| Parents of teenager learner drivers 20:42 - Mar 29 with 960 views | Swansea_Blue |
I’m happy to put the legwork in, but before I do has anyone got any tips for first cars, insurance while learning (ok or unavoidable through your own?), insurance options for them, types/models of cars, etc?
The dozy tvvat has suddenly woken up to the idea and is now on a mission to pass by June despite showing no interest for 15 months. Bloody kids.
I’m thinking Polo, Fabia, Clio (but maybe saving that for the girl), or my preference Corolla or Golf so he’s got a bit more room to carry bikes and Uni stuff around. Does any of that make sense to any of you who have been there lately? |  |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 20:51 - Mar 29 with 916 views | MattinLondon |
Think the average wait time for a driving test is four months so I think that June is pushing it. |  | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 20:53 - Mar 29 with 897 views | thebooks |
It worked out cheapest to put my son on my insurance. This was 2023 and I had a (much missed) 2003 Audi A3.
This wasn’t really the best car for him. He did pass first time, but then managed to shunt it into the back of my wife’s car when starting it one morning.
I wouldn’t let them have a Golf! The other cars sound about right. |  | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:09 - Mar 29 with 841 views | FrimleyBlue |
Beware Swansea too theyve changed rules about booking phantom test centres to then join a cancellation site.
Basically if youre lucky enough to find a test to book. You can only cancel that app and get another within a certain amount of miles from the test centre you booked the test with.
Please encourage your daughter when booking test ( which she can only do once she's passed her theory. Set her alarm and get online at 6am daily to try and book a test in.
I would let her know tho tests are extremely difficult to come by and June I feel is unrealistic.
Is she fussy with first cars? Fiat panda are great first timers for young ones. And also the kia picanto is good too.
Insurance.. there is learner insurance but also when she passes there is young driver insurance available if she's happy to maybe have a box installed. [Post edited 29 Mar 21:14]
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:30 - Mar 29 with 808 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 20:51 - Mar 29 by MattinLondon |
Think the average wait time for a driving test is four months so I think that June is pushing it. |
His instructor thinks June is possible. It may slip into July, but we haven’t been fecked over as much as you lot in England (I can still get a GP appointment within 1-3 hrs, not that I’m bragging  ) | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:34 - Mar 29 with 798 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 20:53 - Mar 29 by thebooks |
It worked out cheapest to put my son on my insurance. This was 2023 and I had a (much missed) 2003 Audi A3.
This wasn’t really the best car for him. He did pass first time, but then managed to shunt it into the back of my wife’s car when starting it one morning.
I wouldn’t let them have a Golf! The other cars sound about right. |
Why wasn’t an A3 right? Did you think it too powerful /expensive? I’ve an audi myself and a good dealer I trust. Is something like that a bit overkill? | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:47 - Mar 29 with 747 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:39 - Mar 29 by Swansea_Blue |
Cheers Frimmers. All taken on board except this is the ‘he’ version of mini Swanners, not the ‘she’ version. I’ve got that to look forward to in 3 years and I just know she’ll want a metallic pink electric Fiat 500 
Apparently the test waiting list isn’t too bad here, but we’ll go in with our eyes open. |
Ah sorry about that.
My son laughed at me when I suggested the panda so dont do that lol.
I did find golf's came up quite good on insurance and some good bargains out there to for the car itself. | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:53 - Mar 29 with 739 views | RadioOrwell |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 20:51 - Mar 29 by MattinLondon |
Think the average wait time for a driving test is four months so I think that June is pushing it. |
I just got one in October for my boy. |  | | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 22:03 - Mar 29 with 705 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:47 - Mar 29 by FrimleyBlue |
Ah sorry about that.
My son laughed at me when I suggested the panda so dont do that lol.
I did find golf's came up quite good on insurance and some good bargains out there to for the car itself. |
We had a Panda as our second car for nearly 10 years. It was equally crap and great, in way not many cars can be (see also older Landrovers).
I had a Golf with a boot in my early 20s and it was a great car, but that was a very long time ago and I’m struggling to understand what’s affordable now. I’ll phone my insurers and take it from there.
The problem is I can’t take him out as mine is an auto and silly insurance, so if he’s to get any experience beyond his lessons we need to find him a car now. Hopefully it’s a good time and nothing’s happening that affects loans or fuel  | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 22:12 - Mar 29 with 685 views | mellowblue |
Don't do what I did. I put my just passed son under his own insurance policy but with me as a named driver. It was a black box policy, I borrowed his car, forgot about the black box policy, sped above the limit (as I tend to do) and promptly had the insurance policy cancelled by the insurer. Oops. |  | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 22:35 - Mar 29 with 645 views | MattinLondon |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:53 - Mar 29 by RadioOrwell |
I just got one in October for my boy. |
Blimey, that’s some wait. | | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 22:36 - Mar 29 with 643 views | ronnyd |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 22:12 - Mar 29 by mellowblue |
Don't do what I did. I put my just passed son under his own insurance policy but with me as a named driver. It was a black box policy, I borrowed his car, forgot about the black box policy, sped above the limit (as I tend to do) and promptly had the insurance policy cancelled by the insurer. Oops. |
That's why Dads shouldn't teach their kids to drive.  | | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 23:24 - Mar 29 with 593 views | soupytwist |
For cars I’d go for something small and Korean like a Hyundai Getz or i10, Kia Rio or Picanto. They’re generally reasonably economical and durable. That’s the route we took when my son started learning. They’re generally a bit cheaper than the Japanese equivalents (Micra/Yaris).
When my daughter started learning she was set on a Corsa, and despite my general dislike of Vauxhalls I relented and bought a 2009 plate 1.4 litre one nearly 4 years ago. It has just gone to the scrapyard as it had too many things needing doing to pass its MOT and we felt she had been driving around long enough with the front bumper held on with gaffer tape (the result of her catching it on a gate post about three weeks after passing her test).
It was a good car, reliable and durable. Not the most economical on fuel (but the 1.2 is probably better on that score) and not in the cheapest tax bracket either. Parts if you need them are cheap and easily available. Only thing you need to think about (living in a rainy part of the world) with a Corsa is that the subframes are prone to rusting. When the MOT man failed it on the front subframe rusting a couple of years back he told me that they’re a bit prone to that, and he correctly guessed that the car had spent some time up North (it was originally sold in Aberdeenshire). But, because it’s a Corsa you can get a replacement pretty cheap and easily. Having to pretty much remove the bumper to replace headlight bulbs is a pain too. I would recommend them however.
We’ve replaced it with a 2013 Suzuki Swift which should be reliable and is proving more economical on fuel.
You will have to go for a black box policy unless you’re made of money, and hope that your offspring are more like my son than my daughter on that score - she had a similar experience to Mellowblue which hasn’t helped her insurance premiums since.
And getting yourself insured on the car will probably reduce the premium a bit. |  | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 23:31 - Mar 29 with 585 views | Freddies_Ears |
I am not a parent, but my neighbour has an 18 year-old lad. He passed his test straight after his 17th birthday(!). After checking the insurance market, he got a 10-year-old Mini, nothing flash. A year on, and he's traded for a slightly faster Mini. I am guessing a Hyundai I10 might well be cheaper still, but, really??? | | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 07:10 - Mar 30 with 468 views | thebooks |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:34 - Mar 29 by Swansea_Blue |
Why wasn’t an A3 right? Did you think it too powerful /expensive? I’ve an audi myself and a good dealer I trust. Is something like that a bit overkill? |
Yeah. The old Audis are fantastic cars, but too big and too fast IMO for a teenager who’s just passed.
Also, I think the clutch on modern cars are very forgiving and easy: not so much on a 20+ year old Audi. | | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 09:21 - Mar 30 with 344 views | RadioOrwell |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 21:53 - Mar 29 by RadioOrwell |
I just got one in October for my boy. |
You need to log on at about 6 am Monday morning.
I was late. I got that date at 8am | | | |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 11:42 - Mar 30 with 260 views | Shineyblueknives |
This kind of thing i used to specialise in a few years back.
Go for as small as possible in regards to a car, citreon c1, toyota aygo hyundai i10 etc as they are dirt cheap to repair and to insure, fiesta's are not bad either to insure.
Make sure that if they are the owner of the car that the insurance is in their name as if you insure it with them as a named driver, some insurers would class that as fraud and cancel the policy ab initio leaving them in very deep poop if they've had an accident.
A black box policy is a way of getting it cheaper as insurance for new drivers is extortionate but still cheaper than diesel.
I know someone who didn't listen and brought a BMW 320 as a first car without considering the £4,500 a year insurance...
The muppet swapped it a year later for a knackered range rover sport and couldn't get it insured. | |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 11:46 - Mar 30 with 253 views | MJallday |
id probably avoid a golf as they are seen as "boy racer" cars. - but polo's and fabias are a great alternaive (and use much of the same componants)
ford fiestas and fiat 500s are a great shout as well if you want alternatives. Id say audi a1's - but we found they were a bit pricey on running costs.
my youngster is going to be using a little suzuki swift - and we're also building him a Mini Pickup (just needs the carbs changing) |  |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 11:48 - Mar 30 with 250 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
Friend of mine did loads of research on this 4 or 5 years ago. At that time the VW Up! came out the winner. Of course, may well have changes since. |  |
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| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 12:00 - Mar 30 with 232 views | soupytwist |
| Parents of teenager learner drivers on 11:48 - Mar 30 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Friend of mine did loads of research on this 4 or 5 years ago. At that time the VW Up! came out the winner. Of course, may well have changes since. |
Depending on your budget VW Up! would be a good choice - as would the Skoda and SEAT equivalents, the Citigo and Mii respectively. [Post edited 30 Mar 12:01]
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