Metropol

I am no good with cars. Never really had an interest in them and don't think I ever will. However, seeing as my driving test is coming up in a few months I might just treat myself to a motor. So, can anyone suggest some good 'trendy' cars that are around at the moment worth buying? Note - by 'cars', I don't mean that I'm going to buy two or three! I was actually thinking more along the lines of five or six.

Thanking you
> mwp

for a first car, and i assume you're male, i'd go for something at the bottom end of the market with a small engine. i'd go with a 1.1 litre max.

vauxhall corsas, ford kas, fiestas, the smaller peugots (have no idea which models numbers), citron saxos etc can be picked up realatively cheaply, only a 2-3 years old for no more than £3000 if you look around. when i sold my 1.1 gold saxo, ap51 registration, it went for £3000 i think. good as new it was, no dents or scratches and the interior was spotless. (had done 40, 000, though which i'd done since i had the car from new)

but, don't get anything too sporty. i've got 5 years no claims and the jump in premium from a 1.1 saxo to a 1.4 mgzr+ was quite astonishing, and, a couple of places wouldn't even insure me because i'm under 25. start small for the first couple of years, look for insurance companies that to bonus no claims accelators as well, my friend had one and he managed to get two years noclaims in a year (not sure how that worked, but it knocked a few quid off his premium)

My first (and current) car is a 1.6 Ford Focus Zetec. I got a lot of advice about starting with a 1.0 and working my way up, but to be honest I couldn't wait to get something bigger. Before getting the car I checked around for insurance and got the cheapest quote from Elephant.co.uk. A little of £1000 wasnt bad for comprehensive first time I thought. It depends what you personally are willing to pay I guess. Good luck with it, you can't beat those first few weeks with a car.

Although the 'start with a small engine' is usually good advice, it's not just about engine size - it's about the perception of the car you drive.

I presently drive a car with a 1.4 litre 16 valve injection engine - with only 2 years no claims. But because it happens to be fitted into a Rover 400 saloon, the change to my insurance premium was quite small (I now pay £5 / month more than I used to).

If on the other hand I was to drive a Vaxuhall Nova 1.4SRi - the ultimate chavmobile - the jump in insurance from the 1.1 Rover Metro I had before would be astronomical.

but, don't get anything too sporty. i've got 5 years no claims and the jump in premium from a 1.1 saxo to a 1.4 mgzr+ was quite astonishing, and, a couple of places wouldn't even insure me because i'm under 25.

This proves the point perfectly. If you bought a Rover 25 1.4 - more or less exactly the same car - it would doubtless be cheaper to insure. But because you went for the MG version, the sporty image that goes with it commands a higher insurance premium.

If getting comprehensive insurance, many insurers also take into account how much it would cost to repair your car in the event of an accident and adjust their premiums to reflect this - so a Ford Escort will often be cheaper to insure than an equivalent Renault Megane.

The newer the car, potentially the cheaper the insurance. I had a G Reg 1.3 Escort for about £51p/m Third Party Fire+Theft and then went to a Y Reg 1.0 Corsa (feel the power!) for £46 Fully Comp. That was a couple of years ago and now I'm paying around £36 a month.