New Car Advice

[awrb]

Hi everyone. I'm going to be getting my first car in the next couple of months in time for my new job. I'll be using it for commuting on the motorway (not a long drive though) and for business use around the UK every now and then, but I'm 21 so I need to think of insurance. Oh, and as this is for my first job after uni, so I'm also poor at the moment and only be able to spend about £4-5k.

Just wondering if anyone had any ideas of what to look for, where's a good place to car hunt, and things to look out for.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by awrb

Hi everyone. I'm going to be getting my first car in the next couple of months in time for my new job. I'll be using it for commuting on the motorway (not a long drive though) and for business use around the UK every now and then, but I'm 21 so I need to think of insurance. Oh, and as this is for my first job after uni, so I'm also poor at the moment and only be able to spend about £4-5k.

Just wondering if anyone had any ideas of what to look for, where's a good place to car hunt, and things to look out for.

You say you are poor and only able to spend 4 to 5 grand !!
Whats wrong with a £2 to £3k car ? then you have some money to insure it !
Maybe a smallish Toyota or Nissan they are normally economical and reliable, also get a common car as parts are available/cheaper on the aftermarket
It all depends how much street cred and bling you want but whatever you buy remember "the more gadgets and gizmo's" the more aggro and expense for repairs.

[awrb]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

You say you are poor and only able to spend 4 to 5 grand !!
Whats wrong with a £2 to £3k car ? then you have some money to insure it !
Maybe a smallish Toyota or Nissan they are normally economical and reliable, also get a common car as parts are available/cheaper on the aftermarket
It all depends how much street cred and bling you want but whatever you buy remember "the more gadgets and gizmo's" the more aggro and expense for repairs.

Well the money is what I've saved from working part time while at university over the last four years. The reason I was looking at the top end of my budget was simply because I want to get the most reliable car I can, as I'll be using it every day for my new job, and may well be doing a bit of travelling around the UK on the motorway. I've seen a number of 7ish year old cars for that, things like Civic's, Punto's or Golf's around that mark, and as you say they tend to come in closer to 3k.

Does anyone know any cars to look out for or avoid?

I was also unsure if people recommend looking through autotrader and privately buying the car, or if it's best to look in dealers?

As for bling, I'm not really interested in all that, just want to get a good, solid car. But my new job is in the auto industry so I can't turn up in a Proton!

[awrb]

Sorry for the double post, but I thought of my other question.

The other question is do you think that I should be looking for a 1.4 considering the motorway miles, or would a 1.2 do the job? I'm driving my mum's Punto at the moment which is a 1.2 and find that i'm sitting at about 4000 revs on the motorway, so was thinking a 1.4 might make more sense. But is this just the car i've used, or would a 1.4 be best?

Thanks for any replys, I just thought that you guys on here might have some good knowledge and advice, and thanks Gordon for your previous response

[GORDON STREETER]

I would suggest that you look into insurance before you decide what cc and type of car you want as that will probably be a decider.
Most modern small cc cars are more than adequate for today's motoring.
As for buying private or dealer it can be a whole can of worms either way and price doesn't really come into the equation as far as reliability is concerned.
I had a Golf in the other week that a young girl had just brought privately and said it was a bargain as it only wanted a few things done to make it good.
Yes OK £1500 down the line and it doesn't seem the "bargain" that she thought !
A dealer could be a better bet as they should and I say SHOULD give you some sort of warranty but there are a lot of rogues out there, also some of the aftermarket warranty repair guarantees that you get are not worth the paper they are written on if you read between the lines, most dyed in the wool mechanics will steer clear of doing any work for them as they normally try and worm their way out of them one way or the other then pay a paltry hourly rate and keep you months waiting for your money (been there done it)

If you do decide to buy privately at least get a decent mechanic to have a good poke around and not just a mate in the pub who wouldn't know a good car even it it ran him over !
Sorry to be a sceptic but not as sorry as you will be if you buy a pig in a poke !!

[gt917]

As always, good solid advice from Gordon.

[awrb]

Thanks Gordon, that does seem like good advice. There's two dealers in the area which family members have bought from in the past and have been really happy with, so I think I'll try those first then. The only reason I was looking at private sales is they tend to be cheaper, but I suppose paying a bit more may be worth it. Thanks for the advice, I may be back with more questions as they pop up.

[GORDON STREETER]

Yes you are right you can normally buy cheaper privately and you can get a bargain.
What you have to look out for are "shady"dealers posing as private on mobile phones.
If you see a car that you are interested in advertized in the local rag have a look to see if the same number appears under others for sale.
Another way is to phone the number and say I'm interested in "the car you have for sale"and if they don't answer with that particular one then you know they have more than one.
It can be a minefield out there, happy hunting !!!!

[garcon]

Have you considered looking at something newer? Put maybe 3 grand down and pay the rest off on a loan over the next three or four years? Obviously it would depend how much you would be able or willing to spend a month, but it's an option worth considering to get a new (or nearly new) car that is under warranty and will (should!) be more reliable.

There are several manufacturers offering excellent deals on new cars at the moment - discounts off list price and 0% finance in some cases.

If you were to consider finance, do NOT be persuaded into a PCP deal. PCP deals are the work of the devil. (These are where you pay a lower monthly amount but have a 'baloon' payment at the end of the deal).

If you'd rather keep without debt and pay cash for something older, I would stick with Japanese makes for reliability. Or stick to Ford/Vauxhall for cheap parts and repairs. Avoid French (it'll fall apart) or German (not as reliable as you might think, and expensive to run).

As suggested, have a look at what might suit and get some insurance quotes before you commit.

[Tim Falce]

One thing to bear in mind with insurance is that a newer more expensive car may not be more expensive to insure than an old shed. Also Admiral/Elephant seem to be the cheapest for new or young drivers and try and include some older people with clean licences as additional drivers, it can really knock large sums of the prices.

It's a bit unfair what Garc says about French or German cars. Most cars have their own failings one way or another. We have a 2004 Clio which has been generally good but any of the faults I found have had an improved upgrade from Renaults when I've replaced parts. Agree on the Japanese makes though except they can be expensive to repair when they do go wrong.

[garcon]

It's a bit of a generalisation, especially about French cars. I guess it's just that you need to be a little luckier to get a good one, and if you're unlucky you'll hate it.

Good example is a mate spent 600 quid on an old Citroen Saxo as a run around. Frequently got left 3 weeks at a time through winter and started first time, every time. It looked a bit of a shed, but it did the job brilliantly.

[bella]

my uncle currently potters around in a vw fox, he's had a vw polo in the various guises for years. they've been not entirely problem free but very good. i had an equally reliable clio but it wasn't very enjoyable to go long distances in and it was a rattly ride on the motorway.

the key thing, like others have said is to find a good dealer and a good spanner to fix it. personally i'd not touch a private seller, partly cause i think the safety nets from an "official" dealer are worth having *just in case* you get a dud.

also, sniff around your own family and friends and see if anyone's looking to get a new car to replace theirs - then you know the history and how it's been treated well.

[BertMk2]

My other half had a Clio - I wouldn't even consider buying another one. Unreliable, plasticy, gutless, rattley appalling handling piece of crap, very nearly the worst car I've ever driven. Hated it. The drivers seat couldn't go back far enough for the pedals to be in a comfortable position and with the seat all the way back the gearstick was too far forward to be comfortable. Don't know what the drivers seat was made of but an hour sat in it and my back was dead for days. Not enough head room either - go over a bump and brain yourself against the edge of the sunroof. It had to go.

[GORDON STREETER]

My other half runs around in a 1400 Polo that I "stole" off an old lady for peanuts as she had to give up driving, I had worked on it from almost new so I knew a bit about it and is 100% reliable.
Typical old driver car done 32k and had a couple of clutches !
The VW Fox is the cheap basement model and silly/minor things do tend to fall apart.
It's a pity that younger first time drivers have to pay loads to insure vehicles, us old boys can buy some very good better/performance cars for not a lot of money and if like me run them on a traders policy

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

It's a pity that younger first time drivers have to pay loads to insure vehicles, us old boys can buy some very good better/performance cars for not a lot of money and if like me run them on a traders policy

It's never really changed, my first insurance was £11 on a 1959 mini that I paid £15 for.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

It's never really changed, my first insurance was £11 on a 1959 mini that I paid £15 for.

You should have kept it for your retirement Tim, but how much was you getting a week back in those days ?

[Tim Falce]

Ermm at16 I was still at school but I think I was earning a fiver a week for working in the family business after school.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Ermm at16 I was still at school but I think I was earning a fiver a week for working in the family business after school.

So, two weeks wages. I think that young drivers have to pay BIT more than that unless they are city bankers !
In the early 60s £20 a week was about the going rate on the building sites so pro rata insurance was cheap.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

So, two weeks wages. I think that young drivers have to pay BIT more than that unless they are city bankers !
In the early 60s £20 a week was about the going rate on the building sites so pro rata insurance was cheap.

That was only money for working a few hours each night, full time money would have been a lot more, maybe £20 or £30 a week for basic money. My dad's drivers used to earn up to £150-£200 a week in the early 70s but yes I was jesting and insurance is a lot dearer now.

[awrb]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

If you see a car that you are interested in advertized in the local rag have a look to see if the same number appears under others for sale.
Another way is to phone the number and say I'm interested in "the car you have for sale"and if they don't answer with that particular one then you know they have more than one.

That's a great tip, I'll definitely do that if I do start looking privately. My uncle spends all his spare time fixing classic cars so know his way around a car, so I'll certainly get him involved in any cars I'm considering.

I had a brief look at a newer car on finance Garcon, but I'm the kind of person who doesn't like owing money to anyone. I'm thinking I'll get a decent, boring and hopefully reliable car now for a few years, but upgrade to something more exciting when I've got a bit more money behind me.

The consensus seems to be that Japanese cars are probably the best then, but that you can get some good European cars but it's a bit of a gamble. Looks like I'll start looking out for some Civics and Carollas then.