Would this be a good first car?

[The Hippie]

Looking to buy my first car. I've actually been looking for a couple years, but now I need one now in order to get this job. Anyway I came across this '03 Cadillac Seville STS. $2500 certified and etested. A few more KM on it than I would like at 210,000KM. I really haven't seen many cars for this price that come certified and etested from a dealer that look this good. Don't plan on keeping it forever maybe a year or so. Would this be an alright first car?

Here is the ad: http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Cadillac/Seville/London/Ontario/5_27527628_20150420133144756/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=4_15_6

[Flachbau]

I would recommend that you go to see it in person & test drive it, if possible, if you haven't already. Check the under-body for rust, check if panels are aligned, etc. Listen closely to hear if anything sounds odd while idling. If this is just a car that you'll end up dumping in a year or so, then I don't see why you shouldn't go for it. Did you have your eye on any other vehicle, though, or is this the only one?

Edited May 28, 2016 by Alchemist

[The Hippie]

Hey thanks for the advice. So far this is the only car I'm considering strongly at the moment. I did talk to another dealer who is a family friend on the phone. He said he has a nice 2006 Pontiac Pursuit that has 140,000km on it for the same price of $2500 certified and etested. Still sounds like the caddy is the better value to me considering those sold for $50k new and pursuits were only like $18k new.

[Murciélago]

Hey thanks for the advice. So far this is the only car I'm considering strongly at the moment. I did talk to another dealer who is a family friend on the phone. He said he has a nice 2006 Pontiac Pursuit that has 140,000km on it for the same price of $2500 certified and etested. Still sounds like the caddy is the better value to me considering those sold for $50k new and pursuits were only like $18k new.

Would probably make more sense to go for the Pontiac because it's newer and more fuel efficient. Not to mention that it isn't an old person's car lol

[gtamann123]

Cadillac is kind of lame. Its just not a cool brand. Plus I would personally be concerned with reliability considering its your first car and all. You should go for the Pontiac

Edited May 28, 2016 by gtamann123

[Zyo]

An all white caddy, for twenty five hundred bucks? Pimptastic.

 

Also the Northstar V8 isn't bad. 210,000km is OK for a 14 year old car, its about average really. It would would be my choice over the Pursuit. As long as its drives good and the motor turns over and runs well, it should be fine for a cheap car for maybe two years. If you keep it nice you'll probably get most of the purchase price back in a few years as well. Your a lot less likely to get much back on the Pontiac in re-sale.

[dewtech]

Considering the typical English first car is some 1.0 tiny sh*tbox, that caddy is fantastic to me.

[epoxi]

For the most part it's a tidy interior and it appears bone stock so there's a good chance it hasn't been abused.

 

I would go through the mechanics of it with a fine tooth comb. Check the oil is clean and doesn't have any frothing (indicating head gasket failure, which unloved Northstars are prone to), check it has a solid regular service history. Drive it on the highway, drive it on a potholed road, give a firm test of the brakes, try moving the steering from lock to lock (maximum left to maximum right).

 

Cadillac must be a pretty polarising brand considering what people have been saying here, in my opinion it's one of the coolest brands there is especially for a young person, even more so when you compare it to a rebadged Chevy Cobalt. Just make sure you do your homework on running costs (maintenance, servicing and fuel) as they certainly won't be the same as an entry-level car.

Edited May 28, 2016 by epoxi

[Skeever]

Really like the looks of that Caddy... nothing wrong with it being an old fart's car. If anything, that car's target audience being old, retired couples rather than soccer moms or kids straight out of high school is a very, very good thing, as you can assume that it hasn't been heavily abused or used to cart a bunch of nasty kids around with. It looks as though it's in great shape.

Wouldn't hurt to take a look at the Pontiac, though.

[Member's Only]

Go for the Pontiac dude, Cobalts are nice little cars.

[Flachbau]

Cadillac is kind of lame. Its just not a cool brand. Plus I would personally be concerned with reliability considering its your first car and all. You should go for the Pontiac

 

What? He didn't ask for your opinions regarding if the brand is cool or not.. Also, Cadillac & Pontiac were owned under the same branch at one point, General Motors (until they dumped Pontiac in 2009). How much can one car be more reliable than the other considering that?

 

For the most part it's a tidy interior and it appears bone stock so there's a good chance it hasn't been abused.

 

I would go through the mechanics of it with a fine tooth comb. Check the oil is clean and doesn't have any frothing (indicating head gasket failure, which unloved Northstars are prone to), check it has a solid regular service history. Drive it on the highway, drive it on a potholed road, give a firm test of the brakes, try moving the steering from lock to lock (maximum left to maximum right).

 

Cadillac must be a pretty polarising brand considering what people have been saying here, in my opinion it's one of the coolest brands there is especially for a young person, even more so when you compare it to a rebadged Chevy Cobalt. Just make sure you do your homework on running costs (maintenance, servicing and fuel) as they certainly won't be the same as an entry-level car.

 

Great advice. I've never seen Cadillac as a "not-so-cool" brand, honestly. They've had some really classy cars, even to this day they're making nice vehicles.

 

Wasn't the Cobalt series recalled for ignition problems? I remember that whole controversy a few years back.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Alchemist

[Adrenalist]

Some good advice here.

 

Something else to add, and this is true with all manufacturers, is that the more complex the vehicle is, the more problems you will have. So, the simple fact is that you will run a much likelier risk of running into issues with the Caddy vs the Pontiac.

 

Definitely consult model specific forums. Do a search like "2003 Cadillac Seville reliability forum," for example. That should arm you with a list of things to check out before you pull the trigger.

 

That aside, me personally, hands down the Cadillac wins. The price of looking cooler at your age was always worth a few extra headaches.

[Murciélago]

If you want a awesome car that's classy and cheap, go for the Jaguar XJR. It's just as cheap and unreliable as the Caddy but way cooler imo.

[The Hippie]

Thanks everybody for your input and advice.

 

Well I did a lot of research and ended up buying the Pontiac actually. The Pursuit from what I've read don't have any major engine or Tranny problems. It's super basic like still manual windows, locks and everything but I kinda like that. It's old school and a lot less to go wrong. I realize for a first car getting lower miles with with less maintenance, cheaper gas/insurance is the smart move. Not really powerful or fast but handles good and looks pretty sporty. Dark blue 2 door with tinted windows. It's only been a day but I'm happy with the buy.

 

Now for the caddy. Especially those models I did check a specific forum as Adrenalist mentioned, great advice by the way, thanks! Head gasket issues and oil leaks kept popping up a lot and really sort of made my decision. $2000-3000 dollar repair is something I really can't afford to risk at this time. No doubt about it the caddy is the better car and most likely the better deal for the price but maintenance repairs and the fairly high KMs which increases the likelihood of some problems popping up made up my mind. Now if I save up a few more bucks something like a Caddy could be an excellent 2nd car sometime down the road. Or better yet a 1978 VW Camper van!

[epoxi]

Sensible financial decision. Now you also have something to look forward to in your next car, the Cadillac would have spoiled you!

[MyName'sJeff]

Guys, I'm planning to get the typical new young driver car in the UK, here it goes, the corsa! 52 reg, 76k miles, 1.2l, 5 door and £699 and everything is looking nice. Now, obviously, my parents want me to get it end of june, start of July. My dad also told me that there's no point trying to get a cheaper corsa with mileage of 90k +, and I was like it doesn't matter for my age since I'm only 19 and won't be absolutely clocking miles on it, plus the fact that the resale value will go down the higher it goes. Need some advice because I did find quite a few corsa's cheaper than the one I found atm, which is clearly fantastic as it is. Should I just go for this one or find a cheaper one with a slightly higher mileage on the clock?

[epoxi]

Condition and service history matter more than mileage at that point. At £700 you shouldn't be planning to be putting any money into the car (unless it's in exceptionally good condition) so the longer it lasts with minimal maintenance the more worth you will get out of it.

 

Regardless of that, I urge you to compare car insurance prices with other car models for sale in your area first, as far as I'm aware Corsas are pretty pricey and the premium will outstrip what you are paying for the car to begin with. Bangernomics doesn't work that great for young new drivers as running costs outstrip the savings you make by buying a shed.

 

Find out a selection of cars suitable for new drivers that will fit your budget and add up yearly costs on:

- Insurance

- Tax

- Fuel

- Maintenance

 

then compare them, you may find it's actually cheaper to work with a newer, more expensive car.

Edited June 6, 2016 by epoxi

[MyName'sJeff]

The one I found is in excellent condition and is around 36 miles away from where I live. Also, I have a friend who is sorting me out with the insurance, as I'll only be paying £70 a month with an upfront free of course. So no issues there. Tax is typically £180 and fuel is no concern to me since I am working, so I can drive smart and cautiously. I'm not going to go insane with it anywa. So maintenance is obviously the main thing to consider which I'm willing to take a risk on because I'll be going to uni in september once again, plus I'll be getting money from them every term. The only worry I have as of now is that the person who put the ad on autotrader mentions nothing about service history at all, which makes me wonder are they hiding something or did they forgot to put it up.

 

As a matter of fact, I just checked it through .gov and it seems it has quite a few fails from the past. Seems a bit suspect but at least it got a pass from Sep 15 to 16, but I'm going to look for others. I was also considering a golf as well and still am, but no way you can get them at a reasonable price below £1200.

[Pedinhuh]

What year and model is the Corsa?

These are lovely little cars to own

[MyName'sJeff]

2002 corsa SXi. Rated highly for first time drivers as well. I'm just waiting for the official quote now.

[sivispacem]

Rated highly in what way? Corsas, particularly SXIs, are comparatively every expensive to insure. They're also, to be blunt, utter sh*te.

[MyName'sJeff]

sh*te yes, but not for a first time driver. It's highly rated in that way is what I mean, because it's cheap and reliable as a first car, and let's use some common sense here, it's expensive to insure for someone like me under the age of 20 and living in one of the worst areas in the UK for car insurance anyway. Plus I'm on a limited budget, there's no way I'm going to go ahead and buy a mark 5 golf straight away, because that's going to be way more expensive both for the price of the car itself, and the insurance. My plan is to buy an Audi A3 or a Mark 5 golf next year anyway, it's not like I want to keep a 14 year old banger for a long time. Oh and as I said, I'm actually getting a good deal off a broker that I know from a friend, so it's worthwhile for me.

Edited June 18, 2016 by MyName'sJeff

[epoxi]

What evidence are you using to justify that the Corsa is cheap and reliable?

 

Apart from the Mini Cooper, Renault Modus and the Smart cars it is Warranty Direct's most unreliable car in the 'supermini' category (ranked 32 of 36), with a typical repair costing almost double what competitors like the Citroen C1 and Toyota Yaris do.

 

The Corsa is widely known as an expensive car to insure (compared to other small cars) and the SXi variant will cost substantially more, I wouldn't be surprised if you could insure some full-sized cars for less. If your budget is tight enough to warrant looking at sub-£1,000 cars then a sporty variant is completely out of the question.

 

A quick tip, before you take the broker's offer do your own research getting quotes from all the comparison sites: gocompare.com, confused.com, and remember to check Aviva and Direct Line as they don't show up on there (7 of my 8 years of driving have been with them because they have beaten the comparison sites). Also try a comprehensive policy for each attempt as well, as quite often these can actually be cheaper than third-party only.

 

Odds are you will find something cheaper than what a broker is giving you because their overheads are higher. Remember, you're paying the broker's salary off the back of whatever they offer you (via commission) whereas websites are very cheap to run by comparison, always be wary of 'friends' and their so-called deals. Time and again I've found I'm much better off just doing my own homework.

Edited June 18, 2016 by epoxi

[MyName'sJeff]

Well I have an account on moneysupermarket and gocompare, and comprehensive is just way too much especially when I've had my license for 2 years. I know for a fact that none of the websites will be giving me anything below £2300, so broker is my only option and is by far the cheapest.

 

Oh, the only evidence I have are the fact that my dad himself drives a corsa, it's seriously reliable and he never has trouble with it. A lot of my friends also have corsas too. Trust me where I live, even a f*cking Yaris would be even more expensive for me.

[epoxi]

Oh, the only evidence I have are the fact that my dad himself drives a corsa, it's seriously reliable and he never has trouble with it. A lot of my friends also have corsas too. Trust me where I live, even a f*cking Yaris would be even more expensive for me.

Speaking as someone who got a comprehensive policy for £1,400 on a 1.4 Citroen C2 at age 18 with a brand new licence, you seriously need to look at a different car, and switch up the way you are searching for policies.

 

You can say you live in a bad area, but I very much doubt location is having that much of an impact (especially as I lived in a 'bad' insurance area too).

 

As for anecdotal evidence: your dad's Corsa doesn't reflect the model much. Either he has owned it for a long time in which case it is most likely his treatment of the car which has kept it healthy, or he has owned it for a short time in which your experience isn't a good representation of long-term ownership. You aren't buying your dad's Corsa, you are buying an unknown person's Corsa with an unknown history. When it comes to picking a model, statistics are the only thing you can reasonably use.

Edited June 18, 2016 by epoxi

[MyName'sJeff]

In fairness, I've tried different cars already, it literally doesn't even make a difference. For example, since you just said you got a quote of £1400 on a C2, I just checked a C2 out and guess how much im being quoted? £2,135. Not worth it and that's a 2004 1.1L variant. Or a 2003 1.3L Yaris costing me £2275. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm not a fan of these two at all, although the Yaris seems more reliable in this case, especially when my dad had one previously till he wrecked it.

Edited June 18, 2016 by MyName'sJeff

[epoxi]

Have you tried putting your mother, father or even grandparent (basically whoever has a better driving record) as a named driver on the policy? This can also reduce the premium considerably.

 

(I mean named driver, not main driver or else that would be fronting)

Edited June 19, 2016 by epoxi

[MyName'sJeff]

I can't do that, my dad already has a speeding code and an accident code on his license. Putting my name under his costs 5k, insane right? If I put his name under mine, same thing. My mother doesn't drive, and that's pretty much it.

 

I just got a quote from a broker today, and it's a f*cking miracle. A one off payment for the year costs me £1085, and monthly is £122. I'm going for that.

Edited June 19, 2016 by MyName'sJeff

[epoxi]

A one off payment for the year costs me £1085, and monthly is £122. I'm going for that.

To be fair that sounds like a good deal (the one-off payment of course , I can't stand the idea of paying £400 extra in interest). I'm still not convinced about the choice of car but at least you've nailed down the biggest cost for a young driver. Does the broker himself have any suggestions on which other cars might bring the premium down further?

Edited June 19, 2016 by epoxi

[MyName'sJeff]

Not really. I mean now I can comfortably look for other cars of course. A mark 4 golf was one of my choices, but it's not easy to get. A polo would be decent too. It's not going to help anyway though. As I understand, where I live is also affecting the premium. The reason is because some "certain group of people" are claiming almost every week or two, even when they didn't get hit by someone else. I've even heard that a lot of them crash on purpose and make it look like it's not their fault in order to commit insurance fraud.

 

User was warned for this post.

Edited June 19, 2016 by MyName'sJeff