first car - how old should it be?
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first car - how old should it be?Hi everyone, need some advice from people who know anything about cars. I'm 21 and passed my test in Feb and my parents are very kindly buying me a car for my next birthday! After considering it, we've decided to go for a vauxhall corsa as they seem cheap to run and insure (may possibly consider a toyota yaris).
The thing is, as this is my first car my parents want me to get a car that is only 2/3 years old because they're worried about safety and reliability issues. This is gonna make it a lot more expensive! I'm just wondering therefore how important the age of the car is in terms of safety and reliability? If I was to get say a 2003 corsa would that make it less reliable than say a 2009 corsa?
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, I just don't know that much about cars and don't want my parents to spend a lot of extra money for no good reason! -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?My first car was 10 years old when I got it, but only had 45k on the clock, so hadn't been driven much. It's 12 now and still going (touch wood). Had exhaust replaced and a new ignition witch, but in the grand scheme of things it's cost me nothing really. Feel obliged to add that it's a vw, and they have a reputation for lasting forever.
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Re: first car - how old should it be??(Original post by The_Goose)
My first car was 10 years old when I got it, but only had 45k on the clock, so hadn't been driven much. It's 12 now and still going (touch wood). Had exhaust replaced and a new ignition witch, but in the grand scheme of things it's cost me nothing really. Feel obliged to add that it's a vw, and they have a reputation for lasting forever.
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Re: first car - how old should it be?You'd have to look at the spec of the car, e.g mileage, condition, previous owners to tell, generally the newer car should be more reliable but I'd recommend you'd getting an older car first to get any first bumps/scratches out of the way, then investing in a newer one.
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Re: first car - how old should it be?ok so would a 2006 corsa that's only 20,000 miles and had 2 owners seem like a relatively safe bet for around £4.5k? also the car would be automatic if that makes any difference.
I'd obviously go and have a look at the car first, but my parents have just told me to look for cars online and I'm not really sure what to look for beyond the type of car and the price? From speaking to friends everyone seems to have gone for older cars in case of bumps/scratches. I'm confused about why my parents are so adamant I get a newer car, I feel like I'm missing something? -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?My parents were the same. My mum told stories of her 10 year old mini metro always breaking down on the motorway and such that she wanted to get me a newer car to avoid the trouble.(Original post by sxp842)
I'm confused about why my parents are so adamant I get a newer car, I feel like I'm missing something?
However, i think reliability has come quite a way since the 80s. You'd have next to no trouble running a 10 year old car these days providing your sensible with it. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?Ah glad to know it's not only my parents! I guess I just have to wait till we go to some car dealers, maybe they'll listen to a professional opinion.(Original post by Gary Barlow)
My parents were the same. My mum told stories of her 10 year old mini metro always breaking down on the motorway and such that she wanted to get me a newer car to avoid the trouble.
However, i think reliability has come quite a way since the 80s. You'd have next to no trouble running a 10 year old car these days providing your sensible with it.
I didn't think the age would make too much difference to its reliability as long as we got it checked out. Just need to convince my parents of this now! -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?Age doesn't really matter too much (unless its majorly old).If your buying a used car from a garage then it should have had an MOT etc so you know it'll be reliable. If your buying it off someone then its worth paying for a RAC inspection before you buy it . Its about £50 but they check everything and much better than buying the car then having to spend hundreds on it if something goes wrong.
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Re: first car - how old should it be?All cars go wrong. Older cars tend to have fewer parts to go wrong, and if they do, the parts are often cheaper and more accessible to replace yourself.
One thing to bear in mind is if you're looking at cars floating around the 40k-60k mile mark. Around this time most cars have major servicing due which can be quite costly, depending on the car. A car with more miles on the clock could be cheaper to run in the long term.
Ultimately though, you should buy the car you like. If you judge it on reliability/safety you'll end up with a Mondeo or similar. There's nothing wrong with a Mondeo, but there's nothing to write home about either. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?well my parents and grandparents are buying it for me and have said around £5k which seems like a lot of money. As it isn't my money I don't really want them to spend any more than is necessary. For corsas it seems to be around roughly £1k regardless of age - though that's with me as the main driver and without my parents as named drivers (though they both have points on their licences so not too sure if they would bring down the insurance that much!)
We have a family friend that services cars so he'll probably come with us when we buy it and check it out. I have seen a 03 automatic corsa with 30,000 miles for £2.5k which seems like a pretty good deal to me. Particularly if the age has little to do with how well it will run. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?03 corsa for £2.5k seems steep. I'm almost set on getting an 07 Honda Civic 1.4 for £5k and thats £1.6k on insurance. Automatic drives up insurance quotes by a bit as well don't forget. If you have £5k i'd say get a car that your going to really like, you'll look after it better that way. I'm getting the Civic as it's what I really wanted, was lucky I got my 18th birthday money early though I guess.(Original post by sxp842)
well my parents and grandparents are buying it for me and have said around £5k which seems like a lot of money. As it isn't my money I don't really want them to spend any more than is necessary. For corsas it seems to be around roughly £1k regardless of age - though that's with me as the main driver and without my parents as named drivers (though they both have points on their licences so not too sure if they would bring down the insurance that much!)
We have a family friend that services cars so he'll probably come with us when we buy it and check it out. I have seen a 03 automatic corsa with 30,000 miles for £2.5k which seems like a pretty good deal to me. Particularly if the age has little to do with how well it will run. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?Saying about the 40-60k mark, if the age is meant to have that many miles and its had a good service history then it should be fine. I had a relative who brought a 06 BMW in 2010 with 110,000 on the clock, in 2011 and now, its turbo just went which cost £1500 and then it had various other faults after that. If it has done over 14k miles a year i wouldn't go for it.(Original post by FXX)
All cars go wrong. Older cars tend to have fewer parts to go wrong, and if they do, the parts are often cheaper and more accessible to replace yourself.
One thing to bear in mind is if you're looking at cars floating around the 40k-60k mile mark. Around this time most cars have major servicing due which can be quite costly, depending on the car. A car with more miles on the clock could be cheaper to run in the long term.
Ultimately though, you should buy the car you like. If you judge it on reliability/safety you'll end up with a Mondeo or similar. There's nothing wrong with a Mondeo, but there's nothing to write home about either. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?Look up the Euro NCAP figures for the two cars and compare. I have a feeling that an 03 corsa will not withstand a crash as well as an 09 will.(Original post by sxp842)
Hi everyone, need some advice from people who know anything about cars. I'm 21 and passed my test in Feb and my parents are very kindly buying me a car for my next birthday! After considering it, we've decided to go for a vauxhall corsa as they seem cheap to run and insure (may possibly consider a toyota yaris).
The thing is, as this is my first car my parents want me to get a car that is only 2/3 years old because they're worried about safety and reliability issues. This is gonna make it a lot more expensive! I'm just wondering therefore how important the age of the car is in terms of safety and reliability? If I was to get say a 2003 corsa would that make it less reliable than say a 2009 corsa?
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, I just don't know that much about cars and don't want my parents to spend a lot of extra money for no good reason! -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?The 06 plate corsa does seem a bit of a steal, too much so. 6 years old and only 20k miles on the clock? If you go to look at this check the service history and look for MOT certificates, that'll show you the mileage and you can see whether the car's mileage has been clocked or not.(Original post by sxp842)
ok so would a 2006 corsa that's only 20,000 miles and had 2 owners seem like a relatively safe bet for around £4.5k? also the car would be automatic if that makes any difference.
I'd obviously go and have a look at the car first, but my parents have just told me to look for cars online and I'm not really sure what to look for beyond the type of car and the price? From speaking to friends everyone seems to have gone for older cars in case of bumps/scratches. I'm confused about why my parents are so adamant I get a newer car, I feel like I'm missing something?
Be wary also that sometimes older cars can be more expensive to insure than newer ones (despite the newer car being worth more) as insurers factor in availability of spare parts etc. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?thanks for the advice, wasn't really sure how expensive these cars should be. Cheap is always good but then again things are usually cheap for a reason. I'll definitely make sure that I check the car out properly though. Will take a look at NCAP ratings and compare some insurance quotes.
Incidentally, does anyone have opinions on what an automatic gearbox would be like on a small car like a corsa? I've heard that they work better on larger cars but I'd be a bit wary of driving a large car. Although I do have a manual licence if I need to go down that route. -
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Re: first car - how old should it be?My first car was 9 years old when I got it. I got rid of it within 9 months because it just kept breaking all the time. It didn't break down on me but it wasn't the safest! I now have a 2 year old car and touch wood no problems yet.
Why do you want an automatic out of interest? What's wrong with manual?
