New vs Used for a first car?

lea2012

I will be looking to buy a car in the next couple of months and I am debating whether to go for a new or used car?

I am 26 but this will be my 1st car. I dont need anything fancy as I am only using it for commuting,supermarket runs etc so thinking of something small like a fiesta, suzuki alto,clio etc.

I was originally looking at a used car but the insurance is very high even though I'm a 26 yr old female. If I buy a used car i could pay in cash up to about £1500 and then would pay insurance monthly. After a year I could tarde it for a new car under the scrapage screen.

However if I went down the route of a new car I would try to get one with free insurance,mot etc and would hopefully not be as likely to encounter as many problems with the maintanence etc. But I dont know what offers are available with free insurance etc at the moment. I would also put a deposit down on the car so hopefully the finance may be lower.

Having never purchased a car I really dont know what would be the best idea, new or used, so I am looking for a bit of advice please.

Lea x

roswell

A good rule of thumb ... get a used one to get crashing out your system then get a good one :-)

the depreciation on the first year on a new car will be enough to cover the free insurance alone, Generaly cars require more maintenance at the begining and end of thier life cycles with the most costly repairs likely at either end. Financing a car on finance is always going to be a costly experiance and comes down to choice.

shop-to-drop

Definitely a good quality reliable second hand car would be by far your best deal. The scrappage scheme will not be around next year and only available for those with relevent vehicle for a year before it was brought in so that option won't be available to you I'm afraid.

hewhoisnotintheknow

the scrappage scheme is a waste of time, so rule that out of your equation

Hintza

The scrappage scheme only runs for 1 year maximum (unless they change the rules) and only for £300m whichever comes first. I wouldn't expect it to last a full year. And even if it did you would still be ineligible.

SailorSam

As a general rule, cars are a lot more reliable than they use to be, so a decent 2nd hand one would normally be a much better buy. As already mentioned the depreciation on new vehicles can buy you a lot of insurance, you may even get a deal from the garage, if it's a nearly new car you get, theymay do you insurance.
I don't know if it's true or not, but i've heard people say, the end of the month is a good time to buy, 'cos the salesmen are keen to reach their sales targets, they may offer you more.

AdrianHi

Buy a young group 1 insurance car (e.g. Toyota Ayogo, Citroen C1, Peugout 107), pay the insurance for the full year unless it's interest free (monthyl insurance is often a very expensive way to do it).
At the end of the year you will have a years no claims which makes a big difference plus 1 year of car use will teach you what kind of car you really need/want. Having access to a car could change your habits significantly.

pinkneonmartini

AdrianHi wrote: »

Buy a young group 1 insurance car (e.g. Toyota Ayogo, Citroen C1, Peugout 107), pay the insurance for the full year unless it's interest free (monthyl insurance is often a very expensive way to do it).
At the end of the year you will have a years no claims which makes a big difference plus 1 year of car use will teach you what kind of car you really need/want. Having access to a car could change your habits significantly.

I whole heartedly agree!!!!! insurance group 1 is the way to go!!!!! My first car was a fiat panda and my first insurance premium was £600!!!!!! Stick to small and nippy with less than 20,000 miles on the clock and you'll do fine.

Also it's much better to get a "banger to bash", as my dad said when he took me car shopping "if you crash it get out and leave it" lol. My panda was the old shape, K reg, but an absolute beauty!!! :

1. 70mpg
2. top speed of 60mph
3. £15 for a full tank of petrol lol
4. £800 with 30k miles on the clock.
5. but there was no ABS or power steering, lol.

As well as the aygo/c1/107, you could consider:

fiat panda/cinquecento/sicento, chevrolet matiz, vw fox (or lupo if you can find one), seat arosa (lupo with a different badge) old shape ford ka, but it depends how old you wanna go.

AdrianHi

pinkneonmartini wrote: »

As well as the aygo/c1/107, you could consider:

fiat panda/cinquecento/sicento, chevrolet matiz, vw fox (or lupo if you can find one), seat arosa (lupo with a different badge) old shape ford ka, but it depends how old you wanna go.

Sister in law (brothers wife) has a new shape Panda, lots of fun to drive (though they have the sport version) and getting credible ratings in relaibility surverys these days. Well worth a look.

alo6

i bought a 07 plate fiesta for my first car. it was a year old at the time i bought it (early 2008). i bought it a few days after i passed my test.

it is a good idea, when you look at no MOT, Warranty, low emissions = low tax, good mpg.

But, after all that, a year and a half down the line, i wish i didnt bother. I want something bigger (not speed, im a big boy and i travel from glasgow to portsmouth regularly) now and well im tied into another two and a half years of the car i bought.

so it would be a good idea to get a proper feel for driving and find out what you want/need in a car.

but lucky for me its my 21st next month and mummy is being rather generous.

AdrianHi

alo6 wrote: »

i travel from glasgow to portsmouth regularly

I drive Hampshire-Glasgow occasionally, if it was a regular trip by myself I would do it this way and get Mum to cover the Portsmouth-Southampton(Eastleight) bit.
http://www.flybe.com/ look up Glasgow to Southampton.
If your prepared to get up early in the morning or fly later at night it's £65.64 each way which is cheaper than driving it when you count the full cost of driving those miles (more than just fuel).

... but we digress..:rotfl:
I don't see why you are tied to the car for another 2.5 years, you can arrange for outstanding finance to be settle on the change to another car, the worst hit is paying out for the car dealers profit margin. Depreciation on a Fiesta is not much different each year in years 1 to 4/5 once you get past the new car initial depreciation hit, which you have buying used.