the first car...

bargaindoctor

THANKS GUYS!!:beer: . i have taken all your points into account. I was looking on both autotrader, ebay and gumtree but was advised to stay away from the latter 2. My mates seem to have had some bad experiences and dodgy things...

A question - :rolleyes: Do you think I should avoid getting a car locally off gumtree and instead pay a bit more to get it off a dealer? I was given advice to get something like a Toyota, Honda or Nissan and avoid a BMW... not sure why, I assume it's the cost of repair at BMW if any problems. The other thing is this low mileage thing, I assume that the # of times it's been serviced is more important?

Here are a few specific cars I've looked at and quite like and would like your thoughts, and perhaps what other info I should get before finalising a decision- the following are in no particular order:

1. Audi A3 1997 P reg - 1595cc Petrol - 3 door Hatchback - 71,000 Miles,
ABS Brakes, Electric Sunroof, Sat-Nav, Central Locking, Airbags, Power Steering, Verified Mileage, Immobiliser & Alarm, Electric Windows, two lady owners, full service history. Truly outstanding condition inside and out. Taxed and MOT until Feb, 2008. £2.950

2. Renault Megane Scenic RX4 Sport Alize, 2001 Y Reg 69,000 Miles, Petrol
Manual Drive, 2.0L Engine, 5 Door Hatchback, CD Player, Added CD Controls on Steering Wheel, Air Con, 2 Sunroofs, Power Steering, Removable Back Seats, Tax Due July 2007, M.O.T June 2007 £3400 but I think this car may be too big for my needs

3. Peugeot 206 X-reg petrol, 43,000 miles, fully automatic, 3-door, good condition comes with CD/radio, central locking, tax and MOT - I quite like this car, but was told that the owner has not got the FSH. Also apparently ti's previously been under a repair under cat C. £2700

4. Ford Ka, very low miles 49,000, full documented service history, clean interior, radio cassette, hpi clear with docs to prove, log book in hand, 3 door as they all are, apparently an ideal first car. £1695

5. BMW 3series 1.6i compact black, 1997 r reg, petrol, manual, 78k miles, 18" bmw alloys, fsh, hpi, full years mot. £3,000 - like the look of this one, but not sure if I should get a BMW...

6. PUG 306 2.0 XSi n reg 105k miles mot10/07 tax10/07 standard exhaust system 7 months old.4 yoko's tyres done 4000 miles. ONLY £900 ono Quick sale wanted

A few other car models I quite like the look of, and was wondering if I should stretch my budget to £7000 for these or just save it for my 2nd car:

Smart Roadster
Ford Street Ka

Thanks for all ur advice! :T

tomstickland

If you buy a £3K BMW then you can take it to one of the many independant BMW specialists for work, they're a lot cheaper than the dealers. Parts are not any more expensive than for Ford/Vauxhall in my experience.

306 XSi is a well regarded car, reputation for not being most solid build though.

Ka, ancient engine but good small cars

206, alright, but 306 actually better IMO

Audi A3, solid cars, 1.6 probably bit underpowered

Megan Scenic, it's what I call a bus.

You can't go too wrong with any of those cars really.

colin79666

I just bought my first car on Monday.
Fiat Puto Grande - had a few issues with the dealer but the car itself is great. Front looks like a mini Maserati

Costs me close to £7000 but for that I get a nippy (well for a 1.2) 6 month old car and best of all group 2 insurance

bargaindoctor

I'm definitely looking for value for money but also want a decent looking car. Brand isn't too important as long as it is reliable but I like sleek designs like hybrid between functionality/reliability/speed/cost and looks. Ideally if I could afford it I would have got something like the Audi TT or BMW Z4 but I think they are a bit out of budget.

So right now in terms of looks I quite like the Ford Street Ka, some of the BMWs (I notice I can get Z3 for £5000!) or a Smart Roadster, but in practicality I'm wondering if this may not be actually good value when I take into account of the costs needed to run it.

I don't have kids, so it'll probably be me and a couple of friends or my partner most of the time... so a small car would do. I can pay cash, yeah. I will probably want to keep it for at least a year, but possibly more, depending on whether I will stay in the UK. I want a car that will also keep value and work in a year's time so that I can sell it off again without losing too much. In that sense I'm told to consider an MG.

cheers!

bargaindoctor

i spoke with the guy who owns the BMW 3 series 160i - it sounded like a decent buy at £3k, but not sure... he said becaue it's only done 78,000 in 10 years it's actually under average for miles. He isn't however aware of any timebelt changes - would this be a problem? Also it has heating but not air con which may be a pain in the summer months...

I've eliminated audi, peugeot and renault now

So it's down back to Honda/Toyota/Nissan or VW or BMW. Of those I obviously like the look of BMWs the most...

I'll definitely check out insurance on the cars too!

bargaindoctor

any better sites over confused.com to check out insurance? looks like i have to register!!

bargaindoctor

hmm i was told the bmw has an oil leak just under the engine... but that it's passed MOT recently

bargaindoctor

Confused.Com gave me quotes re: BMW above, 2 cheapest follows:

Quinn Direct £909.02 +£15.00
Admiral £1326.40 included legal cover

Looks like a bit of a price jump between the 2 cheapest...

A few other cars I saw:

1. BLACK, MANUAL BMW 523i. FEATURES INCLUDE, ELEC. WINDOWS, PASSENGER ABS, TRACTION, CRUISE-CONTROL, FUNCTIONAL STEERING WHEEL, AIR CONDITIONING, CLIMATE CONTROL, ANGEL LIGHTS, AIR BAGS, 1 YEARS MOT & TAX, FULL SERVICE HISTORY, 1 PREVIOUS OWNER AND A PRIVATE NUMBER PLATE. DRIVES LIKE A DREAM ! 2,700 ONO. But it's done 140,000 and not had an HPI but owner happy for me to check it

2. 2006 VW Golf 2.0 TDI 5 door 140 PS 6 spd New shape, diesel, silver metallic, 2005 year, 16026 miles, 1968 cc engine, 140 bhp power, only 1 prev owner, R hand drive... £3500

3. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2.0 GTi 3dr Hatchback, Manual, 105,000 miles, Pearl black, 3-door in excellent condition with mods less than a year old. Eg. 17"momo course alloys with Toyo's. Twin angel eyes with indicator, custom rear lights. Tinted windows, power flow exhaust, K&N induction kit, Rieger style front scoop, D-badge grill, Momo V6 steering wheel, Momo gear knob & handbrake with leather boots. JVC DVD unit with detachable face. 10" kenwood torpedo sub, 2x 6x9 infase speakers & 4x Pioneers in doors. 800w Kenwood amp with acoustic backboard. Scorpion alarm. Electric sunroof & windows. 4 months tax, 10 months MOT. Full service history. £4000

4. BMW 318SE NEW SHAPE E46 Manual, 1.9i, Metallic Blue, 17" BMW Alloy wheels, Power Steering, ABS, DSC, Climate Control, Electric Windows, Electric Door Mirrors, Air conditioning, Remote central Locking, Traction Control, 6 airbags, adjustable steering wheel, 6 CD Boot Changer, Anti-Glare rear view mirror, Full Service History with loads of receipts, HPI CLEAR (with receipt to prove), Recent major service. A well loved and well looked after car, still runs and looks like new. £4999

5. BMW 318 IS Coupe m3 lookalike, K Reg, E36, Black Color, New Engine With Mileage Just 50k, Brand New Battery, Recently Serviced, MOT: 6 Months, Tax: 6 Month, Part Service History, Excellent Condition Inside and Outside. * I like the look of this one. Other Specs Include M3 Front Bumper With Fog lights, M3 Side Skirts, M3 Lights, M3 Spoiler, 17 Inches M3 E46 Tyres, Remus Twin Exhaust, Leather Seats, Pioneer 6 CD Changer. Usual Specs Include Power Steering Power Windows Power Sunroof Central Keylocking £2195

6. BMW 323i convertible LEFT-HAND WHEEL BMW 323i convertable, fully loaded: BMW 8 CD Changer, Alpine Stereo + Ipod, Leather seats, Sporty package(body frame), 17' Wheels.....£5000

Any of these sound particularly appealing?

bargaindoctor

A few VW Golfs that sound pretty good, which do u think are good deals?

1. VW Golf 53 reg Manual Transmission, Electric & heated Windows and Mirrors, Fabric Interior, 16" Sports Alloy Rims with new tires, Air Conditioning, 53 Reg, Alarm and Immobilizer, 6 CD Changer with 6 way speakers, adjustable drivers seat, 1 year mot, taxed till Nov 07, ABS & ESP braking system, SRS air bag, 38,000 mileage. Owned second from new. Car in excellent condition. drives really smoothly. There are no problems with the car whatsoever. Reason for selling is, just bought a Bigger car and there's no parking space cos i own 2 other cars. £6850

2. VolksWagen Mk4 Golf 1.6 SE 16v 2002 12 Months MoT Black 2002 5Door Hatchback Petrol Car Manual 50,000Miles No Previous Owners Original VW Alloys Unmarked 4 Very Good Condition Good Year Tyres 7-8 Mil Tred Cd Player And Tape Electric Windows Electric Mirrors Airbags All-round Power Steering ABS Factory Remote Central Locking And Immobiliser Unmarked Grey Velour Interior With 4 Headrests And Centre Arm Rest Air-Con Sun Roof Non Smokers Car Very Clean Interior More Then Half The Car Has Had A New Professional Re-spray £4950

3. 2005VW GOLF GT TDI,Manual, 38,000 miles,VW Golf in metalic black,3 Door,150 BHP,38.000 Miles,Permishined inside and out,6 Month Tax, 9 months Manafacuters Warranty. £4,500 THIS ONE LOOKS REALLY NICE TO ME!

4. 2000 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2.8 V6 4MOTION 3dr Hatchback Manual, 64,000 miles, Matalic black, ABS, automatic climate control, Alarm, Alloy wheels, Body coloured bumpers, CD changer, full VW dealer service history, new car forces quick sale hence price. First to see will buy. Superb car. £6499

5. 2001 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.4 S 5dr Hatchback Manual, 74,000 miles, Silver. ABS, Body coloured bumpers, Central locking, Drivers airbag, Electric door mirrors, Electric sunroof and immobiliser. Full VW service history. All orginal VW paperwork and all sets of keys to hand. MOT + road tax not due for a while yet. New cambelts and engine leads. Low insurance and a great car for first time buyers and small families. An absoulute stunning immaculate, reliable and well looked after motor vehicle inside and out. I'm selling due to movement abroad with my job and a good owner that will look after it like i have would be fantastic! First to see WILL buy! £4000

6. Volkswagen Golf GTI Turbo 1.8 150BHP, 55,000 Miles, Metallic Silver, Full VW Service History, Recaro Sports Black/Grey Seats, Rear Headrests, Air Con, Full Electrics, Just Fitted With Original VW Brake Pads, Radio/Cassette/CD Player, 18in Alloys, Privacy Glass, On-Board Computer, ABS, Central Locking, Alarm/Immobiliser, 4 Months Tax, 1 Years MOT, Excellent Condition, Must See. £6500

7 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 T GTi Turbo - 3 Door - Manual - Sports - (1999) T Reg Superb and fun to drive car, very reliable, and holds value very nicely, Car is in brilliant condition, only 1 careful previous lady owner (my sister) for last 6 years who is now seeking more practical car to suite new lifestyle. Features: Manual 5 speed gear box, Metallic Silver, Petrol, 3 door hatchback, 92,000 miles, climate control, remote central locking alarm, recaro sport seats, electric windows, electric mirrors, GTi alloy wheels, full service history with every stamp in the book + bills, serviced just last month by VW (everything needed was paid for - bill will be supplied!)at 92,000, MOT expiry is End March 2008, taxed for next six months until October, Good condition. £4,000

8 2001 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF SE TDI BEIGE ONLY 49414MILES, AIR CONDITIONING(FREEZE COLD), 4 ELECTRIC WINDOWS(WITH CHILD LOCK CONTROL), FRONT AND REAR ARM REST(WITH BUILT IN STORAGE), DRIVER AND PASSENGER ADJUSTABLE SEATS, ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL
ABS BREAKS, ON DASH COMPUTER PANEL(WITH FUEL,TRIP,MILEAGE, LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT/DOOR OPEN AND TIME FACILITY), REMOTE PETROL LID RELEASE, 5 SEAT BELTS(WITH SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS), DRIVER AND PASSENGERS AIRBAGS, VOLKSWAGEN CD/RADIO CASSETTE PLAYER, READING LIGHTS AT FRONT, VANITY MIRROR LIGHTS, DOOR OPEN RED LIGHTS
VOLKSWAGEN ORIGINAL TINTED WINDSCREEN, REAR WIPERS AND HEATING SWITCH(WITH AFTER CLEAR RELEASE FACILITY), M.O.T TILL END OF JANUARY 2008, ROAD TAX TILL END OF JUNE 2007, SERVICE DUE AFTER 8000MILES, HPI CLEAR, VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE HISTORY, bought from volkswagen dealer in January, serviced before purchase and since then done 3000Miles. Diesel. Car doesn't have any single scratch except couple of marks on wheel trims. £6000

Would love a vote on the best deal here

nullogik

bargaindoctor wrote: »

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.

It doesn't matter at what age you start driving, insurance companies base their premiums mainly on experience. Therefore if you get your first car at 18, 25, 50, 99...the premium is going to be high.