Quote from JTbo :

Volvo 360GLT has 115hp if you dare to walk your own path, you can get performance and cheap insurance

In UK it is bit silly how even wheels need to be declared for insurance and how those can put silly increase to payments, even car would have had such wheels as an option when new.

Here is subwoofer is attached properly it is ok, but in theory if not attached MOT should fail. In practise it varies greatly depending even from day and amount of alcohol inspector finds from top of rear axle

For first car I don't recommend putting too much cash in looks and upgrades, keeping it serviced and paying fuel + insurance is already quite enough, when you have something extra put to side after all that you might consider it, but I would recommend that 2nd car is what you work with more then.

Sure just one opinion in piss pool, but as it's mine it is most important

It's a good opinion

For your first car, just get something cheap and cheap to insure. Then (hopefully) build up your No Claims Bonus and you will find that insurance premiums come down a lot. You generally see about 30% for the first year, with an extra 5% for each additional year. Also, a lot of companies won't touch young drivers on 'performance cars' unless they have 2 years NCB.

By the time you come to get your 2nd car, insurance won;t be as limiting a factor as it was previously.

Quote from Bean0 :

By the time you come to get your 2nd car, insurance won;t be as limiting a factor as it was previously.

Unless you're in your early 30's with a clean license, 14 yrs accident free motoring, and you want to buy used Maserati Biturbo for 7 grand. Insurance companies will love you, until you tell them you live in Byker ! 4 grand was the cheapest quote, (and that was on a classic car insurance cover with a maximum of something like 4,000 miles per year), infact it was the only quote, most companies laughed and hung up. Needless to say, i didn't get my Maserati

Quote from J@tko :

My ideal first car would be an MX-5.

Here's one after a quick search on ebay - 1994 1.8 for a grand.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1994-MAZ ... ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Insurance is group 13, which is a bit on the steep side.

Well according to some webby I was reading the Ford Fiesta is G13 too, so you might as well get something you'd want to drive around in.

Though just looking at it, it is for 02 and up. Link.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

Well according to some webby I was reading the Ford Fiesta is G13 too, so you might as well get something you'd want to drive around in.

Though just looking at it, it is for 02 and up. Link.

That can't be right, my 3yr old Focus 1.6 Zetec is only group 5 (i think ?)

Quote from Mazz4200 :

That can't be right, my 3yr old Focus 1.6 Zetec is only group 5 (i think ?)

Well I suspect the spec of the car comes into play, as if you go down to lower groups you see the Fiesta repeated in many of them.

low insurance great off-road and u still get to look oh so cool around town http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-S ... ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

Well I suspect the spec of the car comes into play, as if you go down to lower groups you see the Fiesta repeated in many of them.

Maybe it's an XR2, or whatever they call their hot versions these days. But G13 is still ridiculous for a Fiesta.

Maybe Jak should just get a new pair of shoes with his grand.....something Italian, in leather, Chinelli maybe ?

Quote from dj-fluxsa :

low insurance great off-road and u still get to look oh so cool around town http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-S ... ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

When I was a trainee gamekeeper I had one of those to get round the bigger parts of the woods. It didn't have the giant mudplugger tyres or the pick up back, but it was a great little motor.

Back then that's the only car I wanted before I was old enough to drive. I'd still have one today, I just lack a license.

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Maybe it's an XR2, or whatever they call their hot versions these days. But G13 is still ridiculous for a Fiesta.

Maybe Jak should just get a new pair of shoes with his grand.....something Italian, in leather, Chinelli maybe ?

It is just that insurance companies are looting fashion whores, if they think some car is cool they put silly price tag for insurance and cars that are 'cool' for majority becomes impossible to insure by youngsters.

Some may even think they have something against youngsters, maybe only certain people go to work in insurance company, persons that were not popular at school

There is no use to try to understand what is behind of those silly minds deciding pricing of insurance, one just have to try and get best out of that system, my recommendation is to pick car that is not cool, but that still has power and ability and you get more fun for pound than others

Quote from JTbo :

my recommendation is to pick car that is not cool, but that still has power and ability and you get more fun for pound than others

Roffle Hmmm now let me think.....where could that sentence possibly lead to........a car manufacturers name perhaps ?..............erm, maybe a Scandinavian company ?.........yeah i got it........SAAB

Ok 70,000 miles, X reg, No damage, Not recorded on HPI.

Current Bid £725

Whats not to like?

The .bmp, no one will look at it.

Quote from pearcy_2k7 :

Ok 70,000 miles, X reg, No damage, Not recorded on HPI.

Current Bid £725

Whats not to like?

FWD, everyone stay clear of them, machines of evil, I'll say EVIL

Quote from dj-fluxsa :

low insurance great off-road and u still get to look oh so cool around town http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-S ... ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sammies are awesome lil run abouts.

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Maybe it's an XR2, or whatever they call their hot versions these days. But G13 is still ridiculous for a Fiesta.

Maybe Jak should just get a new pair of shoes with his grand.....something Italian, in leather, Chinelli maybe ?

No kidding, some of the cars listed in there made me laugh.

Well I got my fiesta 1.25 zetec a few months ago for £1200, which I think was a pretty good price considering it was also a ghia model.

Insurance wasnt too bad, after I took my pass plus, it took £500 off the premium, with final price being £1700 TFTP.

The car has just over 90k miles, but it has FSH, and there have been a few zetec engines in my family, and if they are well maintained they do last a good few miles

The key really is to keep checking the autotrader website, dont rush into anything, because at the end of the day, whats the point in getting an average car when you can wait a week and see a perfect car for a similar price

Also if you test drive it does not mean you have to buy, do at least few test drives on same model and you can see how they differ in condition, maintained etc.

Quote from Bradracer :

Insurance wasnt too bad, after I took my pass plus, it took £500 off the premium, with final price being £1700 TFTP.

Seriously? When I was looking at insurance, pretty much everywhere would insure a Vauxhall Omega CDX 2.0 4pop for the value of the car plus £500 for full comp. So if I did pass plus I'd save a pretty penny

Quote from JTbo :

Also if you test drive it does not mean you have to buy, do at least few test drives on same model and you can see how they differ in condition, maintained etc.

Exactly. And i think that's where buying a car from eBay ain't such a good idea. I'm not certain of the rules, but i think you're committed to buy the car once you've won the auction, unless it has some glaring problem that wasn't mentioned in the initial listing. At least with Auto Trader Or Piston Heads you can go for test drives and kick a few tyres without any obligation to buy.

How is UK customer protection?

Here if one buys car from dealer there is few months protection so that if there is some major fault in car that probably was there when deal was made, dealer is required to fix car.

So that it good reason why to buy from dealer.

Quote from JTbo :

How is UK customer protection?

Here if one buys car from dealer there is few months protection so that if there is some major fault in car that probably was there when deal was made, dealer is required to fix car.

So that it good reason why to buy from dealer.

On a second hand car from a dealer you generally get a 3 month warranty covering most of the car provided by a 3rd party, any VAT registered garage can carry out the work. A lot of the time they come with a new MOT certificate, which means they *should* be safe and roadworthy, but obviously dealers have friends in the trade.

There was talk a few years ago of bringing in the Lemon Laws similar to those in the US, but i'm not sure if anything happened with that ?

Unfortunately for most 'dodgy back street' used car dealers, once you've handed over the cash, you're stuck with the car, whatever state it's in. Yeah you could take them to court under the terms of the warranty, but, that would take forever, and be a whole chunk of hassle.

Most of the time the dealer will attempt to fix whatever problem that may arise, but it'll more likely be a quick botch job to get you out of the door and only last for a few months till the warranty runs out (at least thats been my experience with a few dealers)

The best way is to pay a little extra and buy from a large well known dealer who can't afford a bad rep or bad publicity, something yer "Dodgy Dave's Mota's" don't care about.

Wow, i'm sure young Jak is real happy to be hearing all this !

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

Seriously? When I was looking at insurance, pretty much everywhere would insure a Vauxhall Omega CDX 2.0 4pop for the value of the car plus £500 for full comp. So if I did pass plus I'd save a pretty penny

Yea, pass plus is a very easy way to get cheaper insurance

I mean my pass plus course was £70 (because TFL refunds £70 if you live in London) and that can cut your insurance premium by upto 20% depending on your insurer, of course.

Of course normal rules does apply:
If product looks too cheap to be in that condition they told you, it probably is not in that condition, there always is reason for cheap price.

If product is needed to sell quickly, it is either stolen or about to give up, always it is possible, that owner has financial trouble, but then it brings questions about mainentaince history.

Usually there is reason why car is sold, often there is major repairs needed or big service coming up.

If car is recently resprayed, keep clear of it, I don't never buy car that has been resprayed in 3 years, rust takes sometimes that long to surface when respray has been quick botch job.

All those are easily noted by common sense, but when buying a car, specially first one, common sense is thrown out from window.

Oh yes, get some old boring person with you and tell him to give you money only if he think car is ok. defineatly best advice I have got

Quote from JTbo :

Oh yes, get some old boring person with you and tell him to give you money only if he think car is ok.

There's your answer Jak. Take JTbo along with you when you go to buy a car

Quote from Mazz4200 :

There's your answer Jak, Take JTbo along with you when you go to buy a car

But then his car choices would be only RWD Volvos and I don't know if he would be very happy from that