Getting my first car!

[stevebyl]

Tomorrow ( Tuesday ) im going to check out a Saxo Desire 1.1i (2001) , dont know if il buy it just yet, maybe wait a few days, but im sure thats the car il get. My ideal car was a MG ZR, but the insurance is going to be abit sky high, and saxo's were always my 2nd choice, so yeah!

Anyway! here's a link to the car on autotrader:
clicky click! (http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/CITROEN+SAXO/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-240-4294966781-4294967130/advert.action?R=200828313827481&distance=4&postcode=ml51ee&channel=CARS&make=CITROEN&model=SAXO&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=)
Your average stock model it would seem, and the asking price is £1795. Ideally i would like to get him down low as possible, but il settle for around 1500's. ( been doing some research on whatcar.com and thats the price they seem to be worth )

So thats the first part. insurance is ok i guess, with around £1500 a year (£600 excess )

Basically i would like to know if you guys think this car is ok for a first car, because i know with alot of "speical editions" of cars, their basically just heaps of shite with nothing really added to them except a new name and huge price tag, is this car the same?


Thats the first part of my question.
When i get the car, im thinking of modding it up quite a bit. Obviously interior and exterior, as i dont think any engine mods would do any good on my insurance :p . Is this a good idea? or should i just leave it basic for a while. Because the minute i buy the car, im gona splash out on some mods wether it be online, or in a shop.

I dont really like the boy racer cars that look like spaceship things, and all blocky ( duno if you will get what i mean ). but i prefer basic and smooth looking mods as opposed to sharp high tech ones.
Basically the mods i would like to get would be: ( in no order )

106 gti interior seats ( i really dont like the interior of the saxo's in general :( )

[Peejous]

Quite high milage but does look pretty clean and standard mate. Not a bad choice for a first car.

Welcome to the site :y:

Wouldn't throw too much money at it, just subtle things like you said.

Keep it as standard as possible, will get more when you come to sell it.

EDIT: On second thought that mileage isn't too bad :y: lol

[jacko87]

if you buy it, you'll have yourself a nice car, and of course welcome to Sax-P! :y:

[stevebyl]

ok, i accidently clicked enter and it posted my message, and i see theres no edit function :p so il just continue here:

106 GTI interior seats
rear lights - would like to get black/smoked lexus lights
headlights - i like the morette quad lights, either them or black angel eyes
bodykit - i like the clicha and demon style of bumpers/bodykits on this website
alloys - not exactly to sureo n these just so yet. i heard bigger alloys = more insurance? or smaller tyres or something?
windows - would like to get em tinted up. im aware of the legal tinting % , but these windows are already tinted a little. i like really dark tint, maybe not limo black, but the next one up ( dark smoked? ).
dash - my brother in-law has an rx-8, and the inside of it at night is just spectacular. id like those sort of bright neon lights on my instrument gauges. is it possible?
And the whole front panel too. The saxo's do look abit plasticy and tacky ( same with all similar cars i guess ), so i would like to try mod that up to make it less bare looking if you know what i mean?
The whole panel that the radio/cd and buttons and w/e rest on, i would like that a different colour, but all i can seem to find on google images and shopping is borders for it ( picture ) (http://www.dcp-shop.co.uk/buy-car-accessories/product_info.php?products_id=5476&ref=96). Thats kind of the thing i want, but the panels that go inbetween i would like different colors too.

So apart from all that, some loose little things i would think about getting done are more powerfull stereo, new mirrors, maybe get it lowered, new gearstick, just daft little things like that.

so what do you guys think? give a newbie some advice! :p
any feedback is appreciated guys! :y:

[stevebyl]

thanks for the welcome :)

and when me and my dad go to check this car tomorrow, is there anything i should be looking out for in particular?

one of my mates from work got a crappy car as his first and spent more on repairs than the actual cost of the car. how much the car actually cost i duno, but i dont want the same thing happening to me :p

[jacko87]

it would be good if the car has a full service history :) :y:

[stevebyl]

yeah it does, although ive not seen it.. theres an option on autotrader for it, but i think it charges you? .. not sure.

what sorta things would i be looking out for in the service history

[DNN-Signs]

Looking good and Welcome to Sax-P :)

[jacko87]

make sure it has no re-occuring problems, and see if its had any major work done etc. of course the better the car is the less problems etc. any rep would be good thanks! :y: oh, and be sure to keep us updated on how the purchase goes!

yeah it does, although ive not seen it.. theres an option on autotrader for it, but i think it charges you? .. not sure.

what sorta things would i be looking out for in the service history

[stevebyl]

will do. i think the chances are that il probably buy it tomorrow, and then whatever time ive got till i do my test ( 2weeks ) il just start modding it up :)

also, another question i would like to ask:

is it only 106gti seats that will fit in a saxo? or will 206gti / 306gti seats fit in too?
- im pretty sure they dont, but better just to be sure :)

thanks!

[trcygrdn]

Cambelt change, regular servicing, gaskets etc. I had a nasty habit of buying lemons when I first passed. Had 2Xhead gasket gone, 1Xcambelt, 1Xbig end gone, 1Xgearbox, 1Xtiming belt.....given up buying cheap n cheerful!
xx

[stevebyl]

can anybody help me with tinting?

ive searched around for some pre-cut DIY sorta kits, but i would much rather a professional does it ( wether it be my mate who works in a garage or an actual garage )

so my question is:
would i be better to purchase the tint online, then take it to a garage and let them do the buisness, or going to the garage and asking them to do the whole thing?

plus the saxo that im getting has already tinted windows ( i would guess its like ultra light smoke ) .. so i dont want to be doing anything illegal.
Il check up tomorrow with the guy the specifics and see anyway

[Mk1VTR]

from what i can make out by what you are saying i think you are looking for the EURO style body kits. they are all smoothed.
no badges, flushed door handles and boots etc.

hope this helps!

[stevebyl]

ok, so i just went to see the car. 1795 is his askin price. from what me and my dad seen, the clutch is horribly loose ( the guy said soupy or somethin ), fag burn on the driver seat, more than likely not road legal tire, oil level looked quite low and used.

he said if i had to buy it, he would give me 1years MOT, new air filter, do the clutch shit and i think that was about it, and he would go as low as 1600.

so basically what im guna do is get my mate who is a mechanic to go out with me so that he can see in more detail whats up with the car, and what price i should be properly payin, cos me and my dad are pretty much newbies :p

the car stank like piss or somethin too inside it.

oh yeah! and the center vents came right off, is that natural in saxo's? came off without any force at all. i think if it was to hit a bump the thing would just fly out.