What are the Best Cars for a Teenager?
With a budget of £5,000
When you first start driving a car, it is often in a drab Corsa or Fiesta. But for that same money, you could have something much, much better. But to stop the insurance skyrocketing, there are a few rules:
No Convertibles
No Large Engines
VW Scirocco
Credit - VW
The Scirocco looks cool and coupe, even though it's based on a Golf. It's the best of both worlds, because the insurance will be low but it will still look good. £5k will buy you a manual petrol 3-door with 65,000 miles, and this car looks particularly nice in green. It will be around a 2011 model, with tidy a 9 second 0-60 and a 4 seats + a large boot.
Ford Probe
Credit - Motor1
The Ford Probe is a bit of a rarity, and examples are scarce, but if you can find one then you may as well go ahead and buy it. Like the Scirocco, you get a 4cyl 2.0 Petrol Engine propelling you to 60mph in 10.5 seconds up to 128mph, not bad for a 1996 car. The looks are what you would buy this car for though, it looks like a spaceship. Somehow it still looks modern, despite pop up headlights. Once again, you get 4 seats and a big boot, and the interior doesn't seem to have aged that badly.
Abarth Punto Evo
Credit - Parkers
The Punto Evo was a high powered zippy hot hatch tuned by Abarth, and is available for under £5,000 in some cases. It has a tiny 1.4 litre engine, but squeezed to produce 165bhp and 0-60 in under 8 seconds, making it a properly fast hot hatch even today. What's more, it will be a modern car, around 2013.
Peugeot RCZ
Credit - CarGuide
The RCZ was always an oddball, sort of like a french MX-5. And now it comes below the £5000 mark, with 2012 models available with 80,000 miles. This is the first diesel on the list, which will help with fuel costs, but it still has alright performance - 163bhp, 137mph, 8.7 seconds. Despite looks, it still has 4 seats and so can be justified as practical.
Saab 9-3
Credit - Wikipedia
The final car on this list is probably the most sensible. A 2007 saloon, with a fairly small engine, 40,000 miles and 5 seats. This is definitely a worth while buy if it is a car that will be used for practical tasks, and because it's a Saab, it's massively over-engineered in every way.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article.
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Comments (13)
As a teenager, your first car should be a loveable piece of shit with less than 100 hp.
My first car was a loveable, worn down piece of shit with 95 hp. I loved that car more than anyone that followed it so far. Why less than 100 hp?
If you're a teenager you're most likely an idiot. If you're a male teenager you are almost definitely an idiot. I know I was. Probably still am. If you're a teen, you don't want too much power to wreck yourself. You may not know it yet, but you will eventually. Chances are high you'll do stupid shit in your car as a teen.
Alfa 147 twinspark. And another one for parts.
Old is gold for young drivers insurance in the UK. I had a Peugeot 106 and a BMW 1-Series which both cost twice their worth in insurance.
Bought an Austin Maestro; cheap insurance, cheap to run, reliable and you can get into car shows. If something does go wrong it's an A-Series engine so parts are available and cheap to buy. Plus its lightweight with a nice manual gearbox. Just keep your eyes out for rust and you're golden.
WhErE iS ThE MiAtA?!?
Depends really, if your want an old reliable daily driver, any Honda is my choice, but if you’re a serious car enthusiast, you can buy an MX-5, or with a higher budget, a cheap classic project car to work on. EX: MGB or first Gen Ford
Mustang. (I’m wanting to work on a classic car)