It's never easy picking your first car and often you don't get to choose but when you lease one of our Special offers on a personal lease or a business lease you are guaranteed to get plenty of car for your money. Whether your first car is a small city car or hatchback or whether you choose a crossover, perhaps a hot hatchback. Here is our list of first cars, favourite cars and dream cars from our staff
The First Peugeot
Our Marketing Manager started his driving life with a Peugeot 106. A mid-range french hatchback at the time of the hot hatch dominance while the Saxo was king, a modern equivalent is the Peugeot 108 a small city car, while the 1.5 Diesel has been replaced with much more eco-friendly petrol the Zest 3 has been replaced with the Allure. The change from diesel to petrol has increased power and fuel efficiency. Despite the efficiency of the newer model filling the 106 was apparently very cheap, although the age and reliability of old Peugeots apparently meant that his particular car would sometimes release the back passenger door while he was driving, causing some concern.
He eventually upgraded to a Peugeot 206 the older version of the new 208, this car suffered a catastrophic electrical failure while driving in Anglesey at night, thankfully we haven't had any such reports from any of our lease customers regarding their Peugeot vehicles. While the days of the old Peugeot's are behind him, his dream car is the new BMW Z4 one of this year's best coupe, convertibles. While the dream of a Z4 is not currently practical, his Volkswagen Golf is the best car he has driven since he has started driving.
Perfect Vauxhall and Classic Golf
The senior account manager remembers driving his Vauxhall Astra as his first car, although not as comfortable as the latest model his ex-police car was a 1.4 petrol manual. His favourite part of the car was the freedom it gave him not having to rely on parents to give him a lift. The Astra he would have today is a 1.6t VX-Line. Negatives for his first car were the M registration plate and age scuffs, along with the young driver modifications that were very much of their age including upgraded audio equipment, Lexus lights and lowered springs installed himself.
His dream car is another classic MK I Golf GTI, a poster hot hatch from his youth the dream remains with him today, while a Nissan GTR is the best car he has driven, because of the performance and technology.
From Ford KA to Range Rover
Another account manager had a Ford KA as her first car, although the choice wasn't her own and she would measure the KA against the current Fiesta while Ford remakes the KA for 2019. The biggest positive of the car was it was bought for her by parents and despite the downsides of being broken into twice the car served her needs as a young driver. Her choice in cars has arguably increased substantially with her favourite car ever driven being Mercedes-AMG's top performance GT available through All Car Leasing for those interested. While Carla has dreams to own a Range Rover Autobiography, stating the desire is simply because it's big, high driving position comfy and luxurious, everything she looks for in the perfect car.
The Perfect starter - Toyota Yaris
Our marketing assistant used to drive a Toyota Yaris as his first car and despite the slow, bare-bones feel of the interior with a lack of sound deadening, that has been greatly improved on the newer Toyota Yaris models, his 1.33 Trend was small and easy to park, had 'somewhat sporty looks' as well as reversing camera and Sat Nav, perfect for getting lost on those first road trips to theme parks and events. As a relatively young driver, he admits his experience is somewhat limited but argues the best drive of his life was a Lamborghini Huracan because of the incredible sound and fast acceleration while remaining nimble around corners feeling planted even at pace. His dream car is to own a McLaren P1, the active spoiler technology intrigues him, while the exclusivity of the McLaren badge is the biggest draw when compared to Lamborghini or Ferrari.
Renault Clio or Yellow Mini Cooper
One of the sales support administrators drove a Renault Clio, easy to compare to the new Clio, the old 1.2 petrol was slow to drive but did allow her to get to McDonald's whenever she and her friends wanted. Biggest drawbacks for the Renault was the cost of fuelling as a young driver and being one of the first drivers she was always the designated driver and as the taxi, for family and friends, it was difficult to try and keep it clean. As a fan of Rowan Atkinson, her dream car is an old classic mini in yellow with a padlock on the door exactly the same as Mr Bean drove. Her favourite car to drive from experience was the Audi TT.