First car...

duggan1

Know there is a lot of these type of threads but hopefully you will humour me:D

Am 37 and have my driving test booked for the end of the month, no assumptions but I am committed to passing at some point.

Is there any reason not to buy a new car? Was looking at a new Kia (Picanto/Rio) or one of the equivalent Seats. Know not a lot about cars (apart from what Top Gear tells me) so not overly confident picking up second hand.

Ebe_Scrooge

With the best will in the world, as a new driver you are quite likely to pick up minor scrapes / scratches / dents from hitting walls, fence posts etc. when parking. This is not intended as a criticism of your driving, purely from real-world experience ! On a new car, this will break your heart. On a older car, it'll be a case of "one more scratch won't hurt, and I can have a bash at fixing it myself".

The sort of cars you've mentioned are sensible cars for a new driver, in terms of insurance - though it's wise to do a few online quotes before you buy. An oft-quoted mantra on here is that something like an old Volvo estate or similar can be relatively cheap to insure, even though it's got a much bigger engine than "smaller" cars.

There's no reason not to buy second-hand. If you buy from a reputable dealer, then you'll have some sort of guarantee. I've never bought a new car in my life, but have never had any problems. OK, I'm reasonably mechanically minded, so can spot most things, and have the DIY experience to fix pretty much most things. If you're not so confident, then do you have a friend who knows a bit to go with you ? Or else get a professional inspection from the AA or RAC.

So no, there is no reason not to buy new. But this is MSE, and a new car is most definitely not MSE - whether it's a Lada or a Roller. A decent 3 year old car from a reputable dealer should last you ages, and cost you half of the equivalent new price.

forgotmyname

As above insurance is high for new drivers because statistics say they are likely to have incidents. Making a claim for damage on your new car could see you as an extremely high risk or even limited to who will insure you.

duggan1

I suppose the obvious question is how do I know a reputable dealer? :rotfl:

UsernameAlreadyExists

Good question, there's a whole lot of dodgy asshats out there in it for the quick buck. Even good dealers can end shifting the occasional lemon and won't want to deal with the aftersales problems. A referral from family/friends is often good, but make sure it's from someone savvy and wasn't just sucked in by the nice man who offers cups of tea and biscuits and makes it "all so easy" to part with a big bundle of your hard-earned.

forgotmyname

They answer the phone and tell you to bring the car in when you have a problem instead of changing their number and claiming they are new owners who took over the day after you bought the car and have no warranty with them.

Never push yourself to your financial limits. If you dont have the money to go out and buy another then you spent too much.

Even new cars cost money to keep in good condition. Lots of repairs and parts are not covered by the warranty.

duggan1

forgotmyname wrote: »

Never push yourself to your financial limits. If you dont have the money to go out and buy another then you spent too much.

Even new cars cost money to keep in good condition. Lots of repairs and parts are not covered by the warranty.

I'm reasonably lucky in that I have a bit of cash set aside. I had considered brand new to hopefully save on costs down the road but I guess you never quite know. I'll start having a look at 2/3 year old cars and see what I can pick up.

philgr

Buy yourself a car for a grand or so, then set the monthly payment you'd have made on a new car aside for repairs/servicing costs.

Bet you end up quids in.

What area you from? Could a forum member from your area help you?

duggan1

philgr wrote: »

Buy yourself a car for a grand or so, then set the monthly payment you'd have made on a new car aside for repairs/servicing costs.

Bet you end up quids in.

What area you from? Could a forum member from your area help you?

Wouldn't have been any monthly payments. I take the point though.

forgotmyname

I buy cars that are about 5 years old and have over 100,000 miles on them.
Usually around 120,000 - 130,000 miles.

My current car bought in 2009 cost just over £2000 and cost just over £1000 in servicing and repairs and MOTs etc. in the 5 years i have had it But i have pushed the mileage past 170,000 now.
A few family matters meant more than my usual annual mileage.

I could have spent £12k or £15k on something a lot newer and less mileage but the depreciation would have cost me £10k or so.

Cheap motoring.

rustyboy21

Don't be put off looking at ex fleet vehicles, like company car drivers. They will have a high mileage on the clock, but they will have been serviced at correct intervals by the dealer, so no fake parts. They are usually just the drivers seat used and normally a belting car to buy. They also tend to be cheaper than their privately owned counterparts, which have done start stop shopping runs, instead of 100+ miles trips on a motorway.


My brother buys them all the time and never has a problem. I have a lease car and it gets serviced on time every time and tyres when I need them done.


Good luck with the test. I had a Vauxhall chevette Estate as my first car, bought off my brother. It had electric windows, Recarro seats and sports wheels on it. It looked totally pimped !