Thinking of getting a car when i turn 17

jenic

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Up until yesterday i was going to do my motorbike test and get a big bike, yesterday i had a long think and i have decided that maybe a car would be better.

I will still do my bike test but maybe just put it off until the summer.

I am now planning on buying a car around my birthday at christmas and i will have between then and march to learn and pass my test (my scooter insurance runs out then), i am thinking of 2 x 2 hour lessons a week for the first 2 weeks then just 1 x 2 hour lesson a week and some practice with a relative in my car which i will have bought.

So the question is should i basically spend an extortionate amount of money learning to drive a car or should i stick with the bike option.

My budget for vehicle and insurance is £3000, i can get a nice bike and insurance for about £1600 but a 2001 small car at insurance group 3 or below will cost £3000.

To learn and pass a bike test should cost around £300, a car will cost a minimum of £600 and i can't guarantee i will pass which means a long waiting list (2 months), a bike waiting list is about 2 weeks by me.

Please help, if i am going down the bike option i need to start looking around in September so i get the right offer when i see one but if i go down the car route i can wait until December.

Thanks
Mike
 
It's all dependant on you mate..... no one can make that choice for you!!!

You've gotta decide what your happiest with...

Maybe just me but i thought you could only go up to a 125cc at 17!!
Mind you i'm not a biker.. my arguement is that you can carry more girls in a car.

Pro's

Don't get wet
Has heater and some A/C.
Don't have to wear a helmet
less chance of losing your knee caps when driving over drains
You can carry more stuff in a car
Stereo system

Con's

Not as fast
uses more fuel generally than a bike
girls usually like bikes more than cars
Harder to get through traffic


Done from a car point of view... but a few things for you to think on!!

I's still just go with whatever your gonna get the most enjoyment out of, after all that's the way ife should be... enjoyable!!
 
Excellent point of view from Layne, I agree with everything he said. Well, everything in that post of course! ;-)
 
To back up what has been said above, sort of.

You will learn road craft faster on a bike but you may end up skidding along on your butt in the process. In a car you will pick up all sorts of bad habits as you are cocooned in metal. So not really much help to your post.

I'd go for your car test first, then maybe later on do your CBT and get a scooter to give you an open eyed view of the roads on two wheels. Then if you like it, work your way up the biking ladder.
 
first off regarding insurance price, what do you expect for a 2001 plate car, esspecially taking into account you will be 17 and on a provisional. get something older and therefore cheaper. make sure its 1.4lt or under and register the owner as one of your parents and you as a named driver.

I've never ridden a bike but dont doubt they can be fun. but stuck out i the middle of nowhere or a jam in this countrys weather will not be fun, remember winter is just round the corner. some mornings were freezing cold for me in my car, so i cant even imagine how cold it will be for bikers. and then theres the ice.... makes me shudder thinking about it

good luck whatever you decide, but stay safe :thumbsup:

PS. regarding space, my car is a mondeo, and i managed to fit my 37WLT58 in the back of my car this morning no problems, and its in the manufacturers box! :D
 
Amazing eh? :D lol
like to see you strap that to a moped!
 

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JagoPlasma said:
Amazing eh? :D lol
like to see you strap that to a moped!


Are u saying that if i can get that home using my scooter i can have it :rotfl:

Anyway, i have made up my mind, i am going down the bike route.

It isn't going to give me a good life if all i am thinking about over the next 2 years is saving all my money to finance a car (insurance, petrol, tax).

If i get a bike then the insurance is dead cheap as is tax and fuel economy is rather good. This means i have more money to have fun with as i wont have to spend it all on a car.

I will still do my car test eventually (before i am 18) and just get me put on my mums car until i can afford my own.

Thanks for the advice everyone.
 
Just as a side note.... i have always believed that it's best to have a bit of an old banger for a first car.. something that's nice and cheap.. something you don't mind too much if it ends up in a ditch or some bugger writes it off!!

I do think that car licence test should be changed a bit... lets face if you've got enough money you can have whatever you want bassically straight after you pass your test.
Car test - Ferrari.... big accident!!!

The bike route is more sensible if you start from 16 y.o.... you start to learn a bit of road craft on something small and then if you want to progress on to bigger machines you then need to prove that you can handle them!!
 
I agree, the minimum age for riding any motorbike is 19, yet you can drive any car at 17.

I also think all licences should be renewed with a practical test every 10 years, and a theory every 5 years.

This way drivers should always be up to standard and it would also keep a few dangerous drivers off the road.
 
you said bikes were 16 ???
 
I used to ride an Aprilia RS125, 33bhp. I used to laugh at the hatches and beamers I could leave behind at the lights. :devil:
 
I have two words for bike riders organ donour. At least with a car you ahve some form of protection, my Dad nearly killed himself on his buddies bike before and wasn't going fast just was unlucky were he fell off.
 
I meant that the youngest you can be without any restrictions is 19, but a car with any power is 17
 
sean5302 said:
People who worry about becoming organ donors have little faith in their own driving ability. Tiny, timid women in stonking great 4 x 4s. Ask them why they drive those and they always say it's for safety.

Too right, i saw a very small lady at the petrol station with a huge 4x4, she could barely get into it as it was so high.

sean5302 said:
How many 17 year olds have you seen with Ferraris, then? Insurance is the other big problem they have. No insurance? With a Ferrari, don't think so.

Actually i have a friend who's father has a ferrari, no doubt that he'll get put on the insurance as his parents have more disposable money than my parents have as total income.
 
sean5302 said:
In theory, yes.

How many 17 year olds have you seen with Ferraris, then? Insurance is the other big problem they have. No insurance? With a Ferrari, don't think so.


Umm i agree it doesn't happen often... but it can happen... i remember a few years back when some guy (i think he was either 19 or 21... still very little driving skill) had a porsche 911 (parents bought) and ended up killing someone, because bassically he lost control!!

I don't agree so much with regular testing as such... because bassically who here can say they drive now exactly the way they were tought???
I pretty much already know the answer to that question.. and if we're honest that'd be pretty much none of us.

But i do think the people should be tought (have to pass a test for higher power cars)... how to handle the power and to respect it... i see so many drivers who, drive beyond their own ability...

Bikers tend, on the most part to be better with their machine and have a bit more respect for it!!

Cars these days have too many safety systems on them (ABS, Traction Control, Stability Control... etc) and alot of drivers because of this think they're totally safe and so this then has a knock on effect and they take greater risks.
 
Damien_Ireland said:
I have two words for bike riders organ donour.
Yep. I had a friend on the donor waiting list, and was there when the doctor came to see him. The doc said to keep his chin up, as we were destined for bad weather, and lots of donors would be coming in.

I know at least one did.
 
A friend of the family is one of the best and fastest road racers in the country. He won't ride on the public roads though due to the dangers caused by other motorists. No matter how good you are it's dangerous but no riskier than in a car really.

At low speeds bikers always come off worst but at higher speeds the risk of injury is there for us all.

If you go through life :censored: yourself about crashing you will have no fun. I know other bikers who ride come rain or shine and manage to stay out of trouble by riding safely and staying alert.

Do your test, buy a small bike have fun. If you need to ride at your limits go to a track day where the instructors can teach you how to do it safely away from cars.
 
Dom996 said:
I used to ride an Aprilia RS125, 33bhp. I used to laugh at the hatches and beamers I could leave behind at the lights. :devil:

With todays modern traffic, you can "walk" faster than hatches and beamers at the traffic lights :rotfl:

Get a car, a bit safer than a bike in my opinion at 17. Passing your driving test
is one of the most rewarding and liberating experiences you can have....
I have seen so many of my old school mates crippled from bikes. Ok cars can be dangerous too, but to a lesser extent.... Obviously go for a cheap run about, with low insurance, good fuel economy and cheap parts.. It's probably a bit patronizing, but i wouldn't go for a powerful car.. Teenagers think they are as good as formula 1 drivers has soon as they past their test.. But almost certainly ends in tears...... The obvious ones are a Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa.

Goodluck with what you choose to do ipod crazy :smashin:
 

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