First Car Purchase

chesky

What you need in a car is one that your mum doesn't have to bend double to get into and there's plenty of room in the boot for her shopping. And it's fairly reliable (and that can't be guaranteed, even if you pay a lot more than you're suggesting). After that, it's not need, it's just want. And it really isn't worth it. If you put £2,000 of your savings with a loan of £4-£5 thou you can get a perfectly respectable vehicle.

Foxy-Stoat_3

You can get a car that suits your needs for £2500 and buy your insurance by direct debit.

Put the £300 a month you would of had to pay for a £10K loan if you managed to get the best rate and in 8 months you will be back to where you started from with a car thats 100% paid off in full. Continue to save until you want a nicer car.

aDylan

GwylimT wrote: »

Have you narrowed down a selection of cars that meet your needs?

I've been looking at newer cars (3 years old - nearly-new) mostly for reliability purposes. I've a recurring nightmare of breaking down and having to sort that out whilst not alarming or upsetting my mother.

I've looked at all sorts of cars from KAs to Pandas, Fiestas to DS3s, since a slightly bigger city car would be advantageous. The DS3 would be great, and has been my first choice, mostly because of how it's equipped for the price in comparison to others - the interior space, seat adjustments, auto lights/wipers, etc. how easy it is to get in & out of, so on - for example the speed limiter & cruise control for longer journeys where being with someone demanding constant attention might be fatiguing or slightly distracting. The £0 road tax and the insurance is also pretty favourable.

Again though, that's the ideal (and wishful) scenario, I'm perfectly happy to purchase a less well-equipped car as long as it promises reliability as much as can be promised.

It's seeming like the best consensus is to save as much as possible over the next couple of months, add that to what I already have and then perhaps apply for a much smaller loan if necessary.

Herzlos

Ignore the road tax. It's pretty much irrelevant compared to everything else. Sure, no tax is good, but you're realistically only saving £100/year on tax and paying more to do so. Potentially you'll never make that money back.

Isn't the DS3 just a fancy version of the C3? Neither strike me as great to get into/out of, have you taken your mother to try one?

Take it from those of us who've made the mistakes already - take out the smallest loan you can get away with.

chesky

Do you REALLY take your mother on long journeys? If not, is cruise control necessary and I've no idea what a speed limiter is. Drivers have been managing without them. It can't be that you need to drive a lot for your work, otherwise you would have had a car already, so it's just for personal getting about.

Herzlos

speed limiter essentially just stops responding to the throttle at a given speed, so you can't exceed it.

chesky

Well, I suppose that's what it sounded like. But you surely can manage without one unless you do lots of motorway driving.

aDylan

I hope I didn't imply either of those were necessities, they're just extras that could serve a useful purpose if it was realistic to acquire that sort of money for a car in my situation. Bear in mind I haven't yet adjusted my expectations for the advice I've been given... I'm going to do some more research and budgeting today to really consider what might be available given a smaller loan.

Yes, the DS3 is a smaller 3dr hatchback version of the C3, but they cost about the same across trim levels and the DS3 has more equipment for that price even in the base model.
I've been learning to drive in one... the doors are long, open wide, the passenger seating is height adjustable and the boot space is good for a smaller car.

As I say, if feasible, that would've been my first choice but I'm more than open to other small city cars.

Foxy-Stoat_3

Dont assume that a 3 year old car is more reliable than a 12 year old car.

PLEASE dont assume that a French car is going to be reliable.

If you are driving someone who needs constant attention and possibly distracting, all the cruise controls in the world are not going to help you.

Buy a car that suits your financial budget and save up for a better car. If your going to borrow for a secondhand car, get a loan that you can comfortably pay back in 2 years.

Vikipollard

With the greatest respect, you will be a new driver, and it will take time to build up both your experience and your confidence.


I would definitely agree with those who suggest a much cheaper vehicle. No reason why a six year old low to average mileage car should be less reliable than a two year old one, provided you maintain it.


You don't need one until you pass your test, so definitely put the additional £300 into savings *on top of what you save already*, then you will know what the impact on your financial freedom feels like.