First car advice

[StephenTJackson]

I would say buy a car with a small engine because it's cheaper to insure and run. But because you've technically had a licence for 9 years I suppose you won't have the young/inexperienced driver premium on your insurance other people would have driving their first car. Though you won't have any no claims bonus to reduce the premium. So the smaller engine size would still be a benefit in that regard.

 

[Begborrowsteal]

Great thread - i havent driven in years as well so will need to look at refresher stuff. Hoping to get driving next year when finances are more settled.

 

[under the ivy]

I’m hoping to get a car this year (if I can do my theory and driving test..!) and I’m looking at a Citroen c1. Cheap to run and ideal for a first car.

 

[Saddlesoap]

I would look around at dealerships and see what offers they have. Some do 0% finance. My car is on PCP, so I pay monthly for 4 years and then either swap or buy outright after that. I've never done it before, but I would again.

Personally I think a newer second hand one would be best. I only ever bought my first car privately when I was 17, so can't really advise on that.

ETA. Seats are very popular where I live (partly to do with an excellent dealership), but a pretty good cars. An Ibiza would be a good size.

 

[aimzalicious]

You can get plenty of good second hand cars for 2k. It's difficult for me to advise you without going on a tangent as I'm a huge car enthusiasts and my newest car of three is a 21 years old honda and I can honestly say I'll probably never own anything newer because I'm not interested in paying someone to plug in a computer. I've had zero problems with as it's well maintained and looked after compared to my boyfriends 10 year old car. The only thing that doesn't work is the air con which doesn't bother me as its not something I've ever had in a car so don't miss it for the 2 days a year we actually need to use it haha.
What do you like the look of atm? How many miles are you going to be doing in it a day? Diesels aren't really suited to do a lot of short trips all the time but depending on the age you may be able to get something with zero or £30 a year road tax.

Honestly, I'd love for you to go off on a tangent as I am completely clueless about cars! When I eventually get driving to the office, I'll be doing 85 miles a day (that's to work and back, not just one way!) I'm thinking about these cars:

Volkswagen Polo
Toyota Auris
Mazda 3

Honda Jazz's seem to be cheap and pretty good too, from what I've read so far. So much choice it's a bit overwhelming though.. What do you think of the above list?

 

[DoctorWho]

What’s your budget?

 

[aimzalicious]

What’s your budget?

My budget is up to £2000

 

[aimzalicious]

Hi Tattlers, I've been doing a bit of Googling on this subject but thought I'd come here instead for some straight forward advice.

I got a new job a few weeks ago where I will need a car to get to the head office when the lockdown in the UK is lifted. I passed my test and Pass Plus course about 9 years ago but never needed to buy a car as I always lived in city centers, so I haven't driven in ages. My questions are:

1) What are everyone's recommendations for a first car, and is there anything I should look out for when buying a second-hand car?

2) Is it best to pay for the car itself all in one go or in monthly installments? This new role is mat leave cover, with the potential to maybe get made permanent. I'm worried
that if I pay for the car in monthly installments but don't get kept on for the job, I'll be paying monthly for a car I don't need. However, paying all in one go is very expensive.

3) Is it best to pay for car insurance all in one go, or monthly? I've read it's cheaper if you pay all in one go annually but again, this is pretty expensive.

4) Does anyone have any experience on doing refresher driving courses after not driving for a long amount of time? Did you found it came back to you fairly quickly?

Thank you in advance for any help! Much appreciated

 

[Holidaybobs]

My first car was a peugeot 107. It was an 18th birthday present so I’m unsure on the costs. But, my mum did a lot of research. It was a brilliant first car, very cheap to run. Petrol a full tank would last 3-4weeks, road tax was next to nothing. Insurance was dear but, I went on my own and not as a named driver etc. I paid my insurance in full as it was much cheaper. Back then in 2014 it was £2200 to pay it in full, I’m not sure if it’s still that high for first time drivers. My car was a 1.0 engine as my mum didn’t want me to have a powerful one and it was really nippy and fine on the motorway. I wouldn’t recommend financing a car unless you can’t find a good used one. A lot of the time you get trapped into renewing it due to deposits and final payments etc.

 

[Shaunaftw]

My budget is up to £2000 for buying outright, but I'm worried this won't be enough for a good car!

You can get plenty of good second hand cars for 2k. It's difficult for me to advise you without going on a tangent as I'm a huge car enthusiasts and my newest car of three is a 21 years old honda and I can honestly say I'll probably never own anything newer because I'm not interested in paying someone to plug in a computer. I've had zero problems with as it's well maintained and looked after compared to my boyfriends 10 year old car. The only thing that doesn't work is the air con which doesn't bother me as its not something I've ever had in a car so don't miss it for the 2 days a year we actually need to use it haha.
What do you like the look of atm? How many miles are you going to be doing in it a day? Diesels aren't really suited to do a lot of short trips all the time but depending on the age you may be able to get something with zero or £30 a year road tax.

 

[under the ivy]

Yeah I don’t like Fiat 500s - they’re not very powerful. I’d love a Mini but the parts are expensive if anything goes wrong. Also heard the same about Renaults.

 

[Kim Mild]

This isn't true at all, a smaller engine doesn't make it cheaper to insure or run. My 1.6 is cheaper to insure than my 1l and only does about 5mpg less when I'm doing a bit of spirited driving otherwise they both get +50mpg, both petrol engines. Insurance is based on the car make and model, not the engine size.

I think it used to be the case once.

I tend to find there is more difference between quotes from different providers for the same car than there is between little run around cars and more powerful ones.

 

[aimzalicious]

Op - do you have a budget for buying a car outright? Because if you've only got a temporary contract that would be the most sensible option as you won't be paying out for something you can't afford when circumstances change.
I pay for my insurance and tax outright but my most expensive policy of three is only £300 a year.

My budget is up to £2000 for buying outright, but I'm worried this won't be enough for a good car!

 

[Shaunaftw]

Op - do you have a budget for buying a car outright? Because if you've only got a temporary contract that would be the most sensible option as you won't be paying out for something you can't afford when circumstances change.
I pay for my insurance and tax outright but my most expensive policy of three is only £300 a year.