the first car...

bargaindoctor

hello all

i'm looking to buy my very first car!

i saw a lotus elise recently for £7k and was tempted to get it but realised it will be a waste of money..

so now I've set my budget to around £4k but do want a car with some street cred but also efficient/functional and will save me money

becasue of my budget i expect to have to buy a used car, with mileage up to 40,000.

I was tempted to get a BMW at first like one of the small ones - I saw one 3series 1.6i compact black, 1997 r reg, petrol, manual, 78k miles, fsh, hpi for just £3,000 but my friends say it's not a very good deal because it's my first car and BMWs eat alot of oil and will cost me alot if one component breaks esp 78k for a small car like that will be way past its deadline...

They suggested I get something else like a VW Polo... would you agree? I saw a 2002 model with only 21,000 miles and fully serviced for just £4500 - not sure if it's a good deal though when I can get a BMW for £3000! - I know it has less miles but is it really going to make a difference in terms of functionality?

I also saw a Mazda MX3 which looks pretty cool but then I realise it may cost me through the roof to insure / MOT since I heard the fancier the car the more expensive insurance gets.

I don't know very much about cars so hope I can be enlightened to avoid wasting my money! Also bear in mind it's my first car.... I know I should check things like the FSI etc and ideally get a test drive.... anything else? Should I get a manual / automatic, diesel?

Thanks!

nickmack

bargaindoctor wrote: »

i'm looking to buy my very first car!

I don't know very much about cars so hope I can be enlightened to avoid wasting my money! Also bear in mind it's my first car.... I know I should check things like the FSI etc and ideally get a test drive.... anything else? Should I get a manual / automatic, diesel?

One of the biggest factors in your purchase should be insurance. Car insurance is more or less inversely linked to age. If you are under 21, think about buying a car in a low insurance group (<5) otherwise, you will be paying a hefty premium. If you're over 25, you won't be hit quite so hard and when you get to 30 and older, you can insure more powerful cars without having to take out a second mortgage.

Also, what will you be using the car for? Trips round town? Motorway driving? Going to work/college? This should give you an indicator of what transmission and size would suit best.

You should of course test drive anything you plan to buy. Different cars suit different people. You may find a car looks good and ticks all your boxes, but when you come to drive it, it doesn't feel right.

bargaindoctor

thanks nick. Car insurance is indeed what I'm mostly concerned about once i get a car. I am over 25 but under 30, and this would be my first car. I don't want anything over the top, but would like something that looks decent like a BMW or Audi TT or VW Golf / Polo.

I actually will be making mostly short trips with the car. It's hard to say if I will be driving it everyday, since I will be moving in a few months. I may be makin daily 40 minute drives on main roads back and forth to work and home, if not then it may just be used on weekends to commute to see friends and family, and mostly use it for trips around town to the supermarket etc.

I think I may stick with a decent small size car like the BMW 1.6 L. I quite like that car except that the mileage of over 75,000 is a bit concerning.

Any other tips appreciated. Thanks

tomstickland

Mileage isn't a problem, I've never bought a car with less than 95K on the clocks and managed 20K per year for 10 years.

BMWs eat alot of oil and will cost me alot if one component breaks esp 78k for a small car like that will be way past its deadline...

Why would it drink oil?
78K not a problem.

If you look on Autotrader you could pick up a tidy E34 3 series for £3K, though the 1.6 is underpowered. A 318 would be a better option. It's going to be rear wheel drive which is obviouslly a lot better than all that front wheel drive tat!

Check out insurance first though.

For your £3-4K budget you can buy a lot of decent and reliable vehicles.

piggeh

Most cars have a timing belt change at 60k (or thereabouts - check the recommended intervals). If you go for a car above 60k then check it's done. If you're getting a car just under 60k it's worth adding 300-odd pounds on to the buying price as you'll need to set this aside for getting the belt changed at the next service.

As long as you do under 15k then it will be a petrol.

If you wanted to spend £7k then get a Honda S2000 as it wins reliability, driveability, etc. Top Gear car of the year 3 years running I think.Looks great as well. Insurance would be a bummer on anything too sporty though.

Look at VW, Honda, Seat, maybe Ford.

Fabia VRS is a good sporty option if you can see past the name as insurance group is quite low for what it is. It's a diesel - best option if you're doing quite a few miles imo.

save-a-lot

Hi

I have done a National search on autotrader, specifying the search to

Min Price = £4000
Max Price = £4000
Mileage = up to 60,000 miles

and hit search. There are plenty of cars available in this price range. For example there is an A class Mercedes with 21K on the clock going for £4000.

Here is a link to the autotrader search...
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search.jsp?page=0&searchform=&modelexact=1&lid=search_used_cars_full&photo=1&state=none&sort=3&hassearched=Y&make=&min_pr=4000&source=0&model=&max_pr=4000&miles=1500&agerange=&mileage=5&postcode=sw195nn&variant=&bodyid=0&trim=&fuelid=0&colour=&transmissionid=0&keywords=&ukcarsearch_full.x=26&ukcarsearch_full.y=7

ArsenalFC

BMW are very good cars to drive, mileage at 78k isn't a problem as long as the car has been serviced regularly. What matter is how much your insurance is going to be. You can get a low mileage vw polo or new shape fiesta for your budget and they would make a great 1st car as they are low insurance group and running cost.

I am currently hunting for a bmw 318i SE 99-00 and there are loads of car at very good prices at the moment because supply is out-stripping demand. Goodluck with your search.

spurs_nut

ArsenalFC wrote: »

BMW are very good cars to drive, mileage at 78k isn't a problem as long as the car has been serviced regularly. What matter is how much your insurance is going to be. You can get a low mileage vw polo or new shape fiesta for your budget and they would make a great 1st car as they are low insurance group and running cost.

I am currently hunting for a bmw 318i SE 99-00 and there are loads of car at very good prices at the moment because supply is out-stripping demand. Goodluck with your search.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :rolleyes:

ArsenalFC

spurs_nut wrote: »

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :rolleyes:

Why the boo? It is my advise is rubbish or your name???

olly300

bargaindoctor wrote: »

thanks nick. Car insurance is indeed what I'm mostly concerned about once i get a car. I am over 25 but under 30, and this would be my first car. I don't want anything over the top, but would like something that looks decent like a BMW or Audi TT or VW Golf / Polo.

If you know some makes, models and engine sizes go to an insurance site like confused.com and put in your details to see how much insurance will cost you.

tomstickland

ArsenalFC wrote: »

Why the boo? It is my advise is rubbish or your name???

Troll I think.