Nick Graves

Thing is, you can pick up a Ppinggpponnnggg for pocket money and it will be a reliable little rattle can.

Somehow, Reno have convinced ignorant girlies that their tinder boxes are chic or something, so you pay a relatively lot of money for a potential PoS.

MarkB

The Ce'ed has a 7 year warranty. Not sure it'd tow a dinghy though.

jammy_rex

[QUOTE=CB,Jul 10 2008, 11:39 AM]Looking to buy a car for my daughter to use when she starts to drive in August - was initially keen on

ian_6301

Land Rover!

No, seriously, a pre 2001 200Tdi defender or discovery will be cheap as chips to buy, insure and fix. The one downside is fuel, but there are a whole host of companies out there who will slap a straight veg-oil conversion kit on it for not much.

Alternatively, a V8 Discovery with an LPG conversion can be had for

CB

Of course she doesn't!! but she's a good girl and I would feel awful if she were to break down somewhere in a rubbish car...

Some good thoughts there, thanks Gents, not sure about the Landy - but I guess great for towing and as you say pretty bullet proof. I have a couple of moths to think / look, will let you know what she gets - just 3 more kids to go after her!!

Polemicist

First car has to be a POS - it's part of coming of age. It's also good for the soul and hopefully makes the point that there's no such thing as a free lunch and the stuff we all aspire to has to be worked for.

Spring for family AA membership so that when the car does breakdown, there's a painless way to get the car and daughter back home.

I'm in a similar situation at the moment - daughter hasn't a dinghy to tow however but the handbag may well weigh as much with all the crap in it...

My broker has passed on even looking at insurance for a new female driver under 18. All the advice I'm getting is to go for a Group One insurance car. That explains why good classic Fiat Pandas and such like are now commanding crazy prices.

Dox

Clio DCI 80,

Chris Type R

Is it a dingy, or something a bit more like this ?



Can't offer any advice other than it needs good rear visibilty. IIRC the civics weren't the best for this. Someone I know uses a Vauxhall Vectra for towing one of the boats above. Nice and cheap - not sure that they use it on the slipway though.

CB

Cheers! it's not huge by any means but quite wide and about 500kg with trailer so need a fairly heavy car to keep control - have a Mecedes V220 van which is great for towing but not for her. Now tending towards a Golf 1.9 TDI or similar - plenty of torque, group 6 insurance and some good low mileage ones around for reasonable money. Will let you know what she ends up with.

dreamer

FWIW we towed the 7 (car = about 500kg + dual axle trailer) with a 1.8 petrol mondeo and it was ok - just struggled a bit up hills.

I think she needs to pass another test to tow now doesn't she?

Would she be interested in an automatic -i have to say since getting the landcruiser (diesel auto) it has made towing life a LOT easier!!