New Driver!

Katgoddess

I passed my test 3 weeks ago. :beer: :j :T

Have just finished the pass plus, and still haven't got around to buying a car yet. :rolleyes:

The men in my life are useless, I only want them to help me find a car. :mad:

Anyway...

I would really like to buy a cheap old banger that I can play around with for a year, then get a newish one next year.

Mainly because if I have any bumps it won't be too bad, and also I can just do third party insurance to keep the costs down. But I'm also worried about the hidden costs of an old car. Repairs etc.

Is this a good idea? I'll have more money to play around with next year because my works Share Save Scheme would have matured.

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance x

lady_noluck

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS:T


I passed my test about 18 months ago and bought a little J reg Peugeot 106.
It was only a 1.1 but being 23 my insurance was about £650. (Direct line gave me a new driver discount too) Try to get a small engine up to about 1.3 and you'll get cheaper tax.
Insurance wise shop around loads, usually the women only ones are far more expensive.

Car wise, age shouldn't really make that much of a difference. As long as it's mechanically sound and has reasonable mileage (approx 10,000 miles per year) you should be ok. Do you know any mechanics that could go looking with you? If buying private, could you ask the seller to meet you in a car garage so somebody could inspect it first? If they're confident the car is good I can't see why they'd have a problem with this.
If you're anywhere near Luton I know a mechanic that could help.

Good luck and enjoy your new freedom!!!:D

Leylauk

I agree with Lady_Noluck - I would not worry about buying an older car as long as it has been looked after - mileage and service history are a good guide. To try and protect yourself i.e. from an accident damaged car you can get an HPI check for relatively cheap on the internet approx. 20 - 40 quid, although I remeber once using my mobile and it cost a tenner. I cant remember how I did this though.

My first car was a 9 year old VW polo and I had less mechanical problems with it than with any of my subsequent cars!!! Probably because there was no fandangled computer to go wrong, it just worked.

Good luck!