#11

How old are you ? I would suggest looking for something that isn’t that powerful and getting some quotes for insurance before you buy the car. Use the various comparison sites to get multiple quotes to save time. Obviously insurance is priced on a risk basis so try and find a company that caters for younger drivers / new drivers and you’ll get a better price. This has become a lot easier due to confused, money supermarket etc but remember there are plenty of insurance companies that still aren’t on these sites.

As for buying, do you know anyone who is a mechanic ? always helpful when looking at second hand cars, if not, might be safer going to a car super market or dealership where you know you will have a decent warranty period rather than buying something of Dave on gumtree…

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#12

any idea of a budget?

i wouldn’t bother with the telematic box insurance

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#13

Yeah they’re pretty bad for inexperienced drivers apparently as they punish jerky acceleration and over braking etc. Which a new driver is likely to do quite a bit

#14

Kick the tyres when you go to see a car.

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#15

I bought my car from a local Facebook car selling group. Took my brother in law (knows about cars) and his friend who is a mechanic with me. If you have friends that know about cars ask them to come with you. Go for a small engine to keep insurance costs low. You’ll get something that’ll do you for your first car for under £1000.

#16

Cheers! I dont know a mechanic unfortunately , most my mates are as clueless as me !

#17

Looking about 2000-2500 for both max really.

Is the box that much of a hindrance?

#18

Get a ford, fiesta or focus with a small engine…they are generally reliable and economic.

2 Likes
#20

how much cheaper is it?

Mostly I just wouldn’t wanna be controlled by the man knowing my every move (and fining me for it)…maaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn.

#21

My Nissan micra passed its MOT every year for 15 years, whereupon it started getting a bit grumbly and I gave it away to my cousin so she could learn in it and it didn’t matter if she totalled it on the farm.

Brilliant fuel economy, it went like shit off a shovel (which was fun for burning off boy racers at traffic lights) and I even lived in it for a summer. I think it cost £3k new in 1993 which means it cost me about 55 pence a day obvs not including costs like fuel and maintenance.

I would have got another one but it’s too small for our current family needs. It certainly was the perfect ‘starter’ car for me, to the extent that even though I could well afford to trade up I just didn’t want to.

#22

If you’re getting a 2nd hand motor for c.£2k then I’d ask for a HPI check if the seller has done one. This basically tells you the vehicles history and if it’s been lost stolen or damaged etc.

The main reason for this is to see if it’s a Category C write off, which means that it was written off by an insurance company at some point, but that the car was not repaired by that insurance company. I mean you can take a punt on it if you like but if a car’s been a Cat C write off at, I dunno, 20k miles in the past then this would mean it’s been in a fucking big accident and you’ve got no clue how it was repaired to get back on the road. Could be a cut and shut etc.

One of my mates works in a car dealership so I always text him a reg when I’m looking at a car, but you can get a text HPI service for £2 a text or so - just Google it. Should be fine for your needs.

2 Likes
#23

As stated above, definitely get insurance quotes on a car you are thinking about buying before viewing, so that you know if you can afford it. One tip is, you could get the car put in your parents name, put both their names as 1st and then 2nd names and then you put down as 3rd named driver. Should hopefully drive the price down. Basically, this means that you “would not” be driving it that much in the insurance sense, but insurance companies don’t check this

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#24

Lots of good info in this thread

some other points:
get 2 keys if poss (seriously, they can be expensive to replace)
Check for rust on the bottom frame esp if the car comes from areas near the coast (salt water…)
You can get decent around 80k miles 1-1.2L cars for sub 1000 imo (seat ibiza/vauxhall corsa/ ford fiesta/ hyundai getz types).
Get mechanic to check how worn clutch is if possible

#25

I’m a bit biased because I’ve got one but look at Skoda Fabias if you’re going for high mileage for your first car. They’re basically VW Polos but with a different badge on them. They should run for 160k miles if they’ve been looked after properly, with minimal annual MOT issues.

Crucially they also have a timing chain rather than a timing belt. Timing belts need to be changed either with age or with mileage (varies from car to car) and can cost £200 a throw at MOT time depending on the car. Timing chains don’t need this so it cuts out a fair bit of onward maintenance hassle.

#26

i don’t know anything about them tbh but am 100% convinced it’s a scam

2 Likes
#27

What are you using the car for, how much mileage a year?
Would shape what type of car is best for you, city v motorway etc

#28

what colour clothes do you usually wear

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#29

Cheers for all the help guys, been informative!

In terms of mileage, I really don’t know. I live in Manchester but it’s only a short drive to work, it won’t be a huge amount

#30

do you have a dog or kids?

#31

Definitely don’t do this. Especially if you live away from home. In the event of you needing to claim they will check these details. And it’s illegal.