Any recommendations for a 1st car ?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Any recommendations for a 1st car ?

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#3105807 18-Jul-2023 21:47

Learning in an auto doesn’t mean they can’t go on to learn how to drive a manual.
Most of the comments today are around splitting the two aspects and not over complicating the important license test, road code and car placement initial components.

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#3105834 18-Jul-2023 23:25

I second a mid 2000's Corolla GL if you want something plain and dependable, although they are getting harder to find in decent condition with low kms. Also if those VVTi engines have not been religiously serviced they can be trouble (and that is hard to know with 4-10 previous owners behind them). There's also the "Toyota Tax" to consider - even poorly kept high mileage examples seem to go for crazy money.

Another option would be something like a 2012-2018 Hyundai Accent. You'll obviously be paying a bit more due to being newer but they are a peach. The wifey had one (pictured below) and we both loved it. For a small car, the driver's seating position is amazing for tall people (I am 6'2" and with the seat all the way back I couldn't reach the pedals!) the 1.6 is crazy frugal at about 6 litres per 100, and the 6 speed manual is notchy and crisp. Not overly fast but will happily sip fuel at 100 on the open road, and very safe with all the usual kit eg multiple airbags etc. Spacious cabin and big deep boot too - despite the full size alloy spare wheel (a real novelty these days!). Oh and servicing/parts are both fairly cheap. Wife had hers for 6 years and literally nothing went wrong, broke or fell off it in that time.

Built in basic handsfree calling but no Carplay or big screen etc to distract a learner.

There's currently only one manual for sale on Trademe right now but their asking price seems very high - we sold the wife's 2014 model with just 104,000kms on it for $8k two years ago (coincidently to a family for their learner son). The one on TM has also had 8 owners whereas ours had just two.

Handle9

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#3105842 19-Jul-2023 07:06

martyyn:

The idea you'll never need to drive a manual is far from true if you want to go overseas. The vast majority I've either rented or had to drive were all manual. Absolutely everything on our last trip (SUV and Ute's included) was manual.

I've had the opposite experience with renting cars. I'm driving my first manual in many years in a couple of weeks. It's pretty unusual that I'd ever rent a manual.

Stu1

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#3105885 19-Jul-2023 10:28

alasta:
I learned to drive in a manual in the late 90s and drove them regularly for the subsequent 15 years, but I haven't driven one at all in the last ten years. I think if I really had to drive one now then I probably could, but there would be a few swear words coming from the driver's seat.

You will be surprised it comes back pretty quick, great fun as well

maoriboy

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#3105886 19-Jul-2023 10:31

I learnt how to drive on a manual way back in my early teens (11 or 12) on my uncles farm. A '3 on the tree' Datsun ute from memory, as well as the various tractors and farm machinery he had. There was also my parents Toyota Corona manual when I was on my learners. They sold that for a Mitsubishi V3000 I believe and that was an auto. Since then I've always driven auto's and while I could probably drive one if my life depended on it, the bunny hopping would be spectacular hahaha. The gist of what I'm saying is that in the 30 or so years I've been driving, the vast majority was in an auto, and I can't see a time when I'd need to drive a manual. With electric vehicles, the uptake to auto will just accelerate this change. I say good on the people who want to learn to drive a manual, but it's not a necessity for the vast majority of people.

Tinkerisk

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#3105895 19-Jul-2023 10:59

70% of vehicles in Europe are equipped with manual transmissions. So it depends on whether you want to be able to manage with it here as a tourist or also rented for business purposes.

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MikeAqua

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#3105898 19-Jul-2023 11:04

Something compact boring and reliable.

A corolla and swift have been mentioned. Another candidate would be a Mazda 2.

On the manual/auto issue. I happened to be listening to a podcast yesterday about distracted-driver crashes. The expert being interviewed claimed such crashes are less frequent in Europe and hypothesised this was because driving a manual required more engaged driving. Ie you can't text while your changing gears, especially around intersections, which are the hotspots for distracted driver accidents.

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duckDecoy

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#3105930 19-Jul-2023 12:56

Back when we first got our licenses the parents of my girlfriend and the parents of one of my best friends both insisted they got station wagons in the event they ever needed the ability to stay put rather than drive. Probably booze, but I guess tired as well. I always thought that was great advice, and there were many occasions where we did indeed stay the night in the car rather than head home. Nowadays with seats that go fully down you could get away with a hatchback probably. But I will definitely be taking this advice for my son's first car when we come around to it.

johno1234

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#3105932 19-Jul-2023 13:05

Renting a car in Europe is probably low on a teenaged learner-driver's priorities. Higher would be the ability to concentrate on situational awareness rather than stressing about stalling the clutch.

Passing the restricted driver's licence is hard. Driving safely and confidently when inexperienced is hard. Don't subject your teenager to additional stress and risk. Once they have a full licence they can learn a manual easily enough if they need to.

johno1234

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#3105934 19-Jul-2023 13:09

duckDecoy:

Back when we first got our licenses the parents of my girlfriend and the parents of one of my best friends both insisted they got station wagons in the event they ever needed the ability to stay put rather than drive. Probably booze, but I guess tired as well. I always thought that was great advice, and there were many occasions where we did indeed stay the night in the car rather than head home. Nowadays with seats that go fully down you could get away with a hatchback probably. But I will definitely be taking this advice for my son's first car when we come around to it.

I like this advice - roll up an inflatable mattress and jam it in the spare tire well.

tchart

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#3105945 19-Jul-2023 13:50

Forgot to hit post yesterday...

Recent experience

Kid #1

Learnt manual (my ute)
Drove our auto mostly while practising
Did driving lessons with AA in manuai (was hard to find an instructor with a manual BTW)
Did test in auto
Never driven manual again since then
Drives auto daily

Kid #2 (currently on leaners)

Auto all the way, not bothering with manual

Have found that lack of practise has meant lessons for kid #1 have largely been forgotten. I think unless you are going to spend a few years driving manual you wont get the necessary muscle memory.

Tinkerisk

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#3106020 19-Jul-2023 17:38

johno1234:

Renting a car in Europe is probably low on a teenaged learner-driver's priorities. Higher would be the ability to concentrate on situational awareness rather than stressing about stalling the clutch.

Passing the restricted driver's licence is hard. Driving safely and confidently when inexperienced is hard. Don't subject your teenager to additional stress and risk. Once they have a full licence they can learn a manual easily enough if they need to.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that leads to increased accidents. Those who cannot meet the requirements should wait to get their driving licence, otherwise they are a danger to themselves and others. Teenagers do not need to have a car if they CAN'T completely master it from the basic requirements. It is the same with a pilot's licence. If you take the automatic transmission driving licence here, you are allowed to drive vehicles with automatic transmission only. You don't get better driving skills by making the requirements more comfortable.

Handle9

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#3106025 19-Jul-2023 17:43

Tinkerisk:

johno1234:

Renting a car in Europe is probably low on a teenaged learner-driver's priorities. Higher would be the ability to concentrate on situational awareness rather than stressing about stalling the clutch.

Passing the restricted driver's licence is hard. Driving safely and confidently when inexperienced is hard. Don't subject your teenager to additional stress and risk. Once they have a full licence they can learn a manual easily enough if they need to.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that leads to increased accidents. Those who cannot meet the requirements should wait to get their driving licence, otherwise they are a danger to themselves and others. Teenagers do not need to have a car if they CAN'T completely master it from the basic requirements. It is the same with a pilot's licence. If you take the automatic transmission driving licence here, you are allowed to drive vehicles with automatic transmission only.

Yeah nah.

Being able to use a clutch doesn't inherently make you a better or worse driver than someone driving an automatic.

Handle9

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#3106026 19-Jul-2023 17:44

Tinkerisk:

70% of vehicles in Europe are equipped with manual transmissions. So it depends on whether you want to be able to manage with it here as a tourist or also rented for business purposes.

Or they could just go to civilised countries instead

Tinkerisk

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#3106028 19-Jul-2023 17:49

Handle9:

Yeah nah.

Being able to use a clutch doesn't inherently make you a better or worse driver than someone driving an automatic.

Then compare the accident statistics and next time rent a manual transmission in our city ... and plan time after arrival for a extra shower. 🙂

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