Any recommendations for a 1st car ?

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

Mark

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#306385 18-Jul-2023 08:29

God help us all, but my boys are coming to the age where they will soon be learning to drive!

Being old fashioned I want them to learn in a manual (no way they are learning in my Tesla!)

Any recommendations for car models that are good to learn in, don't provide to many options for being a dumbass but will still keep them safe if they are dumb ? (teenage boys + cars there will always be dumbery, just need to limit it).

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#3105346 18-Jul-2023 09:11

Are you planning to buy new or second hand? If new then your manual transmission options will be very limited, but there is still a manual version of the Suzuki Swift available.

I recently helped my neighbour buy her first car on a very limited budget and she insisted on an automatic, but during the search I came across a couple of second hand Honda Jazzes with manual transmission for around the $12k mark which would have been really good if manual had been an option for her.

Bung

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#3105347 18-Jul-2023 09:11

A manual gearbox and clutch give more options for dumbassery than an auto.

Wombat1

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#3105349 18-Jul-2023 09:17

A no frills late 90's eary 2000s corolla.

Excellent car to learn to drive and it does not do anything for you where a more modern car may make it easier to form bad habits. You need to actually check your blind spots etc. My daughter learnt to drive in one. Also a very cheap/easy car to service yourself. I do it all except brakes and tyres.

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#3105355 18-Jul-2023 09:38

Coming from a 2001 Mondeo that I just sold to a family for their young lad to learn to drive manual, I'd say the 2000-2007 cars are pretty good contender.

They were one of the safest cars when released 20-odd years ago, with six airbags all round. Mechanically, they're a relatively simple beast and parts are cheap and easy to come by since they were so popluar in NZ and the UK/Europe. The 2L petrol "Duratec" engine has a timing chain, so no need to worry about a belt letting go. They're comfy & roomy and have the usual creature comforts of A/C & cruise control.

You can pick them up pretty cheaply now, most go under $3k on Trademe.

shrub

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#3105367 18-Jul-2023 09:50

Mazda 3 / Axela from 2006 on are reliable and cheap to run/repair

johno1234

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#3105369 18-Jul-2023 09:55

Not sure why you would subject a learner to a manual transmission these days. It is stressful enough learning to drivewithout having to worry about clutches and hill starts.And the restricted driver test is much harder than the test was for us back in the day.

All mine learned on automatic. My eldest subsequently needed to learn manual (was a requirement for apprentice training) so we borrowed a manual and he spent a few days learning and practicing it in his spare time. Easy.

Most people will never need to know how to drive a manual.

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maoriboy

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#3105371 18-Jul-2023 09:56

Late 90's to mid 2000's Toyota Corolla. Cheap to run (uses 91), reliable and easy to drive. Not sure where they sit in the most stolen cars list in NZ, but that would be something to consider when purchasing a car for the kids.

jamesrt

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#3105381 18-Jul-2023 10:16

Just my $0.02 worth; but having taught both my kids to drive initially in a manual car, I'd probably use an automatic if I had to do it again - the learning curve is quite steep initially, and an automatic means they can concentrate on the more important skills (judging distance/speed, situational awareness, traffic management, a sense of direction!) without getting sidetracked on the mechanics of using the clutch. When they're confident in basic driving is a better time to introduce a manual, in my modified opinion.

On a related note, if you're Welly based, I'm thinking of selling a 2008 Mazda2, which I think is a good learning to drive-in car. (Admittedly, automatic).

Handsomedan

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#3105383 18-Jul-2023 10:20

My eldest is in his first car. Suzuki Liana "Sport". it's a 2004, I think.

He's looking to sell that to his younger brother and move on to a wagon for surfing/mountain biking purposes.

The Liana is good. It has enough guts to be driveable, but not enough to be truly dangerous (although all cars are).

Wife drives a 2007 Nissan Tiida and that's a decent enough car, too.

Neither of these are manual and having driven a few manuals on the Auckland roads, I'd say stick with an auto, unless you plan to go off-roading or similar where clutch control is imperative.

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sen8or

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#3105408 18-Jul-2023 11:18

Theres an old saying, "if all the cars in the world were Corollas, there'd be a lot less mechanics", whilst not bomb proof, they have stood the test of time in terms of reliability and cost to run. You should be able to pick up an early 2000s corolla fairly cheap, just do the usual checks on bodywork and mechanical.

Auto / Manual, difficult to assess, can come down to the temperament of the child (how well they tackle challenges). No harm in learning the basics in an auto (road awareness, car handling, traffic reading etc) and then add in a clutch once those skills are honed.

Jaxson

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#3105451 18-Jul-2023 11:46

johno1234: Not sure why you would subject a learner to a manual transmission these days. It is stressful enough learning to drive

This is fully the conversation we are having for our children as well.

At times it’s genuinely difficult trying to find a manual car these days and as we move towards electric cars, it’s just a skill that will be niche or obsolete moving forwards.

Kinda akin to touch typing?

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DimasikTurbo

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#3105455 18-Jul-2023 11:56

You would be surprised how many manual cars are outside New Zealand/Australia.

If you try to rent a car in Europe, more than a half of the options would be manual and cheaper than with auto transmission.

Ge0rge

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#3105474 18-Jul-2023 12:02

Jaxson:
johno1234: Not sure why you would subject a learner to a manual transmission these days. It is stressful enough learning to drive

This is fully the conversation we are having for our children as well.

At times it’s genuinely difficult trying to find a manual car these days and as we move towards electric cars, it’s just a skill that will be niche or obsolete moving forwards.

Kinda akin to touch typing?

Both our vehicles are manual. Acknowledge I'm only one data point, but if miss 17 wants to drive, she needs to know more than just "start car, press pedal".

Besides, if you can drive a manual, you can just jump in and go in an auto. Doesn't work the other way.

scuwp

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#3105475 18-Jul-2023 12:03

I would say anything Japanese or Korean assembled. Corolla, i30, Rio, Swift etc. Get the best safety rating you can, euro brands tend to have a better safety reputation (not always) but you will pay dearly for repairs and maintenance unless you are extremely lucky.

Unless your child intends to look at being in a heavy trade (builder, truck driver etc) I too would avoid a manual. It's a dying skill and soon to be obsolete. Once they are on their full they can drive a manual if they need to, by then they will have good general driving experience and be in a better position to learn clutches and gears.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

lxsw20

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#3105495 18-Jul-2023 12:27

A lot of light commercial stuff is still manual - if said children have aspirations to go into a trade it would be worth learning in a manual.

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