UKC

Good first car for a climber?

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 spenser 11 Aug 2015
It's all in the title really. I've just passed my driving test and am after some recommendations from people who use cars for climbing trips. Ideally it'll have enough space to fit 2 bouldering mats and 4 people in the car for a day out or 4 people and kit for a weekend of trad and be nice to drive (not boy racerish but I do want to be able to pull away at junctions). I will be commuting by bike so I will likely only be using it to get out at the weekends (ie longer journeys) so I'm guessing a diesel will suit me better.
I've driven a few different cars while learning to drive:
Ford Fiesta Petrol - No arguments with this car from what I remember, nothing that I remember of any note really.
VW Up 1l petrol - Horrible car to drive, struggled to pull away quickly at junctions and struggled badly on hills.
Citroen DS3 1.4l diesel - Nice to drive, pretty comfy, only criticism is the door/ windscreen pillars get in the way of your view on windy roads but that's probably unavoidable.
I've got roughly £2000 to spend on the car and the insurance (I'm a 22 year old bloke so this isn't going to be cheap).
I've taken a quick look at how much it would cost to insure me on a Fabia estate and a cost of £1200 came up so the UKC favoured vehicle of choice is a no go.
Any suggestions on decent cars for weekend trips which won't cost an arm and a leg to insure would be greatly appreciated...
 elsewhere 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:
First car we bought was from a second hand dealer because it came with "free" insurance included. Price of the car was ok/high but the insurance made it a very good deal for us.
 Cú Chullain 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Here you go:

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/ford/transit/2006-ford-transit-2-0td...

Money left over for insurace as well!

 Mike Stretford 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser: Have you considered the insurance companies that fit a sensor in the boot to monitor your driving.? You have to drive like a saint but from what I here it's a good way for young people to get affordable insurance (my mates son has one).
 Andy DB 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:
What I did when in a similar position to you I bought a diesel focus. These seemed to work out a bit cheaper that the smaller Fiestas and polos as there where lots of ex fleet cars around with high but not stupid miles. Also they still had the cheap tax and insurance of any other small diesel car and could easily take a bouldering mat in the boot.

Unfortunately the insurance is always going to be expensive. There isn't a lot you can do about that. You can try putting your mum girlfriend sister on the policy but usually it doesn't make much difference. You could also opt for one of the black box policies, which I don't have much experience of.

Should have also said that diesels though good on tax and insurance can occasionally give you a rather expensive bill! Another life lesson from my first car!
Post edited at 14:10
 tehmarks 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

My first car was (and still is) a diesel Nissan Note. Tons of space for its size, insurance isn't so bad, and it's...functional...to drive.
Graeme G 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Not sure this helps but my first car was a rust ridden Renault 18 estate. It leaked, it fell apart but it was a brillaint deal at £400. It was actually £500 but the exhaust fell off on the way home and the woman i bought it off felt sorry for me.

If you can go as cheap as you possibly can. £2K aint gonna buy luxuries so why not forego looks and get something completely practical albeit a heap.
 jkarran 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

If the 2k includes this year's insurance that leaves very little over for the actual car. If that's the case you simply want the best example of anything you can live with, insure and afford. Setting your sights on a particular model generally means passing over better examples of other cars. You can probably pay insurance in installments though which is ok if you have a stable job and gives you much more scope to get something you actually like. Bear in mind at this price point you're likely to be spending a bit to go through the next MoT so factor that in.

Try a site like Autotrader, search by price and insurance group, see what comes up. Bear in mind they're asking prices, often well over what the seller will actually take especially the private sales.

jk
Post edited at 14:26
 The New NickB 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

I'm not sure pulling away fast at junctions is a great criteria for car for someone who has just passed their test. In my experience most small engined petrol hatchbacks are nippy enough from 0-30, it's mid range A road and motorway acceleration where they tend to be lacking.

Insurance is going to be your main problem.
 robal 11 Aug 2015
In reply to Cú Chullain:

+1

155K miles... its only just broken in at that!
 adam06 11 Aug 2015
first car i got was a skoda fabia estate petrol 1.2. Big enough to fit lots in, but small engine so insurance is low.

look at the insurance group for the cars you are considering, makes a big difference when you have just passed your test. think mine was insurance group 1 and it was still expensive to insure.
Also get your insurance atleast a few weeks before you plan to start using it is cheaper.
I tried to get insurance straight after i brought the car, but it was £500 more than it would be if i picked the car up a week later! so i left the car in the garage for a week. worth checking the price comparison sites.
 marsbar 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Get something with a years mot on it. Maybe look at a "classic" car as the insurance is cheaper and there is less to go wrong in the way of electronic engine management.

Look at limiting your milage to make your insurance cheaper. Look at adding a girlfriend or female friend to your insurance, it may make it cheaper. Be honest about the main user or you will be in trouble though.

Off the top of my head Astras and Polos seem to go on forever.
Graeme G 11 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Was bored playing about and found this....you might get a bargain

http://autoshite.com/
OP spenser 12 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Thanks to everyone for the advice which has been given.
Elsewhere: I didn't know such arrangements existed, I'll see if I can find any similar details.
Cu Chullain: I think I'd prefer to get a bit more driving experience before moving onto a van.
Mike: That quote was WITH one of those boxes! My other concern is that a large amount of my driving will be after work on fridays to fun places so it may have problems with when I'm driving, although I will look into them further.
Andy: I got a lift with a friend who drives a focus last night, they do seem pretty spacious so I will definitely look into that option, autotrader does not have any diesel focuses listed for any less than £2000 within 50 miles of me at the moment but my dad has said he has a mate who works for a used car dealership so I may be able to find one through him.
teh_mark: A note is a little more than I was looking to pay, however if I end up deciding to increase my budget a bit it does look like a good option.
Father Noel Furlong: Don't mind having something old as long as it's reliable, not particularly fussed about it being "cool" as long as it gets myself and any partners there with the required kit!
jkarran: I'll have a decent graduate job starting on the first of september so paying insurance in installments would definitely work. I'll take a look at how much that would cost as it seems like a good option.
The New NickB: By pull away at junctions I meant being more like the DS3 that I've been driving recently than the Up which my last instructor had. I have no aspirations of beating Porsches off the line!
Adam: That seems like it would be perfect for me, a couple of friends have fabias and have both said they're nice to drive and can take a decent amount of gear. I'm moving down to Derby in a week and a half but can probably go and pick the car up in a few weeks if necessary as trains back home aren't too expensive.
marsbar: I will take a look at classic cars although I guess that the flipside to a lack of electronics is difficulties identifying problems and not being great on fuel efficiency. I was set to acquire an astra saloon from my dad until it did an impression of a ping pong ball with a couple of crash barriers a few months ago, definitely still an option though as it would meet my requirements!
Thanks to everyone for the advice, it's highlighted a few options which I have. One other option which has occurred to me is to lease a car for a bit which would allow me to build up a period of no claims so I will look at that too.
 Andy Hardy 12 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

For your first car I'd go as cheap as chips and, if possible, pre-dented. Make sure the brakes work really well, the steering doesn't lurch when you brake sharply and all the lights are good. I wouldn't be too bothered about how fast it goes.

As for driving fun places on Friday nights, the entire world is doing that, so you're not likely to be exceeding speed limits!
 Cheese Monkey 12 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Absolute cheapest legal thing you can find. You'll probably dent/scratch/crash it
 pete1993 12 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

i got a peugeot 206 sw (estate) a couple of months ago for £1000 and its fantastic, its still a small car but has got a decent boot (got 5 people climbing and camping stuff entirely in the boot), fairly good consumption although obviously not as efficient as modern cars, you really need at least the 1.4l engine size with it, anything below is underpowered. but all in all a great little car
 Sharp 12 Aug 2015
In reply to spenser:

Keep a look out for a late 90's almera, you can spend all your spare cash on climbing gear instead of car repairs. Spacious, reliable, cheap to insure and cheap tax. You can find some well looked after ones out there. Same story with old micra's although the bouldering mats would be a squeeze!

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