First car!

[jawidjanqndn]

So I have recently started taking driving lessons and have taken to it really well. I want to aim to buy my own car by January but I have no idea where to start! What are good first cars? I don’t want anything too expensive, I’m thinking around the 1.5k-2.5k mark.

I’ve been looking at a few ford KA’s and Citroen c1’s but again, I have no clue. Do you recommend doing finance? Do I go through a garage or get a second hand car?

 

[LaurieLaurie]

I wouldn’t get finance on a 2.5k car. Will you be learning in it?

 

[Clickbait]

So I have recently started taking driving lessons and have taken to it really well. I want to aim to buy my own car by January but I have no idea where to start! What are good first cars? I don’t want anything too expensive, I’m thinking around the 1.5k-2.5k mark.

I’ve been looking at a few ford KA’s and Citroen c1’s but again, I have no clue. Do you recommend doing finance? Do I go through a garage or get a second hand car?

My first car was a KA and I found it really easy to drive and park and very reliable. Definitely test drive a few makes to see what you feel comfortable in.

Some makes hold their value - VW, Audi - so getting a slightly older one could be a possibility. I’m always being told that Japanese cars are very reliable too.

Re: finance - I’d look into what you can afford to pay outright and what that gets you. Finance for what is relatively speaking a small amount may screw you over - rather like a pay day loan, the interest rate is often outrageous. I’d suggest either waiting to buy outright, saving for a bigger deposit and then seeing if you can get an interest free deal on a newer car, or getting a bank loan at a better interest rate.

Good luck with the driving lessons and your test.

 

[I’mThankyou_]

So I have recently started taking driving lessons and have taken to it really well. I want to aim to buy my own car by January but I have no idea where to start! What are good first cars? I don’t want anything too expensive, I’m thinking around the 1.5k-2.5k mark.

I’ve been looking at a few ford KA’s and Citroen c1’s but again, I have no clue. Do you recommend doing finance? Do I go through a garage or get a second hand car?

I had a KA as my first car, it was a 2010 plate and was a dream, it served me well. Keep an eye on your local second hand car dealers & on auto trader and keep an eye out for how many previous owners the car has had, how many miles it has done & if anything like the timing belt has been changed. If the reg is displayed its always worth checking out the MOT history too.

When I bought my KA it only had 40,000 miles on the clock, it was my most reliable car to date.

 

[jawidjanqndn]

My first car was a KA and I found it really easy to drive and park and very reliable. Definitely test drive a few makes to see what you feel comfortable in.

Some makes hold their value - VW, Audi - so getting a slightly older one could be a possibility. I’m always being told that Japanese cars are very reliable too.

Re: finance - I’d look into what you can afford to pay outright and what that gets you. Finance for what is relatively speaking a small amount may screw you over - rather like a pay day loan, the interest rate is often outrageous. I’d suggest either waiting to buy outright, saving for a bigger deposit and then seeing if you can get an interest free deal on a newer car, or getting a bank loan at a better interest rate.

Good luck with the driving lessons and your test.

Yeah I was thinking the same re finance. I have saved enough to buy one now but I just wanted to have a look at my options. Thanks all for your help, i’ll definitely keep looking at KA’s I’ve heard good things about them.

 

[hereforthememe]

For your first car, get a cheap one that is petrol and low insurance group. Ford KA, Peugeot 206, etc.

You're insurance premiums are going to be high but once you pass the one year mark with hopefully a no claims bonus, then look to upgrade your car and finance that if you wish.

I've been driving a few years now and my next car will be financed, but only because it's cost-effective if you want to drive a sports car like me you really want to be paying attention to your insurance premiums though for first car

 

[Giggling Squid]

Second hand cars are expensive at the moment so what you get for your money might be a little less than you would have done a few years ago..

If you need to extend your finance a little bit, I have always bought cars using a low interest bank loan rather than finance, that way you own the car straight away.

I would recommend test driving, and then looking at insurance gtoups, tax, servicing and running costs to work out what you can afford.. worth bearing in mind that different models of the same car can be vastly different in terms of insurance, tyres etc

I drove a fiesta for years, and it was great. Cheap tyres, cheap servicing, parts were not too expensive, and the model I had was a cheap insurance group

Parker’s is good for understanding value of a used car, what you’d expect to pay, insurance group etc

 

[WilmaHun]

For my first car I had a £700 corsa. I was so glad I bought an older car for my first car, as I curbed the wheels more times than I care to remember and reversed into my Dads front wall a couple times too (I am a good driver now, promise!) I financed my second car, which I still have now, after I'd been driving for about 2.5years. I'm glad I didn't get a "nice" car for my first as I'd have been absolutely gutted to bump it etc.

I wouldn't recommend financing your first car, especially if it's going to be a reasonably cheap car as you'll just end up paying interest which isn't worth it really when you could just save the cost of the car and buy outright.

Your insurance is likely to be fairly high for your first car, so before going and buying one make sure you do a few compare the market quotes for different makes/models so you get a rough idea of which type of car is going to be most cost effective for you. Also look at reviews on Parkers for safety ratings, fuel consumption, general market value etc too.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

When I was looking at insurance before I failed my test last week it was about £1200 for the first year starting price so play around on comparisons sites with different cars.

 

[Welshgal]

Don’t have much advise but if you go for a second hand car make sure to check the car thoroughly (or better bring someone who knows their way around cars). Don’t rely on whoever is selling.
A friend of mine got a cheap second hand car but had to put so much money into it because things kept breaking. It was ridiculous.
Best of luck with your lessons.

 

[hereforthememe]

When I was looking at insurance before I failed my test last week it was about £1200 for the first year starting price so play around on comparisons sites with different cars.

Mine was £1400 for a 1l petrol in my first year, it's pretty standard unfortunately.

It should come down to about £800 a year after first couple of years.

Drive a 1.6l now and it's come down, and it'll come down again when I hit 25 (if there are young drivers here, you are penalised by being under 25)

 

[I’mThankyou_]

It's also worth playing around with adding named drivers on, in my first year adding my dad as a named driver brought my price down by £600, in my second year keeping him on made my premium higher so I removed him

 

[WilmaHun]

Mine was £1400 for a 1l petrol in my first year, it's pretty standard unfortunately.

It should come down to about £800 a year after first couple of years.

Drive a 1.6l now and it's come down, and it'll come down again when I hit 25 (if there are young drivers here, you are penalised by being under 25)

I agree! Mine was £2,000 for my first year. Dropped dramatically to around £850 in my second year and now I'm over 25 I pay about £230 a year! Prices for young, new drivers are crazy high!

I have my boyfriend as a named driver on my policy and it brings it down, (even when he was under 25 and I was not it bought it down still weirdly enough).

 

[BettyCrockerr]

So I have recently started taking driving lessons and have taken to it really well. I want to aim to buy my own car by January but I have no idea where to start! What are good first cars? I don’t want anything too expensive, I’m thinking around the 1.5k-2.5k mark.

I’ve been looking at a few ford KA’s and Citroen c1’s but again, I have no clue. Do you recommend doing finance? Do I go through a garage or get a second hand car?

Are you going to be using your own car to learn in ontop of your lessons? If not, then just wait until your nearly test ready to buy a car.

for a first car, don’t get something on finance. Get an older, cheap run around that you can drive around in without worrying too much about bumping it - you Only truly start to really learn to drive once you’ve passed your test and are out driving on your own so you want something you can just potter around in and really get to grips with driving in. Look at an old style Clio,KA,Micra,Fiesta etc

Even if you spent £1000 on an older car and get a year or so driving out of it that’s going to be better than financing an expensive new car.

 

[jawidjanqndn]

Are you going to be using your own car to learn in ontop of your lessons? If not, then just wait until your nearly test ready to buy a car.

for a first car, don’t get something on finance. Get an older, cheap run around that you can drive around in without worrying too much about bumping it - you Only truly start to really learn to drive once you’ve passed your test and are out driving on your own so you want something you can just potter around in and really get to grips with driving in. Look at an old style Clio,KA,Micra,Fiesta etc

Even if you spent £1000 on an older car and get a year or so driving out of it that’s going to be better than financing an expensive new car.

I’ve been learning in my mums car (as well as a 1 hour lesson a week) so I definitely don’t feel rushed to buy one right this second. My theory is booked in January and I’d hope to pass by the summer at the very latest.

I’ve saved around 2k so far however with insurance and stuff I’m going to wait out and save as much as I possibly can by January. Thanks for your help though, this has given me all the info I need! God I wish they taught you this stuff back in school

It's also worth playing around with adding named drivers on, in my first year adding my dad as a named driver brought my price down by £600, in my second year keeping him on made my premium higher so I removed him

Wow okay thankyou! I’ll definitely look into this

 

[I’mThankyou_]

I’ve been learning in my mums car (as well as a 1 hour lesson a week) so I definitely don’t feel rushed to buy one right this second. My theory is booked in January and I’d hope to pass by the summer at the very latest.

I’ve saved around 2k so far however with insurance and stuff I’m going to wait out and save as much as I possibly can by January. Thanks for your help though, this has given me all the info I need! God I wish they taught you this stuff back in school


Wow okay thankyou! I’ll definitely look into this

Don't forget to look at your tax banding too, & petrol & diesel work out what is most economical for you. And take into consideration if it takes E10 petrol as they want to phase E5 out and its slightly more expensive at the moment.

 

[hereforthememe]

Also E10 MPG is awful can't stand the stuff. So factor in more trips to the filling station if you get a petrol.

 

[Rippedjeanmaybe]

I have a Ford ka for my first car and I love it, I’ve had it for two years now and I’ve only had a few issues and those have been mainly due to wear and tear.

I went for a 65 plate. Everyone told me to get a really old car as I’d probably bump and scrape it, but I didn’t want a really old car as I wanted powered steering, anti roll etc all the things I’d grown used to on my driving lessons! I haven’t bumped it or kerbed it once, so I’m glad I didn’t listen, but I guess everyone is different. I was 23 when I passed, so I was using it for work and wanted it to be reliable.

as others have said, finance probably isn’t a good idea on such a cheap car. You’d be better off seeing what you can pay outright or maybe see if you can get a loan and see what the interest is like on that?

 

[Dipdab]

I know it’s seen as “basic” my first car was a fiat 500. Really easy to drive and park and cheap to run. I’ve recently had to get rid of it and buy a sensible family car. I was devastated

edited to add I got mine on finance and paid £110 a month for it.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

My first car my parents gave to me, I was lucky. They were going to get a new car anyway and their old car was 15 years old and not worth much. It lasted me a year and a half, I sold it as I knew it would fail the MOT. It was a Toyota Yaris, my dad always says Toyotas are good cars as Japanese cars have a good reputation.
My second car I got for £500, a Ford Fusion that I’ve had for 3 years. Don’t like the look of it but it does the job And I love heated windscreens. It’s 16years old now I thought it was going to fail the mot but it’s just passed.
I’d been looking at new cars because I thought my car would fail the mot and it not be worth fixing. I know nothing about cars but was looking at Hyundai i10s mostly since I’ve seen they have good reviews and reliability. I did favourite a few ford KAs but then asked someone at work who knows cars better than I do and he told me to avoid them. I also had a few Vauxhall vivas favourited but didn’t really look into them too much but they seemed a bit cheaper and were still rated alright from what I remember.