First time Car buyer any advice welcome!

[celticfcz]

Hi,

Basically I am 18 and am soon going to be purchasing my first car.

So far I have had 11 lessons with BSM and am doing okay I think. The only thing is my instructor is telling me that I really need to get out with my mum/dad and get some practise. This wouldnt be a problem but the car we currently own is a mobility vehicle and for obvious reasons I wont be allowed to drive that.

So this is where I need the help. I am basically needing a car to practise with before I pass but also something that would be fine once I have actually passed my test. I have looked at a few cars which I think are okay but my dad mentions the insurance cost and thats me scared away from them!

So basically I was wondering where you guys advise to look - for example autotrader and what type of car you could recommend for me. If you could tell me what engine sizes I should be looking out for and mileage that'd be great.

Sorry if its kind of vague! Hope this makes sense!

[jamie304]

At your age the third party aspect of insurance premiums will be huge, especially if you're not a girl. To keep insurance costs down focus on buying something that will, in the insurers eyes, make you least likely to cause damage to others :A Think small engine size (1.2 or less) and low insurance group. Forget sport styles or models.

Get some insurance quotes for a Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 and compare other cars you are interested in to that. Depending on your budget I would suggest starting by looking at the Corsa, Yaris, Fiesta, Clio etc... Decide a budget and then search online to get an idea of what that will buy you.

[anewman]

Ignore mileage, servicing and condition are more important determinants of whether you should buy a car. Given the choice of a well maintained 150,000 mile car and a car that had never had any servicing with only 30,000 miles of the same age, I would go for the 150,000 mile one.

£500 can buy you more of a car than you would think, if you choose carefully!

[reduceditem]

Forget about saving £200 on insurance or whatever. What you need is a reliable car that won't be in the garage. That's how you save money.

Look for an old Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic with service history.

[celticfcz]

Thanks for all the great advice! Jamie304 luckily for me Im a girl so hopefully get slightly cheaper quotes than the boys out there! Had a wee look at the cars you mentioned and at the moment its the Corsa that I like out of that selection. Thanks also anewman - my dad 100% agrees with you on the servicing being better than mileage so he's on the lookout for that for me.
Yeah reduceditem I agree that I need to find a car thats reliable - fingers crossed!

At the moment Im looking out for Fiat Punto's and Vauxhall Corsa's - decent first cars? Looking for something that will last me maybe 3-4 years after Ive passed my test but under the 1500 price mark.

[Keith]

Depending on your budget I would suggest starting by looking at the Corsa, Yaris, Fiesta, Clio etc... Decide a budget and then search online to get an idea of what that will buy you.

Insurance works on risk, how many 18 year olds have crashed the cars you mention?

The OP may find it cheaper to insure a random car than the obvious one which some 18 year old leaving a nightclub parks on it's roof in a nearby field

[celticfcz]

So I think Ive decided on the car Im going to go for - Fiat Punto (year 2000 onwards) and was wondering how much you think I should pay for one with about 50-60K miles? Can I get it for under 1K?

Think its a pretty cheap option for now anyways and should be fine for the next 3 odd years or so (hopefully!)

[BillScarab]

I'm with Keith so personally I'd avoid Corsas, Puntos, Saxos etc. as they are popular with new drivers. What you want is something your gran woul dbe embarassed to be seen in. Maybe something like a Perodua Nippa, Susuki Alto or some sort of Kia or Daihatsu. They're not fashionable and not the nicest things to drive but they're cheap to buy and insure and once you have a bit of no claims bonus you can buy something you actually want.