Want to buy a CAR!!

Bargain_Hunter_12

Hello All,

I am sorry if i am posting this in the wrong place, I tried the search but cannot find anything about buying CAR.

I planning to buy my first ever car. I single and live in london, i am looking for some suggestions on how to buy? where to buy? and what to buy(model/make)?

Should I have to go for new one? second hand? buy on auction?

The purpose of buying the car is i want to go out and see places outside london on weekends, see friends who live out of london at the moment i sleep and sleep and sleep during weekends cos i have to walk for 20 mins to reach the tube station then take the british rail blah blah blah.......

Thanks all of you in advance!!!

divadee

I will move this over to the motoring board. But it might be easier for people if we knew what sort of budget you had in mind, if you wanted practical or sporty etc...


Have you got any kids or regular passengers you take at all?

Bargain_Hunter_12

I am a Moneysavingexpert member so no sporty car, practical but good looks max say 6-8k? is that too much!!!!

Ted_Hutchinson

If you were thinking of buying at auction then I would suggest BCA Motability Auctions
Motability lease cars to disabled people so generally the mileage is lower than average, mileage is usually warrented, the car has been fully serviced, mostly they are just 3 yrs old and there will be no problems with outstanding loans on them.
Whenever I have been they were fetching about Parker's - Car prices, car reviews, news, buying guides, finance ... trade in price. But you have a buyers premium and delivery (if required) as well. I have found it's a good way of getting a reliable car at the lowest price possible but you would need to devote time to choosing what would be a suitable car in the first place and then I would suggest visiting a BCA auction simply with the intention of seeing how they are organised and the prices fetched in your area. Most modern cars are fairly reliable now and so worries of not having a warrenty not so bad. Clearly if you buy secondhand from a garage and something fails you have some comeback but you pay for the privilege.

Edit Just seen your later post. For that amount of money you will find something quite presentable at a Motability sale. (also a good place if you were considering automatics as they are sometimes hard to find)

rchddap1

DOn't bother buying a 'brand new' car, as the second you drive it off the forecourt you have just flushed a few thousand pounds down the drain. Definately not economical.

Always check out the car insurance rates before you commit to buy. This is something that you can easily do online. Its not just the car that you are buying, but also the other costs that go with it...ie, car insurance, car tax, new tyres, servicing etc...

spottydog

Does this include insurance as living in London and not having any no claims bonus is likely to put your insurance at over £1000 for the first year. Also your age and the length of time you've had your licence will have a big affect on it. It's not unusual for people to spend more on the insurance for their first car than they did on the car.

I would suggest having a wander around your local car supermarket and read through websites like Parkers and what car to get a few suggestions based on what you like and what is suitable then come back with possibilites for people to comment on.

Personally I like new cars and now drive a BMW as their depreciation is one of the lowest, they have a 30k mile service interval which for me keeps costs down and I am over 30, have 8 years no claims bonus, a clean licence and off street parking which means I don't have many problems with getting reasonably priced insurance for most cars.

Porker

In your scenario I'd probably look at a diesel, and therefore probably french. I like Peugeots, which are mechanically the same as citroen - but they look nicer IMO. You can get a 1.5D Pug 106 for £5 from a dealer (02 plate), but they are a bit minimalistic on the inside, so personaly i'd spend some of the saved money on a decent CD player, and pocket the rest. Bearing in mind it's your first car, and youre in london, the insurance could well be dear, so saving on the expense now will mean that you can do what everyone else does when they buy cars - start out relatively crap and work out what you want in your next car! Another plus with a baby Pug would be that you will proabably be able to sell it on with little bother, you can always shift a 'run around'.
Or better yet buy an old ish Merc A class - loved mine, and sold it for only £3,800 - lot of car for the money...

Bargain_Hunter_12

i am just learning to drive and yet to get a licence!! after seeing your advise it seems its better to sleep at home and call frds rather than visiting them. As i said earlier my budget is 5-8 K MAX.

Porker

dont sleep! go and see your mates! Youve got to start sometime, and getting your NCD built up on a small car will save you a fortune when/if you want something a bit different. spend £5k on the car and pay your insurance - you'll be well under your max budget, and you'll be free! No more trains- thats got to be worth £5k of anyones money!

spottydog

Bargain_Hunter wrote:

i am just learning to drive and yet to get a licence!! after seeing your advise it seems its better to sleep at home and call frds rather than visiting them. As i said earlier my budget is 5-8 K MAX.

Will you have someone who has had their licence for over 3 years to sit wilth you every time you drive your car until you pass your test? If this isn't possible it probably isn't worth getting a car until you've at least passed your test.

If you really want a car I would look for a sub £1000 small engined car and insure it 3rd party only, this will keep your costs to a minimum. Another possibility is a pass plus which some companies will give you a years no claims discount if you have it (ask you driving instructor about it).

If you live at home putting a parent on the insurance as the second driver can reduce costs a bit.

Given the costs of owning a car in London I would suggest just stick to public transport and look at the walks as increasing your fitness and therefore your overall health and life expectancy. If you're wanting to visit someone instead why not book a B&B and make a weekend of it.

Once you have had your licence for 3 years I think insurance costs reduce a bit as you're not classed as a new driver.

blue_haddock

Yep there is no point in spending a fair amount of cash on a first car that will get used in london - it will get dented and it will acquire scrapes so best off buying something a few years old for up to a couple of thousand pounds, putting some money towards insurance and keeping the rest of the money safe somewhere. Even if it breaks down and you have to spend £500 getting it repaired it will still work out cheaper than spending £6 on a nearly new car that will soon be worth a lot less than you paid for it.