Best Car for a New P Plater's First Car?

• 

  [Deactivated] on 27/10/2018 - 22:27

  +1

  Gotta be a baller to play the game.

  

  [Deactivated] on 27/10/2018 - 22:27 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
• 

  Some Human on 27/10/2018 - 22:28

  +5

  Better to get an older one until you’re experienced enough to not crash into things.

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  Hybroid on 27/10/2018 - 22:33

  +2

  Depends on your financial situation and available budget. I would go for the medium option instead of an old banger. A decently modern but not too expensive option for comfort, features and enjoyment. Just be extra careful.

• 

  ascorbic on 27/10/2018 - 22:48

  +6

  If you end up getting an older car, make sure it's not so old that it doesn't have curtain airbags. Even if you're a safe driver, you can't control other drivers and curtain airbags make a hell of a difference in side collisions.

• 

  MelCheapo on 27/10/2018 - 22:50

  +4

  You will get your car into a scrape, hopefully its a low speed incident. You will turn too tight or too loose, you will get distracted or tired when you shouldn't, you will park it in what you will later learn is an undesirable position, you will lack the experienced situational awareness of other drivers and not see the idiot that unexpectedly comes at you, you will swerve when you shouldn't, brake when you shouldn't or go too hard or too fast or just be unlucky. You will get into a scrape.

  Get a cheap car that has all its service logs filled out and continue to keep it serviced and don't stress when some dill scrapes it up, even if that dill is you!

  …oh and if you're not an avid reader of OzBargain, rego and insurance are your responsibility, its no one else's job to chase you up if you forget to pay it when you should!

  • 

    nuttapillar on 28/10/2018 - 10:20

    actually, he might not hit anything. I'm not a careful driver, but I've barely hit anything. They were entirely avoidable with a reasonable level of care, which OP might have.

    • 

      p1 ama on 28/10/2018 - 12:15

      I agree with you, I haven't hit anything in my lifetime of driving and have only been hit by somebody else once (completely not my fault, rear-ended at a red light whilst stopped).

      With the minor scrapes, it's really about how careful and competent you are. I've seen plenty of P platers navigate narrow spots, and plenty of middle-aged drivers scrape things.

• 

  smuggler on 27/10/2018 - 23:03

  +1

  Used corolla, mazda 3, honda civic, mercedes maybach

• 

  dcep on 28/10/2018 - 00:03

  mazda mx5

  • 

    kerfuffle on 28/10/2018 - 05:35

    Unless he learnt to drive on cars with an automatically transmission haha (not sure about the Victorian rules but in NSW if you learnt to drive on automatic vehicles, an A will appear on your red Ps licence saying you can only drive automatic vehicles until you get your green Ps)

    • 

      p1 ama on 28/10/2018 - 12:12

      +1

      It's the same in VIC, but everyone should learn to drive a manual. Helps you understand how cars work and even if you end up driving an auto, that knowledge helps.

• 

  p1 ama on 28/10/2018 - 00:04

  Looking forward to hearing your tips/tricks to buying a car, if you have any, as well as your opinion on what is best for a new driver.

  It depends on your budget and what's important to you. Do you want a car that is fuss-free and reliable, do you want one that's easy to work on so you can learn how to fix cars, do you want one that is unique and has character even if that means breaking down often, do you want one that gives you bragging rights…etc.?

  General advice for first car is no different to general advice for any car, get something that's proven to be reliable and not too old. Corolla is okay, Camry is better if you want something bigger. Mazda 3 or 6, Honda Civic or Accord, Subaru Impreza or Liberty, same deal. These are all reliable and popular cars. Popular means that if something goes wrong, you can easily find info on forums and YouTube videos to fix it yourself, or likely your local mechanic knows about them.

  Don't buy a new car. This goes for first car or later cars. They're always bad value. If you want to buy a "new" car, buy one that's one or two years old with low km's, often you save over a 1/3rd of the cost.

  My advice is to just get the car that you want even if it's not the most practical thing, otherwise you end up spending money continually upgrading just to get to the car you want.

• 

  loropy9 on 28/10/2018 - 01:01

  +3

  A six year old corolla with no more than 80000 kms on the clock would do you miracles for the next 7-8 years.

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  JIMB0 on 28/10/2018 - 08:43

  Get an AMG with all the bells and whistles, if you get anything less people won't take you seriously.

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  Hithere on 28/10/2018 - 09:42

  Get a fully sick 1999 Nissan Skyline R34, that'll impress all your mates.

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  Trying2SaveABuck on 28/10/2018 - 10:18

  Statistically you the the most likely to have a accident within your 1st 5 years of having your licences so get a older car that has 150+ km but has been serviced something valued below <5k then just give it 3rd party insurance run it to the ground over the next couple years then you can get something with a bit more sparkle after you have become a lot of confident on the road!

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  ra-mistar on 28/10/2018 - 18:38

  +1

  I was in a similar position to you, I got a mid 2000's Honda Jazz with service books all filled in. It had low Kms for its age.