First Car..

[Jimbo]

Hi all.

Will be having my driving lessons soon, looking forward  8)

But ive been looking at cars, for my first car.
I Live in the UK.
The insurance costs here are Very high for a driver of my age.
For my first car ive been looking at the Renault Clio (Older style)

I can buy a decent one of these for around

[eno]

What height are you Jim?

Although a nice small zippy car I've found that the Clio is about the only car that I can't get a comfortable driving position in. I'm 5ft 7in and struggled to adjust the seat either my legs couldn't quite reach the pedals or I was too close to the steering wheel.

I found the new model Fiesta much more comfortable and you'll probably find the insurance cheaper too.

[Omag 2.0]

I learned to drive in one of them... I kinda liked it... But ever since i've been a class higher  -  Opel ( Vauxhall for the Brits)  Astra, I don't wanna go back, especially on longer trips.

Cheers,

Omag

[Brett_Henderson]

I didn't know Renault was still allowed to make cars..

That's scary  

[ozzy72]

Jimbo if you want to get your insurance down a bit (about 10-15%) then get your bike licence. In the UK this brings your insurance down significantly. You could also try the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorist) course as that'll have a similar effect
I wouldn't buy a Clio. My best friend had one and had nothing but grief.
Go for something low-tech (no fuel injection and other electrical gubbins) as that way when it goes wrong you can fix it without spending a fortune... also tea-leaves don't nick naff cars If you can get one I'd recommend a Triumph Dolomite... I had one and it was wonderful (as well as v.comfortable)

[Woodlouse2002]

An Aston Martin. All your friends would be jealous.

[Jimbo]

What height are you Jim?

Although a nice small zippy car I've found that the Clio is about the only car that I can't get a comfortable driving position in. I'm 5ft 7in and struggled to adjust the seat either my legs couldn't quite reach the pedals or I was too close to the steering wheel.

I found the new model Fiesta much more comfortable and you'll probably find the insurance cheaper too.

Well im a short arse buggar  :-X

Reason i want the clio is because its cheaper, and my dad had one, he said it was a good little runner.

I'm looking into the Fiestas now.

Thanks again.

James

[VVM]

I didn't know Renault was still allowed to make cars..

they make some of the safest cars on the roads.

[Brett_Henderson]

they make some of the safest cars on the roads.  they just aint reliable

The only time any car becomes unsafe is when it's running  

Kidding aside..I was a service advisor at a U.S. Renault dealership in the late 80's.

The new car salesmen would pass on new-car demos (cars for personal use) and go to the used car department and take late model trade-ins (mostly Nissans and Toyotas) before they'd drive too far from a mechanic in a NEW Renault.

LeCar, Alliance, Encore, Medallion and Premier were the models at the time..   There's no nice way to phrase it.. maybe the Yugo was the only car more poorly designed/made. We were'nt allowed to sell the Alliance right off the truck. There were countless things that had to be fixed AT the dealership before they could be made available to the public..

Obviously.. you can't buy Renaults over here any more..

[avp_bluearmy]

Feel happy for you!!!

Yeah, I am still 14 ( 15 in less than a month, may 21st)

I have been thinking about what car to get, my dad says i should get a Volskwagen Bug, ha ha, i think he is trying to kill me! ( if you get hit by a truck while you are in one of those, bye bye ) But i am looking foward to get a Mitsubichi Lancer Evolution VII or VIII, I saw some for about USD. $10,500 Seems realy cheap for such an exotic car!

***EDIT: Renault Clios... awww, such an amazing machine, Here in the U.S. there arent any Renaults, but back at Mexico, I, i mean, My mom used to have a Renault Megane II, it had realy good acceleration, but the machine seems to stay in the 6000 RPMS! And while going at about 160 KPH, but a friend used to have a Clio, he called it " Speedy Gonzales " because it was small, fast, Mexican, and black, lol, Yeah, so i DO recoment it... ( i use a lot of commas, dont i? ) , , , ,

[Sir_Crashalot]

Used to drive a '92 Clio for almost 7 years. Never had any problems just a little rust. Was a fine car, sold it because I wanted something bigger.

Crash

[ozzy72]

Jimbo I think we need to ask the ultimate question, is this a piece of male jewellery, a passion wagon or transport?
If it is a piece of male jewellery then get something cheap and read Max Power!
If it is a passion wagon then get a Ford Capri (designed for shagging, e.g. the front passenger seat drops back in a second and plenty of space in the footwell for legs)!
Otherwise look through the above advice

[Ivan]

Clio: It's french, which means that it has nice suspension and failing computers (its either 100% good or a complete utter nightmare).

and for the Ozzy list
male jewellery: get the clio, visit Halfords (or whatever the ricer kit shop is called over there) and get the ugliest bumper kit you can find. don't forget cheap spinner wheels.... OK im joking.
a passion wagon: VW T4 Caravelle.
transport: Landie, Lada