Buying first car

Just_Like_Honey

Hi,

Just wondering if anybody can give me advice on buying my first car. I just don't really know where to start! I've been told various things like "don't buy a French car" or "buy the cheapest possible" but in all honesty I don't fully know what makes a good car/what makes value for money.

I want to buy outright and don't want a car on finance (this might have been obvious as it's my first car but just in case). I want a fairly cheap car but I don't want to completely scrimp and end up with a car that's going to need loads of work done or anything. Is there a general rule to which makes and models are a) cheap to insure/run and b) reliable? I am the type of person who when asked what car I'm having driving lessons in I say "a silver one"

forgotmyname

You only find out if a cars good and reliable AFTER you have bought it.

Spend £10,000 and one, And it can still breakdown and cost you money.

Ive had rovers where everyone says dont buy one because of head gasket issues. Yet none of mine had that issue.

Sometimes its pot luck.

rev_henry

Budget would be a good start, we can go from there.

Hintza

Although buying from friends, relatives and neighbours is usually not a good idea. I think they are a good place to start when looking for your first car. Someone is always thinking of shifting from their old banger.

For example I very much doubt I could sell our old Panda as it is quite battered now but would make an ideal first car. Book value is supposed to be £1,500 :eek: I reckon I would let it go at £500-£600 to a youngster. (Not hat we are thinking of selling it, as it is still worth a lot more than that to us). But you get my drift.

angel00079

I would write a list of what you want and don't want. What size car were you thinking of?

ACG

I passed my test when i was 26 - only 2-3 years ago.

One thing i found was that the cheaper the car, the more expensive the insurance... so i thought i would rather throw an extra £500 at the car and pay say £300 less in insurance.

A budget would really help.

I went on Autrotrader and ebay to get an idea of what was available in my price bracket. I then narrowed it down, i didnt want anything over 5 years old or with 70,000 miles on the clock. Anyway it eventually brought me down to a few different cars one of which was a 4 year old corsa with 40,000 o the clock for £2k.

I only really did about 10 miles a day in it to work and back but its got me from manchester to northampton and manchester to swindon without any problems what so ever. I didnt want a £500 banger that would cost me more in parts in the long run so thought i would get something i knew i could get a few years out of before upgrading to something better.

Im not sure if that helps, but hopefully it helps you in how i narrowed down to my first car and what was important to me.

On a side note, i know sod all about cars either, other than makes and models. If you lifted up the bonnet and asked me anything other than where the water or oil goes id be knackered.

OddballJamie

ACG wrote: »

I went on Autrotrader and ebay to get an idea of what was available in my price bracket. I then narrowed it down, i didnt want anything over 5 years old or with 70,000 miles on the clock. Anyway it eventually brought me down to a few different cars one of which was a 4 year old corsa with 40,000 o the clock for £2k.

Unless it has been in a major smash, there is no way you bought a 4 year old Corsa with that mileage for £2k.

Herzlos

Take a day and go round car dealerships, sitting in as many cars as you can, and decide which ones you'd be happy owning and driving.

You're essentially looking for low insurance groups, which tend to be small hatchbacks, or obscure older saloons. As a new driver you'll probably prefer a smaller car though.

Go to comparison websites and fire through as many car makes/models as you can, to get an idea of what the insurance will cost, as it could be significant.

oldhand

Just_Like_Honey wrote: »

Hi,

Just wondering if anybody can give me advice on buying my first car. I just don't really know where to start! I've been told various things like "don't buy a French car" or "buy the cheapest possible" but in all honesty I don't fully know what makes a good car/what makes value for money.

I want to buy outright and don't want a car on finance (this might have been obvious as it's my first car but just in case). I want a fairly cheap car but I don't want to completely scrimp and end up with a car that's going to need loads of work done or anything. Is there a general rule to which makes and models are a) cheap to insure/run and b) reliable? I am the type of person who when asked what car I'm having driving lessons in I say "a silver one"

Give us you age,how long you have been driving,budget,how many miles would you do in an average year,have you children,do you live in the city or countryside?,all would make a difference.

Horizon81

For a first car the chances are you're going to scrape it or stack it at some point so I'd say spend no more than a couple of grand, just until you've got some proper experience under your belt. As for what to get, I always say Japanese. An oldish Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi Colt, or Suzuki Ignis should be available for a couple of grand.

ACG

OddballJamie wrote: »

Unless it has been in a major smash, there is no way you bought a 4 year old Corsa with that mileage for £2k.

Miss type - it was a 5 year old Corsa.

56 plate and i bought it in September 2011.
I think the actual mileage was about 40,800 but its there or there abouts.
Hasnt been in any accidents - although the driver before me had scratched 3 of the 4 alloys and it had a little dent on the drivers door where someone had opened a door into it but nothing too obvious.

If your not fussy what car you want and do enough searching you do occasionally catch the odd bargain.