After my very first car

grimmy665

Hi
Im looking for my very first car Im getting closer to having my driving test and with an instructor who has a 100% pass rate i would love to be able to drive my new car once i have passed. However being a student it is really difficult to actually find a low cost cheap to run car which doesnt need to much work doing to it.

Im willing to spend around £200-£300 which i know is tight with what im after

Does anyone have any ideas of where i can get a car for thia much or even less. It simply needs to run and work fine, so i can get to and form uni whenever i please it would be a massive help especially with how far i live from home.

If anyone knows any way of getting a car then please let me know i have already checked auto trader and ebay but there are hardly any cars which would be of any good.

Also is there any ways i can get finance to help purchase a car? For example grants etc i know there probs isn't but as im unsure its always good to ask

thanks yo anyone who replies
you help will be very much appreciated


thanks
grimmy665 xx

Nile

Hello grimmy665

I'll move your thread to the 'Motoring & Public Transport' board.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

Shoshannah

£200-300 is fairly tight, but you can get a decent car for that. Keep checking places like Ebay.

I bought my car on Ebay three years ago for £250. Still got it, done 30,000 miles in it and it's running perfectly. Older cars are cheaper to tax and insure than newer ones! The only thing you have to watch for, obviously, is repair bills. But if you look after the car I don't think repair bills necessarily come to more than a slightly newer car.

If you're buying a little old car off Ebay or Autotrader, keep a close eye out for rust. This is what will kill a car and can be expensive to fix. If you find a clean rust-free example, it should last you a few years.

Good luck with your test!

hin501

i would strongly advise to get an auto trader, or go on the internet auto trader site there are thousands of cards to suit all people, and look in the under 1000 section im positive you will find one, and hopefully local, i am told by lots of people that nissan micras are good cars, very reliable and fairly nippy which is what you want for your first year or two. as i say the first year or two is about getting about, driving safe and getting no claims so your insurance plummetsgood luck with your test! hope this helped!(be sure to go see the car you purchase first prefrably with somebody who knows something about them if you dont) Hirdy

avstar

I've always driven old bangers - never had the money for a new car

If at all possible then take someone with you to view the car who knows what they are doing. Don't hand any money over till you've checked the car and its paperwork.

Look for rust, open the bonnet and check for rust around the wheel struts and engine mountings. Check for 'foam' in the water - means oil is mixing with the water - big problems. Go for a test drive and listen for strange noises esp grating and whirring when you go round bends, also knocking noises when you do a full lock of the steering wheel.

Check the vin numbers match the paperwork matches the one on the body of the car. Check the lights & electrics (speedo etc) all work. Ask when the timing belt was changed. Check tyre tread inc spare wheel.

I did buy my last car at the auctions - but took a mechanic friend with me and wouldn't dare have gone without him ! Also check supermarket & local corner shop adverts in the window.

I'm sure a mechanic will be able to give better advice, but hope this helps. By the way - I'm a real girlie girl and have nothing to do with the car industry - these are all lessons I've learnt the hard way over the years!

Good luck with the test !:D

anewman

I highly recommend a Skoda Felicia. One of those should come in at your budget. Or even the earlier model a Skoda Favorit isn't a bad car. Some Felicia's came with power steering and ABS, but the Favorit does not have these. I did not miss them anyway when I got my Skoda Favorit

These Skoda's often come cheap because people don't like the brand.

Example http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/SKODA+FELICIA/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-4294966763-4294966834/advert.action?R=200816109651453&distance=8&postcode=w12+0tt&channel=CARS&make=SKODA&model=FELICIA&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

It's probably a good idea to try have another £300 saved for any unexpected repairs or another car if expensive repairs are needed.

Thunderbird_2

Hi

In that end of the market, you need to be a handy man when it comes to car service and potential repairs. If you find a car you like, you must check if there is a Haynes manual for it so that it will help you keep it in reliable condition.

The car you buy must have as long as possible MOT left and virtually no rust as this will be one of the things it will fail MOT on, that costs a small fortune to put right.

Whatever you find on autotrader, get insurance qoutes for it and compare it to other cars as I think insurance will be your biggest expense in running a car as a new driver.

If you find a car, post its details here so that others can give you their opinions, which hopefully help you in getting the car you need.

Roughly, you will need to budget £80 to £100 a month to keep a car on the road ( Insurance, Tax, MOT and possible repairs) plus petrol cost.

Keep us updated

Miseryschild

Thunderbird wrote: »

Roughly, you will need to budget £80 to £100 a month to keep a car on the road ( Insurance, Tax, MOT and possible repairs) plus petrol cost.

Keep us updated

If you can get insurance on a car for a maximum of £1200 for a male - you are good! Though for a female thats about right. Hate being male.

And I agree with the person who said about rust - dad has had his car SORN for over a year because it failed its MOT on rust near the engine - didn't cost too much to repair (around £100-200 - main problem was getting some with a mobile welder to come do it! they are NOT easy to find local to me) so slowly putting the engine back in now

~MC

Thunderbird_2

Miseryschild wrote: »

If you can get insurance on a car for a maximum of £1200 for a male - you are good! Though for a female thats about right. Hate being male.

I think you are right, but if the OP took PassPlus, his insurance might be cheaper especially if he can buy a small engine car and using Martin's insurance cost cutting system! Ok, I admit, it could be very well over £1200 for first year insurance

anewman

Thunderbird wrote: »

I think you are right, but if the OP took PassPlus, his insurance might be cheaper especially if he can buy a small engine car and using Martin's insurance cost cutting system! Ok, I admit, it could be very well over £1200 for first year insurance

I'd only take pass plus as a financial decision though. Find out how much it costs and how much it takes off insurance and for how long. If this definitely takes more off insurance cost than pass plus costs to do then it's worthwhile.

Hintza

In the price bracket you are in the answer may lie in asking around friends, relatives, neighbours etc.

For example I have my old Merc that I need to raise my lardy backside to get rid off. Six months ago I probably wanted £600 now I would be glad for a couple of hundred and its still MOT'd until June.

My point is keep your ear to the ground and something will turn up. THe added advantage of this approach is folk will tend to honest and mention any quirks or problems.

One other tip if buying a banger is take it straight for an MOT (preferably before you buy) and that will give you an idea on how much needs to be spent on it.