Tips on choosing a car??

[Parisian]

I have decided it's time I finally got a car! I want to buy something second hand..... but want something reasonably priced, that has reasonable (in comparison to others) fuel costs, does not have a reputation for expensive parts, and is not excessively expensive to service and maintain.....

so basically, a good quality trooper car........ any ideas anybody?! I know this is a wide question..... but I don't want to pick a car on how it looks, but more on it being financially reasonable........

Any advice would really much appreciated :D

[msmicawber]

It's a minefield, isn't it. I have a fondness for Volvos and VWs which have a reputation for being expensive to repair. It's true that their parts are expensive, but I've always found them so reliable that the repair costs aren't that high, so aren't therefore expensive to maintain.

Other things to factor in are: safety rating (this also impacts on cost of insurance); tax class; and, depending on how much you intend to spend and whether you wish to sell it in the future, whether it will retain its value.

Sorry, I've probably made it more complicated for you. Why not have a look at Autotrader for cars that you like that are in your price range, then use the screenscrapers to give you an idea of how much they will cost to insure. Once you've got a shortlist, then you can google them to see what reviews people have given particular makes & models and, of course, post back here.

[goldspanners]

I have decided it's time I finally got a car! I want to buy something second hand..... but want something reasonably priced, that has reasonable (in comparison to others) fuel costs, does not have a reputation for expensive parts, and is not excessively expensive to service and maintain.....

so basically, a good quality trooper car........ any ideas anybody?! I know this is a wide question..... but I don't want to pick a car on how it looks, but more on it being financially reasonable........

Any advice would really much appreciated :D

depends what size of car you need,small, medium,large. 4 seats,5 seats 7 seats, who are your passengers,adults kids?

[balsingh]

a Focus TDCi would probably fit the bill if the boot is big enough.

[Ginger Nuts]

Dont buy a car unless you like it, no matter the financial side, if you dont like it, you'll not want to use it. You need to combine the looks, practability, costs and desirability all together to choose the right car ;)

[AdrianHi]

Definately need more details her.
How many passengers?
Children / Adults?
Driving pattern? Mostly motorway, mostly town driving, 50:50 mix?
Estate? Hatch? Saloon? MPV?

[hewhoisnotintheknow]

first car needs to be small, fun to drive and at a disposable cost (if your new to driving (i dont know if you are) your likely to crash!)

I had a base model citroen saxo for 3 years 1.0, this was superb, was nippy handled well and i never had 1 problem with it. of course you will get the french haters who bang on about stuff, but its a cheap car, not a rolls royce

Ive never been let down by anything french but have had problems with vw's and audis

Of course this is my opinion and im sure it will upset certain people (trolls)

[BillScarab]

Why does your first car have to be small and fun? My first car was big and fun. Personally I think the most important thing is to make sure you buy a car you can afford to insure as that is one of the biggest costs for a new driver.

[hewhoisnotintheknow]

Why does your first car have to be small and fun? My first car was big and fun. Personally I think the most important thing is to make sure you buy a car you can afford to insure as that is one of the biggest costs for a new driver.

in my opinion its easier for a new driver to park and drive a smaller car

[goldspanners]

Of course this is my opinion and im sure it will upset certain people (trolls)

i doubt it will upset people, just people will disagree with you, disagreeing doesnt make you a troll.

[Parisian]

Thankyou guysss for your tips :)

More info: the car is mainly for myself, no kiddies. I would prefer if there are backseat doors aswell. It's mainly for driving around locally, although maybe the odd motorway trip. I did drive for 3 years but stopped when I was 21. I'm now 25 and it's time to start up again!
Early in the year I was close to buying a VW Golf. The insurance was a crazy amount as my 3 years no claim bonus was too old to use.... so am also looking for something that will not be too crazy insurance wise.

I am caught between buying something small and cheap, or something more expensive and potentially long lasting.
If I take the small & cheap option.... I have heard about a car going for sale locally - Peugeot 106, 1.5 Diesel. X Reg 83,000 miles in good condition. MOT till march. Some minor scratches on body work. Asking price £1500.

Any tips on whether this is a reasonable deal?
What other questions should I be asking about the car?
& Any cons with having diesel?

I am sooooooo sorry for asking all these silly questions, but I honestly have no clue about how to go about anything related to cars! :D

[lincroft1710]

Mmmm - I'm always suspicious of cars for sale without 12 mnths MOT, unless they're sub £1K. Price seems to be at top end. You need an HPI check - whether insurance write off, still under finance and check it has F(ull) S(ervice) H(istory). Also take along someone who knows a bit about cars to have a look at it.

[AdrianHi]

If I take the small & cheap option.... I have heard about a car going for sale locally - Peugeot 106, 1.5 Diesel. X Reg 83,000 miles in good condition. MOT till march. Some minor scratches on body work. Asking price £1500.

Parkers say for a late X reg. http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/used-prices/Valuation.aspx?deriv=15049&plate=65
about £1400 but parkers prices are always a bit on the high side. With those miles £1100-£1200 seems about right. If it's done mostly motorway miles may be it might be worth going a touch higher.
My brother had a 1.4 petrol one of these, lots of fun to drive, corners well, but it's not very comfortable for longer trips.
A Skoda Fabia is more comfortable and you should be able to pick up a '51 reg. 1.4 petrol Classic for about the same (£1200) money (my sister-in-law has this car - not for sale;) ) if you can live with it's looks.

Minor scratches could probably be polished out.
I would always look for complete service history even if it's not all done at a Peugeot dealer.

[AdrianHi]

& Any cons with having diesel?

Not really the appropriate engine for short trips around town, best to have a small petrol engine for that. Always compare the prices of the petrol vs. diesel versions of cars you find, diesels often selling for more than they should IMO. Account for diesel being circa. 10% more (and rising) than petrol.
You may find it easier to locate better conditioned lower mileage petrol cars than diesels at this sort of age and money.

[Parisian]

Thank you, those are really useful tips.
Have found out more about the history of the car ....& there is a full service history available.

AdrianHi...thanks, the Parkers site is really useful! Tax included until March 09, so that could also be bumping up the price a little. What would be a reasonable offer to put in?

& I think you are right, I should probs look into a petrol car.... am just looking into this car, as it's a friend who is selling it - I don't really have anyone to take with me to check these cars out, so thought going through friends might be a safer option!

[before hollywood]

thought about a fiesta?

[DKLS]

Some very sensible and practical suggestions above, but I would add one more criteria in, well I always do for myself.

'The shop window test', for me a car is a reflection of your personality and I couldnt drive a car that I didnt look good in. A car has to fit me like a saville row suit.

[CloudRuler]

If you're looking for something that'll last I'd go for a car in the top 10 of this http://http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/tophundred.html?apc=3128339010848601 in which case the cost of parts shouldn't be all that much of an issue as chances are you won't need to replace anything for a good while.

My first car was a Nissan Micra which I had for six months, no problems with it. My current car is a Toyota Yaris, bought it in 07, 06 reg, no problems so far, good mpg but I think the parts can be expensive for the Yaris. Not all that concerned seeing as its under warranty at the moment and with it being a reliable car the cost of parts wasn't a big factor for me when selecting a car however if you're looking for a car around £1500 pretty sure the Yaris is out in which case I'd say go for a Micra.

[AdrianHi]

Thank you, those are really useful tips.
Have found out more about the history of the car ....& there is a full service history available.

AdrianHi...thanks, the Parkers site is really useful! Tax included until March 09, so that could also be bumping up the price a little. What would be a reasonable offer to put in?

& I think you are right, I should probs look into a petrol car.... am just looking into this car, as it's a friend who is selling it - I don't really have anyone to take with me to check these cars out, so thought going through friends might be a safer option!

As it's a car you know the history of I'd feel inclined to take a chance on this diesel, is it turbo charged?
I suspect it's not, so on reflection this one is not so bad for town use.
Tax disk has no real re-sale value, I'd offer £1100, let him reject it and then leave a £1200 offer on the table while you go and look for a petrol Nissan Micra old enough to have had nothing to do with Renault, which is what you would get for around £1200. Also try a Skoda Fabia too, they are pretty bomb proof.
Have owned Japanese cars in the past the parts aren't that much more expensive, you don't tend to need many if any and the Micra is British built in Sunderland anyway - one of the worlds most efficient car plants Japan included!

[Parisian]

DKLS.... lol @ saville row suit. I know i know, I wish i could afford to get a saville row equivalent of a car! I am thinking that as I have not driven since 2004.... might buy a small cheap car for now...... and saville row car in a couple of years! :)

CloudRuler.... how much did you pay for the 06 Yaris? I did have a look at one, a bit older for around 2.5k....
Will look into Fiesta & Micra....

AdrianHi.....thanksss
I am going to see the car tomorrow. Have looked into it more on WhatCar who say to avoid it! lol They recommend the Peugout 1.4 Quicksilver out of all the 106 models.
I think I will just go have a look tomorrow anyway, no harm in doing that really.
I wrote down some stuff from the WhatCar website to look out for, but a bit unsure what it means!
Funny thing is, as I haven't driven in 4 years I am reluctant to test drive it.... so will be interesting! Unfortunately, will be going alone. Any more tips on what I should look out for tomorrow when I go?! lol..... so hopless with cars :D

[AdrianHi]

DKLS.... lol @ saville row suit. I know i know, I wish i could afford to get a saville row equivalent of a car! I am thinking that as I have not driven since 2004.... might buy a small cheap car for now...... and saville row car in a couple of years! :)

CloudRuler.... how much did you pay for the 06 Yaris? I did have a look at one, a bit older for around 2.5k....
Will look into Fiesta & Micra....

AdrianHi.....thanksss
I am going to see the car tomorrow. Have looked into it more on WhatCar who say to avoid it! lol They recommend the Peugout 1.4 Quicksilver out of all the 106 models.
I think I will just go have a look tomorrow anyway, no harm in doing that really.
I wrote down some stuff from the WhatCar website to look out for, but a bit unsure what it means!
Funny thing is, as I haven't driven in 4 years I am reluctant to test drive it.... so will be interesting! Unfortunately, will be going alone. Any more tips on what I should look out for tomorrow when I go?! lol..... so hopless with cars :D
I would guess the "avoid" advice comes from the fact it's noisy and not likely to cost less to run than the petrol. It's not that comfortable either. Someone I once worked with who used one for a 30 miles each way commute, half of it on the motorway, described it as "a nasty little car" but it was pretty cheap motoring.

"Top used super-mini choice" the 1992 to 2002 Nissan Micra.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/nissan/micra-1993.aspx
I have driven these as courtesy cars back when I had a Primera. Not particularly "manly" in styling, they are really very very good little cars, even the 1.0 engine manages the motorway well too. Fun to drive, cheap to run (47mpg!!) and insure and don't really go wrong.