First car

Notnewnewbie

Hi,
I'm a longtime lurker of the MSE forums but don't really post (and have forgotten my old login). I'm in a position for the first time in my life where I will need to buy a car asap. I have only recently passed my test (automatic-only license).

I don't know anyone who owns a car - friends, family or colleagues - (yes, i know that sounds hard to believe but is true), so don't really have anyone to ask.

We will be using the car for a short daily commute (~20 mins drive vs 1.5 hours on 2 buses) and longer drives at weekends (at least 2-4 hours each weekend [vs 6-10 hours on public transport]).
I learned in a vauxhall corsa and a ford fiesta so these are the only two cars I know. I have searched for other suggestions but what do you think of these?

Do I use all my savings (so nothing left for emergencies) to buy outright or go for HP or PCP (~200 per month would be the limit I could absorb into monthly outgoings in addition to insurance, petrol etc)?

There is a corsa for sale near me - 2016, 20000 miles at 8500, which seems fairly steep to me?

I suppose what I'm really asking, is would you go for either of these models or try something else and what would you do finance-wise if you were in my position?

Thanks for reading!

The_Rainmaker

You need to find someone you trust with at least a little knowledge of cars to guide you.

In the meantime start reading reviews and looking at lots of adverts and build up some knowledge of what prices to expect and the terminology of the different types of auto boxes.

Also do not limit yourself to Corsas or Fiestas.

You are potentially walking in to a minefield so take your time and research, research and research.

Might be worth looking at cars with some of their manufacturer warranty remaining and check it is valid (ie serviced on time and to spec).

Good luck.

AdrianC

How old are you? The reason I ask is... insurance premiums.

What are you wanting to do on these weekend forays? Just bimble semi-locally, or cover some miles? You may find that the costs of a small hatch aren't that dissimilar to those for something bigger, and you'll certainly prefer something larger for distance runs. There also tend to be more automatics available in larger cars, and they tend to be better value - simply because a lot of people are looking for small auto hatches. Small hatches tend to have far more complex and unreliable "automatic" boxes, too.

Also - the more popular the badge, the worse value the car will be.

You can't simply say "£8,500 for a 3yo Corsa is bad value" - 2016 Corsas on Autotrader go from below £3k to north of £11k. Different specs, different conditions and histories. By all means, if that local Corsa is a decent price for the spec etc, and it's within your budget, look at it. But the nice thing about cars... They're portable. You don't need to buy locally.

Notnewnewbie

Thanks! Food for thought already - I really don't know anyone else with a car so I think I may need to contact my driving instructor for advice and see whether they can help. I suppose that's what I'm worried about - showing up at a showroom and they'll spot my cluelessness from a mile off...
I'm mid-30s (never needed to drive before now!). Weekends likely to be about 50 miles there and back, probably at least every other weekend (am spending a fortune and many hours on the train and bus at the moment), otherwise just local miles on the 'off' weekends.
I don't mean to limit myself to the local area showrooms but there is the added issue of getting to one further away (trains/buses etc). Am reading everything I can find on the internet but there's just so much to factor in and I wish I had someone to speak to in person to help.

AdrianC

You really don't know even one person who owns a car, or who might know anybody who knows anything about cars...?

Where are you, middle of a big city? Ask on a local FB group or similar?

Notnewnewbie

Yes, I know it seems odd and I thought I would get that reaction from people here but have lived/worked in central London (and previously other non-driving cities abroad, central Paris etc) for the past 15 years and never needed to drive anywhere and nor do my colleagues or friends. I know one other person who is taking lessons. None of my family drive (or could afford to start).

AdrianC

Ah, suspected as much.

Would a shared-car-club membership make more sense? Certainly as a proof of concept...

Also - are you 100% sure about that 20 min commute...? Back when I was living student days in London, I did the same South Circular commute via bus, car and bicycle. Bike was quickest by a country mile during commuting times. Car took several times longer in rush hour than outside - and went from similar time to bike to slower than bus.

harz99

Notnewnewbie wrote: »

Yes, I know it seems odd and I thought I would get that reaction from people here but have lived/worked in central London (and previously other non-driving cities abroad, central Paris etc) for the past 15 years and never needed to drive anywhere and nor do my colleagues or friends. I know one other person who is taking lessons. None of my family drive (or could afford to start).

Are you still living in Central London now, or will your commute take you into Central London, because that could have a bearing on which car, or even how sensible it is to drive there anyway?

AdrianC

harz99 wrote: »

Are you still living in Central London now, or will your commute take you into Central London, because that could have a bearing on which car, or even how sensible it is to drive there anyway?

Even not-particularly-central, given next year's extension of the ULEZ to the circulars.

But if the OP's looking at that sort of budget, Euro6 diesels and Euro4+ petrols are pretty much a given.

Notnewnewbie

So, I am currently in central London but we are moving outside of London. Commute during the week will be along a fast, direct road to work (not possible to cycle), which doesn't have a bus service instead of using two indirect bus services through the centre (bus would take as long as a bike through the centre). Long commute at weekends would be from new place to the outskirts of London (edge of zone 6, not involving the M25). The public transport options for that journey would be a lot more expensive than what it costs me currently to get there. It would also at least halve the time to do that journey by car as could go directly from A to B instead of have to go into central London and then back out again.

Mistral001

I would cast my net wide in terms of make of car if you want an automatic car. Most makes have automatic versions of their small cars, but there will be fewer on the market. Although new automatic's cost more than manual's, often the second hand value is lower than the manual's, so there are some bargains to be had.