Ideal Car for learner

[Jonathanb48]

Hi we are a car enthusiast family. Sadly for my 17 year old that means none of our cars are suitable for insuring for a learner. To add to it my 17 year old is a boarding school so we want to find the a car that is the optimal in the following

1) Fun but not too much fun
2) incurable for a 17 year old learner
3) big enough and comfortable enough to to son back to boarding school and he can drive the non-motorway bits on a regular basis whcih also means getting a suitcase in the back
4) my son is a 6ft4 rugby player so needs to have a decent size cabin.
5) budget up to 10K
6) must be Ulez as we are about to be done over by the mayor of London

The option we have found so far is a Fiesta St line 125. Fun car but cabin is quite cramped. Any other ideas highly appreciated

JB

[Truckosaurus]

Dacia Sandero.

Decent size. Proven mechanicals. Cheap. Unfashionable brand so limited potential for showing off/getting into trouble.

[SWoll]

Focus Zetec S with the 1.0T engine. Much better for space than the Fiesta, cheap to insure, good to drive, plenty to be had between £5-10k.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...

My lad 19 is 6.3" and I'm 6.4", both of large build. Anything from the size class below is going to be a tight fit believe me.

Edited by SWoll on Saturday 4th March 08:46

[dontlookdown]

There was another thread about this recently. I seem to recall that the Alfa MiTo emerged as the 'fun' learners car that is fairly cheap to insure.

[SWoll]

dontlookdown said:

There was another thread about this recently. I seem to recall that the Alfa MiTo emerged as the 'fun' learners car that is fairly cheap to insure.

Too small for a 6.4" rugby player. Trust me, we've tried and even the Giulietta was a squeeze as the usual issue of Italian cars and headroom comes into play.

[dontlookdown]

SWoll said:

Too small for a 6.4" rugby player. Trust me, we've tried and even the Giulietta was a squeeze as the usual issue of Italian cars and headroom comes into play.

Fair enough. What about one of those Skoda Favorit's? They look ok and seem to be fairly well regarded.

[bennno]

My youngest of similar stature, could just about drive a Corsa, but we ended up with a Hyundai ix20 that suits him.

[ZX10R NIN]

Jonathanb48 said:

Hi we are a car enthusiast family. Sadly for my 17 year old that means none of our cars are suitable for insuring for a learner. To add to it my 17 year old is a boarding school so we want to find the a car that is the optimal in the following

1) Fun but not too much fun
2) incurable for a 17 year old learner
3) big enough and comfortable enough to to son back to boarding school and he can drive the non-motorway bits on a regular basis whcih also means getting a suitcase in the back
4) my son is a 6ft4 rugby player so needs to have a decent size cabin.
5) budget up to 10K
6) must be Ulez as we are about to be done over by the mayor of London

The option we have found so far is a Fiesta St line 125. Fun car but cabin is quite cramped. Any other ideas highly appreciated

JB

I'd say look at the 120/140bhp Astra GTC they have loads of room & you can buy a good one for around half of your max budget, I'm 6'7 & fit in these comfortably.

120 SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...

140 SRI:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302204...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302214...

1.0T Focus Titanium X good steers that normally come back with sensible numbers as do the Astra's above:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302104...

V40 T2 120 R Design:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212142...


The Nissan Pulsar 190 is an oddball that sometimes comes back with sensible numbers but it's not the most inspiring steer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...

Infiniti Q30 120 SE:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302074...

[alscar]

Not sure about ULEZ impact but my ( short in comparison 6ft eldest ) went from a Fiesta to a Seat Ibiza which seemed pretty decent.

[georgeyboy12345]

You might be quite surprised how much it is to insure a recently passed 17 year old in something like a Fiesta Ecoboost 125. It'll be cheap while he's learning, but can shoot up once they've passed and are out on their own. Adding yourself/your wife to the insurance will bring the premium down

These are all group 10 or less, but I suggest you run a few quotes through a comparison site

VW Golf 1.2 TSI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303024...


Vauxhall Astra 1.0i Turbo
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303034...


Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec for under half your budget
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302264...


Jeep Renegade 1.4T
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301213...


Renault Clio 1.0 TCe
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...


Nissan Pulsar 1.2 DiG-T
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109077...


Hyundai i30 1.6 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301273...

[Jonathanb48]

Have to say the Pistonheads community is amazing and thanks for sharing your thoughts- all incredibly helpful. Think the decision is a Ford Focus Zetec S. We looked at one yesterday but was from a garage that doubled ( was) an MOT station- felt dodgy. Cars clutch was about to go and the response was “it has warranty” and also had a wonderful array of tyres on it so will find something that is better looked after but Ford Focus it is. Also thanks for the tip on post learner insurance . I will have the car in my name with my son as a named driver.

Thanks again everyone JB

[dontlookdown]

Jonathanb48 said:

Have to say the Pistonheads community is amazing and thanks for sharing your thoughts- all incredibly helpful. Think the decision is a Ford Focus Zetec S. We looked at one yesterday but was from a garage that doubled ( was) an MOT station- felt dodgy. Cars clutch was about to go and the response was “it has warranty” and also had a wonderful array of tyres on it so will find something that is better looked after but Ford Focus it is. Also thanks for the tip on post learner insurance . I will have the car in my name with my son as a named driver.

Thanks again everyone JB

Re the insurance, if your son is the main driver then it must legally be in his name as I am sure you are aware. But if you add you or your wife as named drivers it does bring it down a bit. This also has the benefit of building up NCD for your son.

Black box policies are also a couple.of hundred cheaper typically, if you can be bothered with the faff.

[Jamescrs]

Jonathanb48 said:

Have to say the Pistonheads community is amazing and thanks for sharing your thoughts- all incredibly helpful. Think the decision is a Ford Focus Zetec S. We looked at one yesterday but was from a garage that doubled ( was) an MOT station- felt dodgy. Cars clutch was about to go and the response was “it has warranty” and also had a wonderful array of tyres on it so will find something that is better looked after but Ford Focus it is. Also thanks for the tip on post learner insurance . I will have the car in my name with my son as a named driver.

Thanks again everyone JB

As the poster above says don't do that, insurance companies are well aware of this, it is known as fronting, although the initial premium is going to sting it's far better to get it over with and let your son start building up his own NCD.

[Jonathanb48]

Jamescrs said:

As the poster above says don't do that, insurance companies are well aware of this, it is known as fronting, although the initial premium is going to sting it's far better to get it over with and let your son start building up his own NCD.

Thanks for the advice, I know of course how highly principled the car insurance industry is so will be totally transparent as no need not to be but initially at least he wont be the main driver it will in fact probably be his mother.

As an aside it amazing to see how many Cat S Fiesta and Focus ST lines there are for sale - am avoiding those but its not a small number

[georgeyboy12345]

Jonathanb48 said:

Have to say the Pistonheads community is amazing and thanks for sharing your thoughts- all incredibly helpful. Think the decision is a Ford Focus Zetec S. We looked at one yesterday but was from a garage that doubled ( was) an MOT station- felt dodgy. Cars clutch was about to go and the response was “it has warranty” and also had a wonderful array of tyres on it so will find something that is better looked after but Ford Focus it is. Also thanks for the tip on post learner insurance . I will have the car in my name with my son as a named driver.

Thanks again everyone JB

Which engine is that in the Zetec S you are looking at?

As mentioned above, insurance fronting is fraud and it’s illegal, so I’d probably not do that.

[ZX10R NIN]

As above have your son as the named driver & both of you as named drivers, the prices workout almost the same but your son will be building his NCB from day one.

[Tribal Chestnut]

R55 Clubman ‘won’ in recent insurance comparisons for my daughter. Only thing cheaper was a 500, but she needed the addl space.

I’m 6’2” and fit ok laterally, with a little head room to spare.

[SWoll]

Jonathanb48 said:

Thanks for the advice, I know of course how highly principled the car insurance industry is so will be totally transparent as no need not to be but initially at least he wont be the main driver it will in fact probably be his mother.

I've found that quotes with the young driver as the policy holder aren't much more expensive, and of course do allow them to build up their own no claims bonus so a good move in the longer term.

Tribal Chestnut said:

R55 Clubman ‘won’ in recent insurance comparisons for my daughter. Only thing cheaper was a 500, but she needed the addl space.

I’m 6’2” and fit ok laterally, with a little head room to spare.

6.4" here an no chance in a clubman, although does of course depend on whether you have long legs or a long torso as not all 6 footers are made equal.

Countryman was fine however.

Jonathanb48 said:

As an aside it amazing to see how many Cat S Fiesta and Focus ST lines there are for sale - am avoiding those but its not a small number

Have you seen how most of them are driven? Not surprised in the slightest.

Edited by SWoll on Sunday 5th March 11:31

Edited by SWoll on Sunday 5th March 11:33

[Downward]

Jamescrs said:

Jonathanb48 said:

Have to say the Pistonheads community is amazing and thanks for sharing your thoughts- all incredibly helpful. Think the decision is a Ford Focus Zetec S. We looked at one yesterday but was from a garage that doubled ( was) an MOT station- felt dodgy. Cars clutch was about to go and the response was “it has warranty” and also had a wonderful array of tyres on it so will find something that is better looked after but Ford Focus it is. Also thanks for the tip on post learner insurance . I will have the car in my name with my son as a named driver.

Thanks again everyone JB

As the poster above says don't do that, insurance companies are well aware of this, it is known as fronting, although the initial premium is going to sting it's far better to get it over with and let your son start building up his own NCD.

Just as an aside i’m in the position now. Have bought the son a car but currently as I own an EV i use it twice a week for work which is 160 miles.
There’s no chance he would do as many miles so in this instance and the car is in my name assume having him as a named driver is fine ?

[alscar]

Downward said:

Just as an aside i’m in the position now. Have bought the son a car but currently as I own an EV i use it twice a week for work which is 160 miles.
There’s no chance he would do as many miles so in this instance and the car is in my name assume having him as a named driver is fine ?

Ignoring your 2 day mileage for a second if your son drives the car the other 5 days a week then arguably should there be an incident ( which obviously I hope there never is ) the Insurer may well say that he was the main driver ?
As others have said it is far better to insure the car with him as the main driver with yourself as Named driver as stops any ambiguity and allows him to build his ncb - I remember with my 3 children of labouring the point to get them to that first years renewal loss free!