what do you reckon?

M

Morells

Guest
Hi guys/girls my younger brother is learning to drive and he has quite a bit saved to buy his first car and will have passed his test when this car comes out but should he get it all the reviews have been raving about it im not sure hmmmmm

Volkswagen Up GT review - Autocar.co.uk
 
Hells no. That things is ugly, and I can imagine it'll feel pretty rough with a 3-cylinder. First cars should not be something new, and not something gimmicky. Ford Fiesta is probably the best compromise of driving, safety and price, and they can look pretty smart if specced right. For £13k you can get a LOT more car, even for a learner/new driver.

Most people I know had 1.2 Clios... don't know what the popular equivalent would be now though. Corsa maybe? I had a 2003 1.8 Focus MP3 and loved it. It was only group 6 insurance, and was pre-reg so cost £10.5k with only 34 miles on it almost 8 years ago.

Having said that, I wonder how insurers would view that Up seeing as it's turbo but only 1.0l...
 
MartayMcFly said:
Hells no. That things is ugly, and I can imagine it'll feel pretty rough with a 3-cylinder. First cars should not be something new, and not something gimmicky. Ford Fiesta is probably the best compromise of driving, safety and price, and they can look pretty smart if specced right. For £13k you can get a LOT more car, even for a learner/new driver.

Most people I know had 1.2 Clios... don't know what the popular equivalent would be now though. Corsa maybe? I had a 2003 1.8 Focus MP3 and loved it. It was only group 6 insurance, and was pre-reg so cost £10.5k with only 34 miles on it almost 8 years ago.

Having said that, I wonder how insurers would view that Up seeing as it's turbo but only 1.0l...
Click to expand...

i think its quiet nice looking if you click the pictures of the up gt the fronts got a aggressive look compaired to the basic up but i get what your saying shouldnt have a new car for a first car but he wont listen. and i would have fought insurance would be cheep since its a 1.0 turbo its like a smart cars engine and the cheap to insure.
 
In fact looking at the photos more now that looks pretty cool, nice small nippy car, funky interior, apparently sounds ok (if 1.0L ever can), 118mph top speed from a 1.0L? Just shows you how far technology has come on, my first car a P reg polo was a 1400 with either 60 or 65 of the finest horses money could buy and that wouldn't do 100 if you pushed it off a cliff!

That will grow on a fair few people. :icon_thumright:
 
  • Like
Reactions: jonnysimm
Forget that! I'm 18 and i've got an Audi A3, tell your brother to get an A3 TDi, you'd be surprised at how cheap insurance on diesels is.
 
£1800 on my dads name, relatively cheap considering my age.
 
Sheikh said:
£1800 on my dads name, relatively cheap considering my age.
Click to expand...

There you go then, it's £1800 because you're 'fronting' the insurance company, on a whole insurance is an effin rip off.
 
'Fronting' is the biggest pile of cr*p ever! How would they prove who drove the car more?
 
sheikh is the car registered in your dads name also or yours?
 
Looks good, too quick for a novice driver IMO, like someone else has said- best have your first bumps and scrapes in a cheaper car
 
audi upgrades
Morells just get him a cheapish 2nd second 1.1,1.2 car. This way he will have a car in his name, build up NCD, get more experience, cheaper insurance and road tax and finally doesnt have to worry about crashing it as it is cheap to repair.

I personally had a Fiat punto 1.2 all those years ago, and it was a brilliant little car. Very responsive for a tiny engine as the car weight was next to nothing. I also learnt how to do simple engine maintenance as it was a little block and simple to get around as well as learning electrical components.
 
I don't believe in all that buy a banger as your first car, I find that all my friends who had bangers just seemed to care less about stacking them. I had a 318i for the first car and I cared for it and never drove it like a tw*t. Sometimes it's cheaper to insurance newer/more expensive cars and they had 'less of a history of being accident prone'.
 
Sheikh said:
'Fronting' is the biggest pile of cr*p ever! How would they prove who drove the car more?
Click to expand...

OK then. I'm not overly ***** how you insure your car to be fair, doesn't affect me in the slightest if you wrap it up and don't get paid out.
 
Sheikh said:
I don't believe in all that buy a banger as your first car, I find that all my friends who had bangers just seemed to care less about stacking them. I had a 318i for the first car and I cared for it and never drove it like a tw*t. Sometimes it's cheaper to insurance newer/more expensive cars and they had 'less of a history of being accident prone'.
Click to expand...

Actually agree with you on this point, i didn't have a banger to be fair i've never had a banger.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sheikh
Im 19 and I have a 2.0 TDI 1.2k on the old insurance and im the main driver! oh and previous history of cars:

206 1.6 110BHP
Focus 2.0 130BHP
A3 2.0 180BHP+

I have never crashed, because i have spent alot of money on cars and i value them, whilst friends have ****ty cars that they dont care about and thus drive worse
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sheikh
AidenUK said:
OK then. I'm not overly ***** how you insure your car to be fair, doesn't affect me in the slightest if you wrap it up and don't get paid out.
Click to expand...

How else is an 18 year old supposed to get insured on an A3 in this day and age?
 
I've just turned 19. First car was a classic beetle, earned me my first years no claims (being in my own name obviously). Sold that bought the A3, paying £1500 in my own name.

Your just kidding yourself mate, as soon as you crash your car the insurance company won't pay out as they have all been clamping down on it big time recently (the cost is the same no matter if your main or named). So unless you drive like a nun, plan on saying your dad crashed it, or just getting no help when you crash it you're okay..

Annoys me simply because I've paid out to do it properly when others (such as yourself) get around it.
 
Get an audi a3 under the motability scheme? thats what my mate has done well its not available for e everyone obviously but for people who are eligible you can save quite a bit
 
iamwhatiammomo said:
Get an audi a3 under the motability scheme? thats what my mate has done well its not available for e everyone obviously but for people who are eligible you can save quite a bit
Click to expand...
Pretty sure you have to be registered disabled for that though mate. Surely there's easier ways to get cheaper insurance! My mates just passed and bought a 1.2 corsa special edition. Looks ok, drives ok, and only £2500 fully comp. which is pretty good compared to 5k that he was quoted for a 1.6 A3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bug
Insurance is ridiculous these days. 6 years ago I was 19 and bought a brand new Corsa C 1.4 SRI, I thought it was the fastest car in the world haha :) It cost £8k and the insurance was £1300 fully comp in my own name 2 months after I passed my test. If that was today I would be paying £3-4k at a guess? Ridiculous.

Back to the OP, I think there are better cars for him to spend £13.5k on that he can get insured on to be honest.
 
well i got my a3 1.6 when i was 19 my insurance was 1600 but this year that im 20 its gone upto 2100 lol its a b**** & that was as a named driver- prices are ridiculous & i was told today they're gonna rise a lot more next year & that women drivers insurance will be same as males too!

& yeah someone in your family you live with, basically has to have a disability but he managed to get a 1.4tfsi s line a3 for 1200 deposit & im not sure what he pays a month but covers everything except fuel
 
& also my mate had a 1.2 sxi corsa, he says it sucks a lot of petrol & also when theres less than £5 fuel, the fuel gage goes straight down to empty so you have to work out how much fuel you have left- anyways he took it vauxhall they told him its a common fault we cant do anything about it :S lol
 
iamwhatiammomo said:
well i got my a3 1.6 when i was 19 my insurance was 1600 but this year that im 20 its gone upto 2100 lol its a b**** & that was as a named driver- prices are ridiculous & i was told today they're gonna rise a lot more next year & that women drivers insurance will be same as males too!

& yeah someone in your family you live with, basically has to have a disability but he managed to get a 1.4tfsi s line a3 for 1200 deposit & im not sure what he pays a month but covers everything except fuel
Click to expand...
Yeah my girlfriends mum has a mobility passat. You basically pay a deposit depending on the car, and they take your allowance of about £60 a week. Then after 3 years you get an option to buy or get a new one or keep your £60 a week. And like you say, you can have 1 named driver.
 
willowsdad said:
Yeah my girlfriends mum has a mobility passat. You basically pay a deposit depending on the car, and they take your allowance of about £60 a week. Then after 3 years you get an option to buy or get a new one or keep your £60 a week. And like you say, you can have 1 named driver.
Click to expand...

yeah exactly mate its pretty good, he'll probably keep it for 3 years & then get another one on it thats what his plans are but im not too sure if thats allowed or not within the terms & conditions

Mobility covers:

  • Insurance
  • Personal accident cover
  • Breakdown assistance
  • Car tax in the UK
  • Replacement tyres
  • Windscreen and window repair or replacement
  • Service and maintenance with travel assistance
 
LOL- well your looking at £11,000 on a personal lease & I doubt those type of cars are included in the deal? surely!
 
I was doing quotes other day my insurance is £1000 at the moment I'm 20 and as soon as I turn 21 get my first ncb (been on company insurance) my insurance quotes go down to £450-500 on the a3 even done a quote on Bentley continental £1500 and vw touareg v6 TDI £1150 not bad ay? But just makes me even more confused about insurance??
 
Sheikh said:
How else is an 18 year old supposed to get insured on an A3 in this day and age?
Click to expand...

I'm not knocking you I'm just saying it's insurance fronting, done it myself when i 17 & 18, to be fair though then (8 years ago), it didn't seem to be a big thing back then, i'd not heard about it and neither had my mum, if she/I had of known, i'd of paid the full amount to put only me on the car, it's huge nowadays because insurance has gone through the roof so people try to reduce the costs of insurance by doing anything possible.

All i was saying is just be aware what could potentially happen in the event of an accident and you being the main driver but not insured as it, i was lucky (i didn't know i was doing anything wrong to be fair) but you may not be as lucky.

When i turned 19 i got a GT TDI 130, insured it in my own name for £2500 so i know that it's like to pay nearly £2000.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Sheikh
18 year olds might fair better grabbing a collectors car cheap insurance etc .that VW does not look fantastic ,but its ok for a learner..
 
Lingy. said:
18 year olds might fair better grabbing a collectors car cheap insurance etc .that VW does not look fantastic ,but its ok for a learner..
Click to expand...

Tried going down the classic car route, but they've pretty much closed up every loop hole in the game!
 
Apparently theres a insurance company (i forgot the name) but what they do is give cheap insurance HOWEVER (BIG BUT)

They will come and fit a tracker on your car, which gives them information

1. Speed your travelling.
2. How many annual miles you have done.
3. GPS tracking.

Basically means, they'll know where the car is at all times- if your caught speeding they either fine you or give you a warning (not sure) and say you average 10,000 miles any excess miles they will charge. but they provide cheap insurance for new & young drivers
 
Apologies to the OP but seeing as this thread has touched on a 'hot' topic I may as well have my 2 pence worth on the matter + I need a break from work.

Sheikh it's fronting. Don't think there is any question about that really and whilst you might think it's a load of rubbish it does push up premiums across the board. I was also guilty of this 10 years ago but I dont even think it had been coined 'fronting' then. It is going to get peoples backs up when they have insured their cars through the correct channels and paid top wack and you are effectively lying to the insurance company about who is using the car the most, 100% of the time I should imagine. Don't get me wrong, if your 18 and you have a smash, or someone smashes into you (which can happen no matter how great a driver you say you are) you have had it but it's a much more costly payout on an Audi compared to what the average 18 yr is knocking about in, thus wacking the premiums up again when ordinarily they wouldnt be insuring you for a reasonable price on said car.

You are right in that they cant really prove who drives what/when/how much etc and to be honest you are probably fine if you have a bump in your A3, blind eyes may well be turned. Try fronting in something a bit more lively & newer (BMW E46 coupe for arguments sake) and they will do everything in their power to avoid paying out...ultimately making you uninsurable.

Aplologies if that sounded like a massive rant, not trying to make it personal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bug and Sheikh
Getting back on topic.. I think the Up is pretty horrible unless its spec'd out! But then, pay £11k? Really?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SteveTDCi
Exhaust - what do you reckon ?
Replies
2
Views
841
SteveTDCi
SteveTDCi
RobinA3
What do you reckon to my tax disc holder?
Replies
7
Views
1K
pea.
pea.
T
What do you recommend
Replies
0
Views
691
TrickyLad
T
ch1z64
what would you do
Replies
6
Views
629
ch1z64
ch1z64
A
  • Start Poll
What would you do?
Replies
17
Views
2K
N8
N8
Top
Back