Need help picking my first car!

[boyce]

This is my first post so a big HELLO to everyone, depending on what i buy in the next week or two you could well be seeing a lot more of me.

im a 21yr old uni student looking to get my first car, my only requirements are that the car is small, enjoyable to drive, attractive, has an engine size around 1.4-1.6, i sopose im looking at 3door and cost between £0 and £3,000. Apart from that i really am open to any suggestions please (old and new) which means that the selection is massive which is making it so much hard!

If i am to get something modern, eg last 3 years then out of your corse, fiesta, punto, clio, etc, the Clio is the one that stands out to me.

On the other end of the scale i also like the MK1 Golf and the 205 GTi. The initial car would be a lot cheaper tho i think they would be a lot more work to maintain and doesnt have the comforts of a modern car.

If i do get an '03 Clio am i better off getting the 1.2, 1.4 or 1.6? I read that the 1.4 has a bit more poke than the 1.2 and that the difference between the 1.4 and 1.6 is hardly anything. This would mean that the 1.4 was the way to go but it just seems a bit silly putting an inductiong kit, etc (which i would like to do) on a 1.4 when i could have just got a 1.6 in the first place???

also what do most people go for in terms or the different trim options?

all advice and suggestions welcome,
Dave

 

[Josh@Renparts]

the 1.4's are insurance group 5/6 iirc and the 1.6 is ins group 10.. Insuction kits etc are good for a nice noise, just what ppl do sometimes.

 

[TheCake]

I love a good insuction kit.

 

[ZanClio]

the 1.6 clio is insurance group 8 but i found that when I was buying mine they were hard to find (payed 5k for mine which is a 03 plate dynamique). Im only 17 and my insurance is £1600 so it should be less for you also.

 

[boyce]

is there really going to be much difference between the 1.4 and the 1.6 in terms of acceleration and top speed?

If not am i best to get the 1.4 and do a few little mods to it?? or is that pointless and i should just get a 1.6 in the first place?

​

 

[black kro]

?? do YOU really REALLY need a car ??

i was always far too pi**ed in the 4 years I was a student to drive!

go more basic - get a years no claims, then begin

I get a standard 1.2 16V Dynamique (mid spec VERY popular) for 2 years, then the sky is almost your limit.........

 

[Clio 1.216v Dynamique]

Hi and welcome, get a1.2 or 1.4the insurance dont sting you so much for them sizes, only 1.4 are very hard to come by

 

[ZanClio]

I drove them both and i felt the 1.6 was nippier imo. I think 1.4 are cheaper as well as there slightly more common, i mean there is only about 10bhp in it between them so, doesnt matter too much. You could get a chip for the 1.4 and pretty much be up to pace with the 1.6 i would recon.

 

[Ali]

Buy a DCi, nice and cheap to run.

 

[Gareth]

DON'T buy a 1.2. 1.4 atleast.

 

[cornburn]

?? do YOU really REALLY need a car ??

i was always far too pi**ed in the 4 years I was a student to drive!

go more basic - get a years no claims, then begin

I get a standard 1.2 16V Dynamique (mid spec VERY popular) for 2 years, then the sky is almost your limit.........

I'm with him ^^^^ Get yourself a push bike and spend 3k on beer and smoke while you can

I had a £400 F reg 1l micra through uni to get my no claims up. 50/gallon and it doubled up as our house bin. Filled 3 bin bags from it when I cleared it out before selling it! I'd just get a banger through uni so you can leave it parked in town and at the pub etc and not give a toss. Get your no claims up and get something nicer when you're earning after. If you spend a few hundred on one that's mechanically sound you'll prob get your money back when you upgrade.

If you like the mk1 golfs (like I do) then I'd probably have one of those now. Chances are you'll want something newer once you've got the cash and then you'll never have owned one.

 

[Spiezels]

Defo with this guy^^^^^. I am off to uni soon am thinking of takin the clio however am studyin in salford "gun"chester. SOOO probs gona get nicked and insurence will be a killer so am thinkin of insurin it 3rd prty leavin it at home and makin up some no claims.

 

[portland]

If you reaaaly want a car, I'd go for a DCi or a 1.2 16v, as you'll get pwned on insurance for the bigger cars. TBH, you'll be better off with a bike most of the time...

 

[DaveJwxm]

DON'T buy a 1.2. 1.4 atleast.

nowt wrong with a 1.2 :rasp:

 

[Blue4Ever]

Get a 1.4 mate. Got a bit of go to it and wont rape you for insurance.

 

[rory182]

not even gonna read anything in the thread, my first car 205 1.6gti, do it!

get a tidy one sell it for profit in a year or 2 and enjoy every minute of it, will make u a better driver too.

 

[DaveJwxm]

Buy a DCi, nice and cheap to run.

tbh if i was looking to buy a clio now (non rs) id prob go for the dci

 

[R20 CWH]

Buy a DCi, nice and cheap to run.

yeh and hold value a bit better, dci80 is a decent shout

 

[BenWall]

I love a good insuction kit.

Are u taking the piss or serious, I have never heard of a insuction kit

 

[BenWall]

not even gonna read anything in the thread, my first car 205 1.6gti, do it!

get a tidy one sell it for profit in a year or 2 and enjoy every minute of it, will make u a better driver too.

I almost brought one of those over my 1.4s clio. Is the 1.6 gti fast?

 

[Clio 1.216v Dynamique]

Are u taking the piss or serious, I have never heard of a insuction kit

me niether, hes probably having an egg yoke

 

[Martin_172]

1.6 may only have 12bhp more than the 1.4 but it also has a lot more torque

1.2's are brilliant wee cars mine has done 121,000 miles in 4 years and never broke down or had any problems. having loads of miles of running in, well looked after, basic engine mods and apex suspension its also a fairly rapid wee car (as far as 1.2s go anyway!) and when driven properly keeps up with some of the faster cars my mates drive saxo VTR's, 1.4 16v corsas etc.

only time i want more power is with 3 or more people in the car, this is one thing to think about if your going to have a load of people in it get a 1.4 or 1.6, if i could go back to buying a car again i would go for a 1.6 16v, which i did want at the time but couldnt turn mine down for £1,700 when it had just turned 3yrs old!!

 

[bmh.01]

The 1.2 16v would be fine for a first car, more than power enough for the car just don't expect it to go anywhere that fast but its more than enough for the size of car without feeling underpowered.

The only problem I can see is that you list your max price as £3000 and I don't think you'll get a Mk2 Ph2 for that money (correct me if i'm wrong) £3k is Mk2 Ph1 money.

I went from a 1.2 16v to the 1.6 and there is a world of difference between the two, makes for a good warm hatch that doesn't really try to look like anything special, it does catch the VTRs out thats for sure.
I've never driven a 1.4 before so couldn't comment on the difference but when I took joshydee out in mine he said it did seem to pull harder, although they only have a 12hp difference between the two the extra 21nm of torque is where it does make a difference.

The 1.2 is IG3, the 1.4 is IG5, the <Nov 02 1.6 is IG10 and the >Nov 02 1.6 is IG8.

 

[Clio 1.216v Dynamique]

I wanted a 1.6 instead of my 1.2 for my first car but the insurance and tax was too much but the 1.2 is just fine, could'nt find a 1.4 nowhere

 

[rory182]

I almost brought one of those over my 1.4s clio. Is the 1.6 gti fast?

not fast in the grand scheme of things, fast as anything else in the bends, pisses all over most things and is such a rewarding drive. Lacks outright power so can lure u into an overtake you cant safely pull off.

115brake in a car that weighs under 800kg, fast enough 8.4 secs to 60, tops out about 115 / 120 but you dont want to be driving it that fast.

I loved mine and will buy one again definitely.

 

[DaveJwxm]

i went from a 1.8 16v astra to my 1.2 16v cause it was costing me to much in insurance etc..id go with the 1.2 till u can get some no claims and a bit more cash

 

[the1]

I got my 1.6 16v Clio as a first car at the age of 21 (I am now 23). I wanted something that I knew would last me a good few years and a car that was quick enough as a first car.

Although it did cost me £1750 Fully Comp in the first year. If I had bought a 1.2 16v Clio, I knew that I would have wanted a higher engined car. Although I still would like a 172/182. I just can't afford one and tbh I think the car I have now is ok.....