my car serviced they had a Clio y reg with 15000 miles from new they had px for £250, might be worth calling the dealers.
The insurance is the killer, we are paying £1900 for the Clio.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

ardandy said:


> How much do you think insurance will be once hes passed at 17?


Lots I'm sure but we got to start somewhere.
I know buying a car is the cheap bit of it but do appreciate your thoughts.

Steve accept your points.

All input spot on guys.

Would increase budget if it bought me peace of mind.

Are there better deals privately?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Same predicament for me, eldest will be wanting to drive in a year and bit. I had some spare NCB about to expire so last week I bought a little 97 Honda Civic 1.5 Vtec. It is the EK3 3 door hatch. Cost me £600. 

I can use this as a local run around and with petrol saving by not using the ATR for short journeys I reckon it will have paid for itself in 6 months. 

I can then teach the lad basic servicing, changing oil etc ready to teach him to drive when he is 17. 

I'm polishing it today, so hopefully will have a thread in the showroom later.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

1L Lupo.

Great fun when slammed.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

AaronGTi said:


> 1L Lupo.
> 
> Great fun when slammed.


They are , but there's no chance of getting one for £500


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Wouldn't it be more cost effective to spend all this on lessons first?

£500 plus 2nd car insurance for you. Although some mirror it, ncb only applies to 1 car at a time. So £800 ish in total?

That's about 40 lessons. More than enough to pass. All you can teach him on wasteland is stop and start. Rules of the road cant be done there.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2013)

Appreciate that and I did have that in my thoughts.

There's other stuff I want him to know about cars and I'm not wanting him to touch mine and he's not interested in them. He will cherish his own and I want him to pass his test as soon as practicable after he's 17.

Lessons will be cheap since his Auntie runs her own driving school down the road.

He will learn most things like; corner reverse, 3 point turns, emergency braking and get up to speed as this will be on a (friends) farm. I still need Tax/MOT to get it there.

Just trying to give the lad a head start. :thumb:


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## JA0395 (Dec 26, 2011)

I taught my son when he was 12, he actually taught himself from watching me and his mum and then I thought I'd take him around on a disused air field that's used for car boots every Sunday, nows he's 17 and waiting on his provisional that's taking its sweet time... I taught him in a Polo and he found it easy to drive, light clutch, power steering and okay visibility. Now I've bought him a 1990 Polo as he loves his retro rides. I'd say the best thing is having power steering and a light clutch so you can feel the bite better.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

pick something other youngsters dont drive . my 1.4 zr is as dear to insure as the 160 for me because the 1.4 is crashed more


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

If you want something cheap to insure and he can learn to work on, I say Mini 






Not sure how many are about for £500 though


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## James Bagguley (Jul 13, 2013)

I picked up a 91 mk3 fiesta for £650 a few years back, that was a 1.6S too, nearly 5 years of trouble free motoring.
pretty good to say it didnt get looked after, and it made it all the way to 20 years old.

I hear the slightly newer (1995-99) 1.25 Zetec Fiesta is a good little motor.

Ta!


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

wtf is all this "will be too big him/her"??????

my first car after passing test was a vauxhall Cavalier,










had great fun in it, get him one of these

http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classi...radius/1500/postcode/gu322he/page/1?logcode=p


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

ripe for detailing too

http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classi...radius/1500/postcode/gu322he/page/1?logcode=p


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## bigbadjay (May 29, 2012)

Honda civic, an old one. I had an M reg in glacier white what a beaut wish i still had it.


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

bigbadjay said:


> Honda civic, an old one. I had an M reg in glacier white what a beaut wish i still had it.


My OH used to have an N reg 1.5 coupe, he switched his insurance and I couldn't be a named driver because I was under 25 at the time :doublesho


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

The coupe is a stupid group, never understood why it is so much more than the hatch.


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

Rover 214 - cheapest to ensure and doesn't matter if its bashed abour


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

dave89 said:


> Rover 214 - cheapest to ensure and doesn't matter if its bashed abour


He's wanting one to get him into cars, not put him off! :0


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

ardandy said:


> He's wanting one to get him into cars, not put him off! :0


Mate ours did 150,000 no problem and was a pretty nice car to drive, not hard to zr it up a little either. Come with plenty of poke too


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## bugsplat (Jul 2, 2013)

Ford Ka 1.3 duratec.


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Rover 25 1.4 - cheap to buy, well built if he can handle the 'old man' image.

You can pick up the final facelift models (2004-2005) for very little money.


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## James Bagguley (Jul 13, 2013)

I heard the 1.4 K series engine was fairly immune to the warping/head gasket issues of the larger displacement motors too.

Nice cars, my dad had a couple of Rover 420's the 200/25 are pretty similar, just smaller.


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2013)

Saw a Micra yesterday and promised so much but delivered little

Plenty of Rovers around here (I live 5 miles from Longbridge:thumb May consider it but still looking for something.

106 any good?


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

AnilS said:


> 106 any good?


Had one as my first car, 1.1 was cheap to insure (back then no idea now) and reliable enough - nothing to go on it really.


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## Dannbodge (Sep 26, 2010)

Corsa C could be bought for sod all now and they are nice for a 1st car


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## JA0395 (Dec 26, 2011)

AnilS said:


> Thanks. Just think it'll be too much engine in his early life
> 
> PM incoming for my brother however.


My Polo was a 1.9 TDI with 130bhp and 239ft/lbs of toque. :lol:


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

Stay away from 106/Saxo - both mine feel apart


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Rover 25 is a great car for the money . The head gasket will cost you 1 quid in parts inc cambelt and water pump if you need to do it . Easiest head gaskets ive ever done .


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## shonajoy (Jan 27, 2009)

Got our daughter her first car last year got some great advice on here. Corsa quotes for,insurance were crazy, even small engine sizes. Diesels were cheaper, but before you look spend a couple of hours online getting quotes- you will be totally amazed at what's cheap and what's not. Her insurance was £800 for a 10 plate merc diesel 1.8 a class, which someone on the family gave us cheap, and it was cheaper to insure than a punto which is what we were looking at!


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## Bigstuff (Mar 2, 2012)

Hi Mate, Still got the BM?

got my daughter in law a VW Lupo in same situation recently.

Older than i'd like (X plate) but better than most 5 year newer corsas i'd looked at.
Cost £800 with, 78k miles, stacks of history and 5 months test and tax. Then cost £230 to get through MOT but its a really nice wee motor and feels solid.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2013)

Yes mate. Still got the BM (it's going no where at present although)

Lupo is really preferred but thin on the ground. Looked at a local Arosa but was very tired.


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## VW STEVE. (Mar 18, 2012)

Fallguy said:


> I have just bought my Daughter a 1.2 Clio Dynamique (2005) in mint condition. I phone my Renault deal and ask if they had any px coming in. Full service & mot by them 1 owner, £1400.
> When i was in there last month having my car serviced they had a Clio y reg with 15000 miles from new they had px for £250, might be worth calling the dealers.
> The insurance is the killer, we are paying £1900 for the Clio.


...........first year is the killer. My son passed at 17 & waited untill 18 to get his first car( pug 206) 60bhp i think it was,£1875 tpft. Ran it for 2 years & now with 20% ncb went to a VW Scirocco GT on a 58 plate. Fully comp with me as a named driver & the insurance full comp is just under a grand which for a 20 year old i think is fantastic.Just bite the bullet & hope they can build a n.c.b.:thumb:


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2013)

You're not wrong Steve!

Nice car for your son also :thumb:

Well the Arosa was a pile of 

Why is it that people think having a VOSA report that verifies the MOt and mileage constitutes a FSH!!! Believe me.

Seen 3 cars today and all assume this and none had even a part SH 

Narrowing done to;

Micra
Lupo
Arosa
106
Yaris
Polo

Unless something else comes along like a sensible Ibiza/Fabia. The value is in barges and the amount I've seen for little money is astonishing. Those with the cars I'm after are asking higher prices.

Many thanks to the car scrapage scheme a couple of years ago.


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## Bigstuff (Mar 2, 2012)

Lowest group stuff comes at a premium. I found that too.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

neilos said:


> Micra 1.0. Rock solid, bullet proof....:thumb:


Save your son some embarrassment, go with some of the other selections how about seat Ibiza


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2013)

Derekh929 said:


> Save your son some embarrassment, go with some of the other selections how about seat Ibiza


Although he won't come out a say it, he doesn't like the Micra but I know it'll look after him.

May have to look at Ibiza/Fabias since I went to view a Polo. Got there (20 miles away) and he sold it, even though he promised me that he would give me first dibs. 

Was the right money/spec/T&T/Condition and family owned.

So frustrating


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

Chevy lacetti, dirt cheap, bashes it up, who cares?


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2013)

Trying to stay with group 3 or lower insurance group. Basic Lacetti is 4.

Appreciated :thumb:


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Fabia, Corsa or Fiesta. 

Anything really common is usually cheap to repair.


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## Freddie (Mar 17, 2013)

How about a ford ka? (no cambelt either so don't have that to worry about) and there is millions of them on the road.


Just looked. Insurance group 2e. Very low


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## DOBE (May 4, 2012)

Just bought my son an 08 plate fiesta zetec, he's 17 next week and doesn't know he's got it. 

It's insurance group 4 and its costing £800 insurance while he's on his provisional, it'll jump up to roughly £1200-£1400 once he passes his test. 

That's with a telematic box fitted, which at the end of the day is the only route we could go down. Kinda gives me piece of mind that his driving will be monitored in his first year of driving. 


I thought about going down the route of getting a car for him that was a lower insurance group, but tbh I wouldn't drive any of the cars in those groups let alone let my son drive one. 

Also the older the car you buy, would you be constantly chucking cash at it to keep it on the road. 
I've been there with my first car, always breaking down and needing something fixed. That was the days before mobile phones, if you broke down you would have to go and find a phone box or knock on somebody's door to call your parents to come and rescue you.


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

Fiat Cinquecento


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2013)

Freddie said:


> How about a ford ka? (no cambelt either so don't have that to worry about) and there is millions of them on the road.
> 
> Just looked. Insurance group 2e. Very low


Looked at them but they seemed a bit flimsy 

May have another look at them as there are loads of those (as you state).

I know it's a huge generalisation but they don't fare well in accidents (along with many others like Metros). Would like a little more "solidity" around him which brings me to the next post ....


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2013)

DOBE said:


> Just bought my son an 08 plate fiesta zetec, he's 17 next week and doesn't know he's got it.
> 
> It's insurance group 4 and its costing £800 insurance while he's on his provisional, it'll jump up to roughly £1200-£1400 once he passes his test.
> 
> ...


..... thanks.

The newer the car, the more safety features it has. I accept that along with reliability.

We (Wife and I) have pondered blowing the budget but we can't get our heads around the fact that if it's a bit tatty and it gets pranged, we won't really care.

Interestingly, looking at older cars, they are in a higher Ins group, I suspect that newer cars are safer and easier to repair.

We once owned a Yaris and it was involved in a fairly hefty rear shunt. Wife came out with minor whiplash but the other drivers' (Punto) was totalled. Yaris would be ideal (wish we never sold it now) but all the Yaris I've seen are either over budget or nails.

Food for thought!


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2013)

SteveyG said:


> Fiat Cinquecento


After our Tipo, vowed never to buy another Fiat!

Thanks the same.:thumb:


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## DOBE (May 4, 2012)

AnilS said:


> We (Wife and I) have pondered blowing the budget but we can't get our heads around the fact that if it's a bit tatty and it gets pranged, we won't really care.


I thought the same as this, then on the other hand get him a newer car and he will have to learn to value what he's got instead of not giving a toss because the cars a bit of a shed.

I'll be drumming into my son that he'll need to look after this car and its not "easy come-easy go".

I see a bit of conflict between me and my son over looking after his motor, but it'll just add to what's already there when living with a teenager.


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Regarding the Fiat Cinquecento,

Didn't these completely fall apart when crash tested? 

I would want my son or daughter driving a car that faired well in a crash test.

You would never forgive yourself if the worst happened.


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## Freddie (Mar 17, 2013)

You could do as Clarkson recommends. Buy a volvo estate. That way due to the size of the bonnet if your kid hits anything he'll still be 4ft from whatever he hits!


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2013)

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-...moted-and-taxed-with-free-delivery/1028433146

Had a cheeky call on this. Sold in under 60 mins;

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/nissan-micra-10-1990/1028398495

Not much crash protection but great learner's car from that era.

Over budget (thoughts);

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-...-history-9-months-mot-11months-tax/1028323115

Could be had for £750 maybe? Has decent Tax and MOT to save a bit of hassle


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

AnilS said:


> (thoughts);
> 
> http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-...-history-9-months-mot-11months-tax/1028323115


Thought.. multicoloured. Could be innocent enough, could have been stacked.


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2013)

Trick of the light maybe?

Not far so I might view, but love it or hate it colour?


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

AnilS said:


> Trick of the light maybe?
> 
> Not far so I might view, but love it or hate it colour?


I just thought it might be the angle or the camera. Not sure..


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## Lloyd71 (Aug 21, 2008)

Don't bother with a 106, we've had 2 in my family and both of them were absolute garbage, worst car I've ever owned. They fall apart and are lethal in a crash too. I'd go for a Yaris myself, my one barely set a foot wrong and they are dirt cheap to run and insure. Finding one under £500 will be hard though.


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