Car advice please.

[Kimberley]

I wanna buy a car next year :D

I'm in the process of saving £40 a week for a year towards a car and first time insurance which will be high as i will hopefully have passed my driving test by then.

I want to ask all car owners how much they spend each month towards the running of their car, so that i can get a rough idea of how much i would have to spend out and whether or not it is worth me paying out for driving lessons only to find out i can't afford to keep a car at the end of it all.

To get my first time insurance as cheap as possible i want to buy a small car with an engine of 1.3 or smaller and spend out about £1000-£1500 for a good runner. The car would have to run good on petrol. So any advice on the type of car that would be ideal for a small budget would be ideal. What sort of reg would i need etc?

[MrsM]

not sure what I spend a month, only on insurance, my costs are low because I don't do many miles. I would mention the car tax tho, these have changed just recenlty and are quite varied depending on your choice of car.

There is a banding system from a - the new G band. To find out which band your car would be in you need the CO2 emission figure from the logbook. Mine is 145g and is a C banding. This is also offset because it is newer than mar 2001 and is differently priced to a petrol car of this model.

So a fair bit to take in now on this.

This site will probably explain it better than me.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/taxation.htm

My friend has the same car as me but it is 2 years older. My tax is £110 per year and his is now £175 - get my point!

I admire your forethought and planning :A

mm

[Need_More_Money]

I wanna buy a car next year :D

I'm in the process of saving £40 a week for a year towards a car and first time insurance which will be high as i will hopefully have passed my driving test by then.

I want to ask all car owners how much they spend each month towards the running of their car, so that i can get a rough idea of how much i would have to spend out and whether or not it is worth me paying out for driving lessons only to find out i can't afford to keep a car at the end of it all.

To get my first time insurance as cheap as possible i want to buy a small car with an engine of 1.3 or smaller and spend out about £1000-£1500 for a good runner. The car would have to run good on petrol. So any advice on the type of car that would be ideal for a small budget would be ideal. What sort of reg would i need etc?

Depends how many miles you do. In a small petrol car, you will probably spend about 10p/mile on fuel but depends on if you do mostly local or motorway driving. Diesel cheaper per mile and for road tax but might cost more to buy a diesel car.
Have a look at confused.com, type in some details to get some ideas of insurance costs

[Kimberley]

I would only use it local for work as i pay out £8 a week on bus fares as it is and for two London journeys a month and some seaside runs in school holidays etc. Oh and some supermarket runs and taking kids to town for swimming etc. I won't use it heavy, it's just to get me out and about as i live in a small community area and need a small car really, otherwise the bus fares do mount up.

[highguyuk]

Firstly, there is a dedicated motoring thread where this question would be better asked. Im sure that a moderator will eventually move your thread over ...

Secondly, you want as small an engine as possible. Apart from that £1000-1500 isn't going to give you lots of room but enough! Do you want to buy private/garage/auction? Anything specific you would like? 5 door maybe?

[Nile]

Hello Kimberley


I'll move your thread over to the 'Motoring & Public Transport' board, where it should get more views and responses.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

Regards

Nile

[vansboy]

Think Fiesta & you'll not go far wrong.The smaller petrol engines are economical enough, without going the diesel choice. Plenty around, so don't buy the first one you see.

Diesels of most makes at this price range, could be a bit of an unwise choice, unless you can be sure of it's history - they do last well, engine wise, but can be expensive to sort out, if you did have an engine problem & you might also move into higher road tax costs.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk clik The Backroom Discussion & ask there

VB

[Need_More_Money]

Diesels of most makes at this price range, could be a bit of an unwise choice, unless you can be sure of it's history - they do last well, engine wise, but can be expensive to sort out, if you did have an engine problem & you might also move into higher road tax costs.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk clik The Backroom Discussion & ask there

VB

Why would road tax be higher? From what I've seen diesels are generally lower tax for same engine size, because the emissions per km are lower

[Garetha]

Don't forget to use Martin's insurance advice
And consider clicking via Quidco to get £80 back if Lloyds TSB is a good quote

In my case Lloyds TSB wasn't the cheapest - but the money back made more than the difference. My actual policy is with Churchil.

Quidco also do a good deal with Zurich, AA, Barclays & Saga!

Also look at Martin's breakdown advice.

[Kimberley]

Firstly, there is a dedicated motoring thread where this question would be better asked. Im sure that a moderator will eventually move your thread over ...

Secondly, you want as small an engine as possible. Apart from that £1000-1500 isn't going to give you lots of room but enough! Do you want to buy private/garage/auction? Anything specific you would like? 5 door maybe?

I wouldn't buy from auction and to by private i wouldn't know what to look for to see if the car is worthy or not, so i guess i'd buy from a garage :D Yes 5 doors

[Kimberley]

I'd prefer to buy petrol and Unleaded if possible. I'll check out Martins insurance advice etc later, i'll make out i'm buying a car and get some quotes. i want to work out if i can afford to keep a car first before i start driving lessons.

Some of you have cars, so you must know roughly how much a year you spend out on it :confused:

[Need_More_Money]

I'd prefer to buy petrol and Unleaded if possible. I'll check out Martins insurance advice etc later, i'll make out i'm buying a car and get some quotes. i want to work out if i can afford to keep a car first before i start driving lessons.

Some of you have cars, so you must know roughly how much a year you spend out on it :confused:

Just out of interest, can I ask why you prefer petrol? I don't really have any strong feelings either way, but have recently changed to a diesel car and been amazed how much cheaper it is

[Kimberley]

Just out of interest, can I ask why you prefer petrol? I don't really have any strong feelings either way, but have recently changed to a diesel car and been amazed how much cheaper it is

I don't know nothing about cars, thats why i'm getting ready a year before i intend to buy one. Someone told me not to get diesel thats all :confused: Plus i was told it's heavy on the environment :confused:

[Need_More_Money]

I don't know nothing about cars, thats why i'm getting ready a year before i intend to buy one. Someone told me not to get diesel thats all :confused: Plus i was told it's heavy on the environment :confused:

That's interesting. I thought the same about the environment, but recently found out that the reason that road tax is cheaper on diesels is because they are actually more environmentally friendly than petrol (so far as CO2 emissions go). I think there are other pollutants from diesel though if not properly filtered

I think the only reason not to buy diesel would be if it cost more to buy the car, compared to a petrol one. Then you would have to do quite a lot of miles to get the money back. Suppose another reason might be that it you accidentally put petrol in a diesel car you're scr*wed :(

Good luck with choosing something.

[mini_mad_dad]

buy a classic mini... upto a h plate prolly?

upto 1.3 and injected. cheap to insure, cheap to drive and keep on the road...
join a mini owners club found on google, then you have a new circle of friends and resources to be able to keep you and it on the road and have fun too!
there several mini web sites and forums...
then insure thru specialist for angreed valuation.
dirt cheap!

my mini will keep up and out run my wifes clio
all's delcared to insurance and its still cheaper than the clio

[Wig]

Need more Money, Sorry, but road tax is 10 pound more on diesel in each banding (post 2001, pre 2001 makes no difference). But the Jury is most definately out on which is the cleanest fuel. Diesel use less than petrol, but petrol is a cleaner fuel. Personally (and I am eco concious) I'd go with a diesel, not least because it will run on vegetable oil :D which is the greenest of all fuels. Oh and if you put petrol in a diesel it's not a problem (except getting it out again) if you put diesel in a petrol that's a problem.

As to the OP,

You can ofcourse get a quote online from nationwide and tesco and directline try these three (and maybe more) for a quote to see how much your premium will be. I'm guessing about 550 fully comp and about 400 TPFT ??? I could be way off base.

For the car I would choose for you a Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel Insurance grp 3 (low) R,S or T reg costing about 1,000 - 1,900 Road Tax 110 per year.
models include (for ins grp 3):
1.5 D Look+ 3d 3
1.5 D Look2 5d 3
1.5 D Zen 3d 3
1.5 D Zen 5d 3
1.5 D Zest2 3d 3
1.5 D Zest2 5d 3
1.5 XLD 5d 3
1.5 XLD Independence 5d 3
1.5 XND 3d (96) 3
1.5 XND 5d

Now running costs obviously depend on your mileage, and will you have free parking at work? Lets assume 100miles a week @ 50 mpg should be 2 gallons which costs 2 * 4.546 * .95 (litre) = 8.63 pounds per week

Fuel = 8.50 pounds per week (assumed mileage 100 miles per week)
road tax = 2 pounds per week
Insurance 10 pounds per week ??? (assumed premium 500 pounds)
Depreciation on value of car 300/ yr = 6 pounds per week
Loss of interest on 1,500 in the bank = 1 pound per week

Rough estimation total = 27 pounds per week
And we haven't looked at repairs and accidents yet.

[Need_More_Money]

Need more Money, Sorry, but road tax is 10 pound more on diesel in each banding (post 2001, pre 2001 makes no difference).


The bands are based on the amount of CO2 emitted per km, and since Diesel emits less per mile (because it is more efficient) the band for a diesel tends to be less for the same type of car.

[Kimberley]

Need more Money, Sorry, but road tax is 10 pound more on diesel in each banding (post 2001, pre 2001 makes no difference). But the Jury is most definately out on which is the cleanest fuel. Diesel use less than petrol, but petrol is a cleaner fuel. Personally (and I am eco concious) I'd go with a diesel, not least because it will run on vegetable oil :D which is the greenest of all fuels. Oh and if you put petrol in a diesel it's not a problem (except getting it out again) if you put diesel in a petrol that's a problem.

As to the OP,

You can ofcourse get a quote online from nationwide and tesco and directline try these three (and maybe more) for a quote to see how much your premium will be. I'm guessing about 550 fully comp and about 400 TPFT ??? I could be way off base.

For the car I would choose for you a Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel Insurance grp 3 (low) R,S or T reg costing about 1,000 - 1,900 Road Tax 110 per year.
models include (for ins grp 3):
1.5 D Look+ 3d 3
1.5 D Look2 5d 3
1.5 D Zen 3d 3
1.5 D Zen 5d 3
1.5 D Zest2 3d 3
1.5 D Zest2 5d 3
1.5 XLD 5d 3
1.5 XLD Independence 5d 3
1.5 XND 3d (96) 3
1.5 XND 5d

Now running costs obviously depend on your mileage, and will you have free parking at work? Lets assume 100miles a week @ 50 mpg should be 2 gallons which costs 2 * 4.546 * .95 (litre) = 8.63 pounds per week

Fuel = 8.50 pounds per week (assumed mileage 100 miles per week)
road tax = 2 pounds per week
Insurance 10 pounds per week ??? (assumed premium 500 pounds)
Depreciation on value of car 300/ yr = 6 pounds per week
Loss of interest on 1,500 in the bank = 1 pound per week

Rough estimation total = 27 pounds per week
And we haven't looked at repairs and accidents yet.


Thanks wig, if i say look at spending £60 a week on my car that should cover any repairs etc so if i put that £60 into a car savings pot each week, i should be ok :confused:

Cheers :beer: I do like fords, but when the time comes i'll check out the cars mentioned in this thread :D

[Need_More_Money]

For an idea about reliability, look at http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/
Ford comes out quite well.

You should really look at getting the car serviced at least once a year + there is the MOT. I would guess service and MOT would cost at least £100/year assuming no major work needed

[Kimberley]

Thank you :beer:

[BobToo]

I would agree with the Peugeot 106 idea although I would consider petrol too. It's actually quite a roomy car for the size and quite well made. You don't see many rusty ones. The Citroen Saxo is almost the same car so you can regard them as interchangeable. Both are boy racer favourites so walk away from any that have been blinged up.

Don't go near a Rover (i.e. "Classic" or "proper") Mini. They come from an era when it was normal to spend nearly every weekend maintaining and repairing your car. Terrific cars but strictly enthusiasts only these days.

I think at this price you are better going private. The only difference in a dealer car is some polish and, in theory, some protection. In practice you are unlikely to see much protection. You would be best to find somebody who knows a bit about cars to accompany you on a private sale. Don't forget to inspect the owner too, you can get some clues as to how the car's been looked after there.

[waterbaby]

Kimberley,

I have a car which sounds just what you are after (no I am not trying to sell you it!). It's an eight year old 1.3 fiesta, and this is roughly what it costs me per year;

Tax - £110
Insurance - £220 (with four years NCD - it was £895 in my first year)
MOT/Service/maintenance - £600

I save £75 per month towards these costs, not including petrol. In the first year, it would have been about £125 as the insurance was higher. Your petrol will be additional to this, but will depend on your usage obviously.

I would say keep going with the driving lessons regardless of whether you can afford the car now. A driving license is a useful qualification to have, and when you become able to afford a car, it will be good to have the license already, rather than starting again.

[Kimberley]

Thanks waterbaby and Co :beer:

[stefbate]

For the last 2 years ive had a vauxhall vectra p reg, 1.8 . It was a sound car, like you i didnt use it much, about 30 miles a week at most, i spent about £15 on petrol a week, spurisingly the insurance wasnt a bad as expected with it being a 1.8. I think it was 450 the first year, i only had 1 years no claims. Things started to go wrong with it, so today i bought my SIL's renault megane scenic, its a T reg 1.6, so hopefully wont guzzle the petrol. And ive just done a pretendy quote on confused.com, and the cheapest was £282(3 years N/C). But obviously im just going to be tranferring it over on my existing insurance until it runs out in october.

[Noozan]

Some of you have cars, so you must know roughly how much a year you spend out on it :confused:

Ok...for my car (1598cc Astra)
Tax £3 per week
Insurance Fully Comprehensive £5 per week (with Direct Line, 3 years no claims)
MOT fee £0.77 per week
Servicing (Every 10k miles for me) £1.80 per week(This is an average figure as I alternate between short service and full service)
Petrol - its costs £37 to fill my tank and this will do 320 to 370 miles depending on whether it's motorway or running about town type driving. I put in about £20 of fuel every 10 to 12 days.

I have been lucky that my car has never had any major problems and other than having the timing belt changed last year (£32) it has never failed an MOT or needed any other works. It's going to need a new rear and middle exhaust soon though, for which I have been quoted £95.

Hope this helps.