Offspring car choices

[Guy]

Be careful of the black box insurance discounts. you may borrow the car to pick up something from the local shop and double the insurance. The box expects virtually no lateral g and you enter a 30 at 31 and braking and you are in trouble! Roundabouts have to be taken at about 20 mph!

 

[IanU]

With a provisional licence and insured as a named driver (main or secondary) on whatever vehicle, you should still be able to count this towards a no claims discount when they get there full licence. Admiral did this for both my daughter and son as and when they passed their tests which helped significantly.
VW Up! is a cracking 1st car which is what we bought for our 2 to share their learning in. My daughter kept the Up! and my son then bought a 55 plate R53 Cooper S (the acquired NCD helped a lot here too).

 

[IanU]

Be careful of the black box insurance discounts. you may borrow the car to pick up something from the local shop and double the insurance. The box expects virtually no lateral g and you enter a 30 at 31 and braking and you are in trouble! Roundabouts have to be taken at about 20 mph!

I managed to convince my son not to go the black box route

 

[Davidc]

VW Polo. 20 years old and drives like new with 80k on the clock. I keep thinking how well it’s aged! Cheap insurance and despite its age, reliable. They are very well built. Only problem with this one is the lacquer on the red paint is peeling, not that my son cares! Cost £700 2 years ago.

 

[Blox]

It’s taken a while but eventually got this last week. Fiesta Zetec S (123hp version). One very happy teenager so I am popular again for a few weeks...!

 

[Motorsport3]

Mk4 Golf 1.4 ? Easy to work on, super cheap to buy (Paid £300 for ours and spent another £200 to put in decent shape!)

Then you don't have to worry about it getting dinged and scratched or anything really.

It has a massive 75hp so insurance is cheap. Drives great, I use it quite often. Reasonably cool as its almost a classic VW (??)

Watch out for rusty subframes, now where have I heard that before

Mk4 golf 1.4 was my first car. My grandfather bought it for me new when I got into the uni. It was the only car I ever had that was brand new and kept it till I came to the UK. It was immaculate and remember how much grief it caused washing it and finding yet another stone chip or small scratch. Hence never went for a brand new car ever again.

 

[alfatwo]

I had a old Ford Anglia when I passed my test in 1969,cost £50, I had to save up for months!

Dave

 

[Keano]

Peugeot 208 3 cylinder so cheap tax and running with lots of airbags etc. Black box for first year was a real winner and with the model we got which had speed limit and cruise control it got him into speed discipline i shall never be capable of. Insurance was Hastings Direct but he has since moved to our multi-car policy. Car is solid and only a fan belt which i swopped myself out of the ordinary. There was a pigeon he hit that cracked a headlight and as it had LED running lights that made it v expensive.

First time he drove my QP5 on a road trip we got pulled over for speeding but the very nice Scottish policeman let him off with warning.

 

[Scaf]

My eldest daughter is on her 2nd BMW Mini One, she won’t drive anything else. My sone went for a MK5 golf but has since move to Passat Estate to carry his bikes, youngest is on her 2nd fiat 500.
Most important thing like all cars, buy the best in class.
They have all been great in their one way.

 

[Wanderer]

Just the concept of a 17 year old spending 6k on a car is totally alien to my history. (Totally no offence meant)

When I was 17, £6k would have been roughly 2 years of my 'income'

...and my income should have been nearly spent on rent.

C

Were you a Victorian Chimney Sweep?

 

[safrane]

Were you a Victorian Chimney Sweep?

My first was £700 just short of 8 weeks wages... kids today eh!

 

[CatmanV2]

Were you a Victorian Chimney Sweep?

I was far too fat. I was a Dickensian whipping boy

C

 

[Wanderer]

Started working in 1979 - salary was £6292 pa. In 1975 Jerry Leadbetter's salary in the Good Life was £18,000 a year plus expense account and a company car (shiiiit yellow Volvo 145 estate - auto).