Weighing up car choices

fiish

The i10 was not bad, and I think it's a fantastic car based on spec and value. However the high position of the gear knob didn't suit me and it felt rather tiny on the dual carriageway. It's a very attractive offer though and I recommend anyone wanting a small car to give it a try. (And let's not forget the £6000 Fiat Panda either!)

Plus, the one I tried was some 'special' the dealer had only one of left, and I didn't feel ready to put any money down

fiish

With a few weeks' browsing, researching, reading reviews and test driving under my belt I'm feeling a lot more confident (any increase in knowledge from zero is big). Some of the advice here was quite useful, at the very least it helped me consider different angles to the question.

Have decided to take a slightly bigger pictured view of budgeting for the car. I had set a figure in my mind as the purchase price, but I've realized when comparing different models there is variation in VED and insurance cost between them. Therefore instead of just thinking 'I plan to spend £6000 on buying the car' I'm revising the budget to £7250 total for the car plus a year's insurance and VED. (Most of my insurance quotes are around the £1100 mark as I don't yet have a no claims discount)

I think this approach will allow me to spend a bit more on a model if it is a bit safer or has lower emissions, and force me to do more than just look at the buying price when considering a deal. Is this a better approach than considering the costs separately?

Also, since I'm probably buying from a dealer, how far would I realistically be able to haggle as essentially a cash buyer?