Good first cars?

nzdud3, Jan 13, 2:31am
I'm not going to be getting a car for a while but I'd like a Mazda MX-5 for my first. What else would make a fun but good and cheap first car?
gammelvind, Jan 13, 2:43am
Something with rego, wof and insurance. All the rest is fluff.
grangies, Jan 13, 2:46am
What's cheap to you though?

$1,500? $15,000? . $45,000?
stevo2, Jan 13, 2:47am
Great choice. A lot of fun if you enjoy driving
r.g.nixon, Jan 13, 2:53am
Citroen 2CV
franc123, Jan 13, 3:00am
And check the price and availability of that insurance first by golly, having seen one company's 'blacklist' for U25 drivers its surprising what is on it.
nzdud3, Jan 13, 11:40am
Cheap for me is up to about $5000. Good point on the wolf, rego, and insurance tho. If I don't get an MX-5 I might just get a Toyota or something. I actually kinda fell in love with the MX-5 a year or so ago lol.
djrandomguy, Jan 13, 6:45pm
Nobody wants to hear it but a 106gti or Saxo Vti will hand an Mx5 it's ass in terms of handling and fun factor. As well as this they transform into practical hatches once you lift off the gas. The parts may not be as easy to come buy and most people who term the MX5 as a great drivers car [which it is] would never consider the smaller PSA cars, but believe me, these cars will put a smile on your face driving to the letterbox.

p.s. peak power in the 106gti is delivered at the top of the rev range so unlike a lot of cars there is a point to holding onto every gear.
whqqsh, Jan 13, 7:28pm
I had an Austin A35, that was a good first car
bwg11, Jan 13, 7:34pm
MX-5 meets all your requirements. Cheap, good and fun. Just as a bonus, they are reliable too.
kam04, Jan 13, 7:35pm
Mine was a 1960 Humber 80. I see there's a 1957 one on here for sale
tgray, Jan 13, 8:52pm
Yes, but 25 year old cars are only reliable to a point.
ema1, Jan 13, 9:16pm
Same here my 1st car was a 1957 Morris Minor 1000 it was a great 1st car for me and there's still lots of them around.
Big following they have actually.
richardmayes, Jan 13, 9:40pm
A <$5000 MX5 will be a pretty old car with a lot of km on the clock, and only as "reliable" as your maintenance routines as well as whatever the previous owners did (or didn't do.)

Any mainstream Japanese hatchback between 1.3 and 1.8 litres is a "good first car" IMHO.

1) any mechanic you take it to will know them inside out, because he works on identical cars all the time;

2) The way fwd hatchbacks corner and handle is naturally quite forgiving towards beginner mistakes like ploughing into corners too fast, or braking hard in a hurry because of something you should have noticed sooner;

3) With ordinary cars that are NOT "sporty" and NOT oriented towards "performance" driving by "car enthisiasts" who "love driving" then there is at least SOME chance that it may have been looked after and driven slowly and carefully by its past owners. Whereas Sports cars, anything with a spoiler or racing stripes down the sides, or anything that is the"go-faster" model of something, you know it will have been driven flat out from the moment it was new. because the only reason anyone buys the "faster" version of something is because they want to cane it.
daryl14, Jan 13, 9:51pm
If you want to have somewhere to crash after a bit of partying, get a wagon. But then be ready to do all the taxi driving and flat shifting for all the chaps.
bunny2121, Jan 14, 1:01pm
Had a Lada Niva as my first car. Actually really liked it
tillsbury, Jan 14, 4:59pm
MX5 would be a great first car. Get someone who knows about them to view it with you.

I bought an old MX5 as a spare car in 2001 for $10k from a dealer, sold it a little later to a friend for $7500, she's still got it. Easy to get one under $5k now, just keep looking until you find a good one.
chutneyman, Jan 14, 6:03pm
Get a Triumph 25OO if you can find one. At least you should be safe when some idiot drives into you !
gmphil, Jan 22, 3:09am
wot ever try get nz new yes boring but u want cheap rite ? cheap parts and available and less to break so less to repair .